Growing Bolder Magazine Fall 2021

BACK TO SCHOOL FOR ADULTS

Creativity & Curiosity FALL 2021

THE POWER OF CREATIVIT Y

TAI CHI: MEDITATION IN MOTION

Passion & Resilience The Colorful World of Jamieson Thomas

THROUGH THE LENS OF CLYDE BUTCHER

LIBERATING AGING

THE JOY OF GRANDPARENTING

RABBI OF THE REEF

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WORK. RETIRE. GROW BOLD. Living the life you want in retirement requires a plan that can protect and grow your money. An annuity provides protected income that can help cover your essential monthly expenses — now or in the future. The right financial professional can show you how.

Find out more at protectedincome.org/bolder

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52 THE LONG E VIT Y RE VOLUTION

If you want to keep moving, you have to keep moving.

86 R ABB I OF THE RE E F

How Ed Rosenthal turned saving the ocean into a religious experience.

54 72 LIBE R ATING AG ING

Age Wave joins Growing Bolder to combat ageism.

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THE COLORFUL WORLD OF JAMIE SON THOMA S

Jamieson Thomas defies description. Artist, Athlete, Adventuress, and much more.

Fall 2021 Creativity knows no age limits. Before you say, “But I can’t draw!” or “I’m not creative,” we encourage you to think back to the childhood activities that once brought you joy. Drawing.

Painting. Chalk art. Reading and writing poems. Learning to play a new musical instrument. Story time. Listening to your favorite band’s new album. It all counts! Not only is tapping into your creative side a great way to relax from your daily stress, long-term studies show creativity confers significant life-extending benefits. This issue is filled with examples of some really cool creative types and we hope they inspire you to start exploring your own creative side!

HIG HLIG HT S

ME E T SOME OF OUR FAVORITE INFLUE NCE RS AND GAME RS ON PAG E S 3 5 & 4 2

IN E VE RY ISSUE

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YOU R TAK E

12

QU ICK PICK S

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GROWING BOLDER WITH

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RECIPE

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THE TAK E AWAY

Growing Bolder fans share risks that paid off Our team shares its picks for Fall reading, watching and playing Catching up with Debbie Allen and John Stamos Savory Corn Chowder Learning To Laugh Again With Laraine Newman

Through the Lens Of Clyde Butcher p.66 New Beginnings Tips for Older Students p.20

ORDINARY PEOPLE LIVING E X TR AORDINARY LIVE S ® 1 8 ROCK S TAR S OF AGING ® — DR . LORE T TA " LEE " FORD 2 2 THE RIGHT THING TO DO : HARRI S ROS EN 3 8 BALLROOM DANCER QU IN BOMMEL J E

Bold Social Meet these Silver Sirens p.42

4 6 THE M U S IC MAN : B ENO IT GL A ZER

HE ALTH + FITNE SS

TECH

30 TAI CHI : MEDITATION IN MOTION

14 TIP S FOR S UCCE S S IN THE GIG ECONOM Y

62 S ELF- C ARE A S WE RE- ENGAGE

3 5 GAMING I S GOOD

78 RU N , B IK E , RU N FOR YOU R LIFE

76 WHAT ' S NE W WITH GROWING BOLDER T WITCH

80 COACHING LEGENDS DR AW U P THE PL AY BOOK FOR LIFE 96 MADELINE POT S , M Y S TORY TELLING FRIEND

92 INTRODUCING OU R NE W S TRE AMING APP

INTE RGE NE R ATIONAL

C ARE E R + E DUC ATION + FINANCE

3 2 THE J OY OF GR ANDPARENTING

3 3 FIVE K E Y RE TIREMENT PL ANNING TIP S FOR WOMEN

4 0 DE S IGNED FOR S UCCE S S

4 4 CHAMPION J E T C AR R ACER WON ' T TAK E RI S K S

50 HONORED BOU ND

94 GR ANDPARENTING: J OYS , CHALLENGE S ,

8 4 A NE W K IND OF SCHOOL FOR MID - LIFE AND B E YOND

WITH RE TIREMENT

AND S U PPORT

ADVE NTURE 26 CU LTIVATING CU RIOS IT Y: J ILL HEINERTH 5 8 C ATCHING WAVE S WITH CHRI S ROS S 70 A S PARK FOR PARK S 5

Department

Issue No. 46

This issue features photography from our collaboration with award-winning photographer Mike Dunn. @MIKEDUNNUSA

Let's Get Digital

Volume 47 PUBLISHER Jackie Carlin CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ashley Heafy GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Katie Styles, Sarah Brown EXECUTIVE EDITOR Doris Bloodsworth

The Bold Start Get a daily dose of inspiration curated from our most popular social media posts.

Sign up at growingbolder.com/insider

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Jill Middleton SENIOR DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Emily Cummings CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jane Harrison, Lesley Stahl, Lynne Mixson, Amy Sweezey, George Diaz, Jean Statler, Collette Haw, Leslie K. Poole, Tim Killian, Bobby Wesley

Watch GB NOW Weekly

Monthly Digital Digest

Stream live episodes Fridays at 10 am ET on our Facebook, Twitch, YouTube and LinkedIn pages

A free monthly publication filled with interviews and inspiration straight to your inbox when you become a GB Insider.

@growingbolder

GROWING BOLDER PRESS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Marc Middleton PRESIDENT Robert Thompson GENERAL COUNSEL Michael Okaty, Foley & Lardner LLP COMMENTS Contact us via social media @GrowingBolder or email us at feedback@GrowingBolder.com ADVERTISING AND MEDIA SALES For information about advertising and sponsorships, email

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Kevin Houseknecht at advertising@growingbolder.com

NOTE FROM THE CEO

leaning in to life We often describe Growing Bolder as a playbook for life, so we figured why not check in with three of the most famous and successful college football coaches in history? These three men know something about creating successful playbooks.

We weren’t disappointed, and neither will you, in the wisdom shared and lessons learned during our visits with Hall-of-Fame coaches Bobby Bowden, Steve Spurrier and Jimmy Johnson. We visited with Coach Bowden at his home in Tallahassee, Florida, just weeks before he announced his terminal cancer diagnosis. We're grateful for the privilege of spending time with him for what may have been his final sit-down interview.

Our cover story is on artist, athlete and adventurer Jamieson Thomas, who has authored a pretty good playbook for her own life. She’s resilient, creative, fearless and always up for a new challenge. Our visit with cave driver and explorer Jill Heinerth is testimony to the power and life-enhancing benefits of curiosity.

And we learn the simple truth that motivates Harris Rosen to transform communities through education.

And be sure to read about our own big news. Ken Dychtwald and Joe Abruzzese, two visionary business icons, have become partners in Growing Bolder.

They’re joining our no holds barred battle to confront ageism and change the trajectory of aging for all people for all time. How’s that for a business mission?

We’re not backing down. We’re celebrating the blessing of growing older and leaning in to the endless opportunities presented by extra years. I hope you are, too, because that’s Growing Bolder.

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WHEN THEY WANT TO TALK...

Alan Alda - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - Jane Pauley - Tim Gunn - Dick Van Dyke - Herb Alpert Carol Burnett - Melissa Etheridge - Olivia Newton-John - Buzz Aldrin - Weird Al Yankovic Roz Savage - Dr. T. Berry Brazelton - Michio Kaku - Cyndi Lauper - Estelle Parsons Charlie Daniels - Bill Nye - Brian Wilson - Diana Nyad - Debbie Allen - Debra Winger Chita Rivera - Christopher Walken - Dr. Dean Ornish - Robert Wagner - Gayle King - Suze Orman Annabelle Gurwitch - Carl Reiner - Neil Sedaka - Sela Ward - Dr. Andrew Weil - Ed McMahon Felicity Huffman - Rip Taylor - Mike Love - Scott Hamilton - Valerie Bertinelli - Herbie Hancock Temple Grandin - Lee Grant - Dave Barry - Clark Howard - Kenny Rogers - George Wallace Jean Chatzky - Dr. Mehmet Oz - Lesley Stahl - Henry Winkler - Bobby Vinton - Dr. Daniel Amen Kenny G - Anson Williams - Mel Tillis - Rich Little - Andy Williams - Dr. Robert Butler - Jon Cryer John Rich - JD Powers - Susan Powter - Howie Mandel - Clive Cussler - Suzanne Somers - Fabian Coach John Wooden - William H. Macy - Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn - Tom Smothers - Jillian Michaels Chef Eric Ripert - Rita Rudner - Cokie Roberts - Marion Ross - Jane Seymour - BJ Thomas Aaron Neville - Rowdy Gaines - Pat Boone - Gilbert Gottfried - Tanya Tucker - Mickey Gilley Dr. Ruth Westheimer - Julie Newmar - Kenny Loggins - Linda Gray - Melanie - Cheryl Tiegs Richard Simmons - Martha Reeves - Melissa Manchester - Philippe Cousteau - Dan Harris Ian Anderson - Charlie Pride - Kathy Freston - Billy Bob Thornton - Chubby Checker Dr. Richard Carmona - Crystal Gayle - Michael Winslow - Sherwood Schwartz - Jacqueline Bisset Nancy Cartwright - Anne Archer - Cesar Milan - Barbara Corcoran - JJ Walker - Paul Williams Darrell Waltrip - Micky Dolenz - Donny Most - Elaine Stritch - Roger Daltrey - Roger McGuinn Anne Archer - Cheryl Strayed - Mark Farner - Boz Skaggs - Bobby Goldsboro - Neil Diamond Rick Springfield - Rickie Lee Jones - John O’Hurley - Gordon Lightfoot - Dee Wallace - Tony Dow Little Anthony - Mariette Hartley - Dr. Bill Thomas - Al Roker - Maureen McGovern - Don McLean Dr. Gene Cohen - Robert Vaughn - Ken Dychtwald - Fran Tarkenton - Marianne Williamson David-Clayton Thomas - Barry Livingston - Ed Asner - JoJo Starbuck - Doris Roberts Ernie Hudson - Daniel Pink - James Patterson - Dr. Joseph Coughlin - Ari Seth Cohen Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. - Cary Elwes - Dr. David Agus - Rich Roll - Dr. Kenneth Cooper Crystal Gayle - Diane Rehm - Eddie Money - Tao Porchon-Lynch - Dr. Ellen Langer - Petula Clark Mark Victor Hansen - Madonna Buder - Samantha Brown - Cloris Leachman - Lynda Carter Vicki Lawrence - Jack LaLanne - Lee Majors - Tim Conway - Paul Williams - Joan Lunden Ed Begley Jr. - David Cassidy - Carol Channing - Linda Evans - Robert Lutz - Florence Henderson Rose Marie - Daniel Levitin - Gretchen Rubin - Elizabeth Gilbert - Louie Anderson - Judy Collins Debbie Allen - Marlo Thomas - Toni Tennille - Lea Thompson - Deepak Chopra - Cindy Williams Beverly D’Angelo - Dr. Thomas Perls - Sheila E - John Corbett - Nik Wallenda - Denise Austin

THEY TALK TO GROWINGBOLDER .

TV, Radio and Podcast. Watch. Listen. Learn.

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You may now qualify to switch Medicare Advantage plans!

To learn more visit GrowingBolder.com/Medicare or to speak to a representative call 1-844-396-2579.

Florida Blue and Florida Blue Medicare are Independent Licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. © 2021 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Inc., DBA Florida Blue. All rights reserved.

Y0011_105413 2021_C

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YOURTAKE What's a risk you took when you were younger that has paid off?

Marrying my pen pal. Engaged over the phone, saw him 6 days before the wedding. Circa 1981.

😊

—Susan L.

Enrolled in Cosmetology school.

I've been a stylist for 48 years.

—Victor D.

Moved out of my parents' house when I turned 18 (I won't mention how many decades ago.). I lived in a small studio apartment with no car and only the bare essentials. I really had nothing but an amazing sense of freedom and accomplishment.

Moving by myself from Nebraska to California when I was 19.

—Patricia P.

1976. The Bicentennial Year. So many celebrations going on. Took the summer off and went cross country in a Chevy Nova (!!!) hatchback with a friend, a 2 person tent and did it for less than $2,000. Travelled the backroads. Talked to people on what to experience from their point of view.

Today, I hear of things happening on the news, often from the small cities/towns I visited. Brought me knowledge and empathy across this big country.

—Rosemary R.

—Misty J

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I picked up a hitchhiker. In 1969. We’ve been married 50 years.

Immigrated to Australia on my own.

Never looked back

—Ricki S.

—Kathryn B.

😊❤️

😄

Took a semester in college to do an international exchange to obtain a Minor in Foreign Language.

Came back genuinely fluent in both the language & culture. Has been both a lucrative and socially rewarding experience to this day.

—Kirsti C.

Quit my good job and started a garden design, installation, and maintenance business to follow my dream.

—Tracy M.

Moved from the East Coast to West Coast for a job.

I knew one person in my new city. Never went back.

Been here 33 years.

—Pat N.

Picking up guitar again after 30 some years away from it. I’ve met more friends, during the last 20 years, than I could have ever hoped for. I recommend everyone pick up a guitar, ukulele, fiddle, etc. and look for local acoustic jams.

—Carl G.

Going back to nursing school at 38 years old.

Great second career.

Every step in a new direction was a risk.

Going into the unknown, new jobs, new friends, new environments with a little fear. Not knowing how things would pan out was a risk. All those experiences helped me to learn and grow on my life journey.

—Charlotte S.

—Darlene B.

WA N T TO S H A R E

YOUR TAKE?

We ask our community a thought-provoking question every week on social media. Leave a comment in the digital discussion with 'your take' on the subject, and your response may be featured here in an upcoming edition of Growing Bolder Magazine! @GROWINGBOLDER

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team From the growing Desks of bolder WHAT WE ’ RE RE ADING:

WHAT WE ’ RE LI S TENING TO :

This is a fun, easy read about the space program, which answers the important questions you’ve always had about astronauts, like: How DO they go to the bathroom in space?

And what happens if they vomit inside their space helmet during a spacewalk? After reading this highly entertaining (and sometimes gross) book, I am 100% convinced I could never be an astronaut.

A friend introduced me to this podcast a few months ago and I can’t get enough of it. There are five unique seasons, each with a focus on a true story of heroics, grit and bold acts of courage. I particularly loved Season 1 on the Thai Cave Rescue that occurred in 2018. Put this on during your next run or walk and you just might find yourself going a few extra miles.

Amy

Emily

Production Team

Marketing Team

A Growing Bolder colleague put me onto this show, a high concept sci-fi saga that explores a human future in which we have colonized the greater parts of our solar system. It tells human stories on a sci-fi backdrop while also touching on the political relationships between Earth, militaristic Mars, and the ostracized population of the “Belt.” The meat of the story focuses on the crew of the spaceship Rocinante and the part they play in the major events of their universe.

Steven Creative Team

FROM THE GB BOOK S TORE :

Jill Heinerth is one of the top cave divers in the world. She was the first person in history to dive into an Antarctica iceberg. In her book she recounts her dives and gives you an inside look at what it’s like to push the limits of the human body.

GROWINGBOLDER .COM/ BOOK S TORE

RE AD J ILL' S S TORY ON PAGE 26

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FAVORITE APP :

I started my 25-year broadcast meteorology career before smart phones and apps were even a thing. Once everyone had a phone and wanted their weather “right now,” they always asked about my favorite weather app. My answer: MyRadar. First of all, it’s free! You can quickly navigate around the country to see precipitation wherever you are, and you can turn layers on or off to see lightning, temperatures, warnings and more. It’s userfriendly, founded by a guy who knows how to build apps and was smart enough to hire actual meteorologists to run it.

amy Production Team

WHO WE ’ RE FOLLOWING:

WHAT WE ’ RE WATC HING:

Brunch With Babs Recipes & Wisdom @brunchwithbabs

Nikol Johnson Sanchez Beauty & Style Influencer @freshbeautystudio

Silver Fox Squad Inspirational Influencers @silverfoxsquad

Idiosyncratic Fashionistas Fabulous Style Bloggers @idiosyncraticfashionistas

Karen Williams Producer and Model @ksewilliams

Feel Good Fitness with Jackie 50+ Exercise Instructor @feelgoodfitnesswithjackie

This is a must-watch for every human being — in my opinion — because it’s the most human show I’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying. Centered around a former American football coach recruited to be a British “futbol” (soccer) coach, played by Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso” tells stories about relationships and imperfect people trying their best.

It’s funny, heartfelt and it’s the best show I’ve watched in a long time. For those feeling a little hopeless with all the negativity in the world right now, “Ted Lasso” is a welcome antidote.

With a new season now streaming, it's the perfect time to catch up on this charming show.

Jess Marketing Team

“The Durrells in Corfu” is an under-the-radar PBS Masterpiece series based on the true story of renowned naturalist Gerald Durrell’s British family living in Corfu, Greece.

The Durrells lived there for four years in the 1930s leading up to World War II. It’s exquisitely light-hearted, full of culture and historical significance, and most importantly, delightful characters.

