• My mom retired six years ago, when she was 64. Then, she decided to start another career. • I'd just started my own new career and had overcome insecurities about doing so. • Watching her confidence in herself inspired me.

I grew up watching my mom teach music.

My first memories are of my mom at the piano, her fingers pounding out rich chords and melodies. I could even hear it through the wall as I drifted off to sleep at night. Her office, located in our renovated garage, was the only air-conditioned room in our Phoenix home, so I'd often sneak out there as she taught lessons to cool off.

I loved watching her work. She'd been teaching since she was a teenager, and many of her students went on to follow careers in the music field. While I was in college, she shifted from private t

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