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Retirement Coaching GuidePublished by Rarified Life

A structured alternative to one-on-one coaching

The Preferment live course

The Preferment live course is an 8-week program from Rarified Life, led by founder Anne van Leynseele, that guides driven people through identity, motivation, alignment, accountability, and launch.

It is built on Anne's book, Preferment, and is designed for people who are done treating retirement like an ending. Rarified Life publishes this guide and runs the course, alongside its retirement coaching. If you want personal, open-ended support, start with retirement transition coaching; if you want a set curriculum, read on.

Last updated: November 2026 Published by Rarified Life

What is included in the Preferment live course?

What you get

  • Eight weekly live sessions with Anne, working through Preferment chapter by chapter
  • The book itself, your companion text and workbook for the course
  • Homework built into the book, real exercises done between sessions
  • A structured path, where each week builds on the last

Investment and timing

As of November 2026, the Rarified Life course page described the investment as $3,000 for eight weekly live sessions with Anne, the book, and the guided homework. Confirm current pricing and dates on rarifiedlife.com.

For context, retirement coaches typically charge $150 to $300 per session, according to lifecoachingcertification.net. See retirement coaching by the numbers.

The six modules of Preferment

  1. Introduction

    Where you are right now, and why the old model of retirement was never built for someone like you.

  2. Identity

    Separating who you are from what you did for a living.

  3. Motivation

    Finding what actually moves you, now that a paycheck is not the reason.

  4. Alignment

    Matching your values and strengths to how you will actually spend your days.

  5. Accountability

    Building the structure that turns intention into a lived routine.

  6. Launch

    Naming your mission for this next chapter, and stepping into it.

Who leads the course: Anne van Leynseele

Anne van Leynseele founded Rarified Life. She built and sold a production company in Los Angeles film and television, advised Fortune 100 companies on digital strategy across three continents, served as an Attorney Advisor in the Obama Administration, and helped write the legal framework for recreational cannabis in Washington State.

Today she co-owns an award-winning chocolate farm on the Big Island of Hawaii and wrote the book the course is built on. In Rarified Life's words, she is not teaching a theory: she has lived four reinventions and shows participants how to run their own.

Is the course or one-on-one coaching right for you?

Choose retirement coaching if

  • Your situation is complex or private
  • You want the pace and focus set entirely around you
  • You want support that continues beyond a fixed program

Choose the Preferment course if

  • You like a defined sequence with a start and a finish
  • You want a book and exercises to work through
  • You want to start without a five-year plan, just a room to begin in

Rarified Life also offers a free presentation for accomplished women in their 50s and 60s who are nearing or in retirement. Details are on the Rarified Life website.

Read the full guide: what does a retirement coach do?

Common questions

What is Preferment?

Preferment is Rarified Life's framework for life after career, presented as an alternative to conventional retirement. Rarified Life describes it as research-backed. It moves through six modules: Introduction, Identity, Motivation, Alignment, Accountability, and Launch. It is the basis of founder Anne van Leynseele's book, Preferment, and her 8-week live course.

What are the six modules of Preferment?

Introduction looks at where you are and why the old retirement model does not fit. Identity separates who you are from what you did. Motivation finds what moves you without a paycheck. Alignment matches your values and strengths to your days. Accountability builds structure. Launch names your mission for the next chapter.

Who is Anne van Leynseele?

Anne van Leynseele founded Rarified Life and wrote Preferment. She built and sold a Los Angeles film and television production company, advised Fortune 100 companies on digital strategy across three continents, served as an Attorney Advisor in the Obama Administration, and co-owns an award-winning chocolate farm on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Is a group course cheaper than one-on-one coaching?

Per hour, group formats are often cheaper because the coach’s time is shared. At the $150 to $300 per session reported by lifecoachingcertification.net, eight private sessions would come to $1,200 to $2,400. A course may also include a book, a curriculum, and peers. Compare what each format includes, not only the headline price.

Should I choose a group course or one-on-one coaching?

Choose one-on-one coaching if your situation is complex or private, or if you want a pace set entirely around you. Choose a group course if you like structure, a set curriculum, and learning alongside peers in the same stage of life. Rarified Life's Preferment live course is a structured 8-week format led by Anne van Leynseele.

Is there homework in retirement coaching?

Usually, yes. Most of the change happens between sessions, when you try new routines and reflect on what worked. In the Preferment course, homework is built into the book that accompanies the sessions, which Rarified Life describes as real exercises rather than busywork. Expect to spend some time on it each week.

See all retirement coaching questions in the FAQ

Keep reading the guide

Published by Rarified Life