- Kelly Benthall, 53, and her husband retired early and have been traveling since August.
- She realized that her life as a retiree requires the strategies she accrued throughout her career.
- Once a week, she meets with her husband to review finances, plan travel, and align priorities.
For over 30 years, I helped companies ranging from startups to giants like Shell and Chevron navigate strategic change. As a consultant, I focused on guiding organizations through uncertainty — always with a servant leadership mindset.
Now, in retirement, I’m no longer the guide but the one experiencing transformation firsthand. In my field, which was mostly focused on change management, there is a saying: “Drink your own Champagne.” It’s about practicing what you preach—not just in business but also in your personal life.
I once worked with an executive who had a reputation for pushing change — he just wasn’t great at living it himself. At the time, our company was promoting faster ways of working, but resistance was everywhere.
I suggested he stop telling and start showing.
At our next companywide meeting, instead of another directive, he walked in with a bottle of Champagne. “We say we’re an innovative company, but do we act like one?” he asked. “Today, I’m drinking my own Champagne.”
Then, up popped a slide that read: “Here’s where I got it wrong.” He admitted to miscalculations, poor assumptions, and areas where he’d underestimated the challenge. It was a game changer. The team saw that it was OK to take risks, to try and fail, and to speak up about what wasn’t working.
Retirement, for me, has become the ultimate “Champagne test,” and I’ve discovered that embracing personal change is harder — and more rewarding — than coaching others through it.
Embracing change through slow travel
Last August, at 54, I retired early to explore the world. My husband, Nigel, and I have embraced slow travel. Leaving the boardroom for this adventure-filled lifestyle has tested our adaptability.
I always dreamed of a travel lifestyle but never had the funds to make it a reality. When I met Nigel in Houston, we were both working in oil and gas. I shared my retirement vision, and through regular check-ins with our financial advisor, Nigel slowly became comfortable with the idea. We worked hard to optimize our portfolio, move funds into fixed-income funds, and cut spending significantly. Just over six months ago, we made the leap.
Leaving behind the grind of performance reviews and Sunday scaries felt like true freedom — and it is. But I hadn’t anticipated how much I’d miss being a valued partner, the close relationships I’d formed while coaching, and the sense of purpose in helping others succeed.
I realized quickly that while the scenery of my life had changed, my need for vision, strategy, and impact had not.
The humility of iteration
As a change manager, I often explained how the brain thrives on novelty — every new experience builds neural connections, keeping our minds sharp. Retirement seemed like the perfect time to put that science to the test.
Nigel and I embraced slow travel to stretch ourselves. We opted to buy train tickets in Spanish to explore Andalucia, spent days haggling in Croatian markets, and tried to recreate our favorite dishes in Lecce, Italy.
These experiences weren’t just fun; they were exercises in growth, building resilience, and flexibility, and they helped create connections.
One of the most humbling aspects of slow travel has been starting from zero — deciphering appliances, navigating healthcare, and admitting, “We don’t know what we’re doing.” This mirrors the iterative process in business: growth comes from embracing failure, trying, and learning.
Rediscovering scuba diving in Grand Baie, Mauritius, after decades away was a personal reminder of this truth. Watching Nigel start as a novice while I struggled to regain confidence underscored how much value lies in starting fresh. Iteration isn’t about perfection; it’s about learning through doing, whether redesigning a product or relearning a skill.
Making a difference through travel
But slow travel hasn’t just been about personal growth. For us, it’s also been about leaving a positive mark wherever we go. Having a purpose and guiding principles scratches the itch I developed during my consulting days, when driving meaningful outcomes was my measure of success.
Now, we’re applying that same mindset to our travels. Sometimes, it’s as simple as picking up trash on a beach. Other times, it’s more involved, like volunteering at a community center in Seville, or harvesting grapes at a family-run winery in Croatia.
Still, I’ll admit we’re far from perfect. Without external accountability, it’s easy to let good intentions take a backseat to the thrill of exploring new places.
To stay grounded, we’ve adopted a schedule: once a week, we hold a “business meeting,” where I, as CEO, focus on big-picture goals, while Nigel, as COO, digs into the details. We review finances, plan travel, and align on short- and long-term priorities. This rhythm provides structure and keeps us focused on creating impact while exploring new destinations.
Lessons from the Champagne test
Our travels feel like an extended behavioral change initiative, only this time, I’m the client. The strategies I once taught others are now shaping my own experience. Leaving the corporate world meant stepping into an unstructured but not unexamined life. Retirement has been an exercise in reimagining value — both personal and global.
This journey has taught me to embrace imperfection. For someone who thrives on strategy and execution, not having all the answers is humbling. Retirement, like change management, is about staying agile.
The Champagne test isn’t about perfection; it’s about progress. During my years in the business world, success was measured in metrics — KPIs, revenue, outcomes. In retirement, it’s measured in moments: Did I make a difference? Did I embrace the unfamiliar? Did I stay curious?
I’ve always enjoyed an occasional glass of Champagne, and I’m now learning to savor the metaphorical bubbly, too.
Got a personal essay about retiring early to travel that you want to share? Get in touch with the editor: akarplus@businessinsider.com.
