4-Quarter Lives - SoundSage

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives Podcast, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox is joined by psychologist and author Dr Denise Taylor, who after more than 50 years of work stepped away from client practice to write. Taylor argues that most people misread Carl Jung: the second half of life is not about striving differently, but about going inwards. She unpicks the assumption that work means paid work, and questions the language now forming around 60-year careers. The conversation turns to identity — who am I without my job? — and to the health and financial foundations of later-life agency, including the idea of voluntary simplicity. Taylor describes writing her new book, ThriveSpan, in the four acres of woodland she bought during lockdown, structuring it as paths through a wood rather than chapters. Her closing permission is simple: you have more time than you think.

Dr Denise Taylor is a psychologist, career coach and author who has worked in retirement and later-life for more than 40 years, beginning as a welfare officer at Royal Mail running pre-retirement seminars in her twenties. After a corporate career and a long practice in careers coaching, she completed a doctorate and turned to writing full time. Her books include Rethinking Retirement, Career Coaching for Midlife and Beyond, and ThriveSpan, Walking Gently into What Matters Now, with Olderhood Unfolding — 52 essays on ageing — to follow. She writes for the iPaper, publishes academic research, and works from her own four acres of woodland.

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives Podcast, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox is joined by Rob Nathan, occupational psychologist and career coach, to ask why the three-stage life — education, work, retirement — is proving so stubborn. Recorded on his 77th birthday, Nathan argues the systems around us were built for shorter lives and have not caught up, while individuals get financially and socially bound into their employers. He draws on William Bridges to separate change from transition, and unpacks the self-limiting beliefs that keep people stuck at the edge of the diving board. The conversation turns to cultural contrasts — the respect afforded elders across Southeast Asia against a Western workplace that reads older workers as slower and replaceable — and to the case for career conversations and multi-generational teams. Nathan closes with whitewater rafting and his own definition of a good fourth quarter.

Rob Nathan is an occupational psychologist and career coach of more than four decades. He set up his own practice in 1978 and now directs Career Counselling Services, whose training and coaching work he is expanding into Southeast Asia. He commissioned, edited and co-authored The Holistic Career Conversations Handbook, including a Chapter on Career Conversations to The Holistic Career Coaching Handbook, and an earlier co-authored career title was serialised on television. He designed the Thrive at 55 programme for people rethinking work in later career. Alongside his practice he holds a master’s in creative writing, writes short stories, and runs shared reading groups for elders with Age UK.

Links:

www.career-counselling-services.co.uk
https://www.routledge.com/The-Holistic-Career-Coaching-Handbook-A-Guide-for-Managers-and-Employers/Nathan/p/book/9781032802350?utm_source=cjaffiliates&utm_medium=affiliates&cjevent=7d2ae9f1873a11f1806700590a18b8f7
https://career-counselling-services.co.uk/accredited-career-coach-training/
https://career-counselling-services.co.uk/advanced-icf-career-coaching-certificate/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robnathanccs/

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives Podcast, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox is joined by UBER’s Briana Gilmore to explore how ageing, disability and mobility intersect — and what that means for the future of work, cities and independence. Briana reframes ageing not as a demographic segment but as an access issue, shifting the conversation from “senior markets” to systems that either enable or restrict independence. She introduces self-efficacy — the confidence to navigate the world predictably — and shows how it erodes when environments fail to adapt, not because of personal limitations. Applying the social model of disability to ageing, she argues that disability lies in environments, not impairments, opening fresh ways to design products, services and cities. Along the way she unpacks the tension between safety and autonomy, the dignity of risk, and how this thinking reshaped Uber’s approach to older users — and what age-friendly cities truly require: meaningful choice.

Briana Gilmore is Head of Global Accessibility Policy at Uber, focused on disability access, ageing and inclusive mobility. With a background spanning global migration policy, public health and urban planning, her work examines how systems shape access to resources, movement and independence. A long-time disability advocate, she integrates the social model of disability into product and policy design, challenging traditional assumptions about ageing and adaptability. At Uber, she leads efforts to expand access for older adults and marginalized communities,

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives Podcast, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox is joined by Alastair Greener, speaker, consultant and author of Generationally Speaking, to unpick what we get wrong about generations at work. Alastair argues that much of what we label generational conflict is really about life stage, and that organisations stereotype at their peril: his research across six generations found we are, on average, only about 65% “stereotypical”, meaning a third of people won’t match the labels applied to them. The conversation explores a striking gap: just 6% of HR leaders report overt generational friction, yet almost two-thirds believe better intergenerational communication would boost productivity. Avivah and Alastair dig into the overlooked Q3 workforce, the value of multi-generational teams, and three strategies leaders can adopt now: omni-channel communication, “tangling” the generations within teams, and recruitment that genuinely matches onboarding.

Alastair Greener is a speaker, trainer and consultant specialising in intergenerational communication, helping organisations turn generational difference into a source of engagement and productivity rather than friction. His book Generationally Speaking, published in November 2025, draws on his research with 4,000 people across six generations and all socioeconomic groups, examining how each generation prefers to communicate and how far the stereotypes really hold. After a career in the corporate world, Alastair now works with major organisations on communication, culture and multi-generational teams, with a follow-up study and a second book already in the pipeline.

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What if the most valuable thing you can become is... undefinable?

In the first episode of the Longer Lives Need Better Maps summer series, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Charlie Rogers, founder of the Undefinable Community and author of Undefinable Life Design. Together they explore why younger generations are rejecting traditional career paths—and why their search for identity mirrors the questions many people face later in life as they transition into a new Q3.

Charlie introduces his idea of the “golden thread”: finding the unique connections between your interests instead of defining yourself by a single job or profession. The conversation ranges from portfolio careers and AI to flexible organisations and the future of work, revealing a surprising insight: whether you’re 28 or 58, longer lives demand greater freedom to evolve. Perhaps the future belongs not to specialists—but to those willing to become undefinable.

Undefinable Life Design (book): https://mybook.to/undefinablelifedesign/
Subscribe to Charlie’s Newsletter:
Work with Charlie: https://www.undefinablelifedesign.com/

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After twelve weeks exploring what it means to live longer, this summary steps back from individual conversations to examine the bigger picture. Rather than recapping each episode, Avivah looks at the entire series from above and asks a more fundamental question: if the emergence of a new third quarter of life is such a profound shift, why do we still understand it so poorly? The answer, she argues, is that we’re trying to squeeze an entirely new life stage into outdated frameworks.

The series naturally organised itself into three movements: Recognising, Understanding and Navigating.

Recognising

The first challenge is one of scale. Organisations, institutions and individuals have not yet grasped the sheer size of this demographic transformation. We have added decades of healthy life expectancy but continue to use industrial-age assumptions about education, work and retirement. We have built systems around a three-stage life model of learning, earning and retiring, even though millions of people are now entering a distinct and substantial third quarter between roughly 50 and 75. This isn’t an extension of midlife or a delayed version of old age. It is a new life stage entirely.

Understanding

The second phase explored the inner experience of Q3 itself. While external markers may remain unclear, people inside this transition often describe remarkably similar feelings. There is a growing desire to shift from ambition towards meaning, from accumulation towards contribution, and from identity built around achievement towards identity built around becoming. Many experience an unsettling sense of freedom alongside uncertainty. The old scripts no longer apply, yet new ones have not been widely written. This leaves many successful people feeling temporarily lost, not because they are failing, but because they are entering unfamiliar territory without a map.

Navigating

The final episodes focused on navigation. How do individuals, couples and organisations adapt to a life course that may now span a century? Avivah argues that the biggest opportunity lies not in adding more years to life, but in redesigning the institutions that shape those years. Companies must rethink careers, leaders must rethink talent, and individuals must embrace transitions as a normal and necessary feature of modern life. The central insight emerging from the series is that Q3 is not a problem to solve but a resource to cultivate. We are witnessing the birth of a new life stage, one that may ultimately become one of the most creative, productive and socially valuable periods of our lives.

Why Care? We are no longer simply living longer. We are creating an entirely new chapter of adulthood. The question is no longer whether Q3 exists, but whether our systems, organisations and imaginations can catch up with it.

Memorable lines

“The question isn’t whether Q3 is real. The evidence has only got louder. The question is why something this large is still so badly understood.”

“We have added decades to life, but we haven’t yet redesigned life itself.”

“Q3 is not a problem to solve. It’s a resource to cultivate.”

“Many people don’t feel lost because they’re failing. They feel lost because they’re entering a new life stage without a map.”

“The complexities only really show up when you hold recognising, understanding and navigating together.”

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This week on 4 Quarter Lives, we revisit Avivah Wittenberg-Cox’s conversation with Sebastian Kernbach, founder of the University of St. Gallen’s Next – Design Your Future initiative — the first university-based midlife programme in continental Europe.

They discuss how St. Gallen’s approach blends design thinking, positive psychology and behavioural economics to help accomplished professionals rethink their purpose, portfolio, and personal transitions, in what Kernbach calls the multi-stage life. He describes how the three-day “sabbatical” has evolved into a five-day immersive experience, designed to give participants a structured yet creative space to pause, prototype, and rediscover what drives them.

Together, Avivah and Sebastian compare models emerging from Harvard, Stanford and Chicago with Europe’s more academically grounded, culturally diverse programmes. They explore Kernbach’s key ideas — from infinite procrastination and the magic circle to the stairway to heaven — practical methods for turning reflection into action. The conversation widens to include the role of universities and employers in supporting lifelong learning, intergenerational connection and longer, healthier, more flexible careers.

Kernbach shares his vision of “transition competence” — the lifelong skill of navigating change with agency, creativity and patience — and why Europe’s blend of rigour, reflection and community may offer a new model for longevity education worldwide.

Sebastian Kernbach is Professor at the University of St. Gallen, where he teaches creativity, life design and visual thinking. Her is Visiting Scholar at Columbia University and Stanford University, and Guest Professor at the African Doctoral Academy and the Central University of Beijing.

Previously he worked for Xerox and Interbrand. He advises and consults organizations like Nike, The United Nations, IBM and others. He founded the Visual Collaboration Lab and the Life Design Lab at the University of St. Gallen and co-authored the award-winning book “Meet up!” as well as the best-selling books “Life Design” and “Life Design Action Book”. His most recent book is Design Your Future (April 2026).

