4-Quarter Lives

In this episode of 4 Quarter Lives we tackle the complexities of longevity, ageing populations, and the evolving business landscape that accompanies these global shifts. While longevity science progresses at a breakneck pace, societal norms and economic structures lag behind, posing significant challenges. Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with demographic strategist Bradley Schuman. Together they take...

In this episode, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Michael Clinton, a visionary leader and former President, Marketing and Publishing Director of Hearst Magazines. They discuss the evolving workplace, the benefits of age inclusivity, and the transformative power of media in shaping societal views on ageing. Michael shares his perspectives on how businesses and content creators can contribute to a m...

In this episode of 4-Quarter Lives Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Ann Francke, Chief Executive of the Chartered Management Institute, about the pivotal role of management skills in supporting and enhancing longer career spans. They uncover startling statistics, including that 82% of managers receiving no training upon promotion, resulting in what's known as "accidental managers", and the soberin...

In this episode of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Pedro Pitella to explore the innovative work of global healthcare company Sanofi in fostering an inclusive work environment through Generations+, its intergenerational Employee Resource Group (ERG). Pedro is Head of People and Culture for Sanofi Brazil, and global lead for Generations+. The conversation explores the importance of...

In this episode of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Helen Tupper, Chief Executive of Amazing If, a company redefining careers for individuals and companies. Together they explore the intricacies of career transitions during midlife and how organizations can support these changes. The conversation also delves into personal experience, highlighting the essential balance between work...

In this episode of the 4-Quarter Lives podcast, we delve into the intricate world of career transitions and identity change with renowned expert Professor Herminia Ibarra of the London Business School. As we navigate the realities of career shifts, Herminia shares invaluable insights on why these transitions often take years, not months, and the importance of managing expectations during this jour...

Join Avivah Wittenberg-Cox in this episode of 4-Quarter Lives, as she sits down with Victoria Tomlinson, the innovative mind behind Next-Up. Next-Up is revolutionizing the way we think about retirement and the roles of older workers in today's workforce. We delve into the outdated concept of retirement, the challenges faced by older employees, and the importance of intergenerational working for su...

Welcome to Season 5 of 4-Quarter Lives, a podcast exploring the profound impact of longer lives and careers … on everything: countries, companies, couples and careers. Thanks for all your support and listening over the past year, we love all the feedback and reactions. Please keep it coming! In this season Avivah Wittenberg-Cox will start by investigating the scary, exciting and urgent topic of ca...

In this wrap-up episode to the latest season of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox reviews the 10 fascinating conversations she has had over the last 10 weeks. Her discussions with Haleh Nazeri (World Economic Forum), Philip O’Keefe (Ageing Asia Research Hub) and Emi Kiyota (Singapore National University) explored the challenges presented by aging populations, at a regional and national level....

In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Sibylle Le Maire, Executive Director of the media group Bayard, based in France. She is the Founder and President of Club Landoy, which consists of 24 member companies and is focused on the impact of demographic transitions, aiming to bring out new approaches and innovative solutions for social progress. Today, a third of the French...

This week’s guest with Avivah Wittenberg-Cox on 4-Quarter Lives is Dr Mona Mourshed, the founder and CEO of Generation, a global non-profit organisation that prepares, places and supports adult learners of all ages into careers that are otherwise inaccessible, delivering sector-leading employment and income results consistently.   Generation has recently worked with the OECD to publish a report on...

In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Lisa Edgar from Saga, a British company which, since its creation over 70 years ago, has focused on services for the over 50s market.  Its operations range from holidays, cruise ships and tours, to a wide range of insurance products, personal financial services and personal alarms. Its Saga Magazine has a monthly readership of over 1...

In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Dr Emi Kiyota, Founder and director of Ibasho, an organization that facilitates the co-creation with elders of socially integrated, sustainable communities that value their elders. In Japanese, Ibasho means ‘A place where you can feel like yourself’. Emi Kiyota was born and grew up in Japan in a 4-generation household. She thought liv...