Ashley Creative Team

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TRANSLATING TECH Tips For Success In The Gig Economy

Illustration: Mykyta Ivanov via Getty Images

Jane Harrison

You know that bad feeling you get in the pit of your stomach on Sunday evening when you realize tomorrow is Monday?

I call it the “ga-gunk,” and I never get that feeling. Never.

Why? Because as a freelancer, while so many are rushing out the door in the morning, I’m having a leisurely cup of coffee, reading the news and planning my day. Many retirees and younger workers are turning to freelancing or what some call the “gig economy.”

While I genuinely revel in the freedom, life without a steady paycheck is a trade-off.

In three decades on my own, I’ve collected some tips on managing finances as a solopreneur.

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Choosing The Right Clients

Streamline

I hear the same story over and over again. Someone enters the freelance world, and a large company starts feeding them work. The next thing you know, their entire income is in the hands of one client.

Here’s some advice: Just because you’re busy doesn’t mean you’re in business.

To build a healthy freelance business, you need a diversified client list. That way, if you lose one — and you will — you still have income while you search for a replacement.

Even better: Strive for five “A” clients of equal value.

Consider embracing the minimalist lifestyle. Like so many empty nesters, I had too much house. Recently, I sold it and used just the equity to buy a bungalow. Then I went through all of my expenses and trimmed and shaved and then shaved some more.

Less overhead. More freedom. Best thing I ever did.

What’s an “A” client? →

Clients who pay well. I like medium-size firms.

They have decent budgets, yet they’re not so big that you have to deal with layers of approvals.

→

Clients who pay in a timely fashion. I give extra points for those who make it their responsibility to pay on time. They follow up and then reach out to accounting if there’s a problem. Love that.

→

Clients who respect you. This is another big one. Does your client give you credit for your contributions? Do they allow you enough time to complete the job?

Start Off Right Lastly, staying vigilant about cash flow will do wonders.

Always request a deposit at the start of a project. Invoice your client the minute the job is complete and make your terms “due upon receipt.” With new clients, attach a completed W-9 with the invoice. Send polite reminders if your invoice is late.

I’ve been through slow times when finances were a worry. But it’s never been scary enough to give up my independence, my quiet mornings and life without the ga-gunk.

“A” clients are different from one freelancer to another.

Get clear on what’s best for you and put your antennas to work seeking them out.

ga-gunk:

that bad feeling you get in the pit of your stomach on Sunday evening when you realize the next day is Monday.

noun

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Growing Bolder is not just media, it’s a movement.

Follow us @GrowingBolder

TV

New season now airing on public broadcasting stations.

GrowingBolder.com/TV

Podcast

New episodes each Sunday. Subscribe at GrowingBolder.com/podcast

Radio

Check your local NPR listings or visit GrowingBolder.com/radio

Monthly Digital Digest

Opportunity to receive our monthly digital publication full of inspiration, motivation, tools, and resources.

Watch GB Now, live on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch and LinkedIn, every Friday at 10 am ET.

Gaming

Twitch users 50+ are the fastest growing community on the platform. Visit our Twitch channel to find your tribe at Twitch.tv/GrowingBolder.

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Illustration: bortonia via Getty Images Photograpy

by Mike Dunn for Growing Bolder

Live

How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days.

MarcTutorials via Pexels Johannes Plenio via Pexels

– John Burroughs

FOR MORE DAILY MEM E S :

@GrowingBolder

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Lynne Mixson

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Photography by Jacob Langston

Dr. Loretta “Lee” Ford

In 1937, 16-year-old Loretta Ford was graduating from high school early, having skipped two grades.

Like many young women of that era, she felt she basically had three options.

“Teaching, nursing or the convent,” Ford said.

Without money for college, Ford chose nursing and became a trailblazer in the field.

“My preference would've been to be in college to learn to be a teacher,” she said. “I always wanted to be a teacher, and I took a very circuitous route to get there. But it was a good decision.”

Ford became a nurse’s aide at 16; and then at 18, she enrolled in nursing school at Middlesex General Hospital in New Jersey.

After serving in the U.S. Army Air Force, Ford attended the University of Colorado on the G.I. Bill, earning her bachelor’s, master’s and eventually doctorate degree in nursing. She accomplished this while married and working full-time as a public health nurse in rural Colorado and teaching at the university.

“That was quite a trick,” she said. “I didn't think anything of it at the time. I just arranged my schedule so I could do that.”

In 1965, with the Vietnam War raging and Civil Rights protests spreading across the nation, rights to healthcare were being scrutinized. Physicians were criticized for the lack of care available for rural and unserved populations. At the same time, there was a need for advanced education in nursing that was more clinically focused and able to expand the role of nurses. Ford teamed up with pediatrician Henry Silver to address both concerns. Together, they created a pediatric nurse practitioner program at the University of Colorado — the first of its kind.

“I was interested in what nursing could demonstrate,” she said.

Silver also was interested in the care of children and felt that nurses could provide care in well-baby clinics, which would focus on growth and development, parenting, exercise and nutrition, as well as parent education.

“It was all wellness-oriented,” Ford said.

Ford encountered opposition to the new role from almost every side, including from educators, older nurses, and younger physicians. Legalities were questioned. The one welcoming group? Patients.

“It was not an easy time for me,” Ford recalled. “But I believed in it. I saw the changes that were occurring in nurses, and all the acceptance of the patients, and the quality of the services they provided. So, I felt we were on the right track, and I wasn't going to give it up.”

Thanks to Ford’s persistence, there are now over 325,000 licensed nurse practitioners in the United States.

Ford has received countless awards, including the Surgeon General’s Medallion in 2020, for “actions of exceptional achievement to the cause of public health and medicine.”

“I always thought I could do what I wanted, personally,” Ford said. “I never felt held back because I was a woman. I just wouldn't accept it, I guess. But I think education was a big key to making a difference in terms of that. Also, some efforts of the rights groups to include women.”

She continued, “When I read something's going on in this country, but also around the world, about the constrictions on women's basic rights, even to education, I can't imagine not being able to choose and to make that happen.”

Now 100 years old, Ford continues to shepherd the profession she co-founded, taking to Zoom during the pandemic to encourage nurse practitioners worldwide during perhaps the most tested time of the profession. She keeps up with developments in the field and has a vision of where it’s headed.

“I do see that one of nursing's major goals in the next century is to develop a culture of health and wellness,” she said, “because the culture, up until just fairly recently, has been very oriented toward disease and illness. The only time you can get any attention from anybody in terms of the medical community (is) you’ve got to have symptoms. You don't get ‘paid’ to stay well.”

Ford also shared her thoughts about health insurance.

“Most of your insurance is based on illness risks, so that there are not too many incentives,” she said. “You’ve got to build the incentives in yourself. You can't wait for others to do it. So, it seems to me that you can learn that when you're little and grow up with it. I'm all for educating children in terms of health and wellness and cultural change.”

Looking back at the last century, Ford has advice for younger generations.

“You can do whatever you want to do,” she said. “You know what Henry Ford said? ‘If you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.’”

Ford had one last bit of advice.

“Go for it. Don't have little dreams, go for the big stuff,” she said. “And it isn't always in money. It's in the satisfactions that you get from work. For mine, it's helping others and leading a good life and enjoying it. If you haven't got a sense of humor, I don't see how you can manage it all, because you got to laugh at yourself and help others laugh, too.”

"Go for it.

Don't have little dreams, go for the big stuff."

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NEW BEGINNINGS Tips for Older College Students Amy Sweezey

Starting a new care

‘Tis the season for backpack and crayon sales. Teachers are busy navigating through another pandemic school year, this time mostly in person, helping students settle into school and getting back to “normal.”

It’s not just children who are eager to move forward with a new school year. Many adults are going back to college. With online courses and new technology constantly being developed, the opportunities are endless and adults are taking note.

But what is sparking the trend? Even before the pandemic, adults in their 40s, 50s and beyond were returning to school. Each individual has a personal motivation, but there seem to be a few common reasons why older adults return to the classroom:

er

lls, a degree is to develop new ski For adults looking ter. Decades ap ch rsue a second often the way to pu they want to employees realize into a career, some me may letely different. So do something comp ed of extra ne in or red elves bo retire and find thems or rendered may be outsourced income. Some jobs rs suddenly hnology with worke obsolete by new tec out of work. finding themselves

Becoming an

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r

Sometimes, af ter many year s of working in particular field a , people discov er they love th but want to br e work anch out and be their own Running your bo ss . own business can be rewar it takes a lot of di ng , but work. Training can help with launching a ne w company.

Meeting a lifelong goal It could be for personal fulfillme nt or to inspire others by saying, “I did it,” but some adults return to college to finish what they started or to complete something they alwa ys wanted to do.

Creating opportunities to

learn and grow

jobs and feel secure with Even adults who like their can have a desire to their current employment to school can be a way keep learning. Going back enhance personal to challenge yourself and ideas can provide new development. Learning new at work. perspective and enthusiasm

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Finishing a degree use According to the National Student Clearingho e colleg Research Center (NSC), six out of 10 within students who begin a degree will not finish difficult too it six years. Some start families and find the afford can’t to keep up with their studies. Some more and , tuition. After the children are grown money is available, some adults decide to complete their schooling.

Going back to school later in life may not be the best choice for everyone, but it’s an attractive option as career shifts become more common and the workforce becomes more competitive. If you are one of the adults pursuing higher education, you are not alone.

Tips for returning to school later in life: TA L K TO YO U R LOV E D O N E S .

D O N ’ T S T R E S S OV E R T E S T S .

MAKE A PL AN AND A SCHEDULE A N D S T I C K TO I T.

LO O K FO R F I N A N C I A L A I D.

If you are married, have children, or have other people who depend on you, going back to school will be an adjustment for you and your family. It’s important to communicate from the beginning what this will mean for you and what it means for your loved ones. Explain the long-term benefits to alleviate some of the tension that may arise from changing schedules and financial burdens.

Staying organized will help you and those around you. Make sure everyone knows when you plan to study, work, sleep and eat.

And let them know when you’ll have family time and free time. Including study time in an already busy schedule can add extra stress. If you plan your time, you will be ahead of the game. Juggling everything won’t always be easy; but in the long run, it will be worth it.

adamkaz via Getty Images

Polishing skill

s in a compet

It can be overwhelming if you haven’t been a student for a long time. Homework, projects and tests can feel daunting. Just remember that exams are only meant to ensure you know the material. If you retain the knowledge, you will be fine. Also, remember this time around you are taking courses you WANT to take. The less you stress about it, the better you will be at remembering the information for the tests.

Financial aid isn’t just for first-time college students graduating from high school.

Anyone can qualify, regardless of age. Adults can apply for the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and seek scholarships as well as other financial aid.

You won’t know what money is available unless you apply.

TA K E C A R E O F YO U R S E L F: E AT H E A LT H Y, E X E R C I S E A N D S L E E P W E L L .

Major life changes can add stress to an already busy and stressful life. It’s easy to forget about taking care of yourself. Getting enough sleep and staying healthy is essential to succeeding as a student, no matter how old or young you are.

itive w

orkforce In numerous fields, it’s easy fo r sk ill sets to becom outdated. Man e y companies choose to hire people rather younger than investin g in retraining current workf their orce. Often ol der adults are disadvantage at a , especially in technology ca Going back to re er s. school is a go od way to deve expertise to st lop ay competitiv e.

tential

po Increasing earning

ny people. y is a priority for ma Making more mone se their to school can increa Adults going back a certain level Some jobs require earning potential. or other nagerial positions of education for ma kes turning to school ma leadership roles. Re to better can open the door practical sense if it ies. financial opportunit

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The Right Thing To Do Marc Middleton

H A R R I S R O S E N ' S I M PAC T O N H I S CO M M U N I T Y

100% graduation rates from high school 22

78% graduation rates from college

Neighborhood crime is down 80%

Home values have increased over 30%

Harris Rosen starts every day with a one-hour swim. It’s a routine he has maintained for decades, and it’s more important than ever as the 77-year-old president and chief operating officer of Rosen Hotels and Resorts navigates a pandemic that has devastated the hospitality industry.

“We've had to do some things that I never imagined I would ever have to do: furlough people and then actually let some people go who have been with me for 10, 15, and 20 years,” Rosen said. “It's emotionally difficult, but sometimes it's necessary.”

One stroke after another, literally and figuratively, Rosen is battling back while continuing a quest he began 30 years ago after hearing a voice.

Photography by Jacob Langston

We've had to do some things that I never imagined I would ever have to do.

“It said very clearly, ‘Harris, it's time for you to say, “Thank you, God,” and to offer a helping hand to others. You've done very well. You will continue to do well. Take a deep breath.’"

Rosen’s “deep breath” has changed the trajectory of thousands of lives. He adopted two disadvantaged, crimeridden neighborhoods where he provides free education to every child from pre-school through college, all expenses paid: books, supplies, mentors, tuition, room and board, travel — everything. The results have been stunning: 100% graduation rates from high school, 78% graduation rates from college, neighborhood crime is down 80%, and home values have increased over 30%.

Rosen has proven a significant return on his investment and has actively encouraged other wealthy individuals, big corporations, and major foundations to step up and do the same. And yet, no one has replicated the program.

“We don't understand why,” Rosen said. “The data is so amazing. A child who graduates from high school will earn, over a lifetime, a million dollars or more. If they graduate from college, add another million dollars. They will spend it in the private sector. So, if I own a company of any kind, I'm going to benefit in some way. Why don't others understand that?”

Rosen took another bold step 30 years ago when he created RosenCare, a self-insured healthcare plan for thousands of his employees and their families. RosenCare has its own 12,000-square-foot medical center with doctors, nurses, physical therapists, a chiropractor, nutritionist, and on-site pharmacy. Lab work and diagnostic testing are all done in-house. Employees can get check-ups, screenings, and treatments on company time, including free fitness and wellness programs designed to help them quit smoking and lose weight.

“If you work for me, and you're an hourly associate, you pay $850 a year for healthcare,” Rosen said. “No deductibles; 90% of all pharmaceuticals are free. Our whole premise is very simple: If you keep people healthy, you save money on healthcare. Our little company has saved about $500 million when compared to the traditional costs. We have all the data that proves that, so why aren’t more companies doing the same thing?”

Rosen’s desire to make a difference in his community and beyond has few limits. He donated $10 million and the land to build the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management, the largest hospitality program in the nation. And for over two decades, he has provided water filtration systems and supplies to hospitals, orphanages, and schools in Haiti, helping impoverished residents attain self-sufficiency.

That brings us to the pool and fitness center, which now bears his name. Despite all his other commitments, and with the pandemic threatening his entire business, Rosen was asked to save the center from demolition when the YMCA could no longer support it.

“I can't. I'm getting killed,” Rosen said, recalling his first response. “I've got two neighborhoods I’m supporting.

I've got the Rosen College. I've got the Jewish Community Center. I've got Haiti. I can't.”

But the voice spoke to him once again, reminding him that the facility, a community center of health and wellbeing, is used daily by Special Olympians and swimmers of all ages. So, once again, Rosen extended his helping hand.

“I had a conversation with our finance folks, and I said, ‘Guys, I'm going to do it. I know I'm crazy, but I'm going to do it.’ So, we did it.”

After his daily swim, Rosen heads to his office. It’s the same one he has occupied for nearly 40 years — a small, converted room in the Quality Inn that he purchased decades ago with a $20,000 down payment from his life savings. Even after all his success, he doesn’t surround himself with extravagance, just personal reminders of the things he loves: the family he cherishes and the causes he believes in.

Why does he do it?

“The simple statement that I will offer is that it’s the right thing to do,” Rosen said. “That's not very complicated.”

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GROWING BOLDER WITH

Debbie Allen Jackie Carlin

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racism prevalent in her industry. Now, Allen is also encountering ageism.

“I respond to challenge with passion, persistence and energy,” she told Growing Bolder. “I’ve been told many times that my energy level is off the charts, which I think diminishes any negative perception that one might have about working with a 71-year-old actor, director, choreographer or producer.”

Allen says she takes care of herself physically and makes it a point to be around people with positive attitudes.

Allen doesn’t think about the future and won’t venture an opinion about what she’ll be doing in her 80s or 90s.

“It’s all about the here and now,” she said. “That’s where I live and that’s what I focus on. I have no intention of slowing down and resting on my laurels, because there’s so much more to do.”

With a legendary career that has spanned four decades, Allen is still going strong.

“To make things happen, you must believe in yourself; and you must continue working to expand your talent and your technique, because just when you think you’re there, you’re not. There’s always something else you can learn.

I’m still a student, and that’s what makes a difference.”

Rodin Eckenroth / Stringer via Getty Images

When Debbie Allen was 12, she was denied admission to the Houston Ballet Academy because of the color of her skin.

Several years later, her application to a major university dance academy was rejected because her body was “unsuited” for ballet — a comment commonly used in years past to discourage Black dancers.

