Zestful Aging

Meet Donna Kalil. She calls herself and her volunteers "Everglades Avengers". She's an environmentalist/herpetologist whose mission in life is to rid her beloved Everglades of the Burmese Python, an invasive and destructive creature. This invasive snake preys on almost anything--rabbit, deer, fox, otters....and there is a desperate attempt to control their numbers so the ecosystem can get back int...

Angela White, aka The Running Granny, started running at the age of 53 as part of a series of 'small steps' she took to improve her health and quality of life. A friend then introduced her to the world of ultra running and she became fascinated with what the human body can achieve when asked. Since then she has completed events of increasing distance including a number of 24 hour races, a 100 mile...

What if you could live another ten, twenty, or thirty years beyond your current life expectancy? What if science could make it possible to engineer your body to slow down aging and continue to live your best life beyond 100? Imagine being able to print a new organ in a 3D printer or engineer genes to revert to their youngest and healthiest condition? This is not science fiction, it's happening rig...

2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the passage of Title IX. For those who are unfamiliar, TITLE IX is a Federal law that prohibits discrimination based on sex or gender in any educational institution that receives federal funding. Previous to this law, universities had club sports for women, but they did not receive funding or support. Deborah Slaner Larkin is the former CEO of the Women's Sports...

Nancy DeNike is part of the LEAP Program (Ladies Empowerment & Action Program), a nonprofit empowering women to put prison in their past. Nancy went through the Program herself and now she helps other ex-felons find their footing after their release. For 13 years LEAP has been one of the only nonprofits in the country to focus exclusively on supporting formerly incarcerated women heal by providing...

When Verla's dear friend died from a heart attack–even though she was smart and fit–Verla put her clinical research hat on and investigated what went wrong. In her book "Optimize Your Heart Rate", she does a deep dive into how to prevent heart attacks and how to be sure you are taken seriously by emergency personnel if you think you are having one. Find out more about Verla and her "outdoor mindse...

What do you get when you mix two celebrated photographer artists who each love the environment and the beauty of the Everglades? Who have lived on a sailboat, mourned the death of their teenaged son, and faced the challenges and joys of aging together? Celebrated photographer Clyde Butcher and his wife Nikki are both committed to saving the Everglades by demonstrating its beauty and uniqueness thr...

Jeannette Encinias is an author whose work has also been published in places like Mindbodygreen, Annapurna Living, The Bitter Oleander Press, and Sivana Spirit. Her poetry has been featured in books, plays, one-woman shows, and an opera! She identifies as a poet first and foremost. You can find her new collection of poetry "Queen Owl Wings" on Amazon. Find out more here: https://www.jeannetteencin...

Bill Rawls is an OB-GYN and leading expert in Lyme disease, integrative health, and herbal medicine. In the middle of his successful medical career, Dr. Rawls' life was interrupted by Lyme disease. As he struggled to overcome it, he explored nearly every treatment possible – from conventional medicine to a range of alternative therapies. In the process, Dr. Rawls discovered a shocking amount of co...

How can we support our health, and the health of a loved one, especially if that person has cognitive limitations like dementia? Erica Hornthal is a dance therapist who talks about how dance can increase our quality of life and decrease depression and anxiety. Dance therapy can also have a positive effect on well-being, mood and body image. A body-centered approach to psychotherapy can also help v...

Diane Hullet had been an English teacher, but once her children launched she decided to become certified by The Conscious Dying Institute as a Sacred Passage Doula and Conscious Dying Educator and Coach. She talks about what a death doula's role is, and why it's so different from the traditional ways we deal with death. It's a profound conversation. Find out more: bestlifebestdeath.com. Check out...

Alice Patterson was going along the conventional college path when she discovered that she wanted to be a photographer. So she pivoted in a big way, and adventures followed. She created a whole new way to make a living as a photographer. And she is flourishing and teaching other photographers to approach the business in a whole new way. Hers is a story of resilience and courage. Find out more at h...