Useful links:

University of St. Gallen – Next Programme web page
Order Sebastian’s new book: Design Your Future

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This week, on 4-Quarter Lives, we revisit the conversation between Avivah Wittenberg-Cox and Dr Mileham Hayes, author of ‘Live Longer: Revealing Today’s Secrets of Longevity and Wellbeing’ and a specialist in preventative medicine. As he says, “preventive medicine has never realized its promise or potential...until now”. Mileham, who launched the world’s first longevity clinic and has spent nearly six decades in coronary care, shares how much of heart disease—still the world’s top killer - is preventable, yet persistently neglected. He discusses key diagnostic tests such as ApoB, Lp(a), and coronary artery calcium scans, many of which he began using in the 1990s but still remain underused. He advocates a targeted 20-test health screening battery for anyone over 40, customized by age and gender, which is downloadable with the episode.

He critiques the broader health ecosystem where profit-driven industries—from pharma to fast food—drown out preventive efforts, leaving doctors and patients with minimal influence. He shares sobering statistics on the top causes of death by decade and gender across the US, UK, and Australia—highlighting suicide as a leading killer of younger men. Rather than obsessing over radical life-extension strategies, Hayes urges a back-to-basics focus on preventing known, measurable threats. Witty, forthright, and deeply experienced, Hayes is a passionate advocate for practical, accessible healthcare that prioritizes staying alive—and healthy—as the first rule of longevity.

Dr Mileham Hayes is a Specialist Physician and a Fellow of both the Royal College of Physicians of London and Edinburgh. He was appointed to the world’s first Coronary Care Unit and researched prevention of heart attacks – still the greatest cause of premature death. He has now spent some 50 years in clinical practice and is the author of two medical textbooks and a series of books on living longer through prevention, nutrition and exercise. His most recent book is ‘Live Longer: Revealing Today’s Secrets of Longevity and Wellbeing’. Mileham studied medicine at the University of Queensland. He has five children, played most sports at a high level, farmed, gardens, writes doggerel and cooks. He also had an ABC radio weekly program and two national TV shows presenting and playing jazz. He has the Order of Australia Medal for his services to Jazz.

Useful Links:

Download a pdf from Mileham on main causes of death by sex and age, and recommended tests
Buy Mileham’s book ‘Live Longer’
On Amazon.com
On Amazon.co.uk

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives Podcast, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox is joined by Jennifer Petriglieri, Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD Business School and author of Couples That Work, to explore how longer lives are reshaping modern coupledom, careers, and power dynamics inside relationships.

Jennifer argues that living and working longer removes the pressure to “have it all at once” and replaces it with a need to sequence ambitions across a lifetime. For couples, this means the old idea of a fixed deal or settled marriage no longer holds. What works in your 30s rarely works in your 50s or 60s. Instead, she introduces the idea of a more fluid marriage, one that adapts as careers, caregiving roles, and personal identities evolve.

The conversation digs into why midlife has become such a critical inflection point. Empty nesting, career ceilings, and shifting energy levels often collide at the same moment. Jennifer explains why women in particular are driving the rise in midlife divorce, not because relationships are broken, but because being “supported” is not the same as being seen and celebrated.

They explore the hidden role of power in couples, how it is shaped by thousands of small decisions over time rather than money alone, and why resentment builds when desire and agency go unspoken. Jennifer also maps her three major transitions in dual-career couples onto four-quarter lives, showing how reinvention now repeats several times as careers stretch into later decades.

Looking ahead, Jennifer shares practical tools for navigating mobility, retirement, and reinvention together, from simple decision exercises to small daily practices that build connection. She closes by reimagining the future of coupledom, calling for relational literacy to be taught early, normalized often, and practiced intentionally throughout longer lives.

Jennifer Petriglieri is Professor of Organizational Behavior at INSEAD and a leading expert on dual-career couples, leadership, and identity at work. Her research focuses on how professionals navigate ambition, relationships, and power over long careers. She is the author of Couples That Work, a widely cited book on modern coupledom and career sustainability. Jennifer teaches globally, advises organizations on leadership and talent, and is a frequent speaker on how longer lives are changing the way we work and love.

Useful Links:

Jennifer’s Website: https://www.jpetriglieri.com
Book: Couples That Work: https://www.jpetriglieri.com/books/
Jennifer Petriglieri on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpetriglieri/
INSEAD: https://www.insead.edu

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives, we republish Avivah Wittenberg-Cox’s conversation with Michael Fossat, head of Schneider Electric’s Future Ready program and Director of HR at Schneider Electric France. With a 180-year history, Schneider is now focused on assisting and driving the energy transition to an electric and digital future. Yet this 150,000 strong company discovered that employees over the age of 50 (what Avivah calls Q3) weren’t as motivated and engaged as the rest. Schneider determined to fix that, especially given the talent wars they feel pressing on their business needs every day. The Future Ready Program is their response.

Michael Fossat has worked at Schneider for much of his professional career. Passionate about sustainable business and people’s central role in achieving it, he joined Schneider Electric in France as an HR apprentice in an industrial department, participated in the creation of HR shared services for the entire group and worked in the R&D division, before moving to Barcelona to create the HR Metrics function globally. Returning to Paris he was successively HR VP for one of the business units, HR head of Central and Eastern Europe and HR leader for European plants and distribution centres. He is currently Head of HR for Schneider Electric France. Since 2021 he has also headed up the Future Ready Program, bringing to the role a wide knowledge of what motivates people across the group.

RELEVANT LINKS

Schneider Electric website
Schneider Electric – Company Purpose
Schneider Electric Senior Talent Program white paper
https://www.kornferry.com/content/dam/kornferry/docs/pdfs/KF-Future-of-Work-Talent-Crunch-Report.pdf
https://www.aarpinternational.org/
Articles by Avivah on other Corporate Initiatives: Unilever and Aviva

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RELEVANT LINKS

Schneider Electric website
Schneider Electric – Company Purpose
Schneider Electric Senior Talent Program white paper
https://www.kornferry.com/content/dam/kornferry/docs/pdfs/KF-Future-of-Work-Talent-Crunch-Report.pdf
https://www.aarpinternational.org/
Articles by Avivah on other Corporate Initiatives: Unilever and Aviv

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In this episode of 4-Quarter Lives, we re-visit a conversation between Avivah Wittenberg-Cox and Helen Tupper, Chief Executive of Amazing If, a company redefining careers for individuals and companies. Together they explore the intricacies of career transitions during midlife and how organizations can support these changes. The conversation also delves into personal experience, highlighting the essential balance between work and life.

Helen Tupper is co-founder and CEO of Amazing If, a company with an ambition to make careers better for everyone. Together with her business partner Sarah Ellis, she is the author of three books: The Squiggly Career, You Coach You and, most recently, Learn Like a Lobster: Confidence boosting tools to help you get unstuck at work and reignite your career.Sarah and Helen are also hosts of the podcast Squiggly Careers which has had 4m downloads and their TED talk, The best career isn’t always a straight line, has been watched by almost 2m people. In 2023 Helen was awarded a place on EYs International Winning Women programme. Prior to founding Amazing If, Helen held leadership roles for Microsoft, Virgin and BP and was awarded the FT & 30% Club’s Women in Leadership MBA Scholarship.

Some Useful Links:

Amazing If website.
Book: The Squiggly Career, by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis
Book: Learn Like a Lobster, by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis
The Squiggly Careers podcast.
Helen Tupper’s LinkedIn

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This week we revisit a conversation between Avivah Wittenberg-Cox and Alistair McQueen, Head of Savings and Retirement at Aviva, the UK’s largest general insurance company and a major life and pensions provider. Aviva also has a significant presence in Canada and Ireland. Alistair leads Aviva’s pensions business, helping six million people save for and live in retirement, as well as representing Aviva in the media and with government. He is also a member of the Association of British Insurers’ retirement working group; the Money and Pensions Service long-term savings challenge group; the Department for Work & Pensions Mid-life-MOT board; the Business in the Community Age Leadership Team; and sits on the advisory board of Bravestarts – a social enterprise with the goal of supporting a fuller working life.

Some Useful Links:

Aviva – How Long will Retirement Be?
Aviva Mid-Life MOT app.
UK Government Mid-Life MOT
Brave Starts – new opportunities for over 45s.

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This week, we republish a conversation between Avivah Wittenberg-Cox and Chip Conley, the Founder and CEO of the Modern Elder Academy. Chip Conley is on a midlife mission. After disrupting the hospitality industry twice, first as the founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, the second-largest operator of boutique hotels in the U.S., and then as Airbnb’s Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy, leading a worldwide revolution in travel, Conley co-founded MEA (Modern Elder Academy) in January 2018 in Baja California, Mexico. Inspired by his experience of intergenerational mentoring as a ‘modern elder’ at Airbnb, where his guidance was instrumental to the company’s extraordinary transformation from fast-growing start-up to the world’s most valuable hospitality brand, MEA is the world’s first ‘midlife wisdom school’. Dedicated to reframing the concept of ageing, MEA supports students to navigate midlife with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility. A New York Times bestselling author, Conley’s 7th book “Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better with Age” is about rebranding midlife to help people understand the upside of this often-misunderstood life stage. In 2023 he gave a TED talk on the “midlife chrysalis.”

Some Useful Links:

Website: Chip Conley
Book: Learning to Love Midlife – or at Amazon
Website: Modern Elder Academy
Chip Copley’s Daily Blog: Wisdom Well
Blue Zones Retreat at MEA

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In this episode of the Four Quarter Lives podcast, we revisit a conversation between Avivah Wittenberg Cox and Professor Herminia Ibarra of the London Business School. As we navigate the realities of career shifts, Herminia shares invaluable insights on why these transitions often take years, not months, and the importance of managing expectations during this journey. We confront the myth of discovering a “true self” and explore how identity is actually mutable, shaped through experimentation. Herminia guides us through the often “dark, messy middle” of career change — a period of confusion and uncertainty that paradoxically serves as a fertile ground for growth. We also discuss the significance of connecting with others in similar phases and practical steps to initiate change, such as reactivating dormant networks and embarking on side projects.

Herminia Ibarra is Charles Handy Professor of Organizational Behavior at London Business School. Prior to joining LBS, she served as Professor on the INSEAD and Harvard Business School faculties. An authority on leadership and career transition, Thinkers50 ranks Herminia among the top management thinkers in the world. She is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Expert Network, a judge for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award, a Fellow of the British Academy, the recipient of the Academy of Management’s Scholar-Practitioner Award for her research’s contribution to management practice, and Governor of the London Business School.

Herminia is the author of best-selling books, Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader and Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career. She writes regularly in leading academic journals and business publications including the Harvard Business Review, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, and New York Times, is the author of numerous best-selling business case studies, and speaks internationally on leadership and organizational transformation. A native of Cuba, Herminia received her M.A. and Ph.D. from Yale University, where she was a National Science Fellow.

