Part Two is a solo conversation with Richard Eyre about the most personal project of his grandparenting work: the body of distilled life wisdom he has spent years developing for his 34 grandchildren — now published in the second half of The Grandparenting Blueprint. This conversation moves from the framework to the practice of how to translate a lifetime of learning into something children can actually carry with them. (Part One is here).

This second part of the conversation opens with Richard’s vulnerability, sitting on a beach, feeling like a “spare tire” next to Linda’s natural grandmothering, and asking what role he wanted to play. What emerged was a question every thoughtful grandparent eventually confronts: What do I actually want to pass on? Richard’s answer became a multi-year project of identifying, refining, and teaching age-appropriate life lessons, first as “principles,” then as “tips,” and finally, when the branding breakthrough happened, as Secrets.

Richard shares the Harvard Business School case study method he adapted for nine-year-olds, the silver-dollar memorization incentive (he calls it bribery; I’ll call it incentive compensation…), how his grandchildren became unedited co-authors earning royalties, and the moment he realized the one word he most wanted to embody as a grandfather was not teacher or advisor, but champion.

For listeners who are approaching or are already in the grandparent years, particularly grandfathers, who Richard observes are often the ones quietly wrestling with questions of legacy, this conversation offers both a philosophical approach and a practical starting point.

The closing challenge to write down 10 lessons from your own life is the kind of exercise that could reshape how you show up as grandparent for the next generation.

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For More on Richard Eyre

The Grandparenting Blueprint:How to Teach Your Grandchildren Life’s Most Important Lessons (Amazon)

Also available from the publisher at the author’s price (40% off)
https://familius.com/book/the-grandparenting-blueprint/

Use the coupon code EYREFRIEND at checkout

Website

Part One podcast conversation

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Wise Quotes

On Being a Champion

“I think what the grandparent wants to do is champion them. I’m your biggest supporter. I’m your biggest fan. I want to know what you like to do. I want to understand what you’re good at and what you want to be good at. Every kid needs a champion — and that’s probably not going to be their parents. So maybe that should be their grandparent.”

On the Case Study Method for Kids

“Case studies are really just a story. Only you, and the grandchild in this case, are the main person in this story. And I’m not going to finish this story. You’re going to finish the story. So it’s just a great way to teach.”

On Rebranding Principles as Secrets

“They came across like lectures and the kids were like enduring them rather than embracing them. And so I retooled them. I rebranded them as secrets. And suddenly I had their attention and they really started to matter.”

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Retirement Podcast Conversations You’ll Love

Good Grandpa – Ted Page

The Long Distance Grandparent – Kerry Byrne PhD

All Grown Up – Celia Dodd

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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 helps people design their next life after their primary career and create their version of The Multipurpose Retirement.™ He created his own next chapter after a 26-year career at Merrill Lynch, where he was Senior Vice President and Head of HR for Global Markets & Investment Banking.

Joe has earned Master’s degrees from the University of Southern California in Gerontology (at age 60), the University of Pennsylvania, and Middlesex University (UK), a BA in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and his coaching certification from Columbia University.

In addition to his work with clients, Joe hosts The Retirement Wisdom Podcast, ranked in the top 1% globally in popularity by Listen Notes, with over 2 million downloads. Business Insider recognized Joe as one of 23 innovative coaches who are making a difference. He’s the author of Win the Retirement Game: How to Outsmart the 9 Forces Trying to Steal Your Joy.

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The Grandparenting Blueprint – Richard Eyre (Part Two)