Meet Jessica
Retirement Coach • Expert on Aging • Writer
Jessica McIlvane, PhD spent more than two decades studying what actually makes people thrive in later life — interviewing hundreds of older adults, teaching lifespan development, and writing about aging. She then went on to work at the National Institutes of Health on health science policy, science writing, and communicating about science. She has a PhD in Developmental Psychology with a focus on aging, and her research examined how personal resources like social support, sense of control, and coping strategies shape well-being in middle and older adulthood.
Now she brings that scientific expertise directly to individuals navigating one of life’s most significant transitions. As a Certified Professional Retirement Coach, she helps people prepare for — and truly live well in — retirement by focusing on what the traditional financial plan doesn’t address: how you’ll spend your time, stay socially connected, maintain your health, decide where to live, and build a life with real meaning and purpose.
Jessica brings something rare to retirement coaching: 20 years of experience doing research and teaching about aging and expertise in what the research actually tells us about living well in later life. She also brings her own multiple career reinventions — from academic research to health science policy to entrepreneurship and coaching. She knows from her own life what it takes to redesign your work and your life, on your own terms.
She is particularly passionate about supporting fellow Gen Xers who want to shift out of work that no longer fits into work that is meaningful, flexible, and on their own terms, and helping Boomers approaching or newly in retirement build a life they are genuinely excited to wake up to.
My Story
Many years ago—when I was a college student—I took a class called Psychology of Aging. One day, the professor asked, “When is the best time to start saving for retirement?”
Students called out answers: 45, 50, 60.
She looked at the group of students, mainly in our early 20’s, and she said nope. “You should start saving for retirement right now.”
We laughed and looked at each other with shocked faces. Surely she didn’t mean now. But she did. And that moment stuck with me.
That class taught me something important: while money matters, retirement is about much more than finances. It’s about identity, purpose, relationships, and how we want to live our lives as we age. I was hooked—and I’ve been passionate about aging and retirement ever since.
I went on to earn a PhD in Developmental Psychology and spent over 20 years researching, teaching, and writing about the psychological, social, and physical aspects of aging. Later, I shifted into federal government work, where I spent 15 years at the National Institutes of Health focused on health science policy—communicating complex research to Congress, scientists, and the public.
Even then, I never lost the desire to do work that felt meaningful and directly helped people. While working full time, I began building a retirement coaching and writing business on the side—thinking it would be something I’d fully pursue someday.
Life had other plans.
After some unexpected upheaval in my career (and a lot of soul-searching), I realized I didn’t want to wait for retirement to do work with meaning. What initially felt like a curveball turned out to be a turning point. I left my job and committed fully to helping people navigate retirement and life transitions with intention and clarity.
Around the same time, I was watching family and friends struggle. Gen X friends felt stuck in unfulfilling work. Boomer loved ones wrestled with identity and purpose after retirement. I saw firsthand how hard these transitions can be—and how much better life can be when people plan beyond the financial side.
That’s where my work comes in.
Today, I use my background in aging and research—as a retirement coach and writer—to help people actively shape a meaningful, fulfilling life in retirement and beyond.
My Philosophy
I believe a good retirement is built by paying attention to six key areas of life:
Intentional (Values)
Living in alignment with your values, purpose, priorities, and what truly matters to you.
Mental
How you think about retirement, identity beyond work, and how you’ll fill your time.
Social
Staying connected, engaged, and relevant through relationships and community.
Physical
Focusing on your physical needs, well-being, and overall health.
Environmental (Home)
Creating a living environment that supports the life you want.
Financial
Having a basic understanding of retirement finances and how to protect yourself from bad advice and fraud.
These six areas guide all of my one-on-one and group coaching. They form the foundation of the work we do together.
Note: While I include the financial pillar as essential to retirement planning, I do not provide financial advice. I focus on the non-financial aspects of retirement. Likewise, retirement coaching is not therapy, and I am not a therapist.