Some Useful Links:

Herminia Ibarra’s book on career transitions: Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career
Herminia’s website
Harvard Business Review Article: Why Career Transition is So Hard
Harvard Business Review Article: Reinventing Your Career – When It’s Not Just About You
Harvard business Review Article: 5 Barriers to Career change – And How to Overcome Them
London Business School website

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This week on 4-Quarter Lives we re-publish a conversation between Avivah Wittenberg-Cox and James Root, Senior Partner at international consultancy Bain & Co and Chair of Bain Futures, which looks at future trends. Its report, Better With Age, The Rising Importance of Older Workers, is based on asking some 40,000 people, in 19 countries, a simple but fundamental question: ‘why do you go to work?’. The report identifies 6 archetypes that encompass the diversity of motivations that people bring to their work. James and Avivah discuss the relevance of work motivations for people in their 3rd quarter, and the significance of this for companies across the world as their workforces age.

Based in Hong Kong, James Root has 35 years consulting experience in Asia, North America and Europe. He is author of The Archetype Effect, offering a new way to understand what motivates people at work every day and why they feel how they feel about their job. James is the Former Leader of Bain & Co.’s Asia Pacific Organisation Practice; Former Managing Partner of Bain New York; and Former Chair of Bain’s Nominating Committee. He has written extensively in the business press, from Harvard Business Review to The Wall Street Journal, on topics of talent, China, international expansion and the firm of the future. He is a regular guest on TV and Radio, including CNN, CNBC and Bloomberg and Adjunct Professor on the faculty of HKUST since 2011, as well as a Fellow of Hughes Hall College, Cambridge University since 2021.

Some Useful Links:

The Working Future report - https://www.bain.com/insights/the-working-future-more-human-not-less-future-of-work-report/
Quiz - https://www.bain.com/insights/six-worker-archetypes-for-the-world-ahead-future-of-work-report-interactive/
Better with Age: The Rising Importance of Older Workers - https://www.bain.com/insights/better-with-age-the-rising-importance-of-older-workers/
The Working Women report - https://www.bain.com/insights/working-women-and-the-war-for-talent/

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This week, as part of our series on Mapping the New Q3, we are re-publishing Avivah Wittenberg-Cox’s conversation from 2023 with Morag Lynagh, then Unilever’s Global Director of the Future of Work. As a major employer, Unilever is one of the first companies to recognise that people have different needs and expectations of work throughout their working lives. This led to the creation of U-Work within Unilever, a new employment model that is redefining how people relate to the world of work.

Morag is a graduate of Edinburgh University. She worked in the travel, property and conference industries before joining Unilever in 1994. Within the company she worked in HR business partnering, recruitment and reward, and spent more than a decade as Unilever’s UK Employment Policy & Law expert, leading teams in this area. In 2024 she left Unilever to establish Blue Moth Consulting, advising organisations more widely on effective talent management strategies across multi-generational workforces.

As one of the innovators behind U-Work at Unilever, Morag was responsible for rethinking the management of careers to reflect shifting needs at different life stages. In her conversation with Avivah Wittenberg-Cox they discuss what this means, as well as what leading companies are thinking about ageing societies – both from the consumer/ market side, as well as the internal/ employee side.

Some Useful Links:

For Unilever web pages on U-Work and the future of work, click here
For Unilever’s report on ‘The Future of Work’ Summit, click here.
For Unilever’s Future of Work Goals, click here.
Article by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox about U-Work: Flexibility for ALL: U-Work
Website for Blue Moth Consulting: https://bluemothconsulting.com

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In this episode of 4-Quarter Lives, the first of three on the topic of The New Q3, we are re-publishing Avivah Wittenberg-Cox’s conversation with Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot from 2022. A sociologist and Harvard Professor of Education, with a teaching and writing career spanning five decades, Sara was one of the first academics to examine and focus on the third quarter of life. Her book The Third Chapter: Risk, Passion, and Adventure in the Twenty-Five Years After 50 uses interviews and story-telling to explore how people respond to this time of new opportunity and activity – or not.

Making a Contribution – before and after 50

Across her distinguished career, Sara has studied educational culture and ecology, and the relationship between human development and social change. She has written 11 books ranging from an examination of the relationship between families and schools, and parents and teachers, to a study of the quality of respect in human behavior and experience. More recent books include ‘Exit: The Endings that Set Us Free’ and ‘Growing Each Other Up: When Our Children Become our Teachers.’

Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot has been a fellow at the Bunting Institute and at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. She is a recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Prize, was awarded Harvard’s George Ledlie Prize for research that makes the “most valuable contribution to science” and “the benefit of mankind” and has been the recipient of 28 honorary degrees from colleges and universities in the USA and Canada. Since 1998 she has been the Emily Hargroves Fisher Endowed Chair at Harvard University. Upon her retirement, this will become the Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot Chair, making Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot the first African-American woman in Harvard’s history to have an endowed professorship named in her honor.

Useful Links

For Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot’s full profile, click here.

In the course of the conversation, Sara mentions three of her many books:

The Third Chapter: Risk, Passion, and Adventure in the Twenty-Five Years After 50
Exit: The Endings that Set Us Free
Growing Each Other Up: When Our Children Become our Teachers

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Growing Each Other Up: When Our Children Become Our Teachers

The Third Chapter: Passion, Risk, and Adventure in the 25 Years After 50

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Everyone talks about longevity. Very few organisations are redesigning anything for it. In this mini-series, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox speaks with three leaders across public health, global hospitality, and telecommunications who are actively moving the dial. Three principles run through every conversation: influence, accessibility, and dignity.

NHS: Change From the Middle

Helen Bevan

Real transformation in large institutions rarely comes from the top. Helen Bevan argues it emerges from experienced leaders embedded within systems — people with the credibility, relationships, and institutional memory to drive change across organisational boundaries. In this framing, age is an asset: experience becomes social capital, and older workers are architects of change, not defenders of the status quo.

“Instead of seeing older workers as defenders of the status quo, organisations should recognise them as essential architects of change.”

NOVOTEL: Longevity, Everyday

Jean-Yves Minet, Global Brand President, Novotel

Longevity shouldn’t be a luxury product. Novotel’s ‘quiet wellbeing’ philosophy focuses on four everyday foundations — sleep, nutrition, movement, and human connection — with the goal of small, compounding improvements rather than dramatic interventions (1% each day = 37% each year). Hotels are redesigning social spaces, menus, and meeting rooms to quietly support healthier lives across all generations and price points.

“Longevity becomes embedded in daily life rather than marketed as a specialist intervention.”

AT&T: Digital Dignity

Mylayna Albright, VP Corporate Responsibility, AT&T

The barrier to digital participation for older adults isn’t access to devices — it’s confidence. AT&T’s Connected Learning Centers, embedded in trusted community spaces like YMCAs and libraries, start with the basics and build from there. The result: renewed independence, stronger social connections, and in many cases a return to work. AI’s conversational interfaces are opening new doors, turning complex tools into plain-language assistants for everyday tasks.

“Curiosity does not age out. When people are treated with dignity and given the right support, they remain capable of learning, adapting, and contributing.”

Listen

Change from the Middle — Helen Bevan (NHS)
Democratising Longevity — Jean-Yves Minet (Accor)
Digital Dignity — Mylayna Albright (AT&T)

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox is joined by Helen Bevan, one of the UK’s most respected thinkers on large-scale change inside complex systems.

Drawing on more than 35 years working inside NHS England, Helen explains why lasting change rarely starts at the top. It starts in the middle. With peers. Through relationships. And through informal influence rather than titles.

Helen shares hard-won lessons from cancer care reform, showing how improvement only works when people feel change is done with them, not to them. She unpacks why clinicians resist change when autonomy is threatened, and why trust, follow-through, and peer credibility matter more than formal authority.

The conversation explores Helen’s well-known idea of “change from the middle,” linking mid-career and midlife to real agency. She explains why people in the middle of organisations often hold the greatest influence, especially those with long-standing relationships and earned respect.

She also introduces organisational network analysis, where roughly 3 percent of people drive up to 85 percent of internal conversations. These informal connectors, often invisible to senior leaders, are where real momentum sits.

Age plays a critical role. Experience builds trust, networks, and credibility. Yet systems often overlook older professionals, or re-engage them without follow-through, turning hope into deeper scepticism. Helen explains why honouring commitments is essential, especially with seasoned contributors.

The episode closes with a hopeful view of ageing workforces, longer careers, and people-powered leadership. Helen argues the future depends on believing in people, creating psychological safety, and designing systems that let experience shine rather than fade.

Helen Bevan is a global authority on large-scale change, improvement, and leadership in complex systems. She has worked inside the NHS for over 35 years, supporting national programmes in cancer care, quality improvement, and system-wide transformation. Now Professor of Practice in Health and Care Improvement at Warwick Business School, she provides strategic advice to help leaders build people-centred systems that balance stability with innovation.

Useful Links:

Helen Bevan’s website: https://helenbevan.uk
Helen’s Warwick Business School resume: https://www.wbs.ac.uk/news/change-leader-takes-on-new-challenge-as-wbs-professor-of-practice/
Stephen Covey, Circles of Influence: https://www.franklincovey.com

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives Podcast, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox is joined by Jean-Yves Minet, Global Brand President of major hospitality group Accor, to explore how longevity is moving beyond luxury retreats and into mainstream hospitality.

Jean-Yves brings a cross-industry lens to the conversation. After more than a decade at Estée Lauder Companies, where he helped shape the brand’s approach to longevity in beauty, he transitioned into hospitality with a novel ambition: to democratise longevity.

At Novotel, that means shifting the narrative from expensive, short-term wellness retreats to what he calls “1% improvement every day.” Instead of positioning longevity as elite biohacking or anti-ageing promises, Novotel is embedding four basic pillars into its global guest experience: sleep, nutrition, movement and connection.

Drawing inspiration from Blue Zones research and the quiet luxury movement, Jean-Yves describes the rise of “quiet wellbeing” — a more discreet, accessible, and sustainable approach to living longer, better lives. From redesigned social lobbies and energy-focused meeting spaces to plant-forward menus and family-inclusive stays, Novotel is reframing its hospitality as a platform for everyday health. As populations age and travel rebounds post-COVID, Jean-Yves argues that hospitality has a responsibility not just to host guests, but to support longer, healthier and more sustainable lives, as a daily practice.

Jean-Yves Minet is Global Brand President, Midscale and Economy at Accor, where he leads a portfolio representing more than 70 percent of the Group’s global footprint, including Novotel, Mercure, TRIBE, Handwritten Collection, ibis, ibis Styles, ibis budget, and greet. A member of Accor’s Premium, Midscale and Economy Executive Committee, he shapes the strategic vision, positioning, and guest experience across more than 4,600 hotels worldwide. With over 25 years of international leadership experience, Jean-Yves brings deep expertise in global brand strategy, business expansion and commercial performance.

