Special Event Overview
As life expectancy increases, retirement is no longer just about financial security - it's about preparing for a new chapter of life that goes beyond the traditional notions of rest and relaxation.
For a Keeping Well at Work special event, join us for an engaging session designed to help you rethink and reimagine your retirement. Featured earlier this year in the Waterloo Magazine, Simon Chan (BA ‘98) and Kyra Jones (BSc ‘09, PhD ‘14) from Adapt with Intent, along with special guest retirees including Mike Drak, Canadian best-selling author on the non-financial aspects of retirement, and Waterloo retiree and former OHD director, Katrina Di Gravio, will share insights on how retirement is being reimagined.
You'll hear directly from retirees as they discuss their journeys and the critical role that non-financial aspects play in retirement planning. Participants will have the opportunity for Q&A and leave with some tangible next steps for how to prepare for their own retirement.
Questions about this event can be directed to ohd@uwaterloo.ca.
Intended Audience
All UWaterloo Employees
Format
Online workshop
About Adapt with Intent
Adapt with Intent Inc. is a boutique consulting firm that works with leaders, educators, and organizations to reframe their thinking and redesign new ways of working across life stages. Adapt with Intent focuses on the intersection of longevity and work and how we might adapt careers, work systems, and what “retirement” might look like.
Our Guest Speakers
Simon Chan
(BA ‘98), Founder and CEO of Adapt with Intent Inc.
Simon Chan is a talent and innovation executive with over 25 years of experience working across multiple sectors including financial services, technology, academia, and not-for-profit. Prior to founding Adapt with Intent Inc. in 2022, Simon was Vice-President of Talent, Academy, and Future of Work at Communitech, a globally recognized innovation hub where he spearheaded talent attraction and learning initiatives for over 1,600 companies ranging from start-ups to global enterprises. Before joining the tech industry, Simon was the head of strategy, product, and investments for Manulife’s group retirement, benefits, retail wealth, and insurance businesses.
Simon holds a Master of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University, and he now serves as Chair of the university board of governors. He also holds CFP (Certified Financial Planner) and CPRC (Certified Professional Retirement Coach) designations.
Kyra Jones
(BSc ‘09, PhD ‘14), Chief Design Officer, Adapt with Intent Inc.
Kyra Jones has spent her career working with people as they transform through immersive learning and development experiences, from students pursuing post-secondary education to leaders at some of the world's largest organizations. For over 10 years, Kyra has been on a mission to transform what it feels like to learn and develop throughout our lives and cultivate space to bring the best of ourselves to the work we do. She has advanced this important work taking on roles in higher education at Wilfrid Laurier University and University of Waterloo, leading the Deloitte Greenhouse in Kitchener-Waterloo, and working with startup and scaling organizations at Communitech as VP, Organizational Development & Culture.
Kyra has a PhD in Biology, a B.Ed. in Adult Education, and a BSc and brings a deep knowledge of living systems to her work. Her impact on leaders is highly valued and sought after.
Mike Drak
Late Bloomer, Bestselling Canadian Author, Retirement Lifestyle Designer
Mike Drak is a thirty-eight-year veteran of the financial services industry. He started his own Victory Lap in 2014 and is currently working with his wife, an investment advisor, helping her clients design their own fulfilling retirement lifestyles. Mike is a best-selling author, award winning blogger, public speaker and retirement lifestyle designer. His retirement blog articles can be found at Booming Encore.
His best seller “Victory Lap Retirement” was based on the realization that traditional full stop retirement doesn’t work for most people anymore due to increasing longevity. The book presents a new life model better suited to today’s reality.
His follow up book “Retirement Heaven or Hell: Which Will You Choose?” shares some of Mike’s personal experiences in retirement and highlights how people can design and transition to their own unique retirement lifestyle. This book also outlines the valuable retirement lessons learned from the pandemic and introduces nine retirement principles that can support creating a long, healthy and fulfilling life.
Katrina Di Gravio
Waterloo Retiree, Waterloo Course Lecturer, former Director, Organizational and Human Development
Katrina Di Gravio has been with the university for more than 35 years and began her career as a member of the Human Resources department in 1980, as senior Staff Relations Coordinator. She has a Master Trainer certification, is a certified Psychological Health and Safety Trainer, and is a founding member of the Leadership Development Training Team. Katrina is well known and respected within the campus community and was the primary university resource for training and development for more than 15 years. Katrina established Waterloo's Principles of Inclusivity and served on the President's Anti Racism task force. Most recently she served as the Director, Organizational Human Development, a unit dedicated to professional learning and development opportunities for all employees.
As a retiree, Katrina continues to interact and engage with campus as a lecturer for Human Resources Management 200 and Psych 340 Training and Development for the department of Psychology. Since retirement, she enjoys engaging in personal fitness and wellness at the Waterloo Recreation Centre, partaking in ongoing learning and engagement with the UW Retiree Association and participating in campus events like the annual United Way Walk.