Thriving to the Finish Line

What if the goal isn’t simply to live longer, but to live well for as long as possible? In this episode of Thriving to the Finish Line , Genna sits down with University of Florida professors and registered dietitians Dr. Karla Shelnutt and Anne E. Mathews, Ph. D., R.D.N., to explore what some of the world’s longest-living communities can teach us about aging well. Drawing from their research and e...

What does it mean to truly honor someone's life before they're gone? In this moving episode of Thriving to the Finish Line, Shannon Miller welcomes Michael Maloney, Veteran Volunteer Coordinator, and Jodie Goodman, Executive Director of Business Development at Haven Hospice, to explore how compassionate end-of-life care extends far beyond medical support. Michael shares the powerful work behind Ha...

Death is one of life's few certainties, yet it's also one of the conversations families avoid the most. In this episode of Thriving to the Finish Line, Shannon Miller is joined by Miller Elder Law Firm Elder Care Coordinator Laura Monday, whose decades of experience in care coordination and advocacy have helped countless families navigate aging, serious illness, and the final stages of lif...

What if the biggest obstacle to aging well isn't a legal issue or a medical diagnosis, but the overwhelming accumulation of a lifetime of possessions? In this episode of Thriving to the Finish Line, Laura Monday, Elder Care Coordinator with Miller Elder Law Firm, sits down with Angela Dragon, founder of Simplify Home Organizing, to discuss an often-overlooked aspect of aging well: creating a l...

For many older adults, there is no place they'd rather be than home. In this Thrive Note, Christina Ramos of Touching Hearts at Home discuss one of the most important questions families face as their loved ones age: Is it possible to remain at home safely and comfortably while maintaining independence? Drawing from years of experience supporting seniors and family caregivers, Christina shares...

In this deeply personal and insightful episode of Thriving to the Finish Line, Shannon Miller sits down with Christina Ramos, Executive Director and Administrator of Touching Hearts at Home, to discuss the realities of caregiving, dementia, aging in place, and end-of-life support. Inspired by her own family’s experience navigating her grandmother’s dementia diagnosis, Christina shares how Touching...

What does it really mean to create a lasting impact in your community? In this Thrive Note, Genna sits down with Sherry Houston, Vice President for Advancement at Santa Fe College, to explore how education, opportunity, and giving can change the trajectory of an entire family. From supporting non-traditional students, ranging from dual-enrolled teens to an 80-year-old pursuing a nursing degree, to...

In this episode of Thriving to the Finish Line, we sit down with Sherry Houston, Vice President for Advancement and Chief Philanthropy Officer at Santa Fe College, whose career has been defined by one thing: showing up for people when they need it most. From mental health advocacy to supporting families at the Ronald McDonald House, to advancing education and opportunity across North Central Flori...

Hormone therapy has long been surrounded by caution, especially for women over 60. But what if the narrative we've accepted isn’t fully aligned with the data? In this Thrive Note, the conversation revisits one of the most influential studies in women’s health, the Women’s Health Initiative, and unpacks how its conclusions shaped decades of medical guidance. Dr. Anamaria Yeung and Dr. Rachel Co...

As we age, one of the most unspoken challenges families face is the expectation of caregiving—and who steps into that role. In this Thrive Note, Shannon and Betsy explore the emotional and practical weight of caregiving within families, especially when roles are assumed rather than chosen. From a physician husband navigating his wife’s long-term illness, to a daughter redefining how she can best s...

This week’s Thrive Note is a reflection on a simple but powerful truth: there is no shortcut to long-term health. In this moment from our conversation with Dr. Rachel Coleman and Dr. Anamaria Yeung of Empower Lifestyle Medicine, we’re reminded that midlife—especially menopause—isn’t something to “get through”… it’s an opportunity to finally invest in yourself. But that investment requires somethin...

Dr. Rachel Coleman and Dr. Anamaria Yeung of Empower Lifestyle Medicine unpack one of the most misunderstood topics in women’s health: vaginal estrogen. Often surrounded by fear and misinformation, vaginal estrogen is a localized therapy that supports vaginal and urinary health during menopause and perimenopause—without significantly impacting estrogen levels throughout the body. Backed by researc...

What if many of the health struggles women face in midlife weren’t inevitable — but preventable? In this episode of Thriving to the Finish Line , Shannon Miller sits down with Dr. Rachel Coleman and Dr. Anamaria Yeung of Empower Lifestyle Medicine to explore how lifestyle medicine is transforming the way we approach aging, chronic disease, and menopause. Both physicians share their personal journe...

What if aging didn’t mean getting smaller and caregiving didn’t require losing yourself? In this powerful and deeply human conversation, Shannon Miller sits down with Betsy Pepine , longtime Gainesville real estate leader, community advocate, and author of Breaking Boxes: Dismantling the Metaphorical Boxes That Bind Us , to explore what it truly means to thrive all the way to the finish line. Draw...

Lewy body dementia is often spoken about in hushed tones—misunderstood, stigmatized, and too often treated as a diagnosis to avoid. In this Thrive Note, we unpack what Lewy bodies actually are, how they relate to Parkinson’s disease, and why the fear surrounding the diagnosis doesn’t tell the full story. From an elder law and medical perspective, the conversation explores why Lewy body dementia an...

In this Thrive Notes episode of Thriving to the Finish Line, Dr. Okun reframes how we think about neurodegenerative disease—not as a fixed endpoint, but as a trajectory we can influence. Using a powerful analogy, he explains why prevention and risk reduction for brain health should be treated with the same seriousness as heart health or lung disease. From there, he shares his top five evidence-bac...

Dr. Michael Okun is a neurologist, movement disorder specialist, and national leader in Parkinson’s care, research, and education. His work focuses on reimagining how care is delivered for people living with chronic and neurodegenerative diseases. In this Thrive Notes episode, we reflect on Dr. Okun’s powerful shift away from the traditional “patient-as-the-center” model of care and toward what he...

What if Parkinson’s isn’t the problem, but the way we treat chronic disease is? Dr. Michael Okun, Director of the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at UF Health and National Medical Advisor for the Parkinson’s Foundation, discusses how current approaches to Parkinson’s care, including delayed diagnosis and fragmented systems, can negatively impact quality of life, and why earlier, c...