Useful Links

Accor’s Novotel ‘Longevity Everyday’ strategy: https://group.accor.com/en/news-stories/novotel-launches-longevity-everyday
Accor Group: https://group.accor.com
Jean-Yves Minet on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/minet/

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As we move into 2026, I’m launching a series of focused mini-series conversations on my 4-Quarter Lives podcast — three or four episodes clustered around one big strategic theme. And this is our first synthesis episode.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve spoken with Anu Madgavkar from McKinsey on the hard economics of demographic decline and AI, Dan Pontefract on what he calls “age debt” inside organisations, and Rick Robinson from AARP Innovation on the commercial scale of the longevity economy.

Individually, each conversation stands alone.

Together, they tell a much bigger story.

We are living through a structural convergence: shrinking workforces, accelerating automation, and a rapidly ageing consumer base. These are not separate trends. They are interlocking forces reshaping how we design work, build companies, and define growth.

So in today’s episode, I’m stepping back from the individual interviews to connect the dots.

What happens when demographic scarcity meets artificial intelligence?What are organisations quietly losing when they mishandle experience?And why is the so-called “longevity economy” less a niche and more the new baseline?

If you’re leading a company, designing strategy, or simply trying to make sense of what the next twenty years look like — this one is for you.

Let’s zoom out

These three recent conversations converge on a reality that most executive teams still underweight:

We are not entering a demographic shift. We are already operating inside one.

And AI has arrived at precisely the same moment.

Ageing is still too often treated as a soft HR issue. AI is still too often treated as a technical IT issue. Both framings are now strategically obsolete. Demographic contraction and technological acceleration are twin forces reshaping labour supply, productivity, and market demand — simultaneously.

This is not incremental change. It is structural redesign.

Here’s 3 key lessons you can pull from these three experts.

1. Scarcity Meets Automation

Two-thirds of the global population now lives in countries with fertility rates below replacement. In advanced economies, the ratio of “working-age” adults (I know, I struggle with this outdated segmentation too) to over-65s is heading from roughly 4:1 toward 2:1 by mid-century.

That is not an “ageing story.”It is a growth constraint.

Shrinking labour supply is not a temporary market distortion. It is the new operating environment. The post-war demographic dividend has flipped into a headwind — and it will not reverse on any five-year strategic timeline.

At the same time, AI is expanding productive capacity. A significant share of today’s work can technically be automated. A growing proportion of work hours will be repurposed says Anu Madgavkar (and the two essential McKinsey reports we discuss).

The word that matters is not “replacement.” It is redesign.

Demographic contraction reduces available human labour. AI increases task efficiency. Automation becomes the economic buffer against depopulation — but only if leaders redesign work to match.

Waiting for talent markets to “normalise” is waiting for a world that no longer exists.

In ageing societies, AI is not a discretionary innovation programme. It is a competitiveness necessity.

2. The Hidden Liability: Age Debt

Inside organisations, a quieter cost is accumulating.

Dan Pontefract calls it age debt — the liability companies build when they mishandle later careers, push out experienced professionals too early, and assume succession is a neat baton pass rather than a fragile knowledge transfer.

Age debt shows up as:

institutional memory walking out the door
overstretched middle managers carrying unrecorded expertise
expensive hiring cycles to replace tacit knowledge
subtle cultural signals that ageing equals irrelevance

The career architecture most firms still operate on was built for 40-year lives and retirement at 65. We are now building 60-year careers inside systems that were never redesigned for them.

The cost is not sentimental. It is operational.

Now add AI.

As AI systems scale, the need for human judgment increases. Algorithms generate output; humans remain accountable. Context, pattern recognition, risk intuition, ethical calibration — these do not sit neatly inside code.

Here is the paradox most boards have not fully absorbed:

The more AI you introduce, the more you need experienced judgment.

Automation raises the premium on wisdom.

Push out seasoned professionals prematurely and you are not rejuvenating the workforce. You are eroding the human governance layer that makes AI safe and valuable.

Retain and redesign later careers and you convert age debt into an experience dividend — a compounding asset of judgment, mentorship, decision quality, and system stability.

Experience is not a cost centre. It is a strategic hedge.

3. Innovation Beyond Theatre

Externally, the blindness is just as pronounced.

The so-called “longevity economy” is still widely misunderstood as a niche healthcare segment. It is not. It is the mainstream consumer market of extended lives.

Older consumers hold a disproportionate share of wealth and will do so for decades. Yet marketing, product design and brand narratives remain youth-coded.

This is not just a cultural bias. It is a commercial oversight.

Rick Robinson’s work at AARP highlights a growing ecosystem of startups building for longer lives — not as charity, but as opportunity. The focus is autonomy, connection, caregiving, financial resilience, mobility, housing, participation. Everyday life, extended.

The critical insight: older consumers are not tech-resistant. They are dignity-sensitive.

They adopt technology when it offers control, usefulness, safety, and respect. They disengage when it patronises or excludes.

Design for longer lives and you unlock durable revenue streams. Continue designing for a shrinking youth segment and you compress your future.

The longevity opportunity is not a side market. It is the new baseline.

The Leadership Shift Required

Demographics and AI are not parallel trends. They are interdependent.

Internally, this means redesigning careers as phased transitions rather than cliff-edge exits. It means valuing transferable skills — communication, judgment, systems thinking — alongside digital fluency. It means investing in reskilling across the life course, not front-loading it in early adulthood.

Externally, it means recognising ageing populations not as burdens, but as engines of demand and innovation. Product development, marketing, and customer experience must reflect the reality of longer, multi-stage lives.

This is not about “managing ageing.”It is about designing for extended vitality.

Leaders who succeed in the next decade will pair human judgment, experience, and empathy with technological partners. They will see longevity not as a risk to mitigate but as the context in which all strategy now operates.

The demographic shift is not coming.It is here.

AI will not save you without experience.And experience will not compound unless you redesign the system that contains it.

The organisations that thrive in 2040 are being designed today.

Is yours’?

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives Podcast, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox is joined by Dan Pontefract to tackle one of the last big blind spots in corporate leadership. Age.

Dan is a long-time culture and leadership thinker, former Chief Learning Officer, and the author of six books on work, purpose, and performance. His latest book, The Future of Work Is Grey, turns the spotlight on what he calls “age debt”, the hidden cost organisations accumulate by ignoring demographics, longevity, and experience.

The conversation starts with Dan’s own wake-up call at 50, when he realised how invisible age had been throughout his executive career. From there, Avivah and Dan unpack why ageing has become the corporate issue nobody wants to own, despite collapsing birth rates, longer working lives, and growing talent scarcity across Europe, the UK, and beyond.

Dan introduces a clear set of ideas that help leaders move past generational stereotypes. Instead of Gen X, Y, or Z, he frames working lives through three phases. Rivers, Rocks, and Rubies. Early career learners, mid-career stabilisers, and later-career wisdom holders. The problem, he argues, is that most organisations manage today’s 50-plus talent using outdated mid-career assumptions, creating burnout in the middle and waste at the top.

Together, they explore the real business costs of age blindness. Lost knowledge, stressed middle managers, pension and workforce planning failures, and rising ageism hidden in hiring and promotion systems. Dan describes four forms of age debt already hitting company balance sheets. Demographic ignorance, lost wisdom, unplanned longevity, and embedded age bias.

The discussion then shifts to solutions. Dan shares concrete examples from BMW, Tokyo Gas, L’Oréal, and Canadian public organisations that are redesigning careers, retaining experience, and creating structured transitions instead of abrupt exits. These organisations are turning age debt into experience dividends.

Avivah and Dan also dig into one of the hardest topics. Money. They challenge the assumption that experience always equals inflexibility or unsustainable cost, and explain why purpose, contribution, and fair reward matter more than linear pay ladders in later career stages.

The episode closes with a forward look. What will distinguish organisations that succeed in an ageing, talent-scarce economy? Dan’s answer is simple and demanding. Leaders must become age-aware first, then age-invisible. Seeing talent, not birthdays, while designing systems that work across longer lives.

Dan Pontefract is a leadership strategist, keynote speaker, and award-winning author based in Canada. He has held senior executive roles including Chief Learning Officer in global organisations across technology and telecommunications. Dan is the author of six books on leadership, culture, and work, including Flat Army, The Purpose Effect, and The Future of Work Is Grey. His work focuses on how organisations can build healthier cultures, think long-term, and better integrate purpose, experience, and human potential across longer working lives. He is a regular contributor to global business conversations on leadership and the future of work.

Useful Links

Dan Pontefract Website: https://www.danpontefract.com
The Future of Work Is : https://www.danpontefract.com/the-future-of-work-is-grey/
Dan Pontefract on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danpontefract

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox is joined by Rick Robinson, who leads innovation at AARP and is the driving force behind the Agetech Collaborative.

Rick shares how a career spent at the edge of emerging technology led him to longevity innovation. From early work in online media to running AARP’s innovation lab, his focus has stayed constant. Build what matters next, and make it real.

The conversation traces AARP’s shift from internal pilots to ecosystem building. Rick explains why he moved away from what he calls innovation theater and toward startups with products already solving real problems for people over 50. During COVID, that shift accelerated, giving rise to the Agetech Collaborative.

Today, the Collaborative connects more than 650 startups, investors, enterprises, and testbeds across health, caregiving, fintech, mobility, housing, and AI. Rick’s goal is clear. Reach 1,000 companies and create a self-sustaining global market for longevity innovation.

He and Avivah explore concrete examples already changing lives. Simpler digital wills. AI support for dementia caregivers. Secure digital vaults for family records. Exoskeleton clothing that boosts mobility. Captioning glasses for real-world conversations. Tools that help grandparents read bedtime stories in augmented reality.

Rick also tackles the hard questions. Privacy. Ethics. AI in the home. He argues that older adults are far more tech-ready than most leaders assume, and that convenience, dignity, and control matter more than novelty.

The episode closes with a direct challenge to big business and investors. Demographics are destiny. By 2035, people over 65 will outnumber children in many countries. The growth market is already here, and it is being ignored at real cost.

Rick Robinson is Vice President of Product Innovation at AARP and is the architect of the Agetech Collaborative. With a career spanning early online media, digital product leadership, and emerging technologies, Rick has consistently worked at the frontier of what comes next. At AARP, he has helped drive innovation from internal experimentation t a global startup ecosystem focused on real-world impact for people over 50 and their families. His work connects startups, investors, enterprises, and researchers to accelerate practical solutions for longevity, caregiving, health, and independent living.