Fast forward six decades. Allen is a legendary choreographer, actress, director, producer and one of the most powerful executives in Hollywood. Her many awards include three Emmys, a Golden Globe, 10 Image Awards, the prestigious Olivier Theater Award; and most recently, she was named a 2020 Kennedy Center Honoree, the nation’s highest artistic award.

Allen’s big break came in 1982 with the TV show “Fame,” in which she was both a star and choreographer.

She has appeared in TV shows ranging from “The Love Boat” to “A Different World,” a show she also directed. She also has directed or produced “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “Scandal,” and countless others. Since 2011, she’s had a recurring role on “Grey’s Anatomy,” where she also serves as Executive Producing Director.

Despite her remarkable success, nothing has come easy for Allen. She has had to overcome the sexism and

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John Stamos

Christopher Polk / Staff via Getty Images

57 For someone long known as a father figure, thanks to his longrunning role as Uncle Jesse on “Full House” and its recent reboot as “Fuller House” on Netflix, it took John Stamos a long time to hit what he calls “the jackpot” — fatherhood.

Stamos always wanted to be a father. He said he just had trouble finding the right woman. That changed several years ago when he met and married model and actress Caitlin McHugh. Now they are the proud parents of 3-yearold William (Billy) Christopher Stamos, named after John’s father.

Stamos said he’s always taken care of his health, but fatherhood has inspired him to slow down and really make sure he’s making the right health and lifestyle decisions.

“I drink the blood of Rob Lowe, that helps,” he said jokingly to Growing Bolder. “Beyond my diet, I do exercise quite a bit. Also, the heart is important to take care of, and I don't just mean with eating nutritiously. I [try] being a good person because the world — it has changed quite a bit and gotten a little darker. So, put the love out, that's it, put the love out.”

Music also keeps him active and engaged. This summer, Stamos joined his longtime friends, The Beach Boys, on the road. That included his high-profile performance of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice?” on CNN’s “Fourth in America Special.”

“Boy, did people miss live music!” Stamos said. “That's another exercise that I do because it's two-and-a-half hours on stage. Mike Love just turned 80, and he buries the rest of us on stage. I'm not kidding. He's mad if we try to cut the set, ‘No, no, no. We got to do two-and-a-half hours.’”

With a new role on the Disney+ series “Big Shots,” and a new passion for life, Stamos said the best is yet to come.

He said like most of us, he learned some valuable lessons from the pandemic.

“Things that we thought were so important really aren't, at the end of the day. The silver lining was that I got to spend so much time with my son the last year and a half, which I probably wouldn't be able to do. Also, we have no control. We never had control really, that's the thing that I learned. What we can control is love and being there for other people.”

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CULTIVATING CURIOSITY Wonders, Dangers Of Underwater Caves Amy Sweezey

Jill Heinerth has one of the world’s most dangerous jobs: exploring underwater caves and water-filled conduits — often in places where no one has ever ventured.

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It was curiosity that drove Heinerth to take her love of adventure and turn it into a career. The former advertising agency owner explained: “I loved my work, but I didn’t want to be inside a claustrophobic room only teaching scuba diving on nights and weekends. I took a big pay cut. I grabbed the creative and artistic parts of my job and took them underwater to a place I could feel free and alive and renewed.”

Heinerth laughs when she describes herself as a “30-year overnight success.” Her desire to change careers wasn’t an instant decision.

“It was a process,” she said. “I was withering internally and needed to be doing what I love. So, I sold everything I owned, including my ad agency, packed a suitcase and moved to the tropics to start working toward my goal.”

To most people, diving deep underwater into pitch-black darkness is a terrifying thought; but to Heinerth, it’s like entering a museum of natural history.

You can hear the excitement in her voice as she explains: “There is information about Earth’s past climate, which are portals to the underworld. It’s civilizations that have left behind remains in the doorways of caves. There are bones of extinct animals.”

Heinerth managed to turn her passion for cave diving into a hybrid career, serving as the eyes and ears of scientists. She works with climatologists, archeologists and engineers helping them better understand the Earth and environment.

“Sometimes I gather samples,” Heinerth said. “Sometimes I do surveys so people can understand where their drinking water is running inside the Earth. I capture images on still photos and film. It’s liking swimming through a crystal chandelier.”

Heinerth calls it “an amazing privilege” to be able to combine her creative side and artistic experience with her passion for diving underwater.

“I find comfort underwater. It’s inspiring for me to be the first to see these places,” she said.

Heinerth recognizes that what she does for a living is extremely dangerous.

“I’ve lost more than a hundred colleagues and friends through the course of my lifetime who have been involved in cave diving and technical diving,” she said. “It requires a lot of training, equipment and proficiency. It’s definitely not for the ‘weekend warrior’ to go check out. If you don’t embrace your fear, you will spend your entire life running from it.”

Heinerth’s book, “Into the Planet, My Life as a Cave Diver,” focuses on the topic of chasing fear.

“I am afraid every time I dive,” she said. “I want to dive with other people who are afraid because it means we both understand the risk.”

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“If you don’t embrace your fear, you will spend your entire life running from it.”

Photo of Jill Heinerth by Matt Macintosh

JILL HEINERTH

Heinerth said when she finds success in a fearful environment, it is incredibly empowering for other areas of her life, noting: “When we step into the blackness in whatever we do, we have the opportunity to increase our capabilities for the future.”

That includes learning to make the most out of personal setbacks in her work.

“I’d like to remove the stigma from the word ‘failure,’” she said. “When I don’t achieve a particular goal, it only means it’s an opportunity to discover something new.

Everything bad has a lesson attached to it that informs us how to do something better next time.”

And she added this advice: “Don’t concentrate on what you can’t change. Concentrate on what you learned from the experience that will help you move forward to a better outcome.”

It’s the kind of life lessons that come with time.

Heinerth feels more confident now in her 50s than she did in her 20s.

“The wisdom I’ve gained to get me this far has made me smarter, stronger and more able to adapt to change. I would never want to turn back the clock.”

FROM THE GB BOOK S TORE :

Read Jill Heinerth's fascinating and enlightening book, Into the Planet: My Life As A Cave Diver.

GROWINGBOLDER .COM/ BOOK S TORE

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TAI C HI :

MEDITATION IN MOTION I never had tai chi on my life bingo card. I’ve always been a workout guy focused on heavy metal in the gym, mixed in with cardio on the stairstep or the treadmill.

Crank up the ear buds, the Stones or Springsteen, and I was good to go.

But then I started listening to my body. The wear and tear started piling up. Sometimes it was a “good hurt,” as they say; but more often, I was just achy. And bored, too, quite frankly. Three sets of an exercise. Rinse and repeat.

Then, nearly five years ago, my path toward a healthy, physical lifestyle took a fortuitous turn. I ran into James Taggart, a buddy who used to bartend, at a group lunch. He was now an instructor at the Martial Arts Center for Health in Altamonte Springs. He talked glowingly of his transformational flip-of-the-switch.

He had dealt with severe back issues after falling off a horse as an adolescent. Now he was fit, strong and flexible.

The flexibility thing was an “aha” moment for me. I remember once doing a media event with former NASCAR driver Danica Patrick in 2016. We met at a studio for a yoga class in Daytona Beach.

“In terms of flexibility, Danica Patrick is a pretzel. I am a frozen popsicle,” I wrote in a column for the “Orlando Sentinel.”

Mr. Frozen Popsicle signed up for classes at the center.

Five years later, I am still there and on the precipice of getting my first-degree black belt. I am no Kung Fu Ninja, and that’s part of the philosophical push at the center. It’s more about lifting people up than beating them up.

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I have the center’s T-shirt to prove it: “Oneness.

Clarity. Happiness. Peace of Mind.”

Now I’m somewhere in between a popsicle and a pretzel. Progress.

Tai chi is an important part of the training. I love it because it teaches me discipline and pushes my memory buttons. Remembering eight steps evolved into remembering 16 steps. Eventually, I moved to 32. That number will increase to more than 80 steps as I progress in my training at the center and more keys are unlocked. That said, there are many different forms of tai chi. It’s a proven method dating back to around 1670 in China — the ultimate old school moves.

Tai chi is often described as "meditation in motion.”

Slower is better. At one class in 2020, we spent an entire hour practicing the first movement, under the guidance of owner Tom Curtin. Breathing properly, attention to detail and focus — all come into play.

As we all navigated our respective COVID-19 bubbles, I found tai chi to be a soothing balm in in my new world order.

Other benefits?

Wellness experts report: “Many practitioners of tai chi use this technique to enhance physical and mental health, as well as to improve posture, balance, flexibility, and strength. In addition, tai chi is said to boost mood, alleviate pain, strengthen the immune system, and improve heart health.”

Life. Health. Bingo.

Solskin via Getty Images

George Diaz

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Joy

The of Grandparenting Lesley Stahl

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There’s no question that technology is a game-changer for grandparents. I live across the country from my grandchildren, but I am still in their lives in a very visual way.

Little kids have trouble communicating over the phone, but with new video technologies like FaceTime and Skype, you can hold face-to-face connections. And, if your own kids are patient enough, they can turn their phones or computers around and let you watch the grandkids playing.

As they’ve done with so many things, Baby Boomers are reinventing grandparenthood. We’re relatively young grandparents, and we’re a little more involved with taking care of the grandkids. We do more active things, like take the kids to the park. It’s funny; I used to hate doing that with my own kids, but for some reason, I don’t mind at all with my grandkids!

Our generation is also spending much more money on grandchildren. In fact, we spend seven times more today than grandparents of just 10 years ago spent.

And we’re not just buying toys and clothes. Many grandparents are picking up big-ticket items, including things like the crib, car seats, medical bills, education, braces and so much more.

People say all the time that it’s the best thing in the world to be a grandparent. But you can’t fully understand the depths of those feelings until it happens to you. For the vast majority of us, we’re fundamentally transformed in the best possible ways.

Lesley Stahl is one of America’s most respected broadcast journalists. Her work on 60 Minutes has been honored with 11 Emmy Awards. Stahl was the CBS White House correspondent during the administrations of Presidents Carter, Reagan and George H.W. Bush and moderator of Face the Nation for nearly a decade. She’s the author of two books including her most recent, Becoming Grandma, in which she chronicles the joy of grandparenting.

Photography by Dave Lauridsen

I don’t just like being a grandparent; as my granddaughter would say, I love it. After thinking those days were over, I have fallen madly in love with my granddaughters. And I’m not alone.

For my book, Becoming Grandma, I interviewed grandparents around the world, and discovered that we all fall deeply, emotionally, joyously, helplessly in love.

Because these feelings are so universal, I suspected something deep within us, perhaps something biochemical, happens when we become grandparents.

My hunch was right. I discovered that when we hold our grandchildren, we start secreting what experts call a bonding hormone, which rewires our brains. And strangely — and amusingly — one of the things that happens is our ability to say the word “no” is disabled!

In the process, we all, automatically, turn into these indulgent mushballs. We may have been strict parents, but boy, we’re such pushovers with these grandkids. Amongst ourselves, all grandparents joke, “What happened to us?”

These feelings aren’t exclusive to biological grandparents.

If step-grandparents or surrogate grandparents are in the picture when the grandchild is born, they feel the exact same connection and feelings of falling of love as the rest of us.

The title of my book may say “Grandma,” but I also know many grandfathers, including my husband, who experience these same feelings of love and devotion.

Sadly, not every grandparent gets to experience these relationships. During my interviews for the book, I heard heart-breaking stories of the many grandparents who never see their grandchildren — because they’re not allowed to, or their visits are rationed. It hurt me to hear these stories.

Thankfully, for the vast majority of us, we’re so transformed by these kids that there’s a huge trend going on.

After retiring, more and more people are picking up, selling the homes they’ve lived in for decades and moving to wherever their grandchildren are so that they can be in their lives.

Five Key Retirement Planning Tips For Women Jean Statler, 65, CEO, Alliance for Lifetime Income

Many women face an uphill battle when it comes to retirement. While they statistically live longer than men in retirement, they also amass less in retirement savings, often interrupt their careers for family responsibilities, and tend to invest more conservatively.

And, thanks to the persistent gender pay gap, they have less to contribute toward retirement, resulting in lower lifetime savings and an increased risk of falling into or near poverty levels. Women are 80% more likely than men to be impoverished when they’re 65 or older, according to a recent report from the National Institute on Retirement Security.

The pandemic has further exacerbated this pre-existing disparity by disproportionately hurting women. Since February 2020, nearly 3 million women have left the workforce, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The bottom-line is women need to be even smarter and engaged in retirement planning, especially when planning with a spouse or partner.

With the U.S. fast-approaching “Peak 65” — the greatest surge of Americans turning 65 in the nation’s history — now is the time to prepare, educate and equip women with real, practical solutions.

There are several steps women can take now to protect and live the retirement they want: SAVE AGGRESSIVELY

If an employer offers a workplace retirement plan — like a 401(k) or 403(b) account — join it and contribute to it as much as you’re able. If your employer doesn’t offer a plan consider opening an individual retirement account (IRA).

Tax-advantaged accounts can help your savings grow and compound investments over time. You should also have additional sources of retirement income such as home equity and stocks to ensure your essential expenses are covered for as long as you live.

Illustration: sorbetto Via Getty Images

CREATE A BUDGET

A retirement budget can help you plan how your money will be spent and you can update it as necessary to reflect any changes to your financial situation. First, understand how much income you need for essential monthly expenses. This will help determine whether you’re at risk of having a gap between your income and expenses. Second, find ways to help cover essential expenses with protected lifetime income from an annuity — income you count on receiving every month, for the rest of your life. When you Check Off the Basics, you can use the rest of your savings to enjoy the retirement you want.

Check out protectedincome.org for more free resources and information.

CONSULT A FINANCIAL PROFESSIONAL

It’s a common misconception that financial advisors are only for rich people when great advisors are available for every budget and financial situation. Hiring the right financial professional can help you establish a plan and get your financial affairs in check.

THINK LONG TERM

Nearly 1 in 5 women have nothing saved for retirement, a 2020 CNBC/SurveyMonkey Women at Work survey found.

Women often prioritize family saving and spending needs over their own retirement, leaving them ill-prepared for this next chapter in life. Chances are you could live 20, 30 or more years in retirement. Establishing long-term goals and a financial plan that covers those years is imperative.

EXPAND YOUR FINANCIAL KNOWLEDGE

Basic financial knowledge is important for making informed decisions. The Alliance for Lifetime Income offers a variety of convenient and free resources, such as an Annuities Language Glossary, to help consumers understand annuities in simpler terms.

Is an Official Personal Finance Partner of Growing Bolder 33

A new season of Growing Bolder arrives this fall on public television stations nationwide. Check local listings and GrowingBolder.com/gbtv.

STARTING OCTOBER 16: WEDU/Tampa, Saturdays @ 6:30 pm WUCF/Orlando, Saturdays @ 9:30 am WPBT/Miami, Sundays @ 12 pm WXEL/West Palm Beach, Saturdays @ 12:30 pm JAX PBS/Jacksonville, Saturdays @ 10 am WGCU/Fort Myers/Naples, Saturdays @ 2:30 pm WSRE/Pensacola, Saturdays @ 5 pm WFSU/Tallahassee, Sundays @ 11:30 am WFSG/Panama City, Sundays 11:30 am WUFT/Gainesville, Saturdays @ 3 pm

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GAMING IS

GOOD Marc Middleton

Remember when you told your kids to stop playing video games because they weren’t good for them?

Fast forward a couple of decades and it’s a world turned upside down. Young adults are now encouraging their parents and grandparents to start gaming because it is good for them. And they’re right.

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More than 51 million Americans aged 55 and older are active video gamers — a number that represents 26% of all gamers.

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Research has shown that the kind of novel cognitive stimulation required in gaming may delay or slow the onset of degenerative neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.

Dr. Vonda Wright, M.D., a renowned expert on healthy aging, told Growing Bolder that the mental stimulation and social benefits of gaming and esports are significant for older adults.

“Gaming is a complex activity that can stave off the fogginess that can happen with aging,” she said, “and when done with others, it decreases social isolation, which is a problem for people as we get older.”

As the pandemic surged in 2020, and older adults were advised to stay home, one in three started actively gaming.

According to research from the International Data Corporation and the Entertainment Software Association, more than 51 million Americans aged 55 and older are active video gamers — a number that represents 26% of all gamers.

And expanding cloud technologies that make an endless number of games easily accessible online has resulted in 55-plus adults now representing the largest mobile gaming segment of all.

The pandemic in general, and new older gamers in particular, were responsible for an explosion in the growth for the global gaming industry with sales rising 20% to nearly $180 billion in 2020. The video game industry now makes more money than the entire global movie and North American sports industries combined.

Although a large and rapidly growing number of older adults now play digital games, few play games with others and don’t experience the important social benefits. And that is why Growing Bolder stepped up and entered the social gaming and esports arena with its Bolder X initiative.

The BolderX Among-Us I-Gen tournament was the world’s first live streaming intergenerational social gaming competition. Two-person teams, one member under 50 and one over 50, competed for valuable prizes and bragging rights.

