S1-EP12: Marc Freedman on How to Live Forever (It’s Not What You Think)
SUMMARY
Today Debbie talks with Marc Freedman, a best-selling author, renowned social entrepreneur and leading expert on the longevity revolution. Ostensibly their subject is Marc’s newest book, How to Live Forever. But their conversation ranges widely, touching on all the important topics related to mid-life transition: aging and ageism, legacy, how the older and younger generations can collaborate, how Silicon Valley’s quest for immortality is misguided, the continuing urge to find purpose, and more.
EPISODE NOTES
In the last episode of Season 1, Debbie reflects on how the podcast has evolved. Initially she aimed to appeal to adults of any age seeking a timeout. But she realized that her focus was really on mid-life reinvention (50+), whether it’s a gap year or a gap week, as a way to reflect, redirect, find new meaning and purpose – and find happiness. And of course that is the topic closest to her own heart.
So she invited Marc Freedman – best-selling author, renowned social entrepreneur and leading expert on the longevity revolution – to be her guest. Ostensibly the topic was to chat with Marc about his bestselling new book, How to Live Forever, but their conversation ranges widely. They talk about aging and ageism, age segregation, the meaning of legacy, how Silicon Valley’s quest for immortality is misguided, how older and younger generations are built for each other (the old want to be needed and the young want to be nurtured), how Marc is becoming an elder himself, his challenges writing his new book, and more.
Marc is the founder of Encore.org, a 20-year-old ideas and innovation hub tapping the talent of those 50+ as a force for good. Encore Fellows, the Encore Prize, Gen2Gen and other programs are among Encore’s practical approaches to solving the problem of the generational divide and the exploding number of those age 60+.
Full disclosure: Encore.org is this podcast’s newest Media Partner.
Mentioned in this episode
- About Marc
- How to Live Forever by Marc Freedman (Public Affairs, 2018)
- Encore.org (founded by Marc in 1998 as Civic Ventures)
- Harvard’s 75-year Study of Adult Development, begun by George Vaillant and now run by Robert Waldman
- What makes a good life? Lessons From the longest study on happiness? (TED talk by Robert Waldinger with almost 28 million views)
- Stanford’s Center on Longevity
- Urie Bronfenbrenner (prominent child psychologist)
- Nuns and Nones: a project that moved religion-free Millennials into a convent
Support this podcast:
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- Interested in sponsoring this podcast? We have an avid audience of midlife, and older, listeners. Contact Debbie Weil.
Credits:
- Host: Debbie Weil
- Producer: Far Out Media
- Music: Lakeside Path By Duck Lake
Connect with us:
- Email: [email protected]
- Twitter: @debbieweil
- Insta: @debbieweil
- Debbie and Sam's blog: Gap Year After Sixty
Thanks to our media partners
Encore.org, our newest media partner, is an ideas and innovation hub tapping the talent of those 50+ as a force for good. Founder and CEO Marc Freedman is an award-winning social entrepreneur and author, most recently, of How to Live Forever: The Enduring Power of Connecting the Generations. Looking for a great gap-year transition program? Check out Encore Fellowships, which match skilled, seasoned professionals with social-sector organizations in high-impact, paid assignments.
Modern Elder Academy is a program dedicated to navigating mid-life transitions. MEA, based in Baja California, Mexico, provides the place and the tools to start reframing your lifetime of experience. Grow whole, not old. Founder Chip Conley is a New York Times bestselling author, award-winning hospitality entrepreneur and a rock star of the mid-life transition movement. His newest book is Wisdom @ Work: the Making of a Modern Elder.
Next For Me is an important new resource for the 50+ crowd focused on rewriting life. Taking a gap year or timeout may be the best way to figure out "what's next" when you're in this stage of life. Founder Jeff Tidwell explains, Next For Me "connects and inspires our generation to evolve our post-50 lives through new work, a new purpose, or a new social contribution."