Baby boomers finding new career paths

Nowadays the question of what you want to be when you grow up is being pondered by aging baby boomers.

Finding a new career or niche as a senior is sometimes done out of necessity due to financial circumstances, but also out of a desire to fulfill dreams or reinvent oneself — and because some people just aren’t ready to retire.

AARP Hawaii, a nonprofit with nearly 150,000 members statewide, has launched the Life Reimagined initiative to help older adults turn their goals and dreams into possibilities.

The organization is sponsoring the "Reboot Your Life: Savvy Strategies for Your Second Act" conference Saturday in Honolulu, featuring keynote speaker Christopher Gardner, author of "The Pursuit of Happyness," a memoir detailing how he overcame homelessness to become a stockbroker and entrepreneur. He also will take questions after an evening screening of the film adaptation of his book, which stars Will Smith. Other sessions will cover health, work, technology and travel topics.

In the meantime, readers might find inspiration in the stories of three Hawaii residents who discovered that life can take a new turn after age 50.

LAURIE J. KANESHIRO
Age 60 • First act: Principal and director, architecture firm • Second act: Owner, PURE Interiors LLC

Ask Laurie J. Kaneshiro of Kaimuki whether she loves her job and the answer will be a resounding yes. What’s even more rewarding for the interior designer, she will tell you, is running your own business.

Kaneshiro hopes to continue working well into her 80s, as long as her health holds up.

"At my age I never thought I would be my own boss," she said, "but now that I’ve been doing it, I don’t think I could go back and work for anybody because I like the freedom of being able to schedule my own time."

As the owner of PURE Interiors LLC, she calls the shots, including how much to charge for her work.

Kaneshiro was a principal and director of interior architecture at Kober Hanssen Mitchell Architects. She loved the job but left the position in June 2010 to care for her aging mother, who had moved back to Hawaii from Oregon to live with her.

Her mother, who was in her 80s at the time, suffered numerous falls and dementia. While putting in 16-hour days at the office, Kaneshiro also found herself running home to check on her mom.

It was demanding to juggle both, even with the help of a part-time caregiver.

One day, Kaneshiro’s boss called her into the office and let her know that some colleagues felt it was unfair she was allowed to leave in the middle of the day to look in on her mom. That’s when Kaneshiro realized she had to make a change.

The mother of three already had more than 30 years of experience in interior design under her belt and was confident she could make it on her own.

It took about three years to invest in software and equipment and set up the business, all while still caring for her mother, who died in November 2012.

Kaneshiro said she doesn’t regret the decision, as she got to spend quality time with her mom in her final years.

"My mom taught me to just slow down and enjoy the moment," she said, describing herself as an impatient person. "When I was 16 I wanted to be 30 because that seemed like such a great age. When I was 30 I wanted to be 40. When I was 50 I wanted to be 29 again. So I could never live in the moment. Now I’m happy where I’m at."

While her mother slept during the day, Kaneshiro started a vegetable garden, which she considers a form of therapy. It was initially for her mother, who also loved to garden, and it continues to thrive today.

She’s working on several projects, including designs for the courthouse in Kailua-Kona and the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center. She also volunteers as a speaker for AARP’s Home Fit program, which offers suggestions on how to prepare a home for aging residents.

Her advice to others who find themselves in a similar situation is to be open to new possibilities when life presents challenges.

"Don’t wait too long to do it," she said. "You just might surprise yourself."

ANITA RHEE
Age 50 • First act: Pharmacist • Second act: Owner, Mama‘Nita Scones

Anita Rhee didn’t follow the exact recipe when she made her first batch of blueberry scones, but they were an instant hit with friends and family.

Rhee is the founder of Mama’Nita Scones, which are made from scratch and available for pre-order and pickup from HASR Bistro in downtown Honolulu and in frozen dough form at Whole Foods Markets on Oahu.

The mother of three is actually a licensed pharmacist but hasn’t dispensed medicine for decades. She’d never made scones before she attended a class at First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu four years ago.

