Why we're here . . .
Most Americans are terrified of growing old. That's partly because of ageism—discrimination against people solely on the basis of their age. Ageism is endemic in America, fueling denigrating jokes, cruel media depictions, job discrimination, and the “invisibling” of older people so younger ones don’t have to think about their own inevitable aging.
The plain physical effects of aging are—let’s face it—nobody’s idea of fun; but in an ageist society, they’re also stigmatizing, almost shameful. That’s why the anti-aging industry in America topped $216 billion in 2018, and continues to grow. Ageism is big business.
Americans are also terrified of aging because every day of continued life brings us closer to the end of it, and death is a taboo topic in America. We don’t want to see or hear anything or anyone that reminds us of our mortality. What a terrible state, to yearn for long life but dread old age! Ageism is an internalized poison that gains potency every day we’re lucky enough to wake up in the morning.
But of course, aging and ageism don’t affect everyone in the same way. Income, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, health, “race,” and neighborhood all directly affect how we age, often for the worse.
We need to join hands to learn more about aging and to support each other as we move into our elder years. At our best, we will be able to actualize the great growth that awaits us in the last third of our lives. With clear, kind intention, we can embrace our later years, and reap the gifts of wisdom our life experience has provided. I am invested in "conscious aging," as resources on the website reflect.
Finally, I believe we will be at our finest if we turn our hard-won insights and our passion for life into loving activism on behalf of future generations. Whether it’s as local as caregiving for grandchildren or as large-scale as working to heal the planet, our contributions should continue to our last breath.
Aging for Life—the TV show and podcast—airs honest conversation among people of all ages about aging with purpose and passion. On this non-commercial website you can discover and share loads of curated resources, opinions, and the shows themselves. A good place to start is with "10 Rules & 20 Resources for Smarter Aging," a free download that compiles an essential set of information.
Along with allies across the country and around the world, our goal is to help make people more informed, engaged, and conscious about aging. It will take an intergenerational movement to transform aging. I hope you’ll join.
The plain physical effects of aging are—let’s face it—nobody’s idea of fun; but in an ageist society, they’re also stigmatizing, almost shameful. That’s why the anti-aging industry in America topped $216 billion in 2018, and continues to grow. Ageism is big business.
Americans are also terrified of aging because every day of continued life brings us closer to the end of it, and death is a taboo topic in America. We don’t want to see or hear anything or anyone that reminds us of our mortality. What a terrible state, to yearn for long life but dread old age! Ageism is an internalized poison that gains potency every day we’re lucky enough to wake up in the morning.
But of course, aging and ageism don’t affect everyone in the same way. Income, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, health, “race,” and neighborhood all directly affect how we age, often for the worse.
We need to join hands to learn more about aging and to support each other as we move into our elder years. At our best, we will be able to actualize the great growth that awaits us in the last third of our lives. With clear, kind intention, we can embrace our later years, and reap the gifts of wisdom our life experience has provided. I am invested in "conscious aging," as resources on the website reflect.
Finally, I believe we will be at our finest if we turn our hard-won insights and our passion for life into loving activism on behalf of future generations. Whether it’s as local as caregiving for grandchildren or as large-scale as working to heal the planet, our contributions should continue to our last breath.
Aging for Life—the TV show and podcast—airs honest conversation among people of all ages about aging with purpose and passion. On this non-commercial website you can discover and share loads of curated resources, opinions, and the shows themselves. A good place to start is with "10 Rules & 20 Resources for Smarter Aging," a free download that compiles an essential set of information.
Along with allies across the country and around the world, our goal is to help make people more informed, engaged, and conscious about aging. It will take an intergenerational movement to transform aging. I hope you’ll join.
Who we are . . .
Theresa Reid, Executive Producer and Host. I've spent my life in the nonprofit sector, helping to establish and running the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, the Chicago Children's Advocacy Center, ArtsEngine and Living Arts—interdisciplinary initiatives combining arts and engineering—at the University of Michigan, and the Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities (a2ru). I've also chaired my county’s chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, hoping to bring some sanity to the world. I'm the mother of two daughters, author of Two Little Girls: A Memoir of Adoption (Penguin, 2006), formerly a counselor of alcoholics and maltreated children, formerly a nonprofit consultant, and now and always an avid reader, film buff, and student of ancient and contemporary cultures.
Natalia Tedeja-Centonze, Associate Producer and Talent Manager. Natalia began her video production career in 2015 in Washington D.C., coordinating studio interviews for major domestic and international news outlets, including MSNBC, FOX News and PBS. She then moved on to producing her own weekend newscasts with WLIX in Lansing, before moving to Ann Arbor to work in Community Media, helping others live out their media production dreams. Natalia is a producer and writer of the show "Live in the D," on WDIV, local 4. She is a mother to a beautiful baby girl.
Logo Development: Our logo was developed by Lilian Crum, Assistant Professor, and Jacqueline J. Duggan, Gergana Godieva, and Karly Gallis, of Lawrence Technological University's Detroit Center for Design and Technology. Many thanks for their outstanding professional work.
Photos: The photos you see on this website and on the set are all royalty-free images from Unsplash. You'll see them on other websites and in videos as well. Thanks to the scores of photographers who've made their work freely available: Luka Budimaier, Loren Joseph, Michael Mims, Nick Karvounis, Aravind Kumar, Atlas Green, Nourdine Diouan, Brandon Day, Bemo Mentara, Ryan Redclay, Ben White, Trevor Cole, Chris Brignola, Dominic Chung, Eberhard Grossgasteiger, Ferenc Horvath, Janko Ferlic, Karina Carvallo, Larm Rmah, Takalani Radali, Tiago Muraro, Kelly Searle, Filipe Almeida, Frank McKenna, Sharina Mae Agellon, Christian Newman, Chelsea Aaron, Cassandra Hamer, Benjamin Combs, Andrew Seaman, Andre Mohamed, Alex Harvey, Alex Baldwin, Abigail Keenan, O.C. Gonzalez, Wolfgang Hasselman, Caleb Woods, Grant Ritchie, Charisse Kenion, Alireza Attari, Sai Kiran Anagani, Jon Eckert, Matthew Schwartz, Adam Jang, Vonecia Carswell, and Donald Teel.
Photos: The photos you see on this website and on the set are all royalty-free images from Unsplash. You'll see them on other websites and in videos as well. Thanks to the scores of photographers who've made their work freely available: Luka Budimaier, Loren Joseph, Michael Mims, Nick Karvounis, Aravind Kumar, Atlas Green, Nourdine Diouan, Brandon Day, Bemo Mentara, Ryan Redclay, Ben White, Trevor Cole, Chris Brignola, Dominic Chung, Eberhard Grossgasteiger, Ferenc Horvath, Janko Ferlic, Karina Carvallo, Larm Rmah, Takalani Radali, Tiago Muraro, Kelly Searle, Filipe Almeida, Frank McKenna, Sharina Mae Agellon, Christian Newman, Chelsea Aaron, Cassandra Hamer, Benjamin Combs, Andrew Seaman, Andre Mohamed, Alex Harvey, Alex Baldwin, Abigail Keenan, O.C. Gonzalez, Wolfgang Hasselman, Caleb Woods, Grant Ritchie, Charisse Kenion, Alireza Attari, Sai Kiran Anagani, Jon Eckert, Matthew Schwartz, Adam Jang, Vonecia Carswell, and Donald Teel.
