“I now know where I’m going”: early feedback on Get ICE

There is a moment in planning when the question changes. You begin with “What am I going to do?” and find yourself asking “What shall I do first?”

One of the first people to try Get ICE described that shift in a comment this week.

“I now know where I’m going and how to implement it,” Martyn wrote, “with my own personal report based on me and what I want.”

That last part matters: based on me and what I want.

It captures what we hoped to make possible when the Academy of Life Planning launched Get ICE. A person brings their experience, circumstances and hopes into the process, and leaves with something they can use to shape their own next chapter.

Get ICE stands for I Continue Earning. It is our free app for exploring how your skills, knowledge and experience could support future income. It is especially relevant to people considering their next chapter in later life, although anyone can use it.

Some people want to continue contributing. Some need additional income. Others want work that fits better around their health, family or interests. The starting point is your life and what you want from it.

The early messages suggest that this starting point is connecting with people.

Martyn had completed the process. He described the app as “an amazing concept” and said he had tried it without being disappointed. His feedback went beyond enjoying the technology: he reported a clearer direction, a way to implement it and a report that felt personal to him.

Those are useful early signs. A plan earns its place in someone’s life when it helps them see a possibility and decide how to explore it.

John was still working through the app when he sent me a message.

“It’s really good and I’m enjoying it!” he wrote.

He had questions too. What was the end benefit? Would I personally see his result? Then, with a little humour: “Don’t spoil it!”

I explained that the result was private to him. His reply was:

“It’s being really interesting to do! I’ll share the results with you when finished!”

There is something quietly significant in that exchange. John could work through his own thinking, then choose whether to bring someone else into the conversation. Support becomes something he invites.

That is central to the Academy’s approach. Your life, your decisions and your plan remain yours.

Kevin’s response brought another perspective. After using one of our AI tools, he contacted me to say he thought it was “amazing”. He recognised the intention to help people become empowered and wanted to explore how he could help others access what we were building.

His message was an offer to participate. That is encouraging because useful tools need routes into the communities where they can make a difference.

These are early responses from three people. We are still learning what happens after someone finishes their plan: which steps they take, what obstacles they encounter and how their thinking changes through experience.

For now, the feedback gives us something worth building on: enjoyment during the process, clarity at the end and interest in helping others discover it.

It also brings us back to a wider question about wealth.

When people worry about their financial future, the conversation often begins with the money they have accumulated. Yet they may also carry years of practical knowledge, relationships, judgement and skills whose future value has barely been explored.

Get ICE creates space to explore those resources alongside the life you want to lead. AI helps organise the thinking; you decide what fits and what deserves a practical test.

If you are wondering how to use your experience, create additional income or find a direction for your next chapter, I invite you to try it.

Try Get ICE free at get-ice.app.

Work through it on your own terms. Keep your report, question its suggestions and choose a manageable first step. If you would like to share feedback, I would particularly welcome hearing what became clearer, what was missing and what you decided to do next.

You may have more to work with than your bank balance suggests.

First names only are used in this article.