I could be considered an outlier when it comes to pensions. I started one young thanks to a gentle nudge from my dad who worked all his life in a bank. He instilled a future-you mentality in me, but still this wasn’t something I talked about with my friends. We didn’t talk about pensions; we certainly didn’t talk about our second lives – our hopes for retirement.
When Standard Life approached me about The Ultimate Guide to Women and Pensions podcast, I thought to myself, people don’t want to hear about pensions – how are we going to make this land? Thankfully, they were on the same wavelength. We agreed that this needed to be more than another financial podcast. It was time to start those conversations we didn’t grow up having – the unspoken, sometimes uncomfortable realities that shape how women feel about and approach their financial futures.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: only half of women in Ireland feel financially prepared for retirement. That’s one in two of us not knowing what we need to do in order to enjoy the retirement they’re working so hard to achieve. Is that your sister, your best friend, your colleague or your future self?
Retirement planning isn’t just a financial issue, it’s an emotional one. We’ve been conditioned to put others first, to keep going and – for many of us – it’s simply not on our radar. The irony is that the conversations we don’t prioritise are often the very ones we most need to have.
RM Block
So I sat down with people who truly understand that challenge, brilliant minds such as Richard Hogan (psychotherapist and author), Mary Kennedy (renowned broadcaster), Aisling Hassell (chief executive of Dăha Wellness) and Sinead McEvoy (Standard Life’s head of retirement solutions) to explore what really gets in the way of women taking ownership of their financial futures. Spoiler: it’s not just about the money.
Here’s what I took away from our conversations:
Small changes lead to big results
Dr Hogan outlined how, when we’re already stretched, we owe it to ourselves to learn to say no and introduce some boundaries. This allows us free up the head space to begin to consider what our second life might look like.
He shared a powerful reframe that I believe will be a game-changer for women, particularly for retirement planning. He reminded me that meaningful change doesn’t have to be seismic. It can be microscopic.
Habit-stacking, (it’s a phrase very associated with James Clear) is about taking something you’re already doing and gently adding something new to it. Like carving out some time in the day for yourself every day, be it meditation, a sea swim or a walk. These small acts can help us to maintain a healthy head space.
Trust your gut
One common theme throughout these conversations has been the power of women’s’ intuition. As women, we can be overly risk-averse, often at the expense of our future selves. But to properly prepare ourselves for our next phase, we need to take a leaf out of Kennedy’s book, whose philosophy on retirement is “jump, take the risk, open the gate”.
Kennedy spoke about how she feels more herself now than ever, and that came from having both emotional and financial clarity. A trusted financial adviser can be part of that process, someone who sees you, listens without judgment and helps you take aligned, informed action. And action is key.
One of my favourite moments this season came when Kennedy spoke candidly about embracing change later in life. “Retirement,” she said, “is not an ending, it’s a beginning. But we’ve got to be brave enough to prepare for it.” So many women I meet are so focused on caring for others that they forget to invest in themselves. It’s time to shift that dynamic.
Look forward to your second life
When we talk about retirement, we often focus on what we’re leaving behind – the job, the routine, the noise. However, retirement is about so much more than leaving behind your working days. It’s filled with opportunities to build new purpose, engage in community activities and learn new skills.
Hassell shared how her “simplistic” view of retirement evolved over time, and how her retirement has been all about choice. She imagined it as something passive, but with time and intention, she reframed it as something far more exciting: a phase full of agency, curiosity, and, crucially, choice.
That idea really stuck with me. After years of balancing work, caregiving, ambition and expectations, retirement can be the first chapter where you truly get to choose what your days look like. Whether that’s volunteering, taking up painting, hiking in new corners of the country, or setting up your own business like Hassell did, just because you can – this stage of life can be expansive, joyful and meaningful.
Be kind to your future self
I’ve come to realise that we don’t always recognise our future self as us. This means retirement planning can feel impersonal, when, in reality, there is nothing more personal than investing in yourself.
McEvoy reframed pension planning as a radical act of self-kindness. It’s not about rigidly locking yourself into a plan, it’s about creating the flexibility and freedom to adapt. She reminded me that financial planning is not just about numbers, it’s about naming your needs, and making sure they’re met both now and as you enter your second life.
The podcast is a secret conversation brought to life. It’s like a savvy, supportive friend who encourages you to ask the uncomfortable questions and helps you find the answers. We’ve created a space where stories meet practical steps and where vulnerable openness is a strength, not a weakness.
The point? You don’t need to have it all figured out. But you do need to start!
So if you’re reading this and feeling late to the party, you’re not. Your second life is waiting – design it, plan it and do it.
The Ultimate Guide for Women and Pensions is available now wherever you get your podcasts. I promise you, it’s not what you expect – it’s better.
Research referenced is based on an independent, nationally representative online survey of more than 1,000 adults in Ireland, conducted quarterly by 3 Gem on behalf of Standard Life in 2025