“We did it to smash a few outdated stereotypes and expose older adults to the many health and social benefits of online gaming, e-sports and streaming,” said Tim Killian,

producer of the event. “And we didn’t just do it, we did it big. The production value was unparalleled for a live, social gaming tournament. The competitors had a great time, the sponsors couldn’t have been happier, and we took a giant first step into an area we’re committed to having a major presence in.”

The BolderX Among Us I-Gen tournament was produced live at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, hosted by Growing Bolder Founder and CEO Marc Middleton and popular Twitch Streamer and Grammynominated rock star Matthew Heafy. The tournament was streamed worldwide on Twitch.

Thoughts on the BolderX Among Us I-Gen Tournament: Matthew K. Heafy

Co-Host of the Tournament, Twitch streamer and frontman of Trivium "This was amazing. It was great to see the relationship of the parent and player. I thought that was so fun. It makes me think to the future because I have 2-and-a-half year old twins and I’m thinking about what are we going to be into together? And it’s absolutely going to be gaming."

Smoodie

Winning under 50 coach of the Tournament "Just bringing my mom into my world of gaming was the best. To see her competitive side drawing out was hilarious and scary! My mom usually works 7 days a week and is a very active person who rarely sits still but I could see her really engaging with this and her gamer side coming out. Hopefully, this leads to more games together!"

SmoodMom

Winning over 50 player of the Tournament "I’ve been telling everyone at work how much fun I had playing the game and playing it with my daughter. I explained the game with a lot of enthusiasm and energy to my own surprise. I would tell them it is very fun and you can meet other people from all over the world. It's better than being a zombie just watching TV. Just try it and if you don't like it just walk away, but you're going to like it!"

Each week, Growing Bolder hosts fascinating conversations with gamers and more on its new channel on Twitch.

Follow us at Twitch.tv/GrowingBolder and be sure to turn your notifications on to find out when we go live.

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“I have a saying that I follow: 'When things are going well, work harder!'”

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Ordinary People Living Extraordinary Lives ®

Bill Shafer

Quin Bommelje

Photography by Mike Dunn for Growing Bolder

A STEP AHEAD

It was a magical run, something no one expected. Quin Bommelje, a 71-year-old ballroom dancer made it to the semifinals of the hit NBC-TV show “America’s Got Talent.” But fame is fleeting, and everything comes to an end. After the studio emptied and the lights went out, the Florida dancer figured her moment in the spotlight was over.

Bommelje was proud of her remarkable achievement, especially considering she took her first lesson just 10 years earlier. After a slow, difficult start, dance became her passion.

Step-by-step her body became stronger, her mind became tougher, and she began to excel. The celebrity judges at “America’s Got Talent” watched in disbelief at her ability to defy age and awarded her the coveted Golden Buzzer, which is given to outstanding performances. A fan favorite, 17 million viewers voted week after week to keep Bommelje on the program.

When the season finally ended, much to her surprise the accolades did not.

“I am astounded that so many people keep reaching out,” she said. “I now have new friends and fans all over the globe,” and perhaps none more important than those in Thailand where she was born.

“I visited a few months after the show ended and was given an incredible welcome,” she said. “It was so special to me.”

You might expect that this storybook ending would have been the perfect time for Bommelje to hang up her dancing shoes and ease into a life of leisure, but she has not. Now 74, she is just as motivated and active as ever.

“I have a saying that I follow: 'When things are going well, work harder!'”

Bommelje is expanding her dance repertoire by learning two new styles: international Latin and cabaret.

“Cabaret is an acrobatic form of dance that includes many dangerous lifts and spins,” she said. “I’m working with two incredible partners, and we will be competing in the U.S. Dance Championships in September.”

Bommelje continues to shatter many misconceptions about aging. She is an inspiration to many because her success at this stage of life has come not just from genetics but from hard work, meaning it is possible for anyone.

“My typical day is very different from my friends my age,” she said. “I get up most mornings at 4:30 a.m. to pray, meditate and study. I juice fresh vegetables and ginger, eat a tiny bit of oatmeal and drink hot green tea. I grow most of my own vegetables. I love to garden. Four days a week I either go to the dance studio or the gym. In addition, I run 2.5 miles on the trail and spend an hour stretching.”

And on those mornings where she just doesn’t feel like getting up?

“I know to accomplish my goals I can't lay off,” she said.

“That’s when the magic happens. Because once I walk through the gym door, it all goes away, and I can’t wait to work out. You just can’t give in because where the mind goes the body follows.”

Most people at 74 spend their time looking back.

Bommelje’s eyes are squarely on the future.

“I want to find ways to have a positive impact on others,” she said. “I’m proof it’s never too late to find your passion. That will lead you to your purpose, and that is where you will find your power. At 74, I love my life and cannot get enough of it!”

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Designed for Success How A Father And Son Share Talent, Respect

Photography by Mike Dunn for Growing Bolder

Amy Sweezey

Meet Mike and Clark Orr, a father-son design team with a common passion for creating.

Mike learned the sign business from his dad and now Mike’s son, Clark, carries on the Orr tradition in his own way. Clark told Growing Bolder that when he was young, he told people his dad painted signs for a living. While that was true, Clark never thought of his dad as a graphic designer or commercial artist. It wasn’t until Clark went to college to study design that the realization hit him.

“Oh, my dad does basically the same thing that I do,” Clark said. “Only I’m doing the 2000s version of it.”

Mike started painting signs in the 1970s in his hometown, DeLand, Florida, near Daytona Beach. That was long before computers created digital graphics.

“I hand-painted signs and cut out vinyl letters and shapes,” Mike said, “but I drew the line at transitioning to digital. Because I have the ability to still hand-letter, I don’t need to make digital graphics.”

When Mike did need a digital graphic, he called his son, Clark, who owns his own design business just outside Orlando. Growing up in his dad’s sign shop exposed Clark to graphic art from an early age.

“I wanted to be involved in the punk community in high school, but I couldn’t sing or play an instrument,”

explained Clark. “The next best thing I could do was design their album cover or a shirt or poster. That was my way into a subculture I wasn’t fully a part of.”

Mike’s pride in his son is evident.

“He is a really fantastic graphic designer. He’s nationally known,” Mike said. “He’s done big work for Target, Johnny Cupcakes, Nike, Under Armor, NBC, Universal, the Discovery Channel — just tons of big and important jobs.

“I’m just a small sign shop in a small town,” Mike said.

Mike shared his philosophy of sign design, and life in general this way: “Minimize, prioritize and emphasize,” he said. “Get rid of what you don’t need to say. Figure out what’s the most important and least important, and then emphasize whatever is most important.”

The father-son duo work separately most of the time, but they collaborate on a few projects each year.

“One of the things my dad taught me at a young age is to figure out what you’re passionate about and figure out a way to make a career out of it,” Clark said.

Mike, who turned 70 this year, found a way to follow his own advice.

“I could retire at any time, but I still enjoy what I do,” Mike said. “So, I’m going to keep doing it to some degree for a little while longer.”

One of the things my dad taught me at a young age is to figure out what you’re passionate about and figure out a way to make a career out of it.

CL ARK ON LIFE LESSONS

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Bold Social:

Silver Lining During the Covid-19 pandemic, many people chose or were forced to limit their usual primping and beauty routines and opt for a more “natural” look. And, our opinion on it is anywhere from a gray area.

We love it! Across genders and hair

textures, tons of people have embraced their grays and actually found a lot of confidence in showing their true “lack of” colors. Curious if it’s for you? Check out how a few people are sharing their transitions, techniques and new styles.

Silver Is The New Black By her own description, Fransje is a silver vixen, making her way through life celebrating aging and challenging the mainstream beauty standards for women of a certain age. We’re all about challenging stereotypes at GB, so we’re all about her hacks for healthy hair, style inspo and messages about living life to the fullest. silver.isthenew.black

Chronicles of Gray Transformation Like many others, this stylish lady has found freedom in letting her natural hair grow in. She started her journey and continues to share a lot of great wisdom about going gray including, “Every gray hair tells a story,” “Ageing is out of your control. How you handle it, though, is in your hands.” and “Shine as brightly as your silver strands.”

If that doesn’t make ya want to toss the dye, what will? chroniclesofgraytransformation

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Do you follow any bold influencers? Share your favorites with us at feedback@growingbolder.com.

Legend of Grayskull In May of 2019, Susannah decided to #ditchthedye, made a plan with her stylist to do it seamlessly, and hasn’t look back since. And why would she? Her Instagram feed showcases her evolving style, the surprises she’s found along the way and the joy she’s found in embracing her natural beauty. legendofgrayskull

My Silver Lining 2019 Curious about going gray? My Silver Lining 2019 believes “You never know if you never try.” Her transition took about a year, and she has documented her entire transition in her feed, including how her mom first reacted when she told her she was planning to go gray. Now, she posts pics of how she’s been rockin’ her silver locks since and the overwhelmingly positive responses she gets to her look. mysilver_lining_2019

This is Me Shannon Canadian born with Caribbean roots, Shannon documents her journey to silver that began in 2019. Sharing her life being her “imperfect” self, she invites her community to join her on her adventures as she navigates all of life, sharing why growing gray was just one way she continues to try to be her most true and authentic self. this.is.me_shannon

The Official Silverfox Squad Of course, we have to include some silver foxes in the mix! This group of stylish friends, each represent their own sense of personal style and are at varying levels of gray but are all making it look great! Their feed shares fashion, friendship and the fun you can have when you embrace who you are and what you love. silverfoxsquad

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Is an Official Personal Finance Partner of Growing Bolder 44

Champion Jet Car Racer Lives Boldly but Won’t Take Risks with Retirement

I may be crazy, but I’m not stupid. Having an annuity tells me my retirement is protected.

Photography provided by ALI

– EL AINE L ARSEN

When Elaine Larsen started out in jet car racing, it was all about the adrenaline rush. At speeds of over 280 mph, Larsen has made a career out of going as fast as possible for five seconds down a straight and narrow quarter-mile track. So, to say she lives life at full-throttle is an understatement if there ever was one.

“Going fast is where I find my freedom. 5Gs? That’s just a Saturday,” she says. “Three hundred miles per hour?

That’s where I feel normal.”

Larsen, a two-time International Hot Rod Association World Champion, refused to take the same risks with her retirement plan, though. She locked down and added protected income from an annuity to her retirement plan, ensuring that she and her husband Chris, the co-owner of Larsen Motorsports, won’t face any surprises when she leaves the sport.

Over her career, Larsen has had a handful of close calls, from parachutes not deploying to her car spinning sideways at 280 mph. But one incident in particular slowed down everything long enough for her to gain an entirely different perspective.

When a severe crash in 2011 left her with a shattered kneecap, broken ankle, cracked ribs and subdural hematoma, Larsen started to think about life after racing.

Her husband was actually the person who extinguished the flames that engulfed her car.

“My focus changed from being the badass race car driver to thinking: What can I do to help inspire young girls to be as confident as me?” Larsen says.

The Larsens became major supporters of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) curriculums in schools, recognizing that the future of the sport

depends on the next generation of young racers.

However, she has a special place in her heart for young women looking to get into the rough-and-tumble world of drag racing.

“I’m always out there scouting for the next Elaine Larsen,” she says. “I try not to scare them, but I try to educate them. I try to arm them with every single thing they could possibly need to succeed in what they’re doing, including their money and finances.”

But the crash also made her think seriously about retirement. According to Larsen, she approaches her retirement the same way she approaches a drag race. “We have to think about every little thing that can go wrong. I take that same planning just as serious in my retirement,” she explains. “And I used that same planning when I chose to purchase this annuity.”

Her annuity provides protected lifetime income so she’s not only able to help maintain her current lifestyle when she retires, but she’s also able to experience new things. “I don’t think it’s going to be a sad day when I get out of the driver’s seat because I’m going to put a different hat on. I’m going to take my helmet off, and I’m going to replace it with a business suit.”

Larsen is the first to admit that when she’s behind the wheel of a jet car she’s never in complete control.

However, she does have some reassurance knowing that her annuity can protect her income so she doesn’t have to worry about running out of money in retirement.

“I want to take control of my destiny,” Larsen says. “I want to be the one who said, ‘I put money in there. I invested in this…I made the right decision, and now look how I’m living.’”

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THE MUSIC MAN Marc Middleton and Jackie Carlin / Photography by Mike Dunn

Benoit Glazer is a unique, talented and passionate man on a musical mission.

To say he personifies focused energy would be a massive understatement.

“I do everything with intensity,” he said.

“I don't believe in doing something halfway or half-cocked. I go all the way in everything I do.”

This is a story about going all the way.

Glazer is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and conductor who played professionally all over the world before taking a major risk and moving from Montreal to Orlando to become musical director of “La Nouba” for Cirque du Soleil.

“When we came to the United States in 1998, my wife and I had three, young kids and were $43,000 in debt. We just said, ‘Okay, let's do it,’” Glazer said.

“La Nouba” was a significant musical challenge and a major success for Glazer. He loved working for Cirque du Soleil but quickly became restless on his two nights off.

“It was very hard in 1999 to find any good live music or exceptional

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cultural experiences on a Tuesday or Wednesday night in Orlando,” he recalled. “So, we decided to have a concert at our house.”

Glazer knew how to find musicians. But every concert needs an audience, so he and his wife, Elaine, and their three young children, went door-to-door around the neighborhood to spread the word.

“We knocked on our neighbors’ doors and said, ‘We’re having a concert at the house,’” recalls his son, Charles Glazer. “It’s a new thing we’re trying out. Just come over and bring a little plate of food to share.”

They put out a few bottles of wine, moved the furniture and created a small space for the musicians and their audience. It was just going to be one concert — a chance to entertain the neighbors and keep Benoit Glazer from being bored on a Tuesday night.

“But as soon as it was over,

everyone asked, ‘When is the next one?’

And that’s how it all began,” Glazer said.

Word spread about Glazer’s living-room concerts; and quickly, his living room wasn’t big enough. When the audience spilled out the door and into the backyard, the music man became the demolition man.

“He knocked down one of the walls to make the living room bigger,” said his son.

Glazer didn’t stop there. After tearing down a second wall, his passion project ran into the proverbial wall and it was time to consider another major risk.

“Elaine and I sat down and said, ‘We can pull back on the concerts or we can put all the money we've ever made, and the money we’ll ever make, into building a new house with something more appropriate for the concerts. But if we do that, we might not have a comfortable retirement.’ And we said, ‘Okay, let's do it,’” Glazer said.

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Benoit Glazer stands inside the three-story "listening room" at the White House, which has hosted musicians from around the world playing all genres of music, including classical, heavy metal, Latin, rock, jazz, bluegrass, Indian, African and more. "Everybody tells me that they have never experienced something quite like this," Glazer said. "It's just different."

They found a neighborhood lot with plenty of public parking nearby, tore down the existing house and began building what would become known to musicians worldwide as the White House. The White House features a three-story, nearly acoustically perfect living room designed by Glazer.

“It’s not just a living room. It’s a living room. It’s a listening room,” he says in arguably the understatement of the year.

Over the years, the Glazers have hosted more than 800 concerts in their living room. For the first 15 years, the children, as young as two, opened for all the concerts.

“If it was jazz, I would teach them some jazz, and we would play jazz together,” Glazer said. “If it was classical, we learned and played classical. Indian music, salsa, whatever — they learned to play and perform it all. My youngest son was performing live when he was just two.”

Like Glazer, the children are now multi-instrumentalists and vocalists. When they get together, a concert can break out at any moment.

The regulars have enjoyed seeing the children grow into adults and accomplished musicians, one performance at a time. In 2019, Camille Glazer was diagnosed with cancer when she was just 24. The community who watched her grow up sprang into action. Artists donated pieces of work to sell to offset medical costs and people around the world reached out with their best wishes.

Glazer kept everyone updated on her progress via his Facebook page and in the spring of 2021, he shared this good news: “It was two years ago that we got the 48

“Arts, in my mind, are the highest form of human endeavor,” Glazer said.

“And education is the most important human activity.

If you can put those two together then you have a winning combination.”

BENOIT GL AZER

Photography by Mike Dunn for Growing Bolder

call that every parent dreads. Camille, in Thailand for a surgery internship at the time, had just been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Happy to report that she is still in remission, after a tough battle in 2019.”

Of course, her health battle wasn’t the only one the family faced in recent years. Like so many arts organizations, the White House struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic. The master of improv quickly transitioned to livestreaming previous events on their social channels, something they continue to do today, even after the return of live events.

The real draw has always been the eclectic mix of talent that Glazer brings to programs at the White House.

“We are focused on letting musicians play what they want and how they want to play it,” he said proudly. “Unlike most venues, it’s not about selling tickets or food and drinks. It’s art for art's sake. That's why we did it, and that's why we still do it. It's as simple as that.”

There’s not a genre of music that Glazer hasn’t presented in his living room, including classical, heavy metal, Latin, rock, jazz, bluegrass, Indian, African and more.

“There’s sort of this lust for the best room,” said musician Matt Gorney. “You want to play in a creative place, and you want it to sound great. You want the presentation to be professional. You want the audience and the people putting on the show to care. And with the White House, it’s like check, check, check and check.

