AGING: February 2023 podcast playlist

Like it or not, we’re all getting older. Some people decide to lean into aging, while others fight it with all they’ve got. How does ageism play into our decisions about how to age? And, what, if anything, can and should science do to increase longevity? The episodes in this month’s playlist tackle these questions and offer a variety of perspectives on the topic.

Podcast Playlist on AGING

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Next Question with Katie Couric: “Is ageism getting old?” (October 2019, 47 min)
Getting older should be something to celebrate. Instead, our youth-obsessed culture tells us we need to get rid of our wrinkles, dye our gray hair, and shave years off of our LinkedIn profiles, or risk becoming irrelevant—or worse, invisible. But why do we treat the very normal process of aging like it’s something to be ashamed of? On this episode of Next Question, Katie talks to an amazing group of women who refuse to apologize for acting (and looking) their age.

Unlocking the Fountain: “Episode 1: 150 Candles” (September 2021, 32 min)
Are we on the verge of medical breakthroughs that will extend healthy human life by decades? Some scientists say the first human to reach 150 years is already alive. Is it you?

BEING Golden: “Why Can’t Dreams Happen at 70?” (November 2022, 40 min)
Meet Buzz, a 71-year-old former sales and marketing executive who drastically uprooted his life by moving out west to Los Angeles to pursue a lifelong dream of becoming an actor — even if it means taking a job as a rideshare driver to make ends meet, and despite objections from his adult kids. And meet Gloria, a 71-year-old retiree with a past as spicy as her personality. As she looks back on her dating history, is it time to finally open a new chapter and look for love (or just a good time) by diving into the dating app scene?

The Real Question: “Middle Age” (September 2021, 40 min)
Casper is getting older and he’s been thinking about what that means. On the one hand: age is just a number! There’s no such thing as the ‘right’ thing you should be doing at any age. But on the other hand: he wants to make sure he’s stepping into the full responsibility of what it means to be an adult. Without subscribing to tradition benchmarks, how do you keep yourself on track?

Radio Diaries: “The Last Place: Diary of a Retirement Home” (April 2021, 32 min)
Get to know the residents at Presbyterian Homes, a retirement home in Evanston, Illinois.

Bonus podcast episodes:

• Thinking Allowed: “The ways women age – Beauty politics” (June 2019, 27 min)
  The host talks to guests about why women choose or reject cosmetic anti ageing proceedures, beauty politics in the Neoliberal age, and the ways in which women are required to be ‘aesthetic entrepreneurs’ maintaining a constant vigilance about their appearance.
• Life Kit: “How to reframe your beliefs about aging” (June 2022, 23 min)
  Negative age beliefs can impact us on social, psychological and even physiological levels. Here’s how to deconstruct ageism and reframe your beliefs about aging with tips from Becca Levy, author of Breaking the Age Code: How Your Beliefs About Aging Determine How Long & Well You Live.
• The Moth: “The Moth Radio Hour: The Wisdom of Elders” (April 2022, 54 min)
  In this hour, stories of learning from our elders. A mechanic, a teacher, a patriarchy-busting grandmother, and Star Wars in translation.
• Death, Sex & Money: “Getting Real About Getting Older” (October 2020, 25 min)
  It’s time to have better conversations about aging—and we’re going to do it with the help of veteran public radio anchor Jo Ann Allen.
• Fresh Air: “To Retire, Or Not To Retire?” (November 2022, 44 min)
  LA Times columnist Steve Lopez turned the issue of retirement into a reporting project, speaking to geriatric experts, a psychiatrist, a rabbi, plus people who had retired and some who refuse. His book is Independence Day.
• Zestful Aging: “Jean Ketcham — “Aging But Dangerous”” (May 2021, 26 min)
  Jean Ketcham is the founder of “Aging But Dangerous”, a movement focused on healthy aging and living dangerously through fun, spirit, and style. After retiring, Jean discovered that 55+ women were not living up to their true potential. Their social circles were shrinking and their lifestyles were becoming less stimulating and less adventurous. Jean began organizing meetings where older women could connect and share experiences, insights, and strategies to help them enrich their lives. She brought in speakers on a wide variety of topics to empower women to take control of the aging process; she also has held special events like 55+ fashion shows, skydiving outings, and an infamous “colonoscopy party.”

Conversation Starter Questions:

1. How do you approach aging – as something to fight against or something to accept?
2. Do you think ageism is a wide practice in the culture in which you grew up?
3. Do you think science should extend the lifespan of humans?
4. Did any of these episodes make you think differently about your own aging process?
5. Does your own aging enter your consciousness often?