Project Escape: Lessons for an Unscripted Life - Softcover

Jackson, Lucinda

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1647424038 ISBN 13: 9781647424039

Publisher: She Writes Press, 2022

Synopsis

Lucinda Jackson, a harried scientist and business executive, sets off to make a break from her corporate decades and have an "extraordinary" retirement. She launches into a five-phase "Project Escape," complete with a vision, goals, and a scorecard of success to deliver this next chapter. Soon, Jackson and her semi-reluctant husband of thirty years are off as volunteers to the government of the Pacific island country of Palau. But while Jackson got the girl out of the corporation, even the jolt of Palau can't fully get the corporation out of the girl. As she struggles through self-examination around purpose, identity, ego, marriage, and parenthood after years of investing so much in career, Jackson gradually learns who she is again. Whether you're thinking ahead to retirement or are already there, Project Escape provides an unvarnished but ultimately encouraging reference in navigating the "post-career" era and personal transition.

About this title

About the Author

Lucinda Jackson, scientist and corporate executive, spent eight years in academia and more than forty years with Fortune 500 Companies. After growing up on the West Coast, she received her PhD at Southern Illinois University and continued in science throughout her career, speaking worldwide on environmental topics, and serving on boards of academic, non-profit, and industry organizations. Dr. Jackson has published peer-reviewed articles, patents, and book chapters and is working on a book series about freedom after a career-dominated life. After Peace Corps volunteerism in Palau and teaching science in Mexico, Dr. Jackson and her husband returned recently to their home near San Francisco. They have three male-liberated sons who are scattered around the globe.

From the Back Cover

Adolescence, the middle-age crisis years—those eras are child's play. Retirement, especially for the new wave of decades-long career women, is the real challenge. While Lucinda Jackson, a harried scientist and business executive, gets the girl out of the corporation at age sixty-six, even the jolt of moving as a volunteer to the island country of Palau can't fully get the corporation out of the girl. She struggles through self-examination around purpose, identity, ego, money, and marriage after years of investing so much in her job.

Whether you're thinking ahead to a next act or are already there, Project Escape provides an unvarnished but ultimately encouraging look—using a practical five-step process—at navigating the "post-career" era.

"(An) articulate...engaging...intriguing, emotion-filled memoir that chronicles a challenging, humorous and often chaotic post-retirement journey to a life of reimagined possibilities and fulfillment; will especially appeal to those pondering major life changes."
--Kirkus Reviews

"With deep honesty and humor, Jackson took me on a journey of discovery: not only of another 'world' in the culture of the island country of Palau but also of herself—and of her long-term marriage. . . . This book is an exciting, evocative hope-filled celebration of acceptance and love not to be missed!"
—Margaret Davis Ghielmetti, author of Brave(ish): A Memoir of a Recovering Perfectionist

"Jackson decided against golf and cruises and chose a volunteer adventure in an 'island paradise' as a mature Peace Corps volunteer, selling her husband on her dream. Hidden within this great story—like the dog's pill in the peanut butter—is a five-phase methodology for planning for one of life's biggest events: retirement. I will recommend her book in my retirement workshops for the many men and women who so intimately mix self and career in career-centric lives—not just for the methodology but also for the entertaining story of self-imposed loss and ultimate personal discovery."
—Dr. Bill Carroll, Certified Professional Retirement Coach and adjunct professor at Indiana University, Bloomington

Edition details

• Publisher: She Writes Press
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1647424038
• ISBN 13: 9781647424039
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256