Make your Prime Time count

My new book Prime TIme: 27 Lessons for the New Midlife arrives in stores in eight days. Here's a podcast where we dive into the lessons in the book and more.

I’m back from holidays and ready to kick off the countdown - just eight days to go until you’ll find Prime Time in stores! To celebrate, we’ve put together a special bonus series to bring the book to life.

In this first bonus episode of Prime Time, I’m pulling back the curtain on the book: Prime Time: 27 Lessons for the New Midlife. My brilliant producer Emelia joins me as co-host, asking all the behind-the-scenes questions - about the book and the big lessons you can learn and why I’m so passionate about this chapter of life.

We dive into the big idea behind Prime Time: midlife doesn’t have to be a slow slide into retirement with a blindfold on. It’s actually the most powerful, choice-filled, interesting time of your life - if you let it be. And it’s a time that can be exciting in its own right; and if you make some smart moves financially can set you up handsomely for the future, with time to have an impact. I’m hoping we delivered an inspiring and relatable picture of the new ways we can choose to do midlife. There’s another bonus episode next week too. (You’ll still get a terrific on-schedule show on Thursday!)

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE OF THE PODCAST HERE:

• LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS

• LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

Highlights of the conversation:

1. Prime Time isn’t pre-retirement—it’s a whole life phase of its own
This is the part no one told us about. Prime Time starts when the financial and family pressures begin to ease, and it can run right through to your active retirement years. It’s not a holding pen for retirement. It’s a vibrant, purposeful chapter of life.

2. The world has changed - but our life templates haven’t
We're still acting like life wraps up at 60 or 70, but we're living into our 90s. That’s a full second adulthood - and we’re allowed to reimagine it.

3. The three phases of Prime Time and then….
There’s a flow to it:

• Setup: Put in place your financial foundations, pay down debt, build a buffer and learn how money works in the second half of life.

• Life styling: Start enjoying life more while you’re still working — really!

• Part timing: Wind back work without winding down your energy or purpose, and know how you’ll afford it.

• And then, slip into your Epic Retirement (ideally at the time of your choosing) with fewer speedbumps because you prepared earlier.

4. You don’t have to ‘retire’ to have the good life
I speak to so many people who say, “I don’t want to retire—I just want more freedom.” Prime Time gives you that without the baggage of the ‘R word.’ You can chase the R-word later, after you’ve made your Prime Time count.

5. There’s science behind this life stage
Academics call it “encore adulthood.” I call it Prime Time. It's not about slowing down—it’s about finally living the life that fits you. We dive into the science of course - because I’ve dug around in it.

6. Power, purpose, and money confidence
We talk about how Superannuation and conscious financial decisions in your 40s and 50s set you up for the freedom to choose later. Understanding your money = owning your choices; leveraging compound investing; and letting time do a large part of the work.

7. The six pillars of Prime Time
One of them is recognising that you can choose to get off the ladder and build a life that’s designed around you. Not your boss. Not your past self. You.

8. Why this matters now
Seventy percent of people today don’t retire by choice. If we don’t start designing our lives earlier, we risk drifting sideways or slipping uninspired into retirement; or worse, getting pushed there. Making your Prime Time count is the antidote to that drift.

9. The book is coming
Prime Time lands on July 30 and is already climbing the bestseller list. Pre-order from your local bookseller, or get in on Amazon, Big W, Dymocks, QBD or Booktopia (all the details below). This book is your guide to making your Prime Time count.

Where can you get your copy?

Prime Time: 27 Lessons for the New Midlife will be available in all the stores that sell books from Wednesday 30th July 2025. And there’s lots of wonderful retailers I’d like to showcase who are able to sell you a copy.

First, consider buying from your local bookseller.
A special shout-out to all the small and boutique bookstores that have been such generous supporters of Epic Retirement and Prime Time. If you get the chance to pop into one and pre-order or grab your copy, you’re not just buying a book — you’re backing the brilliant diversity of booksellers who help keep our reading lives rich and vibrant. And for that, I’m truly grateful.

Or, if you’re shopping the big lanes, here’s where it’s available, online and off. (And there’s heaps more)

• Amazon

• Big W;

• Dymocks;

• QBD:

• Booktopia: (I’m signing their first release copies this week)
  

We’re having a book launch online event!

To celebrate launch day, I’m hosting an online book launch event with my publisher, Sophie Hamley from Hachette. We’ll go live at 1pm AEST on Wednesday 30th July for a casual chat about the book, the ideas behind it, and a few juicy behind-the-scenes bits. I’ve been working on the slides — there’s some free lessons in this event!

It’s free to attend, and you can register here. I’ll send out access details a few days before via email to those who’ve registered.