That’s what this place does. It checks off all of these things.”

Glazer has heard similar comments from other musicians.

“People from all over the world have played here; and without exception, everybody tells me that they have never experienced something quite like this or even close to this,” Glazer said. “It’s just different.”

For the Glazer family, it’s all about making art accessible. The White House fosters a sense of community by not only allowing but encouraging patrons to bring their own wine and food to performances. Children are always welcome to performances, most of which are free.

“Arts, in my mind, are the highest form of human endeavor,” Glazer said. “And education is the most important human activity. If you can put those two together then you have a winning combination.”

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Honored Bound Amy Sweezey

On Nov. 22, 1952, three military transport planes disappeared in snowstorms near Anchorage, Alaska.

Airman Isaac William Anderson Sr. was a 21-year-old serviceman on board one of those flights. When the Air Force returned and flew over the crash site, inclement weather kept them from finding any of the vanished planes, leaving behind the 52 people on Anderson’s flight.

Almost 50 years later, Airman Anderson’s granddaughter, Tonja Anderson-Dell, began a letter-writing campaign to recover her grandfather’s remains from the glacier.

“The Air Force said contact the Navy; the Navy said the Marines, and it was full circle,” Dell said. “But I wouldn’t take, ‘No,’ for an answer.”

Dell was told her grandfather’s death was considered an “operational loss.” That means he was not killed in action, and there was no government agency assigned to recover the remains from his flight.

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“You always hear, ‘We never leave our fallen behind,’” Dell explained. “But I felt that was not true about my grandfather. They left 52 servicemen out there on that glacier.”

Within the Department of Defense is the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). Their job is to recover service members from designated conflicts around the world. There is no agency that recovers “operational losses,” such as the remains from a plane crash transporting troops from one duty station to another.

Dell refused to let that stop her. She continued to write letters, send emails, and get in front of military groups, senators and other government officials. Her initial goal was to return her grandfather to his family, but soon her goal became returning all 52 military personnel aboard his C-124 Globemaster flight.

Dell’s efforts finally paid off, 60 years after the initial crash. On June 10, 2012, the C-124 Globemaster was found. Six years after that, Anderson’s remains were located, along with his dog tags. And in 2019 — more than 65 years after his plane vanished — Isaac Anderson Sr. finally came home.

As of May, 2021, only nine of the 52 servicemembers remained unfound.

Dell is committed not only to returning all 52 home to their families but also to finding the servicemembers lost on two military transport flights that went down the same month in 1952.

Dell created the nonprofit organization, Honored Bound, to help other families look for servicemembers lost in operational or non-war situations. To find out more, go to Honored Bound on Facebook or visit honoredbound.org.

Dell’s book, “Gifts from a Glacier: The Quest for an American Flag and 52 Souls,” is available on Amazon.

Photography by Jacob Langston

Airman’s Remains Come Home 65 Years After His Plane Vanished

Find Balance in Your Life Just Keep Moving!

Senior Games athletes are proving that an active lifestyle results in better health, physical mobility and balance. Data gathered from 9 years of ongoing Senior Athlete Fitness Exam (SAFE) screenings reveals:

National Senior Games athletes experience falls 1/3 as often as their age peers

Athletes show 80% lower rates of cardiovascular disease and Diabetes

Athletes’ posture, strength and balance are well above average

The Bottom Line: Find a sport or activity you love and keep going for life!

The 2022 National Senior Games presented by Humana Greater Fort Lauderdale

May 10-23, 2022

Visit NSGA.com for more information

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Get Ready for the Longevity Revolution Marc Middleton

If you want to keep moving, you have to keep moving.

Get ready for an ever-increasing number of reports on what is most commonly referred to as an impending longevity revolution. Science, medicine and technology are all conspiring to unlock the door to life extension and discover some sort of marketable, monetizable, Fountain of Youth®.

Without question, it’s a fascinating and titillating topic, especially in an ageist culture that makes most of us fear, resent and deny each passing year. We are all inherently curious about anything that foretells longer, healthier lives. The promise of a pill or procedure that delivers health and vitality is an intoxicating thought to a mostly sedentary, overweight population suffering from multiple, chronic conditions.

There is zero question that we will see some mind-blowing breakthroughs that prevent and cure disease and provide the opportunity to live longer. But don’t be deceived. There will never be anything like exercise in a pill, although there will be endless pills marketed as such.

Gene editing, designer drug cocktails, lab-grown organs, neutralizing “senescent” cells, injecting or ingesting nanobots into our bodies, cellular reprogramming, and novel immunotherapies all will likely be realized to some extent in the decades ahead. But they will not, on their own, ever deliver active, healthy, productive, adventurous lives.

All these developments have the potential to give us a longer life, but they cannot and will not deliver quality of life without our active participation. In fact, just the idea that a longevity pill or procedure is around the corner will lead to more disease and disability for many by providing yet another excuse to avoid the hard but rewarding work of improving their lifestyle.

No matter what interventions might be cooked up, even at a cellular level, they will be subservient to this one basic, incontrovertible fact of life: If you want to keep moving, you have to keep moving.

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Every two years, tens of thousands of athletes from across the country gather for the National Senior Games, a unique sporting event dedicated to showcasing the power of movement, goal setting and new friendships.

Photography courtesy National Senior Games Association

In the absence of mobility, nothing will keep us alive with a quality of life that makes living worthwhile. And mobility doesn’t come in a pill or a shot or a genetic intervention. It comes from personal desire, determination and dedication.

Growing Bolder is about is helping people change the things in their lives that they can control — improved nutrition, more exercise, better belief systems, higher levels of education, and meaningful social engagement. These are things that might not lead to a longer life but will definitely lead to a higher quality of life.

It’s why Growing Bolder is thrilled to kick off a new partnership with the National Senior Games Association (NSGA), the governing body of the largest multi-sport championship event in the world for older adults. Growing Bolder is now the NSGA’s official and exclusive media partner through 2022.

The NSGA is a national grassroots movement that provides competition for women and men age 50 and older, offering qualifying events that culminate with the National Senior Games held every two years. The 2021 Games, postponed due to the pandemic, are being held May 10-23, 2022, in Greater Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

“NSGA’s mission is to educate and promote healthy, active aging to all older adults,” NSGA CEO Marc T. Riker said. “Growing Bolder has the same synergy that it’s never too late to make the rest of your life the best of your life with their coverage. With this partnership, we will reach many more people through their rapidly expanding platforms.”

The NSGA is more than an organization that stages incredible competitions; it has built a diverse, 50-plus community of active women and men who are interested in their health and well-being and thrive on social interaction around shared passions. In the months leading up to and following the games, Growing Bolder will be sharing the exciting and inspirational stories of these men and women who come from every state in America in all shapes, sizes, abilities and disabilities.

Olympians, high school and college stars, and ordinary men and women will all come together to celebrate a lifestyle that keeps them happy and healthy. These are the role models that America needs now more than ever.

The name of the game is not extending lifespan, it’s extending health span. Without the latter, the former is nothing to aspire to.

NSGA’s mission is to educate and promote healthy, active aging to all older adults.

N S G A C E O M A R C T. R I K E R 53

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THE COLORFUL WORLD

of Jamieson Thomas Doris Bloodsworth

Photography by Mike Dunn

Jamieson Thomas defies description. Artist, athlete, adventuress and so much more. Only her art hints at the depth of this renaissance woman. Her downtown Orlando studio is filled with mixed-media treasures. Charcoal drawings, sketched from the charred remains of a Florida wildfire, hang beside a glistening 30-foot art installation that cascades beside ocean blue paintings. Photography, sculpture, watercolors and pastels — Thomas’ artistic expressions are a feast for the senses.

“I never thought about being an artist, I always felt I was an artist,” she said.

“It is who I am.”

But it is only one facet of this wonder woman.

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EARLY LIFE Born in Boston, Thomas moved with her family to Miami when she was 5. She loved the water and excelled at sailing and body surfing.

At 16, Thomas won a gold medal for a drawing of her grandmother. It led to a chance to be mentored by a professional artist and also persuaded Thomas’ parents that their daughter was exceptionally talented.

The same year, Thomas got her pilot’s license and became an acrobatic pilot.

“My dad wanted to fly,” said Thomas, the second oldest of five children. “It gave me a chance to spend time with him.”

After high school, Thomas earned her bachelor’s degrees in fine art and business at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, where she was a founding member of the Skidmore rowing crew.

Following college, Thomas painted murals and helped create greeting cards.

She married, and the couple had two sons. After the family moved to Dallas, she created a cultural literacy program that taught children to appreciate different cultures through art, music and cuisine. It won raves from educators and was adopted throughout the school system.

NO SLOWING DOWN The Thomas family moved back to Florida where Thomas became the art director of the manufacturing company she and her husband bought.

At 40, Thomas climbed 14,400-foot Mount Rainier with her father and sons.

She continued to draw and paint, while honing her skills at rowing.

By 56, she was at the top of her game. She won the U.S. Singles Sculling competition for her age group and won an award for being the fastest female rower in the U.S. Masters National Championships.

It seemed there was no stopping this super achiever with the flowing gray hair and infectious smile.

Below: An in-progress project — a painted piano that will be an installation piece at Brickell Station in Miami in September. Right: Experimental processes exploring ideas developed during school. Images courtesy of artist.

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THE CRASH But just a few months after winning national acclaim as America’s fastest female rower, Thomas’ world came to an abrupt, painful halt. Near her Winter Park home, she was waiting for a red light to turn green when a driver, who was texting, violently rear-ended Thomas’ car, catapulting her into the car ahead. A witness estimated the texting driver was going over 50 mph when she struck Thomas.

“For a year, I woke up with serious aches and pain,” she said. “I couldn’t lift my arm, couldn’t lift my leg, couldn’t turn my head at all. The doctor said that people who have been in an accident like I was usually claim disability and never compete again. I shrugged my shoulders, and I said, ‘That’s not me.’”

And so, Thomas put the same grit and determination into her rehabilitation that she did into her training and art.

As she gave her body time to heal, she decided to work on her master’s degree to nourish her recovery.

Thomas left Florida and attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Her instructors challenged Thomas to find new ways to expand her artistic vision. She branched out into other media and started incorporating her concern for the environment into her art.

One of Thomas’ most ambitious projects was knitting a 30-foot “blanket” out of discarded plastic found on the beach. She carved large, wooden needles to knit the pieces together.

“How can I tell a more impactful story?” she asked herself.

She worked with three ballerinas who danced under the glistening plastic to bring attention to the problem of plastic pollution in the environment. “It was magical,” she said.

Th

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as

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O rl

ando

, F lo ri

da studio.

Photography by Mike Dunn for Growing Bolder

WHAT’S NEXT Today, Thomas continues to find new challenges. She is working on a one-act play based on the real-life story of a great aunt who lived in Boston and Brooklyn and was a twice-institutionalized composer whose music has not been heard since the 1930s.

Thomas also is busy adding to her collection and exhibiting her works. It is as if the crash — as terrible as it was — unleashed new rivers of creativity. She is one of only 22 fine artists chosen through a juried process who work at McRae Art Studios in Orlando where she paints, sculpts, draws and exhibits her photography. The range of expression seems endless. She describes her collection as “the delicate intersection of humanity in natural environments.”

While her art is flourishing, so is Thomas’ body and spirit. The resilient athlete is back on the water rowing with the national masters in her sights.

“I plan to compete, even if I can’t win,” she said.

No one is counting her out. When it comes to living life to the fullest, Jamieson Thomas is already a winner.

To find out more and to view Thomas’ online gallery, go to jamiesonthomas.com.

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Catching waves, feeling the stoke, building relationships Amy Sweezey

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Surf instructor Chris Ross believes surfing is more than just catching waves.

It’s about relationships — a relationship with the surfboard, the ocean, and with other surfers.

When he started surfing on the East Coast of Florida as a teenager, Ross laid his board on his living room floor and stared at it. He knew the importance of building a relationship with his board right from the start.

“I wanted to learn the mechanics of it,” he said. “I looked at the fins and checked it all out.”

Ross continued, “If you aren’t comfortable with the board and on the board, you’re going to trip and fall. If a child who is a first-time surfer feels nervous, I tell them to build a sandcastle on the surfboard. As long as they are spending time on that board, they’re building their confidence whether anybody knows it or not.”

After a surfer builds a relationship with the board, the next step is getting in the water.

“You have to be comfortable going in the ocean and confident that everything will be OK,” Ross said.

“I’ve almost drowned several times, but I still go out.”

Ross emphasized the importance of a healthy fear of the ocean rather than an unhealthy fear.

“To be in fear of the ocean is healthy when you recognize its power and are aware of sharks and wildlife and other real dangers,” he said. “But when you refuse to even go in the ocean because of those things, that’s an unhealthy fear.”

Ross spent much of his time teaching confidence-building techniques during his surf camps for kids. He understood that inserting healthy fear took away their unhealthy fears.

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of sharing the stoke I had and seeing other people have that stoke.”

“I didn’t do it for the money,” Ross said. “I have done landscaping my whole life and surfing was just a side thing.

But once it started growing, I decided to transition from my full-time landscaping business to the one that takes my heart the most — and that is surfing.”

Tragically in 2018, Ross’ son, Corey, was killed in a motorcycle accident at the age of 19. He had surfed earlier in the day and told his sister it was the “best day he’d ever had.” Ross got a call later that night saying Corey was just 2 miles from home when he died at the scene of the accident.

“He was a really good kid,” Ross said. “Everywhere he went, he made an impact and people loved him.”

Ross reminisced, “Corey was the one who got me started teaching. He was an avid surfer and helped me launch out to other youth. It’s crazy how my son could pass away, and yet I can still celebrate and smile because of all the good times.”

Ross believed his relationship with Corey was stronger because they connected through surfing.

“Every time I give a lesson or teach a camp, I always, always tell my students that surfing is more than just catching waves,” Ross said. “They must feel confident and comfortable with their surfboard. They have to have a healthy — not unhealthy — fear of the ocean. And they should use their love of surfing and feeling the stoke to build relationships with other people.”

Photography by Mike Dunn for Growing Bolder

“Kids are actually a lot more teachable than adults,” Ross said. “Kids have no idea what to expect, but adults already have an idea in their mind of what surfing will be like. It’s harder to take an adult’s fear away when they have it embedded in their brain.”

Ross caught his first wave when he was 16 in New Smyrna Beach, just south of Daytona Beach.

“I paddled into a wave, and stood up, and rode it all the way to the beach,” he said, beaming. “I was hooked from there on.”

That was the first time Ross felt the “stoke,” which in surfer terms means “the highest level of excitement.”

“A surfer knows that feeling after you catch a wave and get that stoke,” he said. “You can be stoked at any time, whether you’re surfing or not; but a surfer understands that high level of excitement and remembers it later.”

Building a relationship with the surfboard and the ocean were the first two keys in Ross’ surf instruction, but it was building relationships with other people that he emphasized the most.

It was his relationship with his son that first attracted Ross to teaching surfing. He started with his son, Corey, in 2008, when Corey was just 9 years old. When Corey’s friends showed up for lessons, too, Ross had an unplanned, captive audience. After several years of teaching for fun, to whoever asked, in 2014, Ross turned his surf instruction into a side gig.

“I really enjoyed teaching,” he said. “I got a thrill out

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“You can be stoked at any time, whether you’re surfing or not; but a surfer understands that high level of excitement and remembers it later."

CHRIS ROSS

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Self-Care as We Re-Engage Dr. Nick Dewan has been vice president of Behavioral Health at Florida Blue since June 2020.

Dr. Dewan checks a number of boxes where his expertise and experience come into play. He’s a national expert in physician-and-healthcare reimbursement and quality improvement. He offers clinical expertise in sports psychiatry and addiction medicine. He has published more than 20 peer-reviewed publications in applied health services research, and he’s a board member of Positive Coaching Alliance in Tampa Bay.

Recently, Dr. Dewan spoke with Growing Bolder’s Bill Shafer about taking care of our health in the wake of dealing with a global pandemic.

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Q

There's always something unexpected to deal with that can set us back and throw everything off. It could even be something like a pandemic, where we discovered a whole new set of problems. You've called it making the transition from isolation to integration. So, what is that all about?

A

Dr. Dewan: We have been through, what I would call, a state of an invisible, constant, unpredictable, and potentially deadly threat for a long time. And so that transition, going from not only what I would call the sense of fear and anxiety, but for some people, a sense of grief, feels like, “Oh, I've climbed this mountain. I can see the sunshine. Now what do I do?” It's like going back into the swimming pool after you've been afraid of the water.

And so, what do you do? Let's wade back into life.

I use the word integration, adaptation. It's a different world. Our inside world is different, and our outside world is different. So, we have to wade in slowly.

Q

I don't think anybody makes it to 60, 70, 80 or more without having learned how to deal with a lot of the things that life throws at us. With that in mind, are there things we should be watching for to begin the reintegration process or to make it as simple as possible?

