The Encore Project Podcast
The Encore Project Podcast features thoughtful conversations and practical insights for senior men navigating retirement, purpose, health, relationships, and personal growth in the digital age.
This podcast is an extension of The Encore Project — a platform created to encourage men in life’s second half to remain engaged, curious, reflective, and connected.
Each episode explores the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual dimensions of aging with intention. Through stories, reflections, and guided discussions, we examine what it means to move beyond simply “retiring” and instead reimagine the years ahead as a time of renewal and contribution.
Topics span ten core areas central to a fulfilling later life: coping with grief and loss, creative pursuits, faith and fulfillment, financial empowerment, health and wellness, inspiration and personal growth, relationships and companionship, retirement reimagined, tech-savvy living, and travel and adventure.
Rather than offering quick fixes or generic advice, The Encore Project Podcast invites thoughtful exploration. Episodes are designed to feel warm, conversational, and reflective — like sitting across the table from a trusted friend who understands both the challenges and opportunities of aging.
Many episodes draw inspiration from deeply researched written pieces, allowing us to distill essential ideas into accessible, meaningful conversations. Others focus on storytelling — highlighting resilience, rediscovery, and quiet transformation in the lives of senior men.
At its heart, this podcast exists to affirm a simple truth: growth does not end at retirement. Purpose does not expire. Curiosity does not age out. The second half of life can be one of depth, clarity, contribution, and renewal.
Hosted by The Encore Project.
Episodes
152 episodes
Where Men Belong — The Third Places That Keep Us Alive
In this episode, Bill Leighty takes us back to Vinnie’s patio — a backyard in Tulsa where real estate men gathered every weekday at five o’clock for a decade, grilling steaks, telling stories, and doing something the researchers now know is as ...
What Chronic Pain Teaches You Over Time
In this episode, Bill Leighty shares something he rarely talks about — five decades of living with degenerative disc disease, COPD, arthritis, and the other quiet companions of a life lived hard and well. This isn’t a medical episode. It’s a co...
The Moment Everything Changed — One Question, Thirty Seconds, A New Life
In this episode, Bill Leighty tells the story of the moment he sat down at his computer, typed a complicated question into ChatGPT, and watched everything change. He was in his late seventies. He had no tech background. And he had just discover...
Finding Your Song: Retirement Reimagined
There’s a word Bill Leighty doesn’t use about himself: retired. In this episode, Bill traces the thread that runs from a fiery Op-Ed in a Tulsa newspaper to a planning commission chamber to fifty years at the lectern — and finally to The Encore...
The Spiritual Work the Estate Plan Doesn't Cover
Most men have done the legal work — the will, the trust, the beneficiaries. But there is another kind of preparation that most men leave unexamined: the spiritual texture of their departure. In this episode, Bill Leighty reflects on what it mea...
Who Are You When the Direct Deposit Stops?
This episode explores the psychological dimension of financial transition in retirement — why men who are objectively secure still feel financially anxious, what the research says about paycheck identity and purpose, and one founder's honest ac...
Rome, Lake Como, and the House We Sold When We Got Home
Bill Leighty was sixty-two years old the first time he left the United States. What happened in Rome — a scammer at the bus terminal, a sidewalk dinner, an extraordinary evening on the lawn of the Augustinianum at the threshold of the Vatican, ...
The Grief Men Carry Alone — and What It Costs Them
In this episode, we explore one of the most common — and least talked about — patterns among men in their later years: the habit of holding grief inside until it finds its own way out. Drawing on both personal experience and current resea...
My Father Never Used an ATM
Bill Leighty was never afraid of technology — he bought an IBM PC Junior in 1984 and realtors called him for tech advice. His father, a decorated WWII Navy fighter pilot, was terrified of it. In this episode, Bill traces that contrast, from a w...
The Memoir You Keep Postponing — and Why It Can't Wait
In this episode, we explore one of the most overlooked creative acts available to men in retirement: writing their own story. Not for publication, not for applause — but for the people who come after, and for the clarity that only comes from pu...
