Equal parts terrifying and hopeful. That’s how it feels to embrace a completely new career after retiring from your first line of work. For most, retirement is often seen as the end of a professional chapter, a time to downshift, smell the roses, etc. But for those willing to embark on a second or even third act, it can catalyze complete and radical self-reinvention.

When I retired from my long-time job in corporate tech, I found myself in complete freefall. The structure and predictability of my previous career had defined my days for decades. Morning meetings, followed by more meetings, lunch in the cafeteria with colleagues, back to meetings, prepping for upper management reviews, and a real job title. All that disappeared overnight, to be replaced by contemplative, quiet, and surprisingly relaxing stretches of “think flow.” And soon enough, time spent on re-evaluation of priorities, reassessment of abilities, and ultimately reinvention of self, yielded an exciting second chapter as an internet entrepreneur of multiple companies. What was once scary became very good.

I won’t lie. Engaging in something I truly love has had profound effects on my mental well-being. The act of creating something of value to others from a clean sheet is therapeutic, allowing one to express ideas and contributions that brings joy to the community. I think all humans were meant to be expressive. It is our nature. And entrepreneurship has brought a sense of baseline satisfaction and contentment that transcends the everyday stresses of entrepreneurship itself.

In this issue of Seattle magazine, we present several notables from our community who are doing just that — second acts who are also class acts in how they’re creating real change in the world. Get to know a former Costco merchandise buyer turned national museum founder. Learn how a former King County prosecutor has enjoyed a fantastic rise to become the nation’s highest-profile criminal law pundit. Go behind the scenes with a retired knife designer who now creates art that changes the way top world leaders understand global warming. All forged their second acts right here in Seattle, embodying the rugged individualism and “think different” attitude that has become our hallmark.

Not surprisingly, many of us in our second acts actually have a third act up our sleeves. And this third act is as universal as anything else in life — taking care of our aging parents. We again present an ensemble of third act heroes whose stories are at once heartbreaking but also inspiring. As I tend to my elderly mother — who has sadly been afflicted with dementia — I have never lost sight of the once vibrant and opinionated free spirit who attended Columbia University while a single mother.

My mother has taught me a powerful life lesson: Perhaps “happiness” is simply just a matter of stringing together small moments of joy that bring a smile to one’s face.

Both personas seem to coexist simultaneously in a quantum framework. Now free of her memories, prior trauma, resentments, and yes, even anger, every day is another clean sheet from which new friendships and experiences are born. My mother has taught me a powerful life lesson: Perhaps “happiness” is simply just a matter of stringing together small moments of joy that bring a smile to one’s face.

Assuredly, our second and third acts have not only enriched our own lives, but benefit others close to us even more. We hope this issue’s inspiring profiles remind us that retirement can be a profound opportunity to rediscover yourself, embrace something wholly new, and make a lasting impact in unexpected ways. You’ll never know until you try.