Seamus O'Sullivan

I didn't start out as a retirement coach. For eight years, I worked as a health promotion officer with Galway City Council, designing wellness programmes for older adults. That's where I first saw the real challenges people face when major life changes hit — and I realised most of them weren't getting the right support.

Watching people struggle through transitions that could've been manageable with proper guidance motivated me to get my formal coaching credentials. I completed my International Coach Federation certification in 2016 and haven't looked back since. What I've learned is this: retirement isn't an ending. It's a massive life change that needs the same attention and planning we give to career moves or relationship changes.

Over the past decade, I've worked with more than 2,000 people across Connacht on retirement readiness and active ageing. I've also become deeply involved with Men's Shed Ireland — facilitating peer support groups and witnessing firsthand how powerful community engagement is for mental health and wellbeing in later life. The research backs this up, but so does watching real people come alive when they're part of something meaningful.

My Master's degree in Health Promotion from University College Galway and my training in positive psychology and gerontology give me the evidence base. But what really drives my work is challenging the ageist narratives we've accepted in Ireland. I'm convinced that people can thrive in their later years — not just survive them.