All Aboard, On Your Own: The Best Cruises for Senior Men Travelling Solo
Cruising solo as a senior man used to mean paying a single supplement that made the whole trip prohibitively expensive. That’s changed. The cruise industry has woken up to the solo traveler market, and the options for senior singles have never ...
Just You and the World: The Senior Man’s Guide to Solo Travel in Retirement
Solo travel in retirement is one of the most liberating things a man can do — and one of the most underrated. No compromises on the itinerary, no waiting for others to be ready, no negotiating the day’s agenda. Just you, your curiosity, and whe...
Travel with a Purpose: Volunteer Vacations That Give Back — and Give Back to You
There's a particular kind of travel fatigue that sets in after you've seen enough beautiful things — the museums start to blur, the beaches all look alike, and you come home with photographs but not much else. Volunteer vacations solve that pro...
Don’t Let Your Meds Derail Your Trip: How to Adjust Medication Times When Travelling
Crossing time zones is one of the great pleasures of international travel — until you realize it creates a genuine challenge for anyone on a medication schedule. For senior men taking daily prescriptions, the question of when to take medication...
Where to Go Next: The Top Travel Destinations for Senior Men in Any Season
The world is large, retirement is finite, and the question of where to go next deserves a serious answer. For senior men who want travel that delivers more than a checked box — travel that offers cultural depth, physical beauty, the right pace,...
Travel Heals: The 10 Best Places to Visit When Health Is a Factor
Managing a chronic illness or recovering from a health event doesn’t mean you have to stay home. In fact, for many senior men, the right travel experience — restorative, unhurried, and set in a place with clean air, good food, and a slower pace...
The World Is Still Yours: Travel Tips for Senior Men with Disabilities
A disability or mobility limitation doesn’t have to mean the end of travel — it means travel requires more planning. And for senior men who refuse to let physical limitations define the boundaries of their lives, the accessible travel movement ...
Travel Like You’ve Earned It: Luxury Destinations for Senior Men Who Want the Best
After a lifetime of delayed gratifications and budget compromises, retirement is the moment to travel the way you’ve always wanted to. For senior men who value comfort, quality, and the kind of unhurried elegance that comes from staying somewhe...
Hit the Trail Ready: How Senior Men Can Train Effectively for Hiking
Hiking is one of the most rewarding things a senior man can do — but showing up at the trailhead undertrained is a fast way to turn an adventure into an ordeal. The good news is that getting trail-ready doesn’t require months in a gym or extrem...
Skip the Crowds: 7 Hidden Travel Gems Worth the Trip for Men Over 50
If you've done Paris and Rome and come home feeling like you stood in line more than you actually traveled, you already know what this episode is about. The most famous destinations in the world have become remarkably good at processing t...
School’s Never Out: The Best Online Learning Platforms for Senior Men
The internet has made lifelong learning more accessible than at any point in human history — and senior men are taking advantage of it in growing numbers. Whether you want to finally learn Spanish, master woodworking, study history, pick up cod...
Never Get Lost, Never Go Unnoticed: Why GPS Is Essential for Senior Men on the Move
GPS technology for older adults has matured far beyond turn-by-turn directions. Today’s GPS devices and apps can track location in real time, alert family members if a senior strays from a safe zone, and help emergency services find someone who...
Make Your Home Work for You: A Senior Man’s Guide to Setting Up a Smart Home
A smart home isn’t just a tech enthusiast’s toy — for senior men, it’s a practical tool for safety, comfort, and independence. Voice-controlled lighting, smart thermostats, video doorbells, medication reminders, fall detection sensors — the tec...
AI Is Not Science Fiction: How Artificial Intelligence Can Actually Improve a Senior Man’s Life
Artificial intelligence sounds like something from a movie — until you realize it’s already running your email spam filter, powering the voice on your phone, and helping your doctor read your scans. For senior men, AI isn’t a threat or a myster...
Why Your Step Count Is Wrong and How to Fix It: A Senior Man’s Guide to Health App Troubleshooting
You put in the miles, but your health app says otherwise. For senior men who rely on step-tracking apps to monitor their activity and stay motivated, inaccurate counts aren’t just annoying — they undermine the whole point of having the tool in ...