Retirement Improvisation – Onward: 2025 Holiday Letter
About this episode
Danny van Leeuwen reflects on his life and experiences as he approaches retirement, blending personal stories with insights on health and music.
Health Hats Danny celebrates 50 – years with his honey & pounds lost. With gratitude for privilege, & best health thru family, media, music, travel, & advocacy. Summary Think of 2025 as Danny’s Sofrito year—familiar and unexpected ingredients simmering together. The base: 50 years married, daily saxophone practice, steady MS management. The aromatics: Cuban jazz immersion, co-founding a Personal Health Data Bank, and celebrating with old friends on Bloom Mountain. The heat: losing 50 pounds, earning $150 as a “professional” musician, and learning from his grandsons. What makes sofrito work is the slow sauté, the patient layering of flavors. Danny’s learning the same with music (leave white space), with health (five out of ten is excellent), and with AI (it changes the work but doesn’t replace Mom’s feedback). Between PCORI Board meetings, podcast production, band rehearsals, and startup strategy sessions, he’s discovered that retirement’s spicy complexity comes from knowing when to drop out, when to join the rhythm section, and when to let the energizing endorphins carry you through disturbing times. The recipe…
People in this episode
Host: Danny van Leeuwen
Topics covered
- retirement
- health
- music
- advocacy
- personal growth
Keywords
- retirement
- health management
- music
- personal growth
- weight loss
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: PCORI
Places: Bloom Mountain
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