The 8-week courseLast updated: November 2026
Preferment: the live 8-week course for life after your career
Preferment is Rarified Life’s 8-week live retirement coaching course, led by Anne van Leynseele and built on her book. It is for driven people who are done treating retirement like an ending, and ready to treat it like an ascension.
What is included in the Preferment course?
The Rarified Life Preferment course includes eight weekly live sessions with Anne, the book Preferment as your companion text and workbook, and homework built into the book. It is a structured path, not a self-help pep talk: each week builds on the last, and the exercises are real work done between sessions, not busywork.
- Eight weekly live sessions with Anne, working through Preferment chapter by chapter.
- The book itself, your companion text and workbook for the course.
- Homework built into the book, done between sessions.
- A structured path in which each week builds on the previous one.
Retirement was not supposed to feel like this
You spent decades building something: a career, a reputation, a way of moving through the world. And now you are standing in a room nobody prepared you for, with more time than you have ever had and no idea what it is for. You do not need a five-year plan. You just need a room to start figuring it out in.
The procedure
The six Preferment modules, in order
- Introduction. Where you are right now, and why the old model of retirement was never built for someone like you.
- Identity. Separating who you are from what you did for a living.
- Motivation. Finding what actually moves you, now that a paycheck is not the reason.
- Alignment. Matching your values and strengths to how you will actually spend your days.
- Accountability. Building the structure that turns intention into a lived routine.
- Launch. Naming your mission for this next chapter, and stepping into it.
Investment
How much does Preferment cost?
The Preferment course page describes the investment as $3,000 for eight weekly live sessions with Anne, the book, and the guided homework that turns reading into a plan. The same store page also displays a listed price of $6,000.00. Please confirm the current price on the course page or contact Rarified Life before enrolling.
For context, lifecoachingcertification.net reports that retirement coaches typically charge $150 to $300 per session, and AARP describes one coach charging a flat $3,600 for six months. See how these compare in our guide to retirement coaching options.
“Water, in its essence, teaches us the most profound lessons on transformation and resilience. It adapts, flows, and even carves its path through solid rock, not by force but through persistence and patience.”
Why Anne van Leynseele
Anne did not arrive at this by accident. She built and sold a production company in Los Angeles film and television, advised Fortune 100 companies on digital strategy across three continents, served as an Attorney Advisor in the Obama Administration, and helped write the legal framework for recreational cannabis in Washington State. Today she co-owns an award-winning chocolate farm on the Big Island of Hawaii, and she wrote the book this course is built on. She has lived four reinventions and is showing you how to run your own.
Not ready to enroll?
Start with the free presentation. It introduces the thinking behind Preferment at no cost. You can also read our overview of retirement coaching for accomplished women.
Common questions
- What is included in the 8-week Preferment course?
- The course includes eight weekly live sessions with Anne van Leynseele, the book Preferment as your companion text and workbook, and homework exercises built into the book that you complete between sessions. Each week builds on the last, moving through six modules from Introduction to Launch. More in the FAQ
- What are the six Preferment modules?
- The six modules are Introduction, Identity, Motivation, Alignment, Accountability and Launch. They move from understanding where you are now, to separating who you are from what you did, to finding what moves you, matching values to daily life, building structure, and naming your mission for the next chapter. More in the FAQ
- How much does the Preferment course cost?
- The Preferment course page describes the investment as $3,000 for eight weekly live sessions with Anne, the book, and the guided homework. The same store page also displays a listed price of $6,000.00, so confirm the current price on the course page or contact Rarified Life before you enroll. More in the FAQ
- How does the Preferment course work?
- You meet Anne van Leynseele live once a week for eight weeks. Each session works through her book Preferment chapter by chapter, and between sessions you complete the exercises built into the book. The course follows a structured path in which each week builds on the one before it. More in the FAQ
- How much time does the course take each week?
- Plan for one live session per week plus the homework in the book. Rarified Life describes the exercises as real work rather than busywork, done between sessions. The exact length of each session is not published on this site, so ask Rarified Life for the current schedule before you enroll. More in the FAQ
- Do I need a five-year plan before joining?
- No. The Preferment course page says it directly: you do not need a five-year plan, you just need a room to start figuring it out in. The course is designed to help you form the plan, through modules on identity, motivation, alignment and accountability. More in the FAQ
- When does the next Preferment course start?
- Start dates are not published on this site. Check the Preferment course page on rarifiedlife.com or contact Rarified Life to ask when the next live sessions begin. Watching the free presentation in the meantime is a good way to decide whether the course is right for you. More in the FAQ
- Is there a Preferment book?
- Yes. Anne van Leynseele wrote the book Preferment, which the course is built on and which is included in the course as your companion text and workbook. Rarified Life lists additional books as coming soon. The course works through the book chapter by chapter, with exercises between sessions. More in the FAQ
Ready to stop calling it retirement?
Watch the free presentation first, or contact Rarified Life to ask about the next Preferment course.