This week’s episode features aging expert Helen Hirsh Spence, co-author of Reset: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life. Helen shares insights on aging well, developing “longevity literacy,” and strategies to combat internalized ageism—empowering you to thrive in later life.

About Helen

Helen Hirsh Spence is a powerful voice at the intersectionof longevity, leadership, and age inclusion. Her TEDx talk—"Embrace Age with a Longevity Mindset"—captivated audiences worldwide and sparked international dialogue around how we perceive and value older adults.

Recognized as a prominent figure in the field of longevity,Helen has been invited to share her insights at conferences, on podcasts, national radio and TV. She seizes every opportunity to promote an empowering perspective on aging, inspiring change for all generations. Her presentations are known to be thought-provoking, engaging, and deeply relevant to today’s shifting social and economic landscape.

Key Takeaways

• Advances in technology, medical advances, and education have given us a “longevity bonus” — our lifespans have increased 20 to 30 years.
• We can influence the trajectory of our lifespan, but itdepends on our beliefs. A longevity mindset means accepting our longer lives as the new normal.
• Targeting older adults requires workplace adaptations like flexible work, phased retirement, and intergenerational collaboration.
• The loneliness epidemic is spread across two primarydemographic groups, older adults and people under 25. Programs to build intergenerational connections and reciprocal mentorship have mutual benefits for young and old.
• Children from the age of three have negative preconceived notions of what it means to be old. Women especially have been conditioned by anti-aging marketing campaigns, not recognizingthat their potential, dreams and aspirations have been limited by ageism.

Follow Helen on LinkedIn

View Helen’s TedX Talk

Order Helen’s book Reset (US and Canada)

Explore the transformative field of gerontology with Dr. Julie Brown, as we delve into misconceptions, language, and innovations shaping aging. Discover how age tech advances can enhance independence, challenge stereotypes, and promote a more inclusive view of growing older.

About Dr. Brown

Dr. Julie A. Brown is an Associate Professor of Gerontologyat Ohio University whose work focuses on how we understand and experience aging in everyday life. She teaches courses on topics such as the business of aging and later life relationships, with an emphasis on how aging shapes identity, decision making, environments, and daily routines. Her work brings together research, teaching, and community engagement to highlight both the complexity and the relevance of growing older in today’s world.

Dr. Brown’s work also explores the intersection of aging, technology, and the home environment. Often referred to as an “AgeTech Gerontologist,” she is widely recognized for her work examining how technology shapes the aging experience, for better or worse. As a Certified Aging in PlaceSpecialist, she is especially interested in helping people navigate decisions about staying in, and thriving within, their homes. Her work is grounded in both scholarship and real world application, with a focus on creating more supportive and age inclusive systems for individuals, families, and communities.

Key Takeaways

• Gerontology is the scientific study of aging and olderadulthood. It examines the aging process from a lifespan perspective, encompassing the physical, psychological, social, and emotional aspects ofgrowing older.
• Age-tech (also known as gerontechnology) is the development, design, and use of technology to enhance the aging experience. Technologies shouldfocus on expanding capabilities rather than simply compensating for deficits. Too often, aging is viewed solely through a medical lens instead of a lifestylelens—prioritizing limitations over opportunities for independence, connection,wellness, and quality of life.
• Because everybody has different experiences and lifecircumstances, there is no one-way to view aging, Older adults are the most heterogeneous population – an 85-year-old can run circles around a 60-year-old,for example.
• More older people are seeking help for mental health. We have come a long way towards understanding the importance of mental health across the entire lifespan.
• We need to think about the importance of language to how we convey ideas and values. Using “anti-aging” is like saying that you are not valued – not good enough.
• Aging in place is less about a specific location and more about a sense of comfort, confidence, and control. It means being able to remain in the environment where a person feels most secure, supported, and connected.
• In the US, there's a dearth of housing, and particularly a dearth of housing that is age friendly. Plan early. The worst time to plan is during crisis.

Discover how aging can be a new chapter of empowerment and entrepreneurial success. Join host Nancy Griffin and guest Jeanette Anderson, founder of Maturepreneur World, as they explore the opportunities, challenges, and mindset shifts needed for older adults to thrive as entrepreneurs.

About Jannette

Jannette is the bold, brilliant force behind Maturepreneur World, where 55 plus isn’t a finish line—it’s a launchpad. Her mission? To make “retirement” the new dirty word, and elevate the undervalued wisdom workforce who are #NotDoneByALongshot into the global economic powerhouse we truly are!

She's the business expansionist, the Why Whisperer, and a master at getting the four inches between your ears working so your business can work! Her transformational Clarity Compass--Create Purpose and Profit After 55 workshop, "What's Next?" expert coaching and Next Chapter Launchpad program are designed to make you visible, financially viable, and valued.

She shows Maturepreneurs how to rewrite what success looks like after 55 so you can step off the sidelines and take the helm of your own purpose-fueled, profitable ventures.

Why? Because she knows that age doesn’t make you obsolete—it makes you unstoppable!

Key Takeaways

• We’ve been sold a myth: that life follows a fixed script—go to school, get a job, climb the corporate ladder, get married, have 2.5 kids and a white picket fence, work until 65, retire, and then quietly fade into thebackground until life ends.
• There’s a growing poverty crisis among older adults—about 65% of North Americans can’t afford to retire. It’s no surprise, then, that Boomers and Gen Xers are becoming the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs.
• One in four people report feeling lonely—and say it’simpacting their mental health. The rates are even higher among older adults andsolopreneurs.
• Finding our “why” is essential for effective marketing and standing out in a crowded marketplace—because people don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.
• Adopting a growth mindset over a fixed one is a choice. Pay attention to your beliefs, question whether they truly serve you, and choose to tell a more empowering story.
• Build your business around your life—not your life around your business. Who do you want to be? What difference do you want to make in the world? What kind of lifestyle do you want to create? What truly lights you up?