My DH and I consider ourselves mostly retired because we left our corporate drone jobs to pursue careers we love and find fulfillment in. Yes, there is still a lot of work involved and it can be demanding at times, but it is work we absolutely love and that gives us meaning in our lives. His work as a government attorney generates income. My work as a mostly full-time parent does not, but my budgeting skills have saved us a lot. I did start my own small business as a fitness coach and work early morning. This bring in a small income and keeps me balanced.
Honestly, we are right where we want to be, choosing to work the jobs we have because they are our dream jobs and allow flexibility and a nice work-life balance. Neither of us view retirement as quitting work. It just means pursuing work we are passionate about. So I think a lot of it has to do with your perspective.
We are both 35 and have three kiddos. On our reduced salary (my now nominal salary and DH's switch from high-rolling private firm to government), we still have healthcare benefits, live in an amazing, walkable/bikeable community, and are able to continue saving half of our take home pay... Mostly to keep funding those 529's. Our older age retirement accounts are actually pretty set, but I imagine we will still be doing some part-time work 'til the end for fun because we like it.