Meet The Team
✍️ About the Authors & Our Mission
Dr. Cheryl Waites Spellman and Lester G. Spellman Jr. are the co-authors and co-founders behind Everything Retirement: A Holistic Approach to Your Future — a groundbreaking guide designed to help readers plan and thrive in every dimension of life after work: financial, physical, emotional, and social.
Together, Cheryl and Lester have spent decades helping people navigate life transitions that require far more than financial readiness. Their experiences with friends, family, and colleagues inspired them to create a holistic roadmap — one that acknowledges that true fulfillment in retirement requires purpose, health, and connection as much as it does money.
Many of us take retirement for granted. Yet when our own time arrives, we often realize we're. not fully prepared — emotionally, in our health-being, or spiritually — for the changes it brings. Recognizing these universal challenges, Cheryl and Lester wrote Everything Retirement as both a guidebook and a heartfelt message of support.
The book serves as the foundation for the Everything Retirement Academy and its signature Masterclass, “Creating Your Holistic Retirement Plan.” This comprehensive online course empowers participants to put the book’s principles into practice through guided exercises, video lessons, and personalized planning tools.
Building on that foundation, Cheryl and Lester also launched the Everything Retirement Community — a vibrant online space where members can connect, share experiences, and find encouragement as they navigate this new chapter together.
Together, they unite scholarship and storytelling, strategy and heart. Their shared mission is simple yet profound: to help you enter your next chapter with clarity, confidence, and joy.
Everything Retirement — and the movement it has inspired — is their love letter to you: an invitation to embrace retirement not as an ending, but as a new beginning filled with growth, purpose, and possibility.
Dr. Cheryl Waites Spellman
Expert in intergenerational relationships, aging, and retirement living—here to help you thrive and live fully at every stage of life.
Dr. Cheryl Waites Spellman is a retired college professor and administrator with an Ed.D. in Counselor Education from North Carolina State University, an MSW from Fordham University, and a BA in Sociology from CUNY-Hunter College. As a respected academic and fellow of prestigious gerontology and research organizations, Dr. Waites Spellman has made significant contributions to her field and is widely published. She has authored books and numerous academic articles, establishing herself as a well-published expert.
Dr. Waites Spellman has conducted research in healthy aging, intergenerational relationships, and culturally responsive practices. Her work has been instrumental in advancing knowledge and practices in these areas, making her an important voice in the field. Passionate about empowering the next generation, she believes in inspiring others to pursue their dreams, embrace lifelong learning, and live with purpose and fulfillment. Married with adult children and grandchildren, Dr. Waites Spellman delights in this enriching stage of life. Her mission is to uplift and motivate others to create meaningful, impactful lives now and in the future.
Lester G. Spellman
A resilient, strategic, and highly organized well-being professional with a proven ability to follow through and deliver results.
Lester G. Spellman Jr. is a retired marketing and communications executive with an MBA from Columbia University, specializing in marketing and finance. He brings decades of expertise in strategic planning, business development, and logistics. Lester held prominent roles at CBS Broadcasting and CBS Records, where he led record-breaking sales teams and played a pivotal role in launching innovative technology products.
Throughout his career, he has demonstrated exceptional leadership across media production, sales, distribution, and economic development—consistently driving growth, operational excellence, and organizational innovation. His skill set includes strategic planning, project management, and marketing execution, all grounded in a results-oriented mindset. A devoted family man with adult children and grandchildren, Lester enjoys traveling, boating, and golfing, and places high value on nurturing meaningful relationships. Passionate about empowering others, he is a resilient, insightful, and highly organized well-being advocate who excels at inspiring action, fostering personal growth, and helping people live their best lives—especially in retirement and beyond.
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