{"podcast":{"title":"Behind The Village Podcast","slug":"behind-the-village-podcast-7047785","podcast_index_feed_id":7047785,"rss_url":"https://media.rss.com/behind-the-village-podcast/feed.xml","website_url":"https://villagermagazine.ca/podcast/","image_url":"https://media.rss.com/behind-the-village-podcast/20250909_020931_e66c8191857d86b5998ccea92573c66c.png","author":"The Villager Magazine","episode_count":61,"summary":"Life doesn’t come with a map and we’re on a journey to figure out what makes a life worth living. Behind The Village invites you to join a collective journey to understand how to live with intention and joy. Together, we learn, unlearn, and reimagine: from mental health to work-life balance, relationships to creativity. Welcoming, real, and full of discovery - join us as we chase honest answers and build a happier life, one conversation at a time.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/behind-the-village-podcast-7047785"},"episode":{"title":"Retiring at 48, Following Laughter, and Finding Purpose | Mark Vessey","slug":"retiring-at-48-following-laughter-and-finding-purpose-mark-vessey","published_at":"2025-09-25T09:01:03+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/behind-the-village-podcast-7047785/retiring-at-48-following-laughter-and-finding-purpose-mark-vessey","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/behind-the-village-podcast-7047785","url":"https://rss.com/podcasts/behind-the-village-podcast/2230337","audio_url":"https://content.rss.com/episodes/341621/2230337/behind-the-village-podcast/2025_09_23_23_03_15_ec10b11e-e287-46d9-9be2-d818ed55f0d4.mp3","summary":"In this episode of the Behind the Village Podcast, we explore early retirement, work‑life balance, and how to choose presence and purpose even when life takes unexpected turns. Our guest today, Mark Vessey, shares a candid story about retiring before 50, navigating a career pivot from burnout to small‑business ownership, earning a commercial captain’s license, and confronting a stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis. The Villager Magazine Website: https://villagermagazine.ca Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheVillagerCommunityNews/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevillagermagazine/ Newsletter: https://villagermagazine.ca/subscribe/ Chapters 00:00 - Intro 02:51 - Mark’s Career Path 08:03 - Balancing Business and Life 13:36 - Early Retirement Strategies 14:59 - Life After Retirement 16:43 - Cancer Diagnosis 18:55 - Accepting Terminal Illness 24:15 - Facing Mortality Questions 27:56 - Staying Authentic in Tough Times 31:35 - Pride and Regrets in Life","meta_description":"In this episode of the Behind the Village Podcast, we explore early retirement, work‑life balance, and how to choose presence and purpose even when life t…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2254,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/behind-the-village-podcast-7047785/episodes/retiring-at-48-following-laughter-and-finding-purpose-mark-vessey/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/behind-the-village-podcast-7047785/retiring-at-48-following-laughter-and-finding-purpose-mark-vessey.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}