Your Identity Beyond Your Job Title – Laverne McKinnon

You're more than your job. Much more. But it takes some time to transition once you retire. It can be especially challenging if you were forced to retire. Laverne McKinnon knows what it's like to process job loss and what it takes to move forward. Laverne  McKinnon joins us from Los Angeles. _______________________ Bio Laverne McKinnon’s journey reflects a sincere commitment to helping individuals and organizations rediscover their capacity for impact and creativity. She balances multiple hats, integrating her experience and expertise as both a Career Coach and Grief Recovery Specialist with her extensive background as a Film & Television Producer. With an understanding that unaddressed setbacks and grief can erode resilience, Laverne specializes in guiding people and companies to reconnect with their core strengths and aspirations. Her approach is grounded in the belief that clarity of values and purpose lies at the heart of fulfillment and meaningful impact. As an adjunct professor at Northwestern University's MS Leadership for Creative Enterprises program, Laverne’s highly regarded course on Persuasion & Pitching stands out for its experiential nature, pushing students to engage actively and think on their feet. She imparts the philosophy that pitching is not a contest to be won, but a connection to be made, emphasizing that people invest in individuals before ideas. This philosophy stems from her background as a television programming executive. A significant portion of Laverne's career was spent on the corporate side, notably as Senior Vice-President of Drama Development at CBS and Executive Vice-President at EPIX. Her involvement in the CSI and CRIMINAL MINDS series highlights her ability to identify and develop highly commercial and financially lucrative franchises. As the inaugural programming chief for EPIX, she earned the platform its first Emmy nominations. Her tenure as Head of Television at Charlize Theron's production company, Denver & Delilah, further showcased her ability to bring projects to life including three direct-to-series orders. As the Executive Producer of the Netflix series GIRLBOSS and co-founder of K&L Productions with filmmaker Kay Cannon, Laverne's passion for championing marginalized and underserved stories and communities is informed by her Japanese heritage and growing up in a lower-income household. Laverne's academic foundation, encompassing a BS in Radio-TV-Film from Northwestern University and an MBA from Pepperdine, underscores her commitment to being a lifelong learner. Along with certifications as a coach and grief recovery specialist, she’s also a practitioner of cognitive behavioral therapy and neuro-linguistics. ________________________ For More on Laverne McKinnon Moonshot Mentor ________________________ Podcast Conversations You May Like Working Identity – Herminia Ibarra The Portfolio Life – Christina Wallace Edit Your Life – Elisabeth Sharp McKetta ________________________ About The Retirement Wisdom Podcast There are many podcasts on retirement, often hosted by financial advisors with their own financial motives, that cover the money side of the street. This podcast is different. You’ll get smarter about the investment decisions you’ll make about the most important asset you’ll have in retirement: your time. About Retirement Wisdom I help people who are retiring, but aren’t quite done yet, discover what’s next and build their custom version of their next life. A meaningful retirement doesn’t just happen by accident. Schedule a call today to discuss how The Designing Your Life process created by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans can help you make your life in retirement a great one – on your own terms. About Your Podcast Host  Joe Casey is an executive coach who also helps people design their next life after their primary career and create their version of The Multipurpose Retirement.