Useful Links

Agetech Collaborative: https://agetechcollaborative.org
AARP Innovation: https://www.aarp.org/innovation
Trust & Will: https://trustandwill.com
Amicus Brain: https://amicusbrain.com
Zoog: https://getzoog.com
Neko Health: https://www.nekohealth.com

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives Podcast, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox is joined by Anu Madgavkar, a senior partner at McKinsey & Company, to explore the collision of two defining forces shaping our future: global demographic decline and the rapid rise of artificial intelligence.

Anu has led two major McKinsey reports published in the same year, one on depopulation and shifting dependency ratios, and the other on AI, agents, robots and the future of work. In this conversation, she explains why these forces cannot be understood in isolation. Falling birth rates and longer lives are shrinking the global labour supply at the same moment that AI is expanding productive capacity.

Together, Avivah and Anu unpack the scale of the demographic shift already underway. Two thirds of the world now live in countries below replacement fertility. In many advanced economies, the ratio of working-age adults to people over 65 will fall from four to two by 2050. Without changes to how we work and how long we work, this alone could remove around 0.5 percentage points of annual GDP growth.

AI enters the picture as a potential counterweight. Anu shares McKinsey research showing that 57 percent of current work hours in the US could technically be automated with existing technologies. By 2030, around 30 percent of work hours may be repurposed. This does not point to mass unemployment, but to a deep redesign of jobs, workflows, and skills.

A central theme is AI fluency. Demand for it has risen sevenfold in just two years, faster than any other skill. Anu argues this is not a young person’s advantage. Mid-career and older professionals often bring deep system knowledge, judgement, and pattern recognition that matter even more as work shifts from task execution to oversight, sense-checking, and redesigning processes that include AI co-workers.

Anu also highlights eight high-prevalence transferable skills that appear in 70 to 90 percent of job postings. These include communication, problem solving, detail orientation, writing, operations thinking, and customer awareness. In a world of constant job change, these form the backbone of sustainable 60-year careers, especially when combined with hands-on experience using AI tools.

The conversation closes with a clear message for midlife professionals. Experiment, use AI directly learn by doing. The future of work will reward those who pair human judgement, experience, and empathy with new technological partners.

Anu Madgavkar is a senior partner at McKinsey & Company and a leader at the McKinsey Global Institute, where she focuses on the future of work, productivity, demographics, and technology. She has co-authored major global research on depopulation, ageing societies, AI, automation, and workforce transitions. Anu advises business leaders and policymakers worldwide on how economic and technological shifts affect jobs, skills, and growth. She is widely recognised for translating complex data into practical insights on how work and society are changing.

Useful Links:

McKinsey Global Institute. Depopulation and Dependency Reporthttps://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/our-research/dependency-and-depopulation-confronting-the-consequences-of-a-new-demographic-reality
McKinsey Global Institute. AI, Agents, Robots, and the Future of Workhttps://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/our-research/generative-ai-and-the-future-of-work-in-america
Anu Madgavkar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anu-madgavkar/
McKinsey & Company Website: https://www.mckinsey.com

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox is joined by Simon Chan and Dr. Kate Schaefers, co-chairs of the Nexel Collaborative, a not-for-profit network of academic thought leaders promoting college-based midlife transition programmes. As societies shift toward age-diverse populations and 60-year careers, they explore why higher education must evolve from a front-loaded, early-life model to one that supports adults through multiple transitions across the life course.

Together, they examine the rise of midlife and later-life learning programs, the demographic and economic pressures reshaping universities, and the growing demand from individuals seeking purpose, reinvention, and community beyond traditional retirement. Drawing on their work with Nexel, CoGenerate, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Simon and Kate highlight the emerging ecosystem—from intergenerational classrooms to university-based retirement communities—now pointing toward an era of lifelong, cross-generational campuses.

Simon Chan is the Founder and CEO of Adapt with Intent Inc., advising organizations on longevity, work, higher education, and retirement. He partners with senior leaders to build resilient workforces, modernize retirement, and design systems for 100-year lives. A Global Ambassador for the Stanford Center on Longevity, he translates research into practice. Simon co-chairs The Nexel Collaborative to advance midlife transitions and serves on Yale’s Experienced Leaders Initiative Advisory Board. A Senior Fellow at CoGenerate, he champions intergenerational innovation. He chairs Wilfrid Laurier University’s Board of Governors and frequently speaks and writes on longevity and workforce change across various sectors in Canada and around the world.

Dr. Kate Schaefers a psychologist, educator, and director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) and The Midlife Academy at the University of Minnesota. As co-chair of The Nexel Collaborative, she works with universities across the U.S. to advance midlife learning, intergenerational classrooms, and innovative program design for adults in transition. She previously led the University of Minnesota’s Advanced Careers Initiative, where she developed one of the country’s first “midternship” models blending academic exploration with applied work experience. Kate’s work centers on adult development, identity shifts, and how institutions can better support individuals at pivot points such as career change, caregiving, empty nest, and post-retirement reinvention.

Useful Links

Nexel Collaborative website
Campus CoGenerate: https://cogenerate.org/harnessing-the-power-of-cogeneration-on-campus/
University Retirement Communities: https://www.universityretirementcommunities.com/
Inside Higher Education Enrollment Cliff, Meet Longevity Boom: https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/2024/08/08/longevity-boom-boost-higher-ed-opinion
CoGenerate Webinar - Three College Presidents on Cogeneration, Innovation and Higher Ed’s Bottom Line:
The Midlife Academy at the University of Minnesota https://ccaps.umn.edu/midlife-academy
National Resource Center for Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes: https://sps.northwestern.edu/oshernrc/
Long Life Learning and the Age Integration of Higher Education, Stanford Social Innovation Review: https://ssir.org/articles/entry/long_life_learning_and_the_age_integration_of_higher_educat

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In Series 10 of 4-Quarter Lives Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with the leaders of a growing number of university faculties running programmes for individuals looking to change direction as they enter their 3rd Quarter of life. She discusses the origins and motivations for these programmes and how they fit into the evolving role of higher education. This week she speaks with Professor Virginia Cha, Academic Director of the new Distinguished Senior Fellows Program at the National University of Singapore (NUS)—Asia’s first university-based midlife transition program.

They explore why Singapore, one of the world’s fastest-ageing societies, is pioneering this new model; how the program blends longevity science, purpose projects, fieldwork, and an ASEAN immersion trip; and the remarkable friendships and impact emerging from this inaugural cohort.

Virginia shares why she launched this 13-week, executive-level program—rooted in longevity literacy, purpose, and impact—designed specifically for adults navigating their 3rd Quarter of life. She describes Singapore’s demographic pressures, the untapped “third demographic dividend,” and why midlife talent represents one of Asia’s most powerful yet overlooked assets. She and Avivah discuss the program’s unique structure: curated seminars across philosophy, religion, culture, arts, and science; a signature module, Thriving in the 100-Year Life; and team-based impact projects.

Virginia also reflects on her own turning-65 moment, rediscovering early passions in anthropology and religion, and designing the program she wished existed. Unexpectedly, the deepest impact has been friendship—“like kindergarten again,” she says—revealing the joy, stimulation, and motivation that come from learning in community in later life.

Professor Virginia Cha is the Academic Director of the Distinguished Senior Fellows Program at the National University of Singapore (NUS). An award-winning educator, entrepreneur, and longtime adjunct faculty member at NUS, she brings decades of experience spanning technology leadership, innovation, and executive development. After a global career in tech and business—including multiple CEO roles—Virginia turned her attention to longevity, purpose, and the future of ageing in Asia.

Useful Links

Distinguished Senior Fellows Program (NUS)
SmiLing Gecko Cambodia — social enterprise & education project

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In Season 10 of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with the leaders of a growing number of university faculties developing programmes for individuals looking to change direction in their 3rd Quarter of life. We explore the origins and motivations behind these programmes—and how they fit the evolving role of higher education in ageing societies.

This week we are republishing Avivah’s conversation with Céline Abecassis-Moedas, Pro-Rector for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Lisbon, Portugal, and Co-Director of the Longevity Leadership Program at Catolica. As becomes clear during their conversation, her fellow director on this program is Avivah Wittenberg-Cox!

Not surprisingly their conversation focuses on the need for and value of a Longevity Leadership programme of this kind. Launched in June 2024, the week-long program addresses the growing impact of lengthening lives for individuals, businesses and society. Céline explains how it offers a unique, holistic approach that combines three elements – personal development, business strategy and societal perspectives on longevity. Lisbon is itself emerging as a longevity hub in various ways, making it a valuable location for the program. Céline describes how her personal experience sparked her interest in longevity and her recognition of a gap in executive education in part (though not specifically) for the 55+ demographic, and examining the growing significance of longer careers. Working with Avivah, they developed this into the larger concept of a course also exploring the organisational and societal implications of changing demographics, and structured a program that covers macro-economic trends, business opportunities, career transitions, personal health and finance, and even urban planning, bringing in a range of experts on each of these topics. Participants, ranging in age from late 20s to early 60s, gender balanced and from a range of corporate and non-corporate backgrounds, reported exceptionally high satisfaction ratings.

Céline Abecassis-Moedas is a Professor and Pro-Rector for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Universidade Católica Portuguesa and an Ambassador at the Stanford Center on Longevity. She holds a PhD in Management from École Polytechnique, Paris and an MA in Management from the Université Paris Dauphine. She is a graduate from École Normale Supérieure de Cachan and La Sorbonne in Economics and Management. Celine was Dean for Executive Education at Catolica Lisbon from 2019 to 2024 and previously Assistant Professor at the Centre for Business Management at Queen Mary, University of London. She worked in Business Development at Lectra in New York and as a Consultant at AT Kearney in London. Céline’s research interests are on the role of design in innovation, design management, innovation management and entrepreneurship mostly in creative industries, and her work as been widely published. In addition to her academic experience, Celine is non-executive director at CUF, Vista Alegre Atlantis and Lectra.

Some Useful Links:

Catolica Lisbon Longevity Leadership Program Overview
Catolica Lisbon Longevity Leadership Program Structure
Catolica Lisbon Longevity Leadership Program Application Form
Stanford Center on Longevity Ambassador

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox is joined by Dr Amelia Peterson — founding faculty member of the London Interdisciplinary School (LIS) — to explore how higher education can reinvent itself for an age of complexity, longevity, and accelerating change.

Amelia shares the story behind LIS’s bold rethink of the traditional MBA — an interdisciplinary programme designed not around internal business functions, but around six defining global “shifts”: complexity, intelligence, energy, ecosystems, trust, and longevity. These six forces, she explains, are reshaping work, leadership, and the skills needed to navigate an era of systemic uncertainty.

