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Most of what we’ve been taught about aging is wrong—and it’s quietly shaping how we live, work, and show up for each other. With gerontologist Dr. Corinne Auman, we swap the “over the hill” narrative for something more honest and far more hopeful: Keenagers—older adults who stay keen, engaged, and purposeful.

We trace Corinne’s path from rural North Carolina to the classroom and into real-world care management, where she sees 70-year-olds advocating for their 90-year-old parents and launching new ventures. We unpack why language matters—how a single word can open space for dignity—and we get practical about what truly drives a great later life. Lifestyle accounts for the majority of our aging experience, which means movement, social ties, learning, and purpose are non-negotiable. We connect the dots to Blue Zones and to cultures like Japan, where elders remain woven into daily life, and we talk candidly about the mental toll of retirement when purpose disappears.

This conversation is equal parts mindset shift and field guide. You’ll learn how to spot ageism in everyday moments, replace limiting scripts with stronger ones, and design a plan that goes beyond money: legal basics, weekly routines, intellectual spark, and community anchors. Corinne shares simple practices for mental health and why even with illness, adaptive joy—like Parkinson’s dance classes—keeps agency alive. If you’ve ever said “I’m too old for that,” consider this your invitation to rewrite the line.

Listen now, share this with someone who needs a brighter map for their next chapter, and leave a review to help more people find the show. Want more conversations like this? Subscribe and tell us the one aging myth you’re ready to retire.

http://www.corinneauman.com

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What happens when a single crash erases days of memory and rewrites the rules of your life? We sit down with Nicholas Ruchlewicz to trace his arc from a storage-lot motorcycle crash to surgeries, rehab, and the gritty work of reclaiming identity after a traumatic brain injury. He opens up about the 12-day void he can’t remember, the moment he realized he had to relearn how to walk, and the unexpected tools that pulled him out of isolation.

Nicholas walks us through the realities of right-side brain injury—executive function, attention, vision—and the emotional whiplash of anxiety and depression that followed. He shares how continuity of care became a battle with the health system and why protecting a trusted therapist can be the difference between treading water and moving forward. Along the way, he uncovers practices that actually help: naming the feeling under anger, pausing before you react, and choosing an opposite action to shift momentum.

Then the story turns to music and games. Heavy music lowered his pain spikes in the ICU and later became a bridge to community and purpose. Following Lacuna Coil across cities, he transformed gratitude into connection and advocacy. At the tabletop, role-playing games rebuilt fine motor skills, memory, and focus while offering a safe, inclusive space for players to belong. Painting miniatures during the pandemic anchored his nerves and gave him a daily ritual of calm.

We wrap with clear takeaways for anyone facing trauma or supporting someone who is: you are not alone, healing is not a zero-sum game, and hope is free medicine. If you’re looking for real talk about recovery—and practical ways to find your footing again—this conversation will meet you where you are and hand you a next step.

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A metal building. A humid morning. A partner workout with his teenage son. Then silence. Jeff Luther’s heart flatlined, the AED fired three times, and eight minutes later he came back with a vow: die living instead of live dying. What follows isn’t a hero montage. It’s a human one—fear, bitterness, an ARVC diagnosis that punishes exertion, and a divorce that lands just as he’s relearning how to trust his body.

We walk through the messy middle: the taste of near-death that lingers, the implanted defibrillator that both protects and unnerves, and the hard truth Jeff discovered when time was measured in heartbeats. He didn’t want more money or medals. He wanted a hand on his arm and his son within reach. That clarity becomes a compass. Gratitude stops being a platitude and starts working like a switch—crowding out despair with small, specific thanks. From there, he designs a new way to move: low-adrenaline training, no music, no cheering, and a coach who agrees to watch the clock and call the ambulance if needed.

The breakthrough is quiet and real. Mid-workout, Jeff quits—fully. His coach asks for 30 seconds just to end on a win. He tries. Nothing breaks. He tries again. He finishes the session in 30-second intervals, and a life philosophy takes shape: success isn’t a finish line, it’s the action you take today. Put on your shoes. Show up. Work for 30 seconds. Rest. Repeat. Along the way we talk about CrossFit community, cardiac arrest survival, ARVC-safe exercise, the psychology of fear, and why better questions—how is today treating you—build stronger connections than small talk ever could.

If this story resonates, follow and share it with someone who needs a small win today. Subscribe for more conversations about resilience, purpose, and practical courage, and leave a review to help others find the show. What’s the next 30 seconds you’re willing to take?

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