In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Michael Fossat, head of Schneider Electric’s Future Ready program. With a 180-year history, Schneider is now focused on assisting and driving the energy transition to an electric and digital future. Yet this 150,000 strong company discovered that its 51+ employees (what Avivah calls Q3) weren’t as motivated and engaged as the rest. S...

In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Dr Julie Miller, Director of Thought Leadership, Financial Resilience, at the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).  Dr Miller seeks to propel new conversations and cultivate partnerships that will challenge the status quo of longevity and empower people to have the financial and economic stability to live longer, healthier...

On this week’s 4-Quarter Lives Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Haleh Nazeri, Lead, Longevity Economy at the World Economic Forum. Earlier this year Haleh was responsible for the WEF’s report “Living Longer Better - Understanding Longevity Literacy.” Her work convenes senior executives from the financial services industry, key stakeholders from the public sector, and civil society leaders to promo...

This week on 4 Quarter Lives Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Philip O’Keefe, Director of the Ageing Asia Research Hub at the Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR), based in Sydney Australia.  Asia is on an accelerated journey on so many dimensions. We’ve long watched its extraordinary economic growth. Now, we’re seeing it accelerating in other areas that in the past took far...

This week on 4-Quarter Lives Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Lyndsey Simpson, the founder and CEO of  55/Redefined , an organisation connecting the UK’s active over 50s with tailored products, services and advice spanning jobs, finance, and lifestyle. 55/Redefined’s mission is to end ageism – in both workplaces and society – and add ten productive years to life, while supporting over-50s to get w...

This week on 4-Quarter Lives I talk with James Root, Chair of Bain Futures. Part of consulting firm Bain & Co, Bain Futures focuses on future trends. Their new report is titled Better With Age: The Rising Importance of Older Workers . Why Work? The study asked some 40,000 people across 19 countries a simple but fundamental question: ‘why do you go to work?’. The report identifies six archetypes th...

On this week’s 4-Quarter Lives Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Bruno Palier, Research Director at France’s elite Sciences Po University, Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics. The common government response to ageing societies around the world is to have people work longer. But ‘people’ aren’t always in agreement, nor are companies always willing to keep them. The French protests a...

On this week’s 4-Quarter Lives Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Nic Palmarini, the Director of the UK National Innovation Centre on Ageing. NICA is based in Newcastle and was launched with £40 million investment from the UK Government and Newcastle University. The Centre's mission is to “add intelligence to ageing and longevity”, allowing the private and public sectors to tackle the opportunities...

On 4-Quarter Lives this week Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Professor Theo Kocken, about his fascinating new film ‘Your Hundred Year Life’. Theo comes to the issue of longevity with a business and academic background. He is professor of Risk Management at VU University Amsterdam, founder of the Anglo-Dutch pension investment & risk management firm  Cardano  and chairman of the Cardano Developmen...

The guest on this week’s 4-Quarter Lives is Ambassador Luis Gallegos who, at 76, is as active and engaged as he has ever been in his long and extremely distinguished career. He is advocating for the adoption, by the United Nations, of an international Convention for the Rights of Older People. This follows his role as president of the U.N. committee that drafted the U.N.’s Convention on the Rights...

In this episode of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Charlotte Japp. Early in her career, Charlotte noticed a huge gap between the 20-somethings she worked with and baby boomers like her parents. Older workers had decades of experience, but were forced to retire or start secondary careers due to ageist hiring trends. Her friends and colleagues wanted career mentorship, while her pa...

Roberta Katz was involved in helping to establish the Distinguished Careers Institute program at Stanford University and has been a DCI advisor for many years.  She is a Senior Research Scholar at Stanford’s Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) and co-author of the book  Gen Z, Explained: The Art of Living in a Digital Age  (University of Chicago Press, 2021). In this podca...