Unlike conventional MBAs focused on finance and management silos, LIS’s approach begins with the world outside organisations — the social, environmental, and technological transformations that leaders must now understand to act responsibly and effectively. Each “shift” is both a slide (a slow-moving global trend) and a shock (an accelerating disruption), demanding that leaders develop adaptive, long-term perspectives.

Amelia discusses how longevity became a cornerstone of the curriculum — linking demographic change and longer working lives to corporate time horizons and intergenerational collaboration. Drawing on her background in education policy and systems innovation, she outlines how LIS is creating programmes that combine academic depth with real-world application.

The new MBA-alternative is designed for mid-career professionals — typically in their late 30s to 50s — who want to keep working while studying. The 18-month, part-time format blends immersive residential weeks with hybrid learning, offering time for what LIS calls the “inner shift”: personal and interpersonal development alongside intellectual exploration. Amelia also highlights how LIS is tackling accessibility in higher education — offering a world-class programme at roughly half the price of elite US equivalents..

As higher education faces its own “midlife crisis” — demographic shifts, AI disruption, and declining enrolments — LIS is testing how universities can stay relevant. Amelia sees its role as “innovating on behalf of the system,” developing new models of learning, assessment, and leadership that larger institutions may one day adopt.

Dr Amelia Peterson is a social scientist and founding faculty member at the London Interdisciplinary School (LIS), where she leads curriculum innovation and programme design. Her research bridges education policy, systems change, and the future of work, focusing on how learning environments can prepare people to tackle complex, real-world problems. Before joining LIS, she worked with the Innovation Unit, advising governments and public-sector leaders on education reform, and held academic positions at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the London School of Economics. She holds degrees from Harvard and LSE and is a leading voice on rethinking higher education for a changing world.

Useful Links:

London Interdisciplinary School (LIS) – MBA Programme
Amelia Peterson on LinkedIn
LIS Website

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In Series 10 of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox explores how higher education is reinventing itself for ageing societies—helping experienced leaders and professionals navigate longer lives, extended careers, and purposeful transitions beyond their peak corporate years.

In this episode, Avivah speaks with Hellmut Schütte, Emeritus Professor of International Management at INSEAD, about INSEAD’s groundbreaking new programme, AI Ventures - Empowering Your Life Transition. Launched in early 2024, the course quickly became the school’s most popular lifelong-learning offer, designed for senior professionals seeking renewal after formal careers. Hellmut explains how the initiative blends longevity, AI and entrepreneurship to help alumni rediscover meaning, develop “dream projects”, and master emerging technologies. He shares what the programme reveals about purpose, pride, and the untapped potential of later-life learners—and why business schools must rethink their role in this new demographic era.

Hellmut Schütte is Emeritus Professor of International Management at INSEAD and former Dean of INSEAD Singapore and CEIBS in China. With a career spanning Europe and Asia, he is widely recognised for his expertise in global strategy, emerging markets and cross-cultural leadership. Since joining INSEAD in France, he held various other academic roles in the US, Japan, Switzerland and Central Europe. In recent years, Hellmut has turned his focus to longevity and lifelong learning, spearheading INSEAD’s innovative AI Ventures - Empowering Your Life Transition programme.

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In Series 10 of the 4-Quarter Lives Podcast, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox continues her exploration of how universities around the world are redesigning themselves for longer lives and careers. In this episode, she talks with Stewart McTavish and Alison Wood from the University of Cambridge about the launch of Better Futures, a new programme supporting leaders in midlife transition.

Together they reflect on why now is the moment for Cambridge to join this global movement and how the university’s distinctive collegiate structure and interdisciplinary depth are shaping its approach. Stewart and Alison describe how Cambridge is reimagining its role in an ageing society — from offering “structured spaciousness” for reflection to building a community of leaders committed to creating “better futures.” They share the programme’s three pillars — Foundations, Frontiers and Wayfinding — and how these help participants navigate transition while remaining deeply connected to impact and meaning. It’s a thoughtful look at how an 800-year-old institution is quietly reinventing itself for the longevity era.

About Stewart McTavish

Stewart McTavish is the Academic Director and co-founder of the Better Futures Programme. A long-time innovator at the intersection of technology entrepreneurship and social impact, he has spent over two decades helping build Cambridge’s innovation ecosystem, as a founder and entrepreneur himself and also as a supporter including as the founding Director of University of Cambridge’s ideaSpace and as a founder of Deeptech Labs, an accelerator and venture fund. His background is computer science and engineering informs his systems-based approach to change, and his current focus is on connecting leaders across business, society, politics and academia to co-create opportunities to cultivate better futures.

About Alison Wood

Dr Alison Wood is Deputy Director of the Better Futures programme and a Fellow at Homerton College, University of Cambridge. A scholar of the humanities and education, she has spent her career exploring how universities can respond to societal change through innovation and interdisciplinary learning. Her work spans literature, music, and leadership education, and she has been a driving force behind Cambridge’s experiments in lifelong learning and midlife transformation. Passionate about rethinking what universities are for, she brings a deep interest in systems, culture, and the evolution of knowledge communities.

Useful links

University of Cambridge – Better Futures Programme

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In Series 10 of 4 Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox continues her exploration of the world’s leading midlife transition programmes. This week she speaks with Sebastian Kernbach, founder of the University of St. Gallen’s Next – Design Your Future initiative — the first university-based midlife programme in continental Europe.

Previously he worked for Xerox and Interbrand. He advises and consults organizations like Nike, The United Nations, IBM and others. He founded the Visual Collaboration Lab and the Life Design Lab at the University of St. Gallen and co-authored the award-winning book “Meet up!” as well as the best-selling books “Life Design” and “Life Design Action Book”, and is author of the forthcoming book Design Your Future.

Useful links:

University of St. Gallen – Next Programme web page

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In Series 10 of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with the leaders of a growing number of university faculties developing programmes for individuals looking to change direction in their 3rd Quarter of life. We explore the origins and motivations behind these programmes—and how they fit the evolving role of higher education in ageing societies.

In this episode she speaks with Marc Freedman — one of the world’s most influential thinkers on ageing, purpose, and intergenerational connection. As co-founder and co-CEO of CoGenerate, and founding faculty director of Yale’s Experienced Leaders Initiative, Marc has spent four decades at the forefront of reimagining how society supports connection, contribution and education across generations.

Marc reflects on his journey from creating Experience Corps — a pioneering national program linking older volunteers with schoolchildren — to leading Encore.org (which popularized the concept of the “encore career” — a second act for the greater good) and now CoGenerate, a leading organization bridging the generational divide through programs and partnerships that connect older and younger people to solve society’s biggest challenges.. Across these initiatives, his mission has remained consistent: to bridge generational divides and build a more cohesive, age-integrated society.

Avivah and Marc explore how higher education is beginning to adapt to longevity and the new life course. They discuss the evolution of midlife learning programs from Harvard’s ALI to Yale’s hybrid ELI model, and what universities must do to become truly multi-generational. Together, they consider the big questions: How do we scale these programs beyond elite institutions? How do we make midlife learning affordable, inclusive, and globally accessible?

Marc shares why transitions in midlife take longer than expected, why reflection is as vital as reinvention, and how the future of education will depend on bringing young and old together to co-create what comes next.

Marc Freedman is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of CoGenerate, as well as the Founding Faculty Director of Yale’s Experienced Leaders Initiative (ELI). He was previously the Founder and CEO of Encore.org. He also co-founded Experience Corps, one of the U.S.’s largest service programs for older adults, now part of AARP. Marc is the author of several books, including The Big Shift and How to Live Forever, and was named one of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs by the Schwab Foundation.

Useful Links:

Yale Experienced Leaders Initiative website
Learn more about CoGenerate
Experience Corps web-page

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In Series 10 of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with the leaders of a growing number of university faculties developing programmes for individuals looking to change direction in their 3rd Quarter of life. We explore the origins and motivations behind these programmes—and how they fit the evolving role of higher education in ageing societies.

This week we republish a conversation Avivah had with Lindsey Beagley, Senior Director of Lifelong University Engagement at Arizona State University. They discuss the growing interest of universities to re-design themselves for the new age of longevity, engaging with people throughout their lives rather than just as the outset. Lindsey describes how Arizona State University is doing so in its various programmes, and in particular their ground-breaking Mirabella University Retirement Community on the ASU Tempe campus – integrating a continuing care retirement community into a university campus. She talks about how older adults involved in the Mirabella program are eager to help young people as well as to continue their own learning, and how this desire to mentor and support younger generations has influenced the program’s design and success.

Lindsey Beagley currently serves as Senior Director of Lifelong University Engagement at Arizona State University. In this role, she launched Mirabella at ASU, a University Retirement Community on the ASU Tempe campus. She serves on the global council of the Age-Friendly University Global Network and on the board of directors for Heirloom Communities, intergenerational residential housing for low-income older adults and youth aging out of the foster care system. Beagley holds a master’s degree in public administration and is currently pursuing her Doctor of Education degree in Higher Education Leadership and Innovation with a focus on intergenerational learning in college classrooms.

Some Useful Links:

https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/2024/08/08/longevity-boom-boost-higher-ed-opinion
https://www.mirabellaasu.org/
https://learning.asu.edu/
https://www.universityretirementcommunities.com/
The Nexel Collaborative: https://thenexel.org/
Age Friendly University Global Network: www.afugn.org
Heirloom Communities: https://www.heirloomcommunities.com/

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This week she welcomes Seth Green, Dean of the University of Chicago’s Graham School, which is the home to the university’s Leadership & Society Initiative (LSI). Seth discusses how a Chicago-style commitment to humanistic inquiry and free expression is reshaping midlife transitions—and the lives of the people who join them.

Seth also explains why LSI exists now: longer lives, extended careers, and leaders who want to “rewire and refire” rather than retire. Chicago’s DNA—great books and rigorous debate—anchors a three-part journey: know oneself, understand the world, and envision the future. Humanistic inquiry sits at the core, from Aristotle to Viktor Frankl, complemented by executive tools and one-to-one coaching that turn reflection into direction.

Free expression is treated as a feature, not a bug. Faculty deliberately present competing lenses—economics, sociology, policy—so fellows stress-test assumptions and sharpen their own views. The result is intellectual freedom many executives haven’t enjoyed while holding institutional titles. LSI then translates insight into action through practical routes to impact: board service, strategic philanthropy, and venture creation.

The programme now runs along two pathways. Design, a fully embedded year on campus, immerses fellows in 15 courses (nine cohort-based plus six audits across the university), mentoring relationships, and a culminating purpose plan. Imagine, a low-residency option of four four-day gatherings with hybrid touchpoints, offers a compass for leaders who remain in demanding roles yet want structured progress toward a portfolio life.