If you had told her 15 years ago that she would be running her own baking business, she would have laughed.

"I’m not a baker," she said.

But, evidently, she is, and a very good one. After that first batch of blueberry scones, Rhee kept experimenting with new fruit, nut and flavor combinations, garnering rave reviews from friends and family.

Three years ago, at her sister’s suggestion, she launched Mama’Nita Scones at the incubator kitchen at Pacific Gateway Center to fulfill her culinary ambitions.

She initially sold her scones at farmers markets, then coffee shops. She now bakes out of the HASR Bistro kitchen and plans to open a retail shop upstairs this fall in a joint venture with owner Terry Kakazu.

Mama’Nita Scones offers more than a dozen flavors, including banana mac nut, lilikoi, Trinity Berry and chocolate chip. Blueberry is still Rhee’s favorite.

A Korean diplomat’s daughter, Rhee was born in Rio de Janeiro. She and her sisters loved to go to afternoon tea, where her favorite pastries were scones.

Life, as Rhee discovered, doesn’t follow an exact recipe, either. She became a widow in 2000 when her husband, a doctor with his own private practice, died in a car accident in Maryland. At the time, she was a stay-at-home mom caring for a 9-year-old daughter and twin 10-month-old boys.

"Life became pretty scary," she said. "Fear was what I felt first, other than grief."

She moved to Honolulu 10 years ago to live near her sister, and met her second husband through the golf ministry at the church.

Running a bakery business has been a learning process, but it’s also her newfound passion.

"I love making scones," she said. "That’s my biggest joy, when I give somebody scones and their face lights up, and then they taste one and it lights up even more."

Rhee encourages others to take a chance at pursuing a dream, while still being realistic. "If not, you’re going to be wondering all your life," she said.

RICHARD STORAASLI 
Age 67. First act: Flight attendant • Second act: Tax preparer

Life has not followed a linear path for Richard Storaasli, and that has made it all the more interesting.

The Saint Louis School graduate went from a supervisory position at United Airlines to flight attendant, which gave him the opportunity to gallivant around the world for more than 20 years before retiring in 2008.

Except that he didn’t really retire. With free time on his hands, he attended financial planning classes at a college and discovered he had a knack for numbers.

"It’s like putting a puzzle together," he said. "I thought, This is like having fun, so why not? Let’s continue this."

He is now a federally licensed tax practitioner.

Storaasli sets his own hours, although he is especially busy during tax season, from February to April. He works from a downtown Honolulu office a few days a week, as well as from home in Kapolei. He has about 300 clients.

Storaasli says he enjoys the interaction with people, much like when he was a flight attendant. He has no plans to retire.

"It keeps your mind active," he said. "This is just brainpower."

After graduating from high school, Storaasli served in the military, then went to work for the customer service department at United Airlines, working his way up to management, including a position as an in-flight service supervisor, which got him hooked on the globe-trotting lifestyle.

He decided to become a flight attendant and found it a refreshing change from working in the office, even though he had to give up seniority for the position.

"When I worked on the ground, I just couldn’t do the 8 a.m.-to-5 p.m. stuff," he said. "I enjoyed flying and interacting with so many different people."

The perks of the job were the opportunity to visit places all over the world. He brought his family on trips to Thailand, Japan, throughout Europe and South America.

While proper financial management is important, his advice to his own three children is, rather than aiming to accumulate wealth or achieve status, "Find your passion in life and then pursue it."

Even though he enjoys his tax work, Storaasli remains a lifelong learner. Being self-employed, he still has time to travel and pursue other interests, most recently Hawaiian culture.

He’s been taking classes on laau lapaau, the art of Hawaiian healing.

Storaasli shared this insight: "Success isn’t necessarily gauged by the amount of money you have or what you have. A successful life is more about relationships, with your family, your spouse, children and friends. Lasting satisfaction is rare outside of meaningful relationships."