About Cara Gray
I’ve moved through several meaningful transitions in my life, not by accident, but by paying attention to what each chapter was asking of me. Each transition was an opportunity to reassess who I was becoming and what I wanted the next chapter to stand for.
I believe aging is not a decline, but an upgrade. With time comes perspective, discernment, and the freedom to design a life that reflects who you truly are, not just who you’ve been.
Guided by my top CliftonStrengths theme, Futuristic, I’m energized by what’s possible ahead. Today, my work focuses on helping individuals and organizations think more intentionally about future identity, longevity, and the human side of longer lives in a rapidly changing world.
I’m a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA), a Certified Professional Retirement Coach (CPRC), and a USC graduate.
+30
Years Experience
+25
Countries Visited
+50
Presentations Given
+100
Future-Focused Conversations
My mission
My work is rooted in lived experience. My father owned two shoe stores in a small town. In the 1980’s when a big-box retailer arrived, the businesses was forced to closed abruptly. While the financial transition was managed, the loss of identity was not.
That experience shaped how I see the future. It taught me that money alone does not prepare us for change. Identity, purpose, and daily meaning matter just as much.
My mission is to help people and organizations address the identity side of longevity earlier and with greater awareness, so the future feels considered rather than defaulted into.
Future Identity Blueprint Methodology
The Future Identity Blueprint is a structured, forward-looking methodology designed to help individuals clarify who they are becoming and align their life, work, and priorities accordingly.
It begins with the Future Identity Index, a high-level snapshot that helps individuals understand where they are today as they think about the next chapter across key areas of life.
Assess Future Identity Signals that shape this stage of life: direction, relationship to work and roles, energy sustainability, connection, and meaning alignment.
Reveal relationships between clarity, energy, connection, and meaning that often go unnoticed in traditional planning.
Clarify tensions between current reality and emerging priorities.
Translate insight into clear, actionable next steps
Support intentional decision-making in a longer, evolving life
Over time, I’ve also created a small number of self-guided ways for people to engage with this work privately. One of those is the Future Identity Snapshot — a reflective assessment designed to help people understand where they are in a period of transition, without pressure to decide what comes next.
What people are saying
“One of the best things I've done since retiring just over a year ago was hire a third act consultant. I'm not big on life or business coaches, and I never would have thought to hire someone to help me with retirement, but then Cara Gray popped up in my inbox and lo and behold...
At 64, I feel like life is just getting started. 🌅
No lie. I now have a curated "third act blueprint," which lists a gazillion ideas and links for my social life, health and wellness, food, travel, purposeful work/volunteering, and I forget what else. Now if I'm ever wondering what to do with myself, because I'm no longer WORKING working, I go to my blueprint and I'm off and running again. If you're facing retirement and worried about what you'll do with all that "free time," I highly recommend investing in Cara's third act consulting. If not a consultant, start listening to podcasts on retirement. There's no shortage of them and you'll quickly learn how amazing your "third act" can be. 💃 🕺”
Jackie Mathys
Former Founder/Owner Mathys+Potestio
“I’m so glad that I got the chance to work with Cara. I was feeling lost, retirement was something I planned for financially but not what I’d do with my time.
Not only did Cara make it clear that I wasn’t the only person feeling this way, but she gave me direction. Talking through things with someone else helped me understand what it was I was missing and what I needed to fill my time with so I could get that sense of accomplishment I was missing.
Cara provided me with an incredibly detailed Blueprint with steps and action plans to hold myself accountable but it was also flexible enough to anticipate future desires when I wanted to take another path. Would recommend working with Cara to anyone considering, entering or already in retirement.”
Dan P.
Former CEO
Curious how this work might apply to you?
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