CurriculumLast updated:
The Preferment curriculum: six modules, eight weeks
The Preferment course curriculum moves through six modules over eight weekly live sessions: Introduction, Identity, Motivation, Alignment, Accountability, and Launch. Each module draws on a chapter of Anne van Leynseele's book Preferment, with homework between sessions, so every week builds on the last.
See what the course costsWhat do you learn in the Preferment course?
You learn to separate who you are from what you did for a living, find what moves you without a paycheck, match your values and strengths to your days, build a routine that holds, and name a mission for your next chapter.
The six modules in order
Module 1: Introduction
Where you are right now, and why the old model of retirement was never built for someone like you.
The course opens with an honest look at your starting point. Instead of assuming retirement is a finish line, this module asks why the traditional model fits so poorly for people who built demanding careers.
Module 2: Identity
Separating who you are from what you did for a living.
For many high achievers, job title and identity have fused over decades. This module pulls them apart so you can describe yourself in the present tense, without starting the sentence with "I used to."
Module 3: Motivation
Finding what actually moves you, now that a paycheck is not the reason.
When income is no longer the driver, something else has to get you up in the morning. This module helps you locate what genuinely energizes you, rather than what kept you busy.
Module 4: Alignment
Matching your values and strengths to how you will actually spend your days.
Values only matter if they show up on the calendar. Alignment connects what you care about and what you are good at to concrete pursuits, including meaningful work, learning, and relationships.
Module 5: Accountability
Building the structure that turns intention into a lived routine.
Good intentions fade without structure. This module builds the routines and checkpoints that keep a new chapter from dissolving into errands and appointments.
Module 6: Launch
Naming your mission for this next chapter, and stepping into it.
The final module turns eight weeks of work into a named mission and a first step. You finish with a clear statement of what this chapter is for.
What comes with the curriculum
Eight weekly live sessions with Anne
Working through her book Preferment chapter by chapter, one session per week for eight weeks.
The Preferment book
Your companion text and workbook for the course, included in the price.
Homework built into the book
Real exercises completed between sessions, designed as purposeful work rather than busywork.
A structured path
Not a self-help pep talk: each week builds on the last, from Introduction to Launch.
Why does the Preferment curriculum start with identity?
Because it is hard to plan a future while your sense of self still lives in a former role. Rarified Life built Preferment for high achievers whose careers shaped how they introduced themselves for decades. Until that link is loosened, plans for the next chapter tend to copy the last one.
Once identity is clearer, motivation becomes easier to read: you can tell what genuinely energizes you from what simply kept you busy. Alignment then turns that into concrete pursuits. Accountability builds the structure that keeps those pursuits from fading. Launch asks you to name the mission out loud.
Rarified Life's free presentation frames the outcome in plain terms: a real answer to “So, what do you do?” in eight weeks, without the answer starting with “I used to.” Compare the course with other options on the Preferment comparison page, or go back to the Preferment course guide.
Common questions about Preferment
What are the six Preferment modules?
The six modules are Introduction, Identity, Motivation, Alignment, Accountability, and Launch. They move from understanding where you are now, to separating who you are from your job, to finding what moves you, matching values to daily life, building routine, and finally naming your mission for the next chapter.
How much homework does Preferment involve?
Homework is built into the Preferment book as real exercises completed between sessions, and Rarified Life describes it as purposeful work, not busywork. An exact weekly time estimate is not published, so plan for reading a chapter plus its exercises each week, and confirm expectations on the course page before enrolling.
Does each week of Preferment build on the last?
Yes. Rarified Life describes Preferment as a structured path rather than a collection of standalone lessons. Identity work comes before motivation, motivation before alignment, and alignment before accountability, so by the Launch module you are naming a mission that rests on everything you clarified in the weeks before.
What will I have at the end of the eight weeks?
You finish with a named mission for your next chapter and a routine built to support it. The Accountability module creates the structure that turns intention into daily life, and the Launch module has you name your mission and step into it. You also keep the completed workbook as a record of your plan.
Are Preferment sessions live or recorded?
Preferment is described as a live course with eight weekly live sessions with Anne van Leynseele. Recordings are not mentioned in the published course details. If you expect to miss a week because of travel or other commitments, check rarifiedlife.com for how missed sessions are handled before you enroll.
What if I fall behind on the Preferment homework?
Because each week builds on the last, catching up matters. The exercises live in the book, so you can complete a missed chapter on your own time before the next session. The Accountability module is designed specifically to turn intention into routine, which helps if you tend to drift.
Keep exploring the Preferment platform
- The Preferment courseThe pillar guide to the 8-week live course for life after a career.
- The Preferment platformWhat the platform includes today and what is listed as coming soon.
- Price and inclusionsThe listed investment, what it covers, and what to confirm first.
- Purpose after 50 and 60How the course approaches identity, direction, and life after 50.
- Course vs coach vs plannerA fair side-by-side on the same criteria, and who should choose what.