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"This little gem of a book offers sage advice..." 
Fred Brock
The New York Times

Too Young to Retire, the perfect retirement gift for those who aren't calling it quits, is available where books are sold. 

Rex Toothman: Educator
Turns Personal Coach

Helping people to learn and grow comes as naturally to Rex Toothman as his passion for challenge and change. Rex, 83, has embarked on his "second post-retirement career" as a personal coach and shows no signs of slowing down.   (Rex shown here with grandsons Matt and Taylor.)

At 58, he ended a 31-year career in education which he began as a high school teacher. Before leaving the University of South Florida, the former professor and chair of the Department of Vocational and Adult Education completed a training program in organizational development. This gave him the credentials to launch a full-time private practice designing and delivering educational workshops and seminars to hundreds of adult learners throughout Florida and the U.S. He would pursue this for the next 17 years.

In 1991, Rex and his wife, Nelda (also a former educator) and another couple began to brainstorm about a continuing education program in Highlands-Cashiers, N.C. area where the Toothmans had purchased a second home. Their ideas blossomed into reality and in the summer of 1993, the non-profit Center for Life Enrichment launched its first series of seminars. The Center is going strong, currently offering some 30 courses including computer literacy, oriental rugs, Chilean wines and Dante's Divine Comedy.

As the New Year 1998 approached, Rex realized he was ready to start something new. He was spending the holiday with Nelda and their good friends and co-counders of the Center for Life Enrichment, Bill and Nell Martin. Each was sharing aspirations for the next year. Rex wanted something that he practice from either Florida or North Carolina and that did not require him to travel.

"You should become a coach!" Nell said.

"If you do, I'll be your first client," Bill rejoined.

Rex graduated from CoachU and is preparing to become a teleclass leader.  Currently, he has between 10 and 12 clients on a continuing basis, including two on scholarship.  "Coaching offers me a wonderful opportunity to put all of my previous leaning and experience to good use in a special sort of way. What a joy when that happens at my age!"

Nelda Toothman, also 83, began her training with CoachU and has launched her own career as a coach.  The Toothmans have four grown children.

Next Steps

Personal coaching is a relatively new, but rapidly growing profession, particularly attractive as a second career.  For general information about coaching and coach training, click on International Coaching Federation

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