ABOUT ME

Hi!

I’m so glad you found your way here.

I’m Elaine Belansky.

I wonder if any parts of my story will resonate with you.

Like so many of us, I’ve navigated big life transitions: empty nesting, divorce, remarriage…and what felt like the longest perimenopause in history. Transitions are hard because there’s so much uncertainty.

Retirement was no exception. When I first told the dean of my college that I was planning to retire at the end of the academic year (I was a university professor), I was practically bursting with excitement. But as my retirement date got closer, I found myself feeling increasingly anxious.

“Who am I without my title?”
“What am I going to do all day?”
“Will I feel lonely?”
“What do I actually want now?”
“How do I move forward after so many years of working full time?”

Almost all the advice about planning for retirement was financial. I had a fairly solid plan for the money side of things and had met with a financial advisor many times. But what I really needed was help designing a new lifestyle—a vision for what this next chapter could look and feel like.

A recent study from Canada found that women who prepare for both the financial and lifestyle aspects of retirement are significantly more fulfilled than those who focus only on money. That research hit home for me: I knew I wanted to help women address this often-overlooked part of the journey—finding purpose, meaning, and joy in retirement.

That’s why I created A Bold New Chapter: A Woman’s Path to Fulfillment.

I want to support you in designing a retirement chapter that makes you excited to get out of bed in the morning—because you have a plan that truly aligns with your values, passions, and interests. You’ve worked so hard to get to this phase of life, often balancing caregiving, professional demands, and societal expectations. Finally, it’s your time. And I want to help you get the most out of it.

From the many big life transitions I’ve experienced, I know that the most fulfilling chapters begin when you finally choose yourself. And let’s be clear—it’s not selfish to choose yourself.

I’ve done this work for myself. Now, I help others do it too.

I have a PhD in Social Psychology and am a Certified Professional Life Coach. As a researcher and professor, I spent 30 years designing programs to support health and well-being—and studying how to help people create real, lasting change.

I used my background to develop A Bold New Chapter: A Woman’s Path to Fulfillment and the session materials that go with it. The program is based on the latest science about the keys to retirement satisfaction: health, relationships, purpose, engagement, meaning, and accomplishments.

I’m proud of my credentials—but to be honest, I’m just as proud to live my life with a big heart. Friends and family describe me as warm, easy to talk with, and always ready to lend an ear.