a2a - the art 2 aging

In the Gospel of Matthew, we find this statement: “Love thy neighbor as thyself.”For many of us older adults, we have been carrying resentments big and small for a long time and the notion of loving those around us can be a tall order at times.Wayne Lehrer, author of The Art of Conscious Aging, recommends what he calls a reconciliation - a balancing of the scales through which we first forgive ourselves before we can truly love ourselves, and only then do we have the capacity to fully love those around us. This is the first of Wayne’s Fortune Cookies, as he calls them, for Body and Soul on The Art 2 Aging. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theart2aging.substack.com/subscribe

This is the first of a new content stream on The Art 2 Aging, called Body and Soul. Why? Because it’s time we all paid far more attention to our physical and spiritual selves.James Adams, an instructor in meditation and breathing, will be offering you simple, short meditations on a regular basis.Janine Agoglia, a yoga instructor, will also be creating yoga content just for us so watch for her yoga content coming soon!And Wayne Lehrer, author and speaker, will contribute inspiring messages designed to help us find our center in a chaotic world.Enjoy and be enlightened… This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theart2aging.substack.com/subscribe

Let’s say you have retired – willingly or unwillingly – and you now find yourself with a lot of time on your hands that you never had when you were working and raising a family.After the initial feeling of “being on holiday” has passed, you feel like the days start dragging by, each day the same as the next, your life becoming unstructured and without direction.This is not unusual for those older adults who stop what they have been doing for years.The sense of self vanishes and you begin to struggle with who you now are.But all the sudden extra time can have a silver lining if you are prepared to do what we might call inner work.In other words, you can discover another side of yourself – or maybe discover your whole self for the first time – and begin to create something brand new in your life.It all depends on what you think life is - what it appears to be through your eyes or what you want it to be in your mind’s eye.Our guest this week on The Art 2 Aging is Dr. Paula Petry, PhD, a cognitive psychologist and trained shaman.She has created a program called Divine Design Activation which is meant to reconnect an individual with their inner self and allow greater clarity of purpose to open up. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theart2aging.substack.com/subscribe

If you are a regular listener to The Art 2 Aging, then you likely grew up in the 60s, an astonishing time to be young and alive.First, there was the massive transition in music. Then came the drugs. Alongside the negative aspects of the drug culture, emerged something that we can call New Consciousness, for lack of a better term.New Consciousness meant exploring the inner depths of one’s self. Transcendental meditation burst into the culture as one popular method and the exploration of the soul was underway.It was the “dawning of the Age of Aquarius,” as sung by the Fifth Dimension in 1969.Transcendental meditation (TM, for short) did not disappear like many of the musical acts from the 60s did; it is still with us along with several other types of meditation.What this amounts to today is this: a revitalized, even stronger search for the connection between man and God, Source, All That Is – whatever you choose to call it.TM established scientifically that meditation has profound positive effects on our bodies and minds. The same can be said of all types of meditation.Our guest this week is James Adams. James is a former broadcast journalist, former Bill Clinton campaign worker and the former V.P. of Marketing for Chipotle Mexican Grill.Today, James follows a different path and in an open, honest, and forthright way, he explains his past struggles with life and his newfound inner journey with meditation as his companion. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theart2aging.substack.com/subscribe

As world populations age, there are numerous challenges around how to take care of older adults who need help. Most often, they surround healthcare systems.However, one aspect of aging populations may not get the same amount of attention: caregiving.More and more of us unwittingly become caregivers for a loved one, most often an aging parent.In December, The Art 2 Aging featured an interview with Debbie Howard, a former caregiver who is working hard to create support in her community in Texas for other caregivers.All too often, caregivers don’t have community resources that they can access to lessen their burden.If you are a caregiver, then you know what we’re talking about.In the Canadian province of Ontario, there is an organization whose mission is to support caregivers. It’s called the Ontario Caregiver Organization (OCO).OCO recently completed a year end review for 2025 that paints a disturbing picture of caregiving in the province; the strain that caregiving produces is showing up dramatically in the numbers.This week, A2A speaks with Amy Coupal, the CEO of Ontario Caregiver Organization.And if you’re a caregiver looking after an older person, perhaps a parent, then you need to hear this. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theart2aging.substack.com/subscribe

We all know that physical activity goes directly to lifespan and, indeed, healthspan - how healthily we are living our lives.That message has been embraced by those of us who are older adults; we get the connection between being strong and flexible and living a fit life.That’s why many older adults will happily join a local gym, determined to regain strength or increase it.Unfortunately, what do many find? Ageism. Not in the workplace this time. But in the fitness class, perhaps the last place they would suspect ageism to lurk.Erin Eleu is a functional aging specialist and falls resiliency coach who leads and teaches physical activity programs for older adults and who is vehemently opposed to ageism in the gym. She is also the host of the podcast series, AGEnts of Movement, and is our guest this week on Point of View. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theart2aging.substack.com/subscribe

There are nearly 60 MILLION Americans who are unpaid caregivers today.Now think about that; these are people who likely have full time jobs working 40 hours a week and who are working another 26 hours a week on average looking after an aging loved one.It’s a tough picture and it’s made worse by the lack of any kind of support available in the United States.Certainly this long term healthcare crisis (and it is a crisis by any definition of that word) is not exclusive to America alone.There are aging populations all over the world and countless millions more caregivers but many other countries have been proactive in implementing policies designed to mitigate the pressure that unpaid caregivers experience.Debbie Howard, a professional market researcher, knows what it’s like to be a caregiver after spending some years caring for her cancer-stricken mother.As a result, Debbie has devoted nearly 20 years to agitating for caregivers in the U.S., forming Aging Matters International and thecaregivingjourney.com along the way.She is our guest this week on The Art 2 Aging. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theart2aging.substack.com/subscribe