LSI is “stage-not-age.” Candidates are at meaningful inflection points—often C-suite or equivalent—eager to redeploy serious skills toward contribution. What participants rate most highly isn’t only the Nobel-calibre faculty; it’s the peers. Values-based dialogue forges friendships that outlast titles and help executives escape what Seth calls the “underside of achievement,” the prestige trap that can slow reinvention.

Midlife transitions take longer than most expect. LSI supports the arc beyond year one through its Alliance community, accompanying fellows as they iterate purpose into practice. Demand is strong—over 700 candidacies in the programme’s first years—while the university’s leadership champions LSI as part of a broader vision of an “engaged university,” integrating experience-rich leaders with research and teaching to co-create societal value.

Seth Green is Dean of the University of Chicago’s Graham School. Before joining Graham, he served as Founding Director of the Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise and Responsibility at Loyola University Chicago. Previously he led Youth & Opportunity United (Y.O.U.), a nonprofit organization that prepares low-income youth for post-secondary and life success. Earlier in his career, Green worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company. A recipient of McKinsey’s Community Fellowship, he spent one year of his time at the firm supporting nonprofit clients, including the Gates Foundation and United Way.

USEFUL LINKS

Chicago’s Leadership and Society Initiative Website

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This week she welcomes Sara Singer, Faculty Director of the Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute (DCI), to discuss how midlife transition programmes are reshaping universities — and the lives of the people who join them. A leading voice on health policy, organisational behaviour, and system design, Sara has brought a research lens to DCI, measuring its impact on purpose, community, and wellness.

In this conversation, Sara shares how she moved from Harvard to Stanford, and then took on first Research Director and then Faculty Director of DCI. She explains why the programme treats each fellow’s journey as an experiment, how intergenerational learning on campus reinvigorates both students and midlife professionals, and why she sees DCI as a “jewel on campus.”

They explore DCI’s three evidence-based pillars — renewing purpose, building community, and recalibrating wellness — and what the data reveals about their effectiveness. Sara also reflects on unique aspects of the programme, including its openness to couples, memoir writing, and Life Transformation Reflections. She explains why “readiness” is the key ingredient for successful fellows, and how transitions at midlife take more time than most expect. This conversation offers an inside look at how institutions can prepare people — and societies — for our new, multi-stage, 60-year careers.

Sara Singer is Professor of Health Policy and Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine and Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She is Faculty Director of the Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute and also serves as its Research Director. Her scholarship spans health policy, leadership, and system design, with a focus on how organisations can improve population health outside of traditional medical care. At DCI, she integrates rigorous research with faculty leadership to help fellows — and the university — benefit from midlife transformation and intergenerational learning.

USEFUL LINKS

Learn more about the Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute
Explore the Excel Collaborative — a network of midlife transition programmes

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In Series 10 of 4-Quarter Lives Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with the leaders of a growing number of university faculties developing programmes for individuals looking to change direction in their 3rd Quarter of life. She discusses the origins and motivations for these programmes and how they fit into the evolving role of higher education. In this episode, she talks with Brian Trelstad, faculty chair of Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative. Amongst other topics they discuss

The origins of ALI and the three trends it was designed to address: longer lifespans, the complexity of global problems, and higher education’s role in public problem-solving.
ALI’s focus on impact — equipping fellows to address problems they care deeply about, whether through launching initiatives, joining existing platforms, or building a portfolio of meaningful activities.
The “person-problem-pathway” framework for aligning leadership skills with social change goals.
Who thrives in ALI: accomplished professionals with curiosity, humility, and a readiness to learn and unlearn.
How the program is expanding its before-and-after support — from recruitment to alumni engagement and project acceleration.
Why humility, curiosity, and experiential learning are essential for shifting from private sector leadership to social impact work.
The evidence linking purpose, pro-sociality, and longevity — and why ALI is, in a way, a health program.

Whether you’re considering your own third chapter or just curious about how universities are reimagining leadership education for a 100-year life, this conversation offers a rich insider’s view of the field’s pioneer.

Brian Trelstad is the William Henry Bloomberg Senior Lecturer of Business Administration and the Joseph L. Rice III, Faculty Fellow at Harvard Business School and the Faculty Chair for the Advanced Leadership Initiative for Harvard University. He teaches social entrepreneurship and systems change, impact investing, and business ethics. Outside of Harvard, Brian is a Partner and Board Member of Bridges Fund Management, a pioneering impact investment fund.

Useful Links:

Learn more about ALI: advancedleadership.harvard.edu
Brian’s Harvard profile

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Welcome to 4-Quarter Lives, a podcast exploring the profound impact of longer, healthier and more engaged lives, not only for ourselves and our couples, but also for companies and countries. I’m Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, and today, I’m doing a summary of our 9th season of this podcast.

Each season of 4-Quarter Lives feels like a tapestry—woven from voices, visions, and lived experiments in the age of longevity. Season 9 may be the most practical yet: full of builders, architects, and reimagineers of how we live, age, and contribute across life’s 4 Quarters.

Instead of summarising episode by episode, I’ve stepped back to distil the bigger picture. Across ten cool conversations, three conclusions emerged that I believe are shaping the future we need—urgently, optimistically, and globally.

Longevity is Inspiring a New Generation of Products & Services

One of the clearest patterns to emerge this season was the burst of creativity in the longevity economy—services that meet both the challenges and possibilities of longer lives.

There’s a beautiful throughline here: that midlife and later life are not just about winding down, but winding differently. These new services are creating options for housing, purpose, income, and legacy—often in deeply intergenerational ways.

Lisa Goldsobel’s work at Two Generations was a standout. Matching older homeowners with younger renters is more than a housing fix—it’s a loneliness solution, a purpose-provider, and an empathy engine.
Laurie Kilby reminded us that fostering isn’t just for the young. An innovative new platform, Now Foster, inspired by Now Teach founder Katie Waldegrave, taps into the experience and spaciousness of midlife to invite people to support children in care—through flexible roles that are redefining what caregiving can look like - one weekend a month.
Farah Baxter and Ignacio Moreno reframe legacy as something emotional and accessible. Their platform, Soalma, helps people record and share their stories, values, and advice (as well as admin details and paperwork)—a kind of “emotional will” that may turn out to be more lasting than any financial or legal one.
Julianne Miles runs Career Returners, and her new book Return Journey shares the lessons of thousands of people who’ve gone back to work after an extended break. As lives and careers lengthen, we’ll need more breaks, more returns and a better understanding of how to manage it all. For both individuals and companies. Here, she shares her summary view.
Neeraj Sagar’s WisdomCircle is a professional headhunter’s mature passion project. It connects retirees with companies and causes that value their insights. It’s a quiet revolution in how we value age, experience, and time. A placement platform that values wisdom and experience, not screens it out with AI. And supported by some of the top people in the business.

These aren’t fringe ideas—they’re scalable, smart, and deeply human. And they share a philosophy I deeply believe in: that connection is the gift - and essential survival skill - of longevity.

Conclusion: Intergenerational design isn’t just nice—it’s necessary. Longevity done well serves - and benefits - all ages.

It’s Not Just Lifespan. It’s Also Healthspan—and Fullspan.

This season deepened my conviction that living longer isn’t the point, despite billions being invested to do just that. The goal is simpler and a lot cheaper. Live better, longer. And to do that, we need new definitions, new metrics, and new mindsets.

Three guests stood out in shaping this thinking:

Richard Leider, a global pioneer in ‘purpose’ coaching, reminded us that meaning is a biological imperative. Purpose doesn’t just extend our years—it enriches them. And it’s most powerful when it’s practical, everyday, and shared. And it doesn’t have to have a capital ‘P.’
Melinda Blau, with her signature blend of warmth and research, reframed ageing as a relational journey. It’s not about the family you’re born into, but the “wisdom friends” you cultivate. She shares her latest book, The Wisdom Whisperers, showcasing her deep friendships with nine ‘old ladies’ who taught her how to age.
Mileham Hayes brought the physician’s lens—one sharpened by decades in cardiac care. His message was sobering but hopeful: most of the major killers in older age are preventable. But only if we start testing and treating risk early and personally. So he shares what is most likely to kill you in every decade and what tests you should run to prevent that happening to you.

Together, they drew a new kind of longevity triangle: Purpose. Prevention. People. The three “Ps” of fullspan health.

Conclusion: We must stop treating ageing as a condition to be endured and start designing for energy, connection, and meaning at every stage.

To Matter, Longevity Must Be Local—and Global

The final message of the season took us beyond the West—and into the rich, diverse realities of aging in the Global South. We often talk about longevity as if it’s only happening in wealthy countries. But the data says otherwise—and so do our guests.

Saher Mehdi, a molecular biologist turned health entrepreneur in India, is creating AI-guided diagnostics specifically for women. Her work on biological age is brilliant—but her motivation is even more striking. She’s filling a gap that most Western systems barely acknowledge: affordable, gender-informed longevity care in low-resource settings.
Maria Clara Pinheiro, who leads Ashoka’s longevity work in India, showed how older adults are being empowered not through government policy, but social innovation. She highlighted grassroots leaders—from grandmother-led mental health programmes in Zimbabwe to intergenerational educators in Brazil—who are reframing age as an asset.

Their work reminded me that ageing may be universal, but the solutions must be rooted in culture, context, and equity. Longevity is not just a science—it’s a social contract.

Conclusion: The future of aging is not one-size-fits-all. It’s local, lived, and deeply varied. Listening is the first act of innovation.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Looking back on Season 9, what struck me most was how tangible it all felt. These weren’t just ideas. They were already becoming reality. Quietly, bravely, and beautifully.

If Season 8 explored the demographic disruption, Season 9 revealed the builders. People crafting new scaffolding for longer lives: services, tools, mindsets, and movements that meet the realities of Q3 and Q4 with grace and ambition.

So what are we left with?

A reframing of ageing as something profoundly creative.
A call to think beyond “lifespan” toward “fullspan.”
And a reminder that if we design this right, longevity could be not just an extension—but an expansion.

What are you building for your next quarter?

We’ll be back in the fall with Season 10. I’ll be featuring the Directors of many of the world’s leading midlife transition programmes in top universities - from Harvard’s ALI, Stanford’s DCI to Oxford and Cambridge’s more recent additions. If ever you’re tempted by some later life educational breaks, this one will be for you.

Until then—stay curious, stay connected, and keep designing a life, and a Quarter, that fits who you are becoming.

You can find Season 9 on a phone near you, on any podcast platform, or right here on Substack.