A

Dr. Dewan: People are emotionally and physically exhausted. As we go back, it's important to rest. Not only rest the body but also rest the mind. The mind has been going like on a racetrack; and people sometimes have felt like they're just not one car on a racetrack, they're like three or four cars on a racetrack.

It's important throughout the day to go to a rest area and just rest the mind. Maybe it's every hour, maybe it's every two hours. Take a couple of breaths, enjoy looking at the grass, enjoy looking at the trees, maybe enjoy looking at the clouds, or the sky, or the water.

A S K AN E XPE RT

Q

What is it that has made Florida Blue a leader in this area? How does Florida Blue Medicare support its members’ mental and emotional health?

A

Dr. Dewan: They've always thought that the mind and body go together. But what we've learned now — the science tells us, the data tells us — that if you don't address mental health, physical health gets worse.

And conversely, if we don't address physical health, mental health gets worse. We can be much more targeted in helping individuals due to their unique health-risk factors, life-risk factors, and behavioral-risk factors. We measure all of this so we can give a personalized approach.

Q

What was it in your mind that set Florida Blue apart?

A

Dr. Dewan: When I look at companies, I look at value systems and culture. Values matter. So, when you have a value system that embraces respect, integrity, imagination, courage, excellence, I want to pinpoint two words: imagination and courage. That's what this is all about. That's what Growing Bolder is all about. It's about imagining a different future. It's about being courageous enough to say, “Life is going to be better moving forward. I'm in a different place.”

To Learn more about Florida Blue Medicare go to FloridaBlue.com /Medicare.

Florida Blue and Florida Blue Medicare are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. We comply with applicable Federal civil rights laws and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. For more information visit floridablue.com/ndnotice. ©️ 2021 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Inc., DBA Florida Blue. All rights reserved.

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Savor

This Seasonal Chowder Chef Collette Haw

As summer fades away, the temperatures may not be dropping, but fall is definitely on the mind. What better way to transition to a new season than by enjoying one of summer's staples in a fall-inspired fashion — corn chowder!

This recipe includes a Florida favorite, Zellwood sweet corn.

Did you know corn is both a vegetable (in its ear form) and a grain (when the kernels are mature and removed for products like popcorn and flours)? The starchy vegetable has gotten a bit of a bad reputation in recent years thanks to diets, such as Keto and Paleo. But with its healthy amounts of fiber, vitamin C, folate and potassium, it’s still worth including in your regular diet.

In addition to classic boiled corn on the cob, I also love to remove the kernels to use in a variety of ways, including salads, Tex-Mex inspired bowls, or in this hearty, delicious chowder. Packed full of fresh, vibrant ingredients, this easy-to-make chowder will quickly become a favorite of yours, too.

Want more ideas? Visit WellbeingNetwork.org to join me in the kitchen for more fresh recipes!

Chef Collette Haw studied at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America. After training in some of the country’s most honored restaurants, she became a personal chef for celebrities. She then launched her own business, Collette’s Clean Eats, to provide healthy, prepared meals to busy families. Chef Haw is now a restauranteur, partnering with the Winter Park Health Foundation to operate Nourish Coffee Bar + Kitchen in the Center for Health & Wellbeing in Winter Park, Florida.

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Zellwood Corn Chowder

Photography by Jacob Langston / Illustration bortonia via Getty Images

Yield: 6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS

DIREC TIONS

3 ears corn cut off the cob

1. In a stock pot, on medium heat, sauté the onion, garlic and bell pepper.

1/2 pound baby red potatoes, quartered 2 medium squash, diced 1 red bell pepper, diced 4 cloves garlic, grated with a microplane 2 scallions, sliced 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped 1 lemon, zested and juiced 1 daikon radish, small diced

2. Once the onions become translucent, add the potatoes, squash, radish and coconut milk.

3. Allow to simmer until the potatoes become soft.

4. Add the lemon zest and juice, along with the fresh herbs.

5. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.

2 cans coconut milk 1 onion, diced 65

66

h g u o r h T

s e n th L e

of Clyde Butcher

Some call Clyde Butcher the Ansel Adams of our time due to his breathtaking photographs of the Florida Everglades. At 79, and dealing with the aftermath of strokes, Butcher is undeterred from his obsession capturing this natural treasure in photographs.

Photography by Mike Dunn for Growing Bolder

Photography by Mike Dunn / Story by Bill Shafer

Clyde Butcher never expected that one day he would be considered the foremost landscape photographer in America today. But when fate combined with opportunity, he stepped up to the challenge.

“When you find a door that swings open for you, you should go through it,” he said. “If it’s a door that leads you towards making a difference in the world, step through that door and just keep going as far as you can.”

For a time, Butcher wasn’t quite sure where his life would lead.

Landscape photography wasn’t much of a profession; it was considered more of a craft than art. Ansel Adams

helped change that with breathtaking photographs of mountain ranges, valleys, meadows and rivers across the country. But Butcher was in Florida where he struggled to find much that inspired him.

“It took me four years to begin to really see what was around me,” he explained. “I learned you’ve got to get out of the car and actually get in the water. You’ve got to play with the gators and snakes and become one with the scene, and not many people are willing to do that.”

Butcher became obsessed with the Florida Everglades. He would spend hours, day after day, waist deep

in the swamp, experimenting with light and composition before understanding how to allow the beauty of the region to reveal itself.

“It occurred to me that you just can’t shoot in color there,” says Butcher. “Because there’s so much green it just makes you want to throw up. So, I thought if I went back to my roots in black and white, people would be able to see the Everglades with a depth and dimension they hadn’t ever noticed.”

Another change he made was in the actual size of his photographs.

Butcher found that large photos allowed the viewer to be immersed by 67

the image, to feel that they were part of the environment.

The larger images revealed the infinite textures and the true beauty of nature.

Butcher began creating super-sized images up to 5 feet high and 9 feet wide that required a larger darkroom and presented other challenges.

“When I started doing these large photographs, they didn’t make any of the stuff I needed,” he said. “Processing trays, washing bins, even papers were all way too small. So, I had to go build it all myself. See, you can’t let yourself be restricted by what exists, thinking if they don’t make it then you can’t do it. We all need to realize that we are fully capable of creating progress.”

Butcher began to believe that the way to transform landscape photography from a craft to an art was through passion. He became determined to create prints with a purpose.

“It’s interesting because if you ask me what I am, I’ll tell you I’m a teacher,” he said. “I want to teach people to appreciate our environment. Photography is just my method for teaching that lesson.”

Butcher is a strong advocate of conservation efforts and uses his work to promote awareness and responsibility to protect our natural treasures. He has used his

“I just don’t see why anybody would want to retire when you still get to do what you love.

I hope I never have to stop.”

C LY D E O N S LOW I N G D OW N

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Top: A photo taken near Clyde’s home with his digital process. Middle: Growing Bolder photographs Clyde out in the field with his digital gear.

Bottom: Clyde with his wife Nikki who supports his photography studio.

photography to create award-winning environmental documentaries for public television, to publish numerous books of photos, and to display in museums across the country.

At the age of 79, and dealing with the effects of a stroke, many wondered if it was time for Butcher to retire. He says it is simply time for him to adapt.

“Last December, I got myself a cheap walker and use it to get myself up to my waist in water about 80 feet from shore,” he said. “It’s wonderful. I just don’t see why anybody would want to retire when you still get to do what you love.

I hope I never have to stop.”

A find you When

door for that swings you open you should go through

_ it.

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A Spark for Parks ‘We Had An Adventure’ Leslie K. Poole

When Rebecca Falkenberry and Bill Stokes moved to Florida, the Alabama natives wanted to immerse themselves in the Sunshine State’s natural beauty. They bought a much-coveted VW camper van, loaded it up, and headed out to learn about their new home state. Today, they are among the rare few who have seen all 175 state parks, an achievement that has rewarded them with rich experiences that included star gazing on a prairie and watching wild bison graze.

“We are both nature lovers, and we felt like that was the best way to see the real Florida,” said Stokes, 77, a retired Realtor. “We’re both tree huggers, and that’s a big part of our lives — a love for the environment.”

“We wanted to see this new state we’d moved into,” added Falkenberry, 75, a St. Petersburg travel adviser. “We thought state parks were a great way to do this. We’re kind of list-makers. We like to have goals, and a plan, and a way to do things. This fell into what we like to do.”

After experiencing a variety of sites, they bought a state parks passport book in 2007 as part of a program that lets visitors officially document their travels. That’s when the couple got serious, planning weekend and week-long expeditions in order to fill the book with stamps from across the peninsula. Eight years later, the book was full — one of only 64 to complete the list in the last 12 years.

“This is one of our treasured memories of Florida,” Falkenberry said, noting that they keep visiting newly created parks to keep up their goal. “It’s been great. We had a goal.

We had a plan. We had an adventure.”

The couple excitedly recalled some extraordinary moments: watching shooting stars and listening to coyote howls during a dark night at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, kayaking on the sparkling waters of Rainbow Springs State Park, negotiating Suwannee River rapids at Big Shoals State Park, and enjoying the white sands of Bahia Honda State Park in the Keys.

Falkenberry and Stokes saw bison, alligators and wild horses at Paynes Prairie Preserve; learned about early park history at Highlands Hammock; and got their last passport stamp at the urban Ybor City Museum — all state parks with vastly different landscapes and offerings.

“I like to think that some people realize that Florida is much more than beaches and theme parks,” said Eric Draper, director of the Florida Park Service (FPS). “The passport inspires them to see really remarkable ecosystems, like the freshwater marshes of Fakahatchee and historic treasures like Plaza San Carlos. Some people just like a challenge. "

The state has many conservation lands for recreation, such as fishing and hunting, he said, but state parks have the added challenge of preserving “natural and cultural resources.

So, beaches in state parks have a completely different look and feel — kelp stays on the beach, bird and sea turtle nests are guarded, and success is measured.

Here are treasures found nowhere else in the nation.”

“Florida’s state parks provide a diversity of natural and cultural values unique in the United States,” said Jim Stevenson, former FPS naturalist. “A visit to all of these parks enhances one’s opportunity to explore a variety of terrain, from the coral reefs and tropical hammocks of the Keys to the high bluffs along the Apalachicola River in Torreya State Park. There are the dry caves of Florida Caverns, the longest and deepest underwater caves of Wakulla Spring, and Devil’s Millhopper, the state’s largest sinkhole. These state parks are also home to a variety of native wildlife, including the Florida panther, black bear, manatee, bison and wood stork.”

I like to think that some people realize that Florida is much more than beaches and theme parks.

The parks also have been human refuges during the COVID pandemic, beckoning people who see “outdoor recreation and picnics as an alternative to gyms and restaurants,” said Draper, adding that the national award-winning FPS puts a “big emphasis on trails as safe and easy places to stay fit and healthy.”

He estimated that 30 million people visited Florida state parks in 2020 — bigger attendance than at the theme parks.

Falkenberry and Stokes found camaraderie in their travels with a group of about 20 campers that call themselves the Pinellas Pine Cones. Some use tents, others use campers, but all enjoy traveling to natural spaces for recreation. The couple, in a normal year, would visit a half dozen parks in the brightly painted camper van; but that has been hampered recently because of closed facilities or other health concerns.

When things return to “normal,” however, the couple plans to be back in the parks for hiking, biking and nature viewing.

A word of caution from Stokes for those who want to accomplish the passport program: Do your homework, investigate parks, and make reservations well in advance, especially in winter months when more than migratory birds flock to the state.

“There is a huge diversity of facilities in some of the parks — some are primitive. Find out before you go,” he said.

Their next challenge? They’ve been to three-quarters of the national parks, said Falkenberry. “I don’t know if we’ll ever get to all of them, but we are well on our way.”

For more information about the FSP Passport Program, visit the website at floridastateparks.org/Passports 71

Liberating Aging: Unfinished Business

The time is now to change the way the world views aging, and this team is committed to a mission that will ultimately impact each and everyone of our lives.

The visionaries dedicated to this task included (from left to right): Media icon Joe Abruzzese, Age Wave President Elyse Pellman, Age Wave Founder and CEO Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D., Growing Bolder President Robert Thompson and Growing Bolder Founder and CEO Marc Middleton.

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Visionary industry icons Ken Dychtwald and Joe Abruzzese join Growing Bolder’s effort to confront ageism and liberate the new potentials of longevity

Photography by Mike Dunn for Growing Bolder

Marc Middleton

In 2000, I pitched a new programing concept to one of America’s top TV station groups. I wanted to create a library of content that didn’t ignore older adults and actually targeted them.

This was the first paragraph from that proposal 21 years ago:

“Sociologist Ken Dychtwald puts it this way: ‘The entire marketplace is in a ridiculous state of denial; and it’s costing companies, advertisers, and marketers billions of dollars. It’s also costing you viewers. ‘It’ is the slow response to the most dramatic demographic shift in the history of humankind. Younger adults no longer rule the marketplace. Adults 50 and older will dominate the marketplace for decades.”

I quoted Ken because he was and still is — “the man” — the undisputed No. 1 thought leader in the world on the cultural, social, and business implications of global aging. He’s a psychologist, gerontologist, sociologist, entrepreneur, awardwinning filmmaker, and best-selling author of 18 books, including two new releases: “What Retirees Want: A Holistic View of Life’s Third Age” and his memoir, “Radical Curiosity: One Man’s Search for Cosmic Magic and a Purposeful Life “ He is the Founder and CEO of Age Wave, a renowned think tank and consultancy that conducts research and advises Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurs how to better meet the needs of a new generation of older adults.

He’s also now a partner and senior consultant to Growing Bolder.

At the same time that I was quoting Ken, legendary media icon Joe Abruzzese was hiring him. Joe was in charge of all network sales at CBS — everything from entertainment to sports to news. That included daytime, late night, weekend, the UPN networks, and CBS’ internet presence. He negotiated landmark deals and billions of dollars in corporate sponsorships. He understood the growing value of the older demographic and brought in Ken to speak to executives, producers, programmers and sponsors about the changing face of aging.

Then, Joe stunned the broadcasting world in 2002 when he walked away from CBS to become president of sales for Discovery Networks. This was at a time when no one left a top job with one of the big three networks to take one in cable. But Joe foresaw that cable would lead to an explosion of niche programming and niche networks. He understood the value of every audience, not just the coveted “prime demo” of viewers 18-49 years old.

At Discovery, Joe oversaw all advertising sales for its U.S. networks, including the Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, and Science Channel, in addition to all digital platforms. He built and managed the No. 1 sales team in the industry, helping to launch the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), Shark Week, and other iconic properties. A legendary figure in the industry, Joe was inducted into Broadcasting & Cable’s Hall of Fame before retiring in 2016.

He’s also now a partner and senior consultant to Growing Bolder.

Ken Dychtwald, along with the entire Age Wave team, Joe Abruzzese and Growing Bolder are now coming together for a mission that is nothing short of changing the culture of aging worldwide. To all of us, it’s unfinished business.

The Time is Now “One of my mentors was Dr. Robert Butler,” Ken said. “He was a physician, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and the Founding Director of the National Institute on Aging. He started the modern field of geriatric medicine and wanted to make geriatrics a competency that was available everywhere. He died a few years ago, and some of us got together and said how lucky we were to have had him as a mentor. ‘But you know what?’ we said. ‘He didn't get the job done.’

“I was also friends with Maggie Kuhn, who started the Gray Panthers to eliminate ageism. Recently, people have said to me, ‘You guys were taking on ageism in the 1970s. Guess what?

You didn't get the job done.’ I've been doing a lot of thinking about that. I feel like I'm now at an age, and I have the power — and the gloves are coming off. I'm tired of TV commercials that make older people out to be buffoons or peripheral characters and make us fear and regret growing older. I'm an older person now, and you’ve got to deal with me — and 100 million other men and women like me!”

Joe agrees. “For a number of years at CBS, and then at Discovery, we fought the demographic battle,” he recalled. “I was always frustrated because I knew the value of older consumers, but we could never fully validate it. In the back of my mind, I’ve always thought, ‘This is a great demographic.’ I think the timing is perfect right now for going after the older audience, and I think Growing Bolder is positioned to do it.”

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It’s unfinished business and unrealized opportunity that drew Ken and Joe and their powerful teams to Growing Bolder.

“I track media all over the world,” Ken recently told me. “Who's making older people look silly, broken and not worthy of respect? Almost everybody.

Who’s portraying older people in a way that's positive and aspirational? The answer was always, nobody. But then, a few years ago, it was almost magical. It was like a dream. I began getting notes saying, ‘Do you know these Growing Bolder people?’ I said, ‘I’ve never met them; but wow, they're onto something.

Their messaging is so clean, and their examples are so powerful.

They're using ordinary people doing extraordinary things to liberate a new image of aging. I love it!’”

Years unfolded and Ken kept an eye on Growing Bolder, but we never met. And then finally, during COVID, we connected on a video call.

“It felt like we were long-lost brothers from another mother,” Ken said.

