May 11, 2022

Social connection is something we crave. But building meaningful friendships with other men can be tough, especially when we are no longer in the workplace.  

Dr. Mel Schneiderman and Rick Lehrer saw a need for bringing a group of men together for the sole purpose of supporting each other through the transition to their next stage of life—their journey into the unknown of aging. 

Some members of the support group are fully retired, while others are still working. Their focus isn’t just on retirement, but also on facing the realities and adversities of getting older. Today I’m joined by the founders of the support group.

Dr. Mel Schneiderman is Senior Vice President and co-founder of New York Foundling’s Vincent Fontana Center for Child Protection, a national child protection center focusing on the primary prevention of child maltreatment. 

Rick Lehrer is the founding Partner of the Cambridge Organization. Under his direction, he led the firm to serve over 2,500 clients in developing insurance plans and strategies before retiring at the start of 2019.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why Mel’s switch from working six days to four days was life-changing
• Rick’s personal struggle to satisfy his creative spark in retirement
• The connection between vulnerability and trust in a group setting
• How to keep egos in check and prevent competition among peers
• Rick and Mel’s advice for creating your own social support group