A mother's journey through grief after losing her son to mental illness, discovering how to navigate marriage strain, find joy again, and hold space for conflicting emotions while building a new chapter with grandparenthood.
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Influential Woman · Digital Media & Content Creation
Amy Sandelman Harris
Founder / Content Creator, Retirement Reimagined
Springfield, NJ 07081
1Article published
Her Story
About Amy
Amy Sandelman Harris is the Founder of Retirement Reimagined, a personal brand dedicated to inspiring women over 50 to embrace retirement as an exciting new chapter filled with opportunities, growth, and discovery. Based in Springfield, New Jersey, Amy brings extensive experience in advertising sales, marketing, promotions, events, and digital media. She spent nearly 25 years with Condé Nast, serving as a Sales Director for several prestigious publications, including luxury fashion magazines and their companion websites. During her career, she developed successful advertising partnerships, helped build revenue streams, and demonstrated a strong ability to connect brands with audiences. Building on her corporate experience, Amy transitioned into entrepreneurship and launched Retirement Reimagined to provide women approaching or navigating retirement with practical resources, inspiration, and fresh perspectives. Through content creation and social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Substack, and YouTube, she explores topics such as travel, ageless fashion, fitness, pickleball, cooking, and lifestyle. Her goal is to challenge traditional perceptions of retirement and encourage women to remain active, engaged, confident, and adventurous during this stage of life. She also brings expertise in content strategy, digital marketing, multimedia communications, and brand promotion. Beyond her professional pursuits, Amy is committed to community service and supporting organizations that make a meaningful difference. She has served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children in foster care and as a Community Manager, Fundraising Specialist, and Board Member with Reveal to Heal Consulting Services, supporting community outreach and initiatives such as T.E.A.C.H. Academy. She also volunteers with Isaiah House, assisting with food pantry efforts and fundraising to support families in need. Amy holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology from New York University. Through her entrepreneurial journey, professional experience, and volunteer work, she continues to demonstrate that retirement is not an ending but an opportunity to pursue new passions, make meaningful connections, and inspire others.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Amy
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to persistence and hard work. While intelligence and creativity are valuable, I believe they must be supported by dedication, consistency, and determination to achieve meaningful results. This mindset has guided my career, including my time at Condé Nast, where I was recognized as one of the top-producing salespeople.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I have ever received is to be a problem solver. I believe in being proactive, persistent, and resourceful. When faced with resistance, I focus on finding creative solutions to achieve a positive outcome for both parties.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering the industry is to find their own voice and stay true to their creative vision. Today's content creators often work in a fast-paced, highly commercial environment, but there is value in creating authentic, personalcontent without the pressure of selling something. Embrace the freedom to express yourself genuinely and focus on producing work that reflects your own perspective.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of my biggest challenges right now is finding ways to monetize my work, as I am still in the building phase and currently do not receive compensation for my efforts. However, I see significant opportunities as my brand continues to grow, particularly through collaborations, sponsorships, and partnerships with brands that genuinely align with my values and interests.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Family is the most important value in my personal life. I have been happily married for 43 years to my best friend, and I am excited about becoming a grandmother. Professionally, I value personal growth, embracing new challenges, and enjoying the journey. Becoming an entrepreneur later in life was intimidating, but it has taught me to welcome new opportunities and appreciate the process.
Her Content Hub
Articles by Amy
Learning to Live With Grief and Not Getting Consumed By It
Losing a Child -Life Does Go On
When I lost my son four years ago, like all parents who lose a child, I thought I would never laugh or have a happy day in my life again.
The negative effects on your marriage are too many to count.
At first, you feel so much anger, and who better to take it out on than your spouse? You experience the devastation simultaneously. The urge to blame is irresistible. You try to make sense of it, but you just can't. That blame turns 360 degrees, and before you know it, you blame yourself. That's when the "if onlys" set in. If I had only done this or that, he'd still be alive.
Unlike physical illness, mental illness carries a stigma. How could my child not be helped when we took him to doctors, psychologists, AA meetings, and rehab facilities year after year? I could be wrong, but if he had died of cancer, I don't think the blame would be such a heavy burden to carry.
But time moves on, and you have to find a way to carry the grief without letting it consume you. That's the only conclusion my husband and I came to after months of suffering. We were still together, and we also had another adult child to parent. It wouldn't be fair to her if I just shriveled up and hid.
A year later, almost to the day, my daughter celebrated her wedding to a generous, loving man whom we adored from the get-go. She chose wisely, and that's such a great feeling. Maybe we weren't such bad parents after all.
I was worried I wouldn't be able to feel joyful during the planning process or that I'd be sad at the wedding itself, thinking my son wouldn't be there for the first big family occasion since his death. Add to that the thought that he would never experience marriage or parenthood himself. How sad for him. How sad for us.
I turned to therapy to help resolve my conflicting emotions. It helped a great deal by changing my perspective. Instead of feeling guilty about being happy for my daughter because my son was gone, I found a place for both emotions to coexist.
It wasn't all roses from there. For the first three years, we ran away every holiday, traveling to various destinations so we wouldn't have to sit at a holiday table by ourselves (my daughter was living abroad). We spent way too much money, but the diversions helped a great deal. I also did a bit of retail therapy and spent way too much money on that, too.
Four years later, we are expecting our first grandchild. New life, a rebirth of sorts. A chance to begin again. Excited would be an understatement for the joy I feel. No, Jack wouldn't be there to become an uncle. And that's sad. But at the same time, I know my heart can carry those opposing emotions. And that's just how life will be from here on out.
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