Virginia Macali

Virginia Macali, JD, MS, is a Certified Retirement Coach. She founded High Point Transitions, LLC to support awareness, change, and growth in individuals as they navigate life transitions. She guides people as they transition from their career to post-career life and live their retirement/next chapter to its fullest.

Virginia is a co-author of The Out of the Box Retirement: Creative Ideas, Role Models, and Possibilities. She was coordinator for the Next Avenue PBS affiliate in Columbus, Ohio, an initiative to provide workshops, community conversations, and blogs for people over 50. She publishes Book Notes for Your Next Chapter, a monthly e-newsletter/blog. She is an active member of the Retirement Coaches Association. She is certified in Retirement Options Assessment, Retirement Success Profile, and Retirement Intelligence (RQ) Assessment.

Virginia is a licensed attorney who has a master’s degree in counseling. She has worked in the areas of tax policy and legislative policy. Virginia brings a rich background of working in a variety of settings such as business, education, and government. She taught at Columbus State Community College and Franklin University.

Education includes a JD from Capital University, an MS in Education and Counseling from the University of Dayton, and BA from Wittenberg University. Certifications include Integral Coach from New Ventures West, Retirement Options Coach, Retirement Intelligence Assessment, Coaching to Excellence Facilitator, and The Leadership Circle Profile. She is a long-term student of The Diamond Approach and The Enneagram.

Virginia works with local clients in central Ohio and works virtually with clients throughout the United States and globally.

About me

A few decades ago, I started to get very curious about how adults grow and change. At the time, my organization was undergoing a culture change. Together, these factors sparked a career reinvention and a new life path for me. 

I transitioned from working as a lawyer in tax policy working on behalf of all Ohioans, to working as a coach to support individuals in a personal way. I studied counseling and psychology, practiced meditation, yoga, and a variety of mind-body modalities. I was trained in the new profession of coaching by one of the world’s leading programs and became a certified coach.

These avenues provided a foundation for how to navigate life and work transitions with greater wisdom, perspective, and direction. The retirement transition/next chapter transition is an important one. It is a fascinating transition, but often the least understood. It offers challenges and opportunities. It can open doors to new ways to live and work. It can reinvigorate an old interest or spark a new passion. 

I am my own best coach and client. I continue to be curious about how adults age and grow and change. I am learning more deeply through my own aging, study, and talking with others about how we can live well and be well throughout the whole lifespan. My own self-development and meeting life challenges led me to design and deliver programs to support people in times of transition, new directions, and new chapters of their lives.

My Approach

I have over 20 years of experience supporting people as they navigate life and work transitions, crossroads, and new beginnings. My initial training as an Integral Coach was through New Ventures West. My work is also informed by wide-ranging practices and study on Human Development, including Adult Stages of Development, The Enneagram, Yoga, Meditation, Jungian Psychology, Neuroscience, and Leadership. I have been a student of the Diamond Approach for more than 20 years. This method of inquiry and presence provides a basis for my approach to human development. These disciplines have commonality in supporting people in personal and professional development, and living in the world in a contributing, caring, and fulfilling way. I have studied what motivates people and how growth and change happen. I support people practicing deeper awareness, expressing more of their essential selves, and living in ways that are authentic and meaningful as they serve what they most care about.

Most people who know me say that I ask great questions. This comes naturally for me, from my days as a lawyer, when asking insightful questions was key to understanding situations in a more complete way. Questions guide life even when there are no answers. Questions, both big and small, reflect curiosity about life, people, and the unknown aspects of life. This process of inquiry supports clients in self-reflection, awareness, clarity, and direction. I’m an advocate of taking on experiential practices and experiments to shift mindsets, moods, and open to new ways of being and ways to act in the world. 

My work is informed by the study of life transitions, integral theory, and design thinking. While my process is step-by-step, it is not a cookie-cutter approach. There’s a framework that is customized based on each client’s preferences, strengths, and desired outcomes.