We each found a kindred spirit on the other end of a Zoom call and discovered that we share a frustration for what is, a vision for what might be, and a strategy on how best to close the gap between the two.

Changing The World We agree that the way to confront ageism and to change lives and policy — whether it’s governmental, corporate, or institutional — is by telling the inspirational stories of those who are already smashing the damaging stereotypes of aging. We want to tell the world about the millions of older adults already living lives of passion and purpose into their 60s, 80s and even 100s. The millions who view growing older as a blessing to be grateful for and not a curse to be resented. The millions who are convinced that so much more is possible because they’re already proving it. The millions who are leaning into life and focusing on opportunity 74

rather than loss and limitation.

It’s a bottom-up approach that leverages the examples of ordinary people living extraordinary lives to create a ripple effect that has the potential to transform the lives of adults worldwide. And we believe that the momentum we will set in motion will command the attention of cultural thought leaders, corporate decision makers, and governmental policy makers.

We also realize that an unrealistic or pollyannaish view of aging could be just as damaging as an ageist view.

Growing older does have significant challenges throughout every life stage, and there is not one right way to do it.

We all decide what successful aging means to us; but it’s important for everyone, of all ages, to understand that more is possible than what our ageist culture has led us to believe.

I wasn’t aware that while Ken and I were getting to know one another, Joe was also getting to know Growing Bolder.

As Joe recalls, "Ken came to me and said, ‘My friend. I have this group that I've been talking to called Growing Bolder, and I think they’re on to something BIG. He asked me to go to the website and take a look. I did and was immediately sold. I thought, ‘Wow, this is the real deal.’ Ken, Age Wave’s President Elyse Pellman, and I talked again and again; and I told them that I thought the Growing Bolder messaging was perfect and the content was outstanding. I shared some cuttingedge media industry research on population growth and demographic spending and said, ‘The timing is perfect. If we miss this opportunity to help Growing Bolder unleash a new image of aging, shame on us.’”

Our voices are now united in an effort to expand the Growing Bolder media platforms and our life-affirming message of hope, inspiration and possibility. Ken compares our partnership to Akira Kurosawa’s epic film, “Seven Samurai.”

“We’re a group of older, seasoned

warriors coming together on a mission to change the world,” Ken said.

I love this analogy because, at its core, the film is about rebellion against social tradition. It’s about love and loyalty, individualism, and community identity. It’s about protecting others to save yourself. It’s about moving forward in maturity while giving back.

We know that the Growing Bolder message resonates with millions of adults. We hear daily that we’re changing lives by changing attitudes.

The question now is: How might the broadcasting, cable, streaming, and advertising communities respond to a national, multi-channel media platform that brings together the aspirational segment of a huge demographic with extraordinary, discretionary income?

“Let me take a shot at that one,” Joe said. “When MTV started, it resonated so strongly with advertisers that they actually interviewed them asking, ‘Why do you want to be on before we let you on the network?’

Fast-forward to today and Growing Bolder has the potential to be in the same position. I think advertisers will say, ‘Wow, this is a captured audience that's growing, vibrant, has money, tries new things, changes direction, changes brands. I want to be there.’

Joe continued, “It’s important to the advertiser to be surrounded by a positive message. For example, that's why the Olympics are so special. This is going to work because of the Growing Bolder message and mission. It's not just a show, it’s a lifestyle. Growing Bolder can become not just the network of the future but the network of right now. It's entertaining, professional, motivational and informational. We just need one national spark, and we're going to get that. There are no boundaries to what this can become.”

While Joe knows the networks, Ken knows the demographic. For decades he was the Paul Revere of the media industry, telling everyone that “the aging are coming!” At 71, he’s now in the demographic he has

“We’re a group of older, seasoned warriors coming together on a mission to change the world.”

K E N DYC H T WA L D ON THE MISSION

Middleton, Dychtwald and Abruzzese recently gathered at the Growing Bolder headquarters to collaborate and strategize about the journey ahead.

been talking about for so long.

“My generation wants to keep learning,” he said. “We want to fall in love with life again and again. We want to try new things. We want to become entrepreneurs and have new adventures. We’re seeing a huge demographic push underway with more people not just living longer but living differently. There is a whole new attitude about aging, and I think Growing Bolder has got its finger on the pulse.”

Although they didn’t know each other growing up, Ken Dychtwald and Joe Abruzzese are a couple of Newark, New Jersey boys who made it big in corporate America. Ken still leads Age Wave, still advises many of the world’s biggest companies, still writes best-selling books, and still commands six-figure speaking fees. Joe continues to be a living legend in broadcasting and cable circles. He migrates between homes in Naples, Florida and the Hamptons, New York. He’s a proud grandfather, an avid golfer, and a passionate philanthropist. Both have come a long way. But like many our age, they still have further to go and more to give.

There is still gas in the tank and fire in the belly.

Ken, Joe, and I all know that we have fewer tomorrows than yesterdays. We hear the clock ticking. We understand the value of time and the obligation of privilege.

“I feel like it’s time to take the gloves off,” Ken shared with me. “I’m ready for a bare-knuckles brawl. I'm going to bat against the medical system to better help all of us match healthspan to lifespan. I'm going to bat against the financial industry to help people be more able to fund their longer lives. I'm going to bat against the advertising community to crush ageism. I'm fighting harder now than ever before. I want to see a more positive image of aging. The time is ripe for wiping out ageism — once and for all!”

Whoever you are, wherever you are, and whatever age you are, we invite you to join our battle and become part of our movement, because this is not about a single demographic. It’s about celebrating a brand-new life stage. It’s about confronting the one “ism” — ageism — that affects everyone fortunate enough to grow old. It’s about changing the trajectory of aging for all people, for all time. It’s about unfinished business.

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TRANSLATING TECH What’s New with Growing Bolder on Twitch Tim Killian

Growing Bolder is livestreaming exclusive content on Twitch every week. You can join along for the fun at Twitch.tv/GrowingBolder. We’re covering just about everything you can imagine, including gaming, music, fitness, crafting, cooking and more, with live interactive demonstrations that you can follow along with at home.

Enjoy this sampling of the latest and greatest from Growing Bolder on Twitch that you may have missed.

Be sure to go to Twitch.tv/GrowingBolder and click “follow” to catch us live every week.

You can also access and watch all our past streamed episodes (like the ones at right) for free!

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Boomer Gaming by Duncanas

@duncanas

Meet Duncan McLeod, a 55-year-old gamer and streamer who is shattering stereotypes with his skills at the game “Apex Legends.” He is diamond-ranked, competing at the highest 10% skill level of all players regardless of age. His Twitch channel and social media accounts, titled “Boomer Gaming by Duncanas,” have thousands of followers. However, he says his love of gaming is more about the relationships he’s made online than his skills with a controller.

“I met my wife through gaming playing EverQuest back in 2001,” he explained. “The thing I love about gaming, especially when you’re playing a stressful game, is you get to see people at their best and their worst. So, if you’re looking to build real relationships with people, you get to know what they’re really about, because when things go wrong, do they turn into this nasty ugly person who is really toxic, or do they just deal with it and laugh it off? You can build relationships that really matter. If you’re just on a social website, people are always putting on their best front, whereas in gaming you get to see the real person a lot more.”

Tabetai Cooking

@tabetaicooking

We shared a live lesson on how to make Gyoza from Graham, a 38-year-old livestreamer from Seattle, who has been hosting his own cooking program on Twitch titled, “Tabetai Cooking,” for over three years. What started as an experiment in learning traditional Japanese cooking methods has grown into a multi-camera cooking program for all ages and an intergenerational community of like-minded foodies.

“We have viewers who are 13 just hoping to go to culinary school someday all the way up to people who are 60 and 70 who just enjoy finding new recipes and have discovered that the internet can be used to help nourish their families a little bit,” he said. “It’s been really cool to see that full spectrum of people enjoying the content.”

Roger McGuinn and Matthew K. Heafy

@matthewkheafy

Only Growing Bolder can bring together 79-year-old Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer Roger McGuinn, the creator of folk rock, country rock and psychedelic rock, with Grammy-nominated heavy metal rock star Matthew K. Heafy. These two icons traded stories about their careers while they played guitar and created music together live. As McGuinn approaches his 80th birthday, we asked him what advice he would give to a younger musician like Heafy.

“Perseverance. That’s it. One time I was out of a record deal and a guy said, ‘Hey Rog, I think it’s your time.’ And my wife said, ‘Even if we have to stand on the corner with an open guitar box, we’re going to keep playing.'

So, it’s perseverance,” McGuinn said. “If you love it, why would you want to stop for any reason?”

Heafy agreed and said, “I’m not going to stop. Look at the legends who are still going. This is something you’re supposed to do forever, and that’s what I love. I found that as life goes on, 22 years in the band isn’t a very long time in comparison with the career (McGuinn) had. I feel like where I’m at now, our band feels more creative, and more synergistic, and more excited to do things than we ever have.”

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Diane Travis

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Run, Bike, Run For Your Life Doris Bloodsworth

It’s hard to keep up with Diane Travis — literally.

When her friends say Diane’s always on the go, they aren’t kidding. Travis is one of the country’s most accomplished masters athletes and is active in her hometown, Clermont, Florida, known as the Choice of Champions — a nod to the many Olympians who live and train there.

Travis, 66, is a world and national champion in duathlons, a division of USA Triathlon. Duathletes run, bike and then run again instead of swimming on their third leg. She won the gold medal at the 2019 national competition and silver at the world for women 65-69 years old.

In addition to a rigorous training schedule, Travis also runs a real-estate agency she founded and served as a city council member for six years. She has been a statewide advocate for bicycle safety, following the death of her fiancé who was killed by a motorist while on his way to a cycling event.

Since this is the year of the Summer Olympics, we wanted to check in with Travis, who is also a friend and Realtor to some of the Olympians who live and train in Florida. We caught up with her at Waterfront Park in Clermont, named one of Central Florida’s most popular parks and an international triathlon destination.

How do you find time to train, compete and run a business?

Training and competing takes a solid commitment to a schedule, repetition and consistency, if you want to compete or if your goal is just to stay healthy. Plus, the fun thing is most of my clients are also athletes, and we have become close friends.

It lets me understand their needs much better when they’re looking for a home.

What does your training look like?

My strength training is two to three times a week.

My running is much less than before, and much slower, due to knee surgery. I run two to three times a week, and I mostly stay on a soft surface, like the treadmill. My cycling has been much better. I have been riding at least four times a week.

Has your training changed as you have aged? How is it different today from what it was five years ago?

My training has changed over the past year due to a knee injury, which is why I’ve been concentrating more on cycling. I have new aspirations of hiking the Grand Canyon, from rim to rim, and for some epic cycling trips once we can travel internationally again.

How long have you been a competitive duathlete? What inspired you to start?

My first world championship was in 1998 in Germany, three years after I started racing locally. Some of my friends were trying it, and it looked fun. The competitions were held across the lake from where I lived. When I started competing nationally, I made many new friends and became hooked on the sport.

Do you have a favorite way to celebrate after a big race?

Photography by Jacob Langston

You can find me enjoying a hamburger and a beer or glass of wine.

What would you say to encourage other older adults who may think it’s too late to try something new?

You’re never too old, and it’s never too late.

The power of setting and achieving goals can empower you with confidence.

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COACHING LEGENDS DRAW UP THE

playbook for life

Bowden. Johnson. Spurrier. Say those single names to Sunshine State football fans and three legends of the game immediately come to mind. Three names that resonate far beyond Florida. Collectively, these icons of the sport roamed the sidelines as head coaches for over a century, winning a total of 27 championships, including four national and two Super Bowl titles.

Growing Bolder recently traveled to Tallahassee, Gainesville and Key Largo to catch up with 91-year-old Bobby Bowden, 76-year-old Steve Spurrier, and 77-year-old Jimmy Johnson. It would turn out to be Bowden's final sit-down, indepth interview. Just weeks later, his family announced his terminal cancer diagnosis and he died in August 2021.

When we met with him, Bowden was celebrating more than 70 years of marriage to his childhood sweetheart, Ann, and had recently received the inaugural Florida Medal of Freedom. Johnson continues to work as an analyst on “FOX NFL Sunday” and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August 2021. Spurrier is channeling his competitive drive into the restaurant business, with the opening of Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille in Gainesville, the state’s ninth largest dining establishment.

We asked each of these coaching deans what they would include in a Playbook for Life.

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Photography by Jacob Langston

Lynne Mixson

Bobby Bowden Bobby Bowden began his head coaching career at South Georgia College in 1956. Over 50 years later, when he stepped off the field the last time on Jan. 1, 2010, he had amassed 377 NCAA wins, two national championships, 12 Atlantic Coast Conference titles, and a record 14 consecutive years of top-five finishes. Dadgummit, that’s pretty good!

Bowden died in August 2021, shortly after announcing he'd been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. We visited with the coach just weeks before he shared that news publicly, making his advice and candor on embracing each day even more poignant and meaningful.

D O W H AT ’ S R I G H T “Do it the right way, and don't try to take shortcuts. You know, a young guy gets out of college and gets a job. You got to be careful you don't take a shortcut by doing something wrong in order to move up. Don't take that shortcut. Do what is right.”

TA K E I T O N E DAY AT A T I M E DON’ T EVER QUIT “In football, one thing you learn: You don't ever quit.

You never give up. You fight to the last second. And that's kind of the way I've lived my life. I enjoy today.

Thank you, God, for the health that you've given me and let's keep going. If something went wrong yesterday, I can't wait to get it straightened out.”

“Live one day at a time. Live today the best you can. Quit thinking about 10 years down the road, what you're going to do, how are you going to make a living, what kind of health are you going to have. Live today like it's your last day on earth.”

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Steve Spurrier In 1983, at the age of 37, Steve Spurrier became the youngest head coach in pro football when he was hired to lead the Tampa Bay Bandits USFL team. He went on to become the head ball coach at three universities — Duke, Florida and South Carolina — before coaching the former Washington Redskins (now Washington Football Team) in the NFL and coaching one season with the Orlando Apollos at the age of 73.

Total tally: one national title, nine conference titles and the winningest coach at two SEC schools. Counting professional and collegiate games, Spurrier notched 287 wins; and to date, he’s the only person to have won the Heisman Trophy as a player (1966) and coached a Heisman winner (1996, Danny Wuerffel).

TA K E S M A R T R I S K S “When I got to Florida, most SEC teams ran the ball and threw a little bit here, and there. But I thought that if you throw the ball into the end zone about 10 times a game, you might hit four or five of them.

The more chances you take for big plays, the more times you're going to hit. I don't say go drive 100 mph on the freeway.

Taking smart risks is what we're talking about — doing things the right way.”

D O N ’ T E V E R T H I N K I T ’ S OV E R

H AV E A N E N D G A M E I N M I N D “I always try to tell the players why it's important to do well and what's in it for them. To me, when you're head of the group, you got to let the group know what's in it for [each person]. Why am I doing all this?”

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“Momentum is a true thing. [For] champions and winners, sometimes the game doesn't start their way. I've seen it happen. A play here and there, and [suddenly] they start inspiring each other.

Our fans helped inspire them, too. The next thing you knew, momentum was on our side. Don't ever think it's over, even though you're down because if you get it going, you can turn it around and be the winner.”

Jimmy Johnson Jimmy Johnson began his head coaching career in Stillwater, Oklahoma, in 1979. He coached 10 seasons in college, at Oklahoma State and Miami, and nine in the NFL, with the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins. A member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame, Johnson won a national title as a player on Arkansas’ 1964 team, the 1987 national title as head coach of the Miami Hurricanes, and back-to-back Super Bowl championships with the Dallas Cowboys.

WO R K H A R D A N D B E L I E V E I N YO U R S E L F “I didn't always think I was going to win. I always knew I was going to win. There was never a doubt because if we came up short, I was going to work that much harder. If we came up short, I was going to make changes so we would win.

I told my assistant coaches at Oklahoma State, ‘Guys, stay with me. We're going to win a national championship,’ which we ended up winning at Miami because I brought them all with me.

I remember that 1-15 year (with the Dallas Cowboys). Again, I said, ‘Guys, just hang with me. We're going to win a Super Bowl.

I don't know how long it's going to take, but we're going to win us a Super Bowl.’"

S U R R O U N D YO U R S E L F W I T H SUCCE SSFUL PEOPLE “I've always been around successful people. My father was a hard-working, middle-class guy. I was with a good football team in high school. My head coach was Buckshot Underwood, who had coached for Bear Bryant at Kentucky.

Throughout my career, I was around very successful, very driven people, and I think that kind of carried over to me that that's what I wanted to do.”

B E PA S S I O N AT E “Outwork your competitor, be passionate about what you do, and love what you do. Whether it's coaching, television or my restaurant, I put everything I had into it. People come down to the Keys and say, ‘What are you looking for in talent?’ I say, ‘Give me somebody that's intelligent, that's very passionate about what they do, that works night and day. I don't care what they know, they'll be successful.’”

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The idea came to hospitality veteran and author Chip Conley during the four years that he was a leader at Airbnb.

