I Quit the Rat Race at 55 — Here’s What I Got Back

Early Retirement Roadmap · Sep 7, 2026 · 15m

I quit the rat race at 55 and retired early. Nearly two years later, I’ve learned that life after work gives you back things you may not even realize your career has been taking from you.

After decades of working, saving and planning for retirement, I thought I had a pretty good idea what early retirement would feel like. I didn’t.

In this episode, I share six things I wasn’t fully prepared for after leaving the rat race — including how much mental space work had been occupying, why I don’t miss my job nearly as much as I expected, how differently time feels when it actually belongs to you…