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This week on 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox welcomes Julianne Miles, career psychologist and co-founder of Career Returners, to discuss her forthcoming book Return Journey: How to get back to work and thrive after a career break. A leading voice in the returner space, Julianne has spent over a decade supporting thousands of professionals - many in midlife - relaunch their careers after extended breaks.

In this conversation, Julianne reveals her own return-to-work story and why writing Return Journey was both personal and timely. She outlines the book’s three-stage structure - from initial mindset shifts, to finding ‘work that works’, to thriving once back at work - and explains why internal blockers like guilt and perfectionism can be just as limiting as external biases and ageism in the workplace.

We explore what makes Q3 returners unique in this ‘return journey’, the myths around age and ability, and why employers should view returners not as charity hires but as motivated, experienced talent. Julianne also offers practical exercises, the value of ‘realistic optimism,’ and why intuition may be your most overlooked superpower.

Whether you’re returning, hiring, or simply curious about the future of work trends, this episode - and Julianne’s book - offers a roadmap to getting ready for navigating the ins and outs of our new, 60-year careers.

Return Journey is out in September 2025.

Julianne Miles MBE is a chartered occupational psychologist, INSEAD MBA graduate, and, since 2014, cofounder, CEO and now Executive Chair of Career Returners (formerly Women Returners). After an early career in strategy consulting, and marketing at Diageo in the UK and Australia, she took a fouryear break to raise her children before obtaining an MSc in Organisational Psychology. Identifying the “career break penalty,” she launched Career Returners to build returntowork programs (“returnships”) and a peer network community, partnering with over 200 organisations and supporting over 3,500 professionals. With 10,000 network members, this social impact business reshapes hiring norms. In 2019 Julianne was awarded an MBE for services to business and equality.

USEFUL LINKS

Buy Return Journey: How to get back to work and thrive after a career break, (To be published on 4 Sept 2025)
Visit Career Returners website
Join the Career Returners Community
Listen to the Career Returners Podcast

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Maria Clara Pinheiro, Co-lead of Ashoka’s New Longevity Initiative. Ashoka, the world’s largest network of social entrepreneurs, has identified longevity as a key emerging trend through a bottom-up approach, observing a growing number of its fellows tackling issues related to ageing populations. This led to a global mapping of 100 fellows’ work and the launch of Ashoka’s “New Longevity” initiative. Five key themes emerged: changing the narrative around ageing, lifelong learning and work, health and care, intergenerational relationships, and economic security and inclusion.

Maria Clara emphasizes the unifying concept of “lifelong contribution,” where every individual, regardless of age, is seen as a potential changemaker. She shares powerful examples, including Dixon Chibanda’s Friendship Bench project in Zimbabwe, where grandmothers are trained to provide mental health support.

The conversation also explores cultural and regional differences, noting how countries like Brazil, India, and Indonesia are aging rapidly without the same infrastructure as the West. To respond, Ashoka is launching localized “Longevity Labs” to drive systems change and foster collaboration among entrepreneurs, universities, companies, and governments. India, despite its youthful reputation, is revealed to have over 150 million older adults—a powerful yet underrecognized force in shaping the country’s future. Maria Clara paints a compelling picture of how countries like India, Brazil and Zimbabwe are incubating the next wave of ageing innovation – community-driven, tech-enabled, and radically inclusive.

Ashoka is a nonprofit organization that promotes social entrepreneurship by connecting and supporting individual social entrepreneurs. It invests in over 4,000 social entrepreneurs in over 90 countries worldwide. The aim is that these individuals in turn become the people that others will try to follow by example.

Maria Clara Pinheiro co-leads Ashoka’s Global New Longevity initiative. She joined Ashoka in 2003 and has held leadership roles in Brazil, The United States and India. Over that time she has supported social innovators, built entrepreneurial teams and led a range of global programmes and partnerships for Ashoka.

Useful Links:

Ashoka’s New Longevity Initiative website
Ashoka website
Friendship Bench website

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This week, on 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Dr Mileham Hayes, author of ‘Live Longer: Revealing Today’s Secrets of Longevity and Wellbeing’ and a specialist in preventative medicine. As he says, "preventive medicine has never realized its promise or potential...until now". Mileham, who launched the world’s first longevity clinic and has spent nearly six decades in coronary care, shares how much of heart disease—still the world’s top killer - is preventable, yet persistently neglected. He discusses key diagnostic tests such as ApoB, Lp(a), and coronary artery calcium scans, many of which he began using in the 1990s but still remain underused. He advocates a targeted 20-test health screening battery for anyone over 40, customized by age and gender, which is downloadable with the episode.

Dr Mileham Hayes is a Specialist Physician and a Fellow of both the Royal College of Physicians of London and Edinburgh. He was appointed to the world's first Coronary Care Unit and researched prevention of heart attacks – still the greatest cause of premature death. He has now spent some 50 years in clinical practice and is the author of two medical textbooks and a series of books on living longer through prevention, nutrition and exercise. His most recent book is ‘Live Longer: Revealing Today’s Secrets of Longevity and Wellbeing’. Mileham studied medicine at the University of Queensland. He has five children, played most sports at a high level, farmed, gardens, writes doggerel and cooks. He also had an ABC radio weekly program and two national TV shows presenting and playing jazz. He has the Order of Australia Medal for his services to Jazz.

Useful Links:

Download a pdf by Mileham of a list of actions to Live Longer
Buy Mileham’s book ‘Live Longer’
On Amazon.com
On Amazon.co.uk

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox is joined by Dr. Saher Mehdi- molecular biologist, longevity researcher, and healthcare entrepreneur, to explore what it truly means to age well.

Saher traces her journey “from molecules to meaning,” beginning with a childhood curiosity sparked by her grandmother’s ageing hands. That moment led to a lifelong inquiry into the biology of ageing, one that took her across continents and disciplines. With a PhD from Durham University and postdoctoral research at Oxford, Uppsala, and KU Leuven, her research has spanned cell fate, cardiac regeneration, epigenetics, and the stress responses that shape how, and how fast, we age.

But her understanding of ageing evolved beyond the lab. Living and working in the UK, Sweden, and Belgium deepened her appreciation for how biology is shaped by culture, climate, and inequality. Returning to India, she saw the urgent need to translate cutting-edge science into accessible, personalised tools, especially in a country where 1 in 6 people will be over 60 by 2050, and where rising rates of diabetes and heart disease reveal a unique intersection of genetic vulnerability and environmental risk.

Through her company ReWise Health, Saher is building a new approach to ageing — using AI and biomarker data to assess biological age, personalise interventions, and prevent disease before it strikes.

She makes the case that ageing itself, not just chronic diseases, is the leading driver of mortality, and that slowing cellular ageing could add more healthy years to life than curing cancer or heart disease. In a striking metaphor, she compares female mitochondria to fuel-efficient hybrid engines, while male mitochondria resemble high-performance machines that burn through energy faster, illustrating the cellular gender gap in ageing.

Saher continues to unpack the science of gendered ageing through telomeres, the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes that erode with time and stress. Women, she notes, tend to have longer telomeres and slower attrition, thanks to estrogen and the second X chromosome. But she also critiques the deep male bias in medical research: for decades, women, particularly post-50, have been excluded from clinical trials, creating massive knowledge gaps in care.

She calls for a shift in longevity science, away from elite biohacking and toward public health equity, especially for ageing women in low-resource settings. Through ReWise, she’s designing a culturally relevant, scalable model for biological age testing and intervention, one rooted in empathy, science, and real-world impact.

Dr. Saher Mehdi is a molecular biologist, epigenetics expert, and two-time founder in the field of preventive health and longevity. She founded Wellowise and now leads ReWise Health, a cutting-edge biotech building tools to personalise ageing and extend healthspan. With a PhD from Durham and postdoctoral research at Oxford, Uppsala, and Leuven, her work spans cell fate, cardiac regeneration, cellular stress, and the biology of ageing. A global voice in the science of longevity, Dr. Mehdi is redefining how we understand, measure, and optimise the experience of growing older with data, compassion, and vision.

Useful Links:

ReWise Health website
Saher Mehdi’s Substack blog
Saher’s X account
Saher Linkedin

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VIDEO No.1 was WAKE UP to the New #DemographicsVIDEO No.2 is WE GOTTA GET GOOD AT #TRANSITIONS WHY?Because longer lives and #careers, and the new #Q3 chapter of our #4QuarterLivesmeans we need to understand, anticipate and transition gracefully and skilfully from quarter to quarter.Are you ready?

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This week, on 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Richard Leider, founder of Inventure – The Purpose Company, and one of America’s pre-eminent executive-life coaches. Ranked by Forbes as one of the “Top 5” most respected executive coaches, and by the Conference Board as a “legend in coaching”, he and Avivah explore a life devoted to helping others uncover meaning across the lifespan. Richard traces his journey back to his early days as a listener, when questions of “why” ignited his lifelong focus on purpose. A pivotal encounter with Viktor Frankl shaped his core philosophy: purpose is not something to seek, but something to contribute.

Influences from both Frankl and Maslow emphasised that true fulfilment comes from serving others—whether in big or small ways. Richard distinguishes between “Big P” and “little p” purpose, suggesting that even everyday contributions can profoundly shape one’s life. He speaks candidly about how purpose supports health, longevity, and emotional well-being, now backed by science, including the telomere effect. Cross-cultural wisdom—from African hunter-gatherers to boardrooms—affirms a universal desire for relevance and connection.

Richard also addresses gendered paths to purpose, noting that women more readily explore meaning in later life, while many men confront unfulfillment after success. At 80, he continues writing and speaking in flow, advocating for relevance over retirement. His message is clear: purpose is not a luxury—it’s essential.

Richard Leider is an internationally recognised coach, author and speaker. He has written twelve books, including three best sellers, which have sold over one million copies and been translated into 20 languages. The Power of Purpose is considered a classic in the personal growth field. His PBS Special – The Power of Purpose – was viewed by millions across the U.S. Richard is the founder of Inventure – The Purpose Company, a firm created to guide individuals to live, work, and lead on purpose. He has worked with leaders from organizations such as AARP, Ameriprise, Blue Zones, Blue Spirit, Ericsson, General Mills, Habitat for Humanity, Lifespark, Mayo Clinic, Modern Elder Academy, National Football League, Outward Bound, Optum, Pfizer, United Health Group, and the U.S. Dept of State.

Richard holds a master’s degree in Counseling and has been recognized with many awards including a Bush Fellowship, and the Outstanding Scholar for Creative Longevity and Wisdom award from the Fielding Institute. He is a Senior Fellow at the University of Minnesota’s Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing, and an Education Fellow with the Retirement Income Institute. He also serves as a Purpose Ambassador for Blue Zones and Blue Spirit Costa Rica