Only 52 years old at the time, he was twice as old as the average Airbnb team member — they referred to him as the “modern elder.” Conley describes his epiphany: “It was then that I realized there are a growing number of people in midlife who are confused. We’re living longer, organizational power is shifting younger, and the world is changing faster.

That leaves people bewildered. I wanted to create a place where people could get the tools and support to feel confident and inspired in the second half of their adult life.”

Conley founded the Modern Elder Academy (MEA) in 2018 and is on a mission to build a community of inspired and empowered mid-lifers to reframe midlife from a crisis to a calling. The world’s first midlife wisdom school, MEA is challenging ageism, while providing an environment to reimagine midlife and later as a time for learning, growth, and positive transformation. The Academy offers immersive programs at its oceanfront Baja California Sur, Mexico, campus and online and will open its first U.S. location in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 2023.

Participants from 28 countries have attended MEA’s programs, ranging in age from 30 to 88 (75% being 45-65 years old and an average age of 54). MEA’s all-inclusive 5- to 7-day Baja workshops are led by the school’s co-founders, with guest faculty that include some of today’s brightest thought leaders, such as environmentalist Paul Hawken, activist and artist Michael Franti, money maven Lynne

We hope to be a catalyst for a new kind of inclusive, intentional community that helps mainstream the idea that wisdom isn’t taught, it’s shared.

Twist, compassion scientist Dr. Shauna Shapiro, Buddhist monk and author Matthieu Ricard, entrepreneurial phenom Blake Mycoskie, and more.

MEA’s Sabbatical Sessions offer spacious, one-week or longer stays in the same beautiful setting with optional lighter programming that explores key elements of the MEA curriculum. MEA Online is an eight-week, immersive program that can be attended from anywhere in the world, providing the education and tools to help people feel relevant, with continued and clarified purpose. A social venture committed to socio-economic diversity, MEA offers scholarships to workshop attendees, an Activist in Residence program, and accessible rates to sabbatical and online participants.

When the pandemic hit, MEA’s team considered not only the future well-being of its midlife alumni community but how the need for connection and meaning extended to a multi-generational society. This inspired them to leverage MEA’s pioneering work to catalyze a new type of community that utilizes regenerative principles to support flourishing and resiliency across generations and the entire community.

Conley says, “It’s time for us to grow our neighborhoods, not just build them.”

This is the vision for MEA’s expansion in Baja Sur and its new Regenerative Communities in Santa Fe.

“We hope to be a catalyst for a new kind of inclusive, intentional community that helps mainstream the idea that wisdom isn’t taught, it’s shared.”

Story provided by Modern Elder Academy. Learn more at ModernElderAcademy.com.

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Photography provided by Modern Elder Academy

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Rabbi of the Reef Bill Shafer

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How Ed Rosenthal Turned Saving The Ocean Into A Religious Experience

We are all capable of doing so much more than we think. We can be the ones who light the spark of inspiration, we can draw attention where it is needed, and we can be the ones to affect change. The problem is that it can be difficult to know where to begin, even though the answer is often right in front of us.

Instead of trying to reach out to everyone, sometimes it works best to simply reach out wherever we have connections and influence: to our friends, neighbors and community.

Growing up in the Midwest, Ed Rosenthal never saw the ocean until he was 12. He quickly fell in love. He was captivated by the wonders of the underwater world. But as he took in all the beauty, he could not help but also see the ugliness. His beloved oceans were being destroyed by people with their endless sources of pollution. It haunted him to the point that he knew he had to take action. Protecting the sea became his passion and his cause. He knew that to make a difference, he would have to reach out to others. This, he thought, was one of his strengths.

Rosenthal is a rabbi. And as a leader in the Jewish community, he thought maybe his congregation would help. After all, he is not the typical rabbi leading a typical congregation. As rabbi and Executive Director of Hillels of the Florida Suncoast, he leads a Jewish organization for college students in Tampa, Florida.

If he could just find connections between the oceans and Judaism, he mused, perhaps he could inspire his students to become better stewards of the earth and better people. It turns out that his religion has a lot to say about our personal responsibility to protect the planet.

G R O W I N G B O L D E R / J U LY D I G I TA L D I G E S T 2 1

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Repair the World “Judaism has a tenet called ‘tikkun olam,’ which in Hebrew means ‘repair the world.’ It’s the concept that when God created the earth it was perfect. But then humans got thrown into the mix and we messed it up,” explained Rosenthal. “So, as part of our Jewish way of life, we have a responsibility to repair the damage we have done. Some do it by helping the homeless, the poor, the needy; and others do it through the environment. And with my students, we work to change the sea.”

Rosenthal formed an organization called Scubi Jew that offers scuba certification courses and coordinates underwater clean-up activities. Scubi Jew clubs quickly spread to six college campuses across Florida. In order to facilitate growth elsewhere, Rosenthal formed a larger organization called Tikkun HaYam, which translates to “repair the sea.” Rosenthal believes it is the first Jewish marine conservation organization in the world. And he

thinks it might be the first group to make the ocean a major rallying point in the Jewish religion since Moses parted the Red Sea. Tikkun HaYam and Scubi Jew turn saving the ocean into a religious experience.

“Locally, we have adopted the St. Petersburg downtown reef; and the students go out at least once a month, clean the reef and remove fishing nets, fishing line, anchors, ropes and plastic,” he said. “It’s a neverending battle, but our number of participants is growing, and not just here in Florida. Before the pandemic, we had over 850 volunteers in 49 different groups in the U.S., Canada, Israel and Argentina cleaning waterfront locations. This year we already have 34 teams in the U.S., Israel, Norway and Palau that are going to take part. Our goal is to get the entire Jewish community to observe a new tradition: Rather than casting ourselves into the water, we want to take sin out of it.”

Rosenthal believes that it is not only important to the future of our planet but also to the future of Judaism itself.

“I ask my non-Jewish students how many Jews they think are in the world. They say, ‘Oh, a couple of billion.’

When I tell them there are only 14 million, they’re flabbergasted. That’s why I feel college is the last line of defense,” Rosenthal said. “I have to ensure that everything we do is inspiring for them, that we don’t waste their time. We have to provide meaningful opportunities, purposeful opportunities; and in doing that, we can ensure the next generation. The tagline for my Hillels is ‘Ensuring a Jewish future, theirs and ours.’ They are our future, and I’m inspired by their idealism, optimism and altruism. They want to change the world, and I believe they will. It’s an honor and a privilege to work with them.”

Rosenthal is energetic and youthful. There is a 40-year age gap between him and his students that gets wider with each new freshman class. But at an age when some are contemplating retirement, he feels more emboldened than ever about his mission and more passionate about his cause.

“If I can’t see it like that, I’m not going to be able to inspire them,” he said. “It’s about recognizing that every

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day is new, and every day is another opportunity to do something to make the world a better place. And that’s how I keep the passion.”

His passion for the ocean may only be exceeded by his passion for inspiring young adults. He believes it’s his purpose, which makes his message to them even more powerful.

“Do whatever you can to leave the world better than you found it,” says Rosenthal. “That doesn’t mean you have to change the world. The Talmud says, ‘Whoever saves a single life, it’s as if he or she has saved the entire world.’ Have an impact, whether it’s on your family or your friends or your neighbors or your students. It’s really that simple. Yes, I want my students to be successful; but more importantly, I want them to do good with what they have. It’s not about us. It’s about us making a difference in the lives of others.”

What it comes down to, he says, is making the world a better place for everyone, which is something made clear to him by the late Eli Wiesel, a writer, activist and Holocaust survivor.

“What he said was, ‘The mission of the Jewish people is not to make the world more Jewish. The mission of the Jewish people is to make the world more human.’”

Photography by Mike Dunn for Growing Bolder

Ensuring the Future

“Do whatever you can to leave the world better than you found it.”

ED ROSENTHAL

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Keep your face always toward the sunshine — and shadows will fall behind you.

– Walt Whitman

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THE FUTURE IS STRE AMING:

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20%

Nearly 7 million American households likely dropped their traditional pay-TV service in 2020, a record high, according to Nielsen.

By 2024, another 15.4 million households will cut the cord, and more than one-third of all households will be off of pay TV, according to Fortune.

About 20% of time was spent on streaming in 2020, according to The New York Times. That could reach 33% by the end of the year, the report added.

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GRAND PARENTING Joys, Challenges And Support George Diaz

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Francesco Carta fotografo via Getty Images

A lot of people I cherish, people I associate with, have said to me, ‘I'm not sure I could have done all six.’ I said, ‘So, how would you choose which ones?’

Outside services are essential to keep her home life — and frame of mind — stable and in a good place. And that’s where Aging True and their Relatives as Parents program has come into play.

The Relatives as Parents program in Clay and Duval Counties “is designed to assist the caregiver in resuming healthy aging practices and is tailored to best suit the participants’ needs. The program delivers educational trainings, monthly resource meetings in a comfortable and relaxed setting, transportation, long-term goal planning, bi-monthly newsletter with resources, yearly stipend for children’s summer camp and more.”

Williams is one of 34 participants in the Aging True program. Jacinda Legons, the Community Liaison for the Aging True program, said that sitter services, tutoring and “camperships,” which help defray the costs for summer camps, are the services in highest demand.

Williams can certainly relate. She has been able to zero in on services that have added benefits and reduced stress in her life. Those lifelines have ranged

from helping set up an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for two of her grandchildren (one with ADD and the other with ADHD), legal services to help her set up a will, and potluck dinners.

“There have been so many things that they have done for grandparents,” she said. “Helped towards our Thanksgiving baskets, getting a gift for you and your grandchildren for Christmas. Summer camp, giving each child a $200 stipend to help towards summer camp.

“It’s been supportive. Very supportive.”

Williams has most definitely needed the help along the way. She suffered a stroke in 2012. And even when her family stepped in to help, she remained focused on her primary role in life: taking care of her precious grandchildren.

“I went through rehab, and brain-wise, no damage was done,” she said.

“Physically, I had some adjustments to make. And so, various life challenges happened; but my whole reason, even after I had a stroke, I worked really hard because I knew that I had to get home to take care of my grandchildren. They helped me fight real hard to get the majority of the life that I knew back as far as my health-wise so that I could be there to parent them.”

And that she has. Joshua, the oldest at 20, is in college. Jonah, 16, and Joy, 15, are in high school. Joseph, 14, is on his way there after the summer break.

While Aging True has helped, Williams has certainly done the heavy lifting — especially when she had to make the decision about whether to add two more of her grandchildren into the blended family.

“A lot of people I cherish, people I associate with, have said to me, ‘I'm not sure I could have done all six.’ I said, ‘So, how would you choose which ones?’

“They're all my grandchildren. It's not like they're coming from different places, and I have no connection. How do you decide which ones should come with you and which ones shouldn't? I don't think that's a choice you could make.”

She is quite at peace with the choices she has made. Working for a Fortune 500 company is not in her resume. But something much more powerful is. She can give you six good reasons why.

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Madeline Pots My Storytelling Friend Bobby Wesley

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The first time I heard a Madeline Pots story was back in 2016. She was on her way to winning the first of two straight Orlando Story Club Grand Championships. And I was captivated by her storytelling.

See, Madeline is a really good storyteller. She’s not a storyteller in the “a funny thing happened to me the other day” sort of way but rather by following the tradition of storytelling. She shares experiences. She shares the meaning in everyday encounters. She creates a connection with her audiences.

Audiences hang on her every word, not only because of her humor and charm, but because they relate. They see universal themes in another person’s specific experiences.

It’s a beautiful thing to witness.

Power Of Creativity I wouldn’t call Madeline a “natural,” because that doesn’t pay respect to the amount of work that goes into observing, imagining, crafting, and perfecting her stories. But she is naturally creative.

Throughout her life, Madeline has been a professional potter; a jam session specialist, playing on her accordion and ukulele; an artist in the traditional sense; and a dancer.

Today, she spins intricate verbal yarns so compelling she has won multiple storytelling competitions. She has performed for audiences of thousands at festivals across the country and has been invited to take the stage at the world-famous Moth.

Madeline recently told me, “There is no substitute in any of the arts for honesty” and said she believes artistic truth is transferable across genres. Whether pottery or writing, she said, “It has to do with shape, with form, and energy. How you are building emotional intensity, how you are releasing it. There is a rhythm. There’s a musical sense to words.”

She brings that rhythm to the creative process. And her audiences feel it.

In her storytelling, Madeline invites us to walk with her as she paints a scene with words and textures. Whether on the stage or sharing coffee in her living room, she brings a vividness and humor that carries a heartfelt air.

She has been one of my biggest supporters, inviting me to join feature shows. She recommended my name at the first festival where I performed. And it went great.

Madeline and I are from different generations and from different parts of the country. We’ve connected though shared experiences, even if they were decades apart. She has helped guide me to become a better writer and performer.

She is as generous as she is talented — a genuine friend.

But what I admire most about Madeline is her perspective. When health challenges forced her to stop throwing pots and to stop dancing, she adapted.

“There’s creativity in everything we do,” she said. “We just have to acknowledge it and accept it.”

She embraces creativity. And she’s not slowing down anytime soon.

“Now I have more of a sense of prioritizing where I want to put my energy,” she told me. “But there is this wonderful feeling of, ‘I’m 78. I can do whatever I want to do.’ And that’s a tremendous amount of freedom.

“The truth is that’s where art comes from, from not really giving a damn about what anyone else thinks!”

Find out more about Madeline Pots and see her stories at madelinelpots.com, YouTube, or catch her at one of the Orlando Story Club’s regular events.

Photography by Jacob Langston

A Friendship Is Born I’m pushing 40 now, (more like being pushed), but I’m still a relative newcomer to the storytelling scene. Over the last half decade following this creative calling, Madeline has been there for me. She has been there since the moment of inspiration when I saw her take the stage to the kind words she gave me after I gathered the courage and bumbled my way through my first story.

At each point in my journey, Madeline was there to lend words of support, share lessons learned on crafting delivery and detail, and, thankfully, told me when my jokes were bad.

Bobby Wesley is a writer, marketing guy, and storyteller who has performed at festivals, story slams, and the Moth in Brooklyn, New York, where he came in second (not that he’s bitter). He is the co-host of the Orlando Story Club, the City Beautiful’s premiere (and only!) storytelling competition show. At OSC, personal stories are shared, life lessons are explored, and Bobby tells dad jokes.

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LARAINE NEWMAN

LEARNING TO AGAIN

Laugh

Araya Doheny / Stringer via Getty Images

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THE TAKEAWAY

Comedian Laraine Newman was one of the original cast members of “Saturday Night Live.”

In her memoir, “May You Live in Interesting Times,” she talks about the price of fame she enjoyed at a young age and her battle to find peace and success as a voice-over artist.

Bill Shafer

Laraine Newman doesn’t usually look back. She’s proud of her many accomplishments, but she had her share of troubles, too. Maybe that’s why it took her more than a decade to complete her memoir, “May You Live in Interesting Times.” In it she reveals the highs and lows of her fascinating career.

At the age of 23, she became an original cast member of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) and was catapulted to stardom. It should have been the greatest time of her life. It was not. Self-doubt consumed her.

In an interview with Growing Bolder, Newman explained, “Although Gilda (Radner) befriended me, I didn’t have the confidence I needed. It was a constant struggle.”

Newman’s demons emerged. She turned to drugs and drink, developed eating disorders, and became addicted to heroin.

“There's a part of me that wanted to die,” she said. "But there was also a part that wanted to live that ultimately convinced me to go to rehab.”

That was 33 years ago. Sobriety offered Newman the opportunity for reinvention. She became a parent and developed a thriving career as a voice-over artist working on such animated favorites as “Finding Nemo,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Despicable Me,” “Inside Out,” “Shrek,” and “Minions.”

Now, at the age of 69, Newman has something that eluded her in her youth: confidence. Motivation for writing about parts of her life that she is not proud of came from understanding that many others have had similar struggles.

"I experienced terrible envy and jealousy when I was on the show,” Newman said, referring to her SNL days. “In fact, throughout my whole life, these were emotions that I was so ashamed of, and I consider (them) to be really unattractive. But I think it's important to talk about them, so that others who feel the same way, which is all of us, don't feel like horrible people and can get past it.”

Newman says the wisdom that comes with growing older has helped her settle into what she believes has been the happiest stage of her life. She thinks that by embracing who we are and how we feel, it is still possible to be just as creative and productive as we were in our youth, despite a few aches and pains.

“The toughest thing about age is how our bodies betray us," Newman said. "And even though we’re not, we all think we're the first generation to still feel young inside. That is the irony of aging. It has limited me in certain ways physically, but my mind is still honed into all forms of comedy. That has not changed.”

It’s why Newman believes in looking forward toward new experiences, adventures and accomplishments.

“I’m so grateful for my kids,” she said. “They keep me young in a lot of ways. Something else that helps is taking whatever your passion is and continuing to explore, to learn and to know as much about it as you can. For me, it’s the world of comedy and trying to experience all its different permutations. That's what makes life exciting and fulfilling at any age.”

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