Jonatha Brooke is an internationally renowned singer, songwriter and producer. She wrote the theme to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", and has collaborated with the likes of Katy Perry. Brooke also created and performed the critically acclaimed, one-woman, Off Broadway musical called "My Mother Has 4 Noses" which is about her relationship with her mother, whom she cared for before she succumbed to Alzh...

Are you an empty nester, and wonder what to cook for yourself? It doesn't make sense to roast a turkey or make a pan of lasagne anymore, so do you settle for toast, a yogurt, with a spoon of nutella thrown in? Chef Littley is a classically trained chef who has worked at white tablecloth restaurants, executive dining and finally at the end of his career at an all-girls Catholic high school, where h...

Have you ever made a little joke about being old? Something seemingly harmless: Something like "I'm too old to wear that", "I'm over the hill?" One of my tennis buddies says "I'm too old to get that shot." Our guest today is a gerontology researcher who investigates the real cost (emotional, physical, societal) of our widespread, unchecked discrimination of being old–of course the irony is that th...

By now we've all heard the term "self-love". But what is it really? Is it treating yourself to a mani-peni? Buying an expensive handbag? It turns out that true self love is more akin to self compassion, which has been proven to help heal depression, anxiety and trauma. As a psychotherapist, I have found that cultivating self love is a truly powerful way to create inner peace and freedom. Katie Phi...

Dr. Laura Reeder is an artist, a teacher, and a human who encourages young people and adults to use creativity as a form of activism to make meaningful change in the world. Her recent installation at the Everson Museum of Art titled "Now More Than Ever" re-shaped a gallery with thousands of cell phone photos taken from her walks through everyday life. Her miles-long "Cultivators", labyrinths that...

Michelle Olson is the founder of Evergreen Minds, which is on a mission to help create a culture that connects people with natural spaces and de-medicalize and de-stigmatize the accepted status-quo in healthcare for people living with dementia. Find out more here: EvergreenMinds.org.

Dr. Witkowski is the Chair of the Exercise & Sport Studies Department at Smith College. She researches the role of physical fitness of menopause symptoms, with a particular interest in cardiovascular health and risk at midlife. She is currently recruiting subjects for her studies. Contact her here: https://www.facebook.com/VascularFunctionResearchLaboratory

Improvisation is having a moment. People are finding it has tons of benefits for social and mental health. They are stepping out of their comfort zone, which is a key element to aging zestfully. Pam Victor is a professional improviser and the founder of Head of Happiness, of Happier Valley Comedy. Pam is the co-author of "Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ & Dave Book" and was awarded the...

Carl Honore is a Canadian journalist who is a best selling author and two time TED speaker. He's known as "the godfather of the slow movement". His latest book, "Bolder–Making the Most of Our Longer Lives"–challenges ageism by dismantling the myths surrounding growing older. He argues that aging can be a bonus rather than a burden. Find out more about Carl's work: CarlHonore.info. Check out https:...

Many of us are aware that the over 60 demographic is the fastest growing demographic here in the US and all over the world. We have tremendous power and influence. ThirdAct.org organizes people over the age of 60 to work on climate and racial justice. Akaya Windwood and Bill McKibben talk about their work mustering political and economic power to move Washington and Wall Street in the name of a fa...

Aging has its joys and challenges. One of the big challenges is the changes in our bodies–particularly if you are a woman. Most of us mourn the loss of our younger bodies. But are there ways we can think about our aging bodies differently? Meet Dr. Susan Sands, a clinical psychologist known for her trailblazing work in female development. Her new book "The Inside Story" is a radical new look at ag...

Susan Tweit is an award winning writer and botanist on a mission "to restore our home planet and help us be our best and kindest selves." She volunteers at Yellowstone National Park removing invasive plant species by hand so the native plants can thrive and feed the animals that call the Park home. Her award winning books are personal and tender stories about her own challenges, including the loss...

At 61, writer and editor Linda Lowen has fulfilled a lifelong dream–-- she's written her first book, a travel guidebook promoting her hometown of Syracuse, NY. Even though she's been published in the New York Times and earned national recognition as a former TV and radio producer -- hosting award-winning programs on PBS and NPR stations --she says that since she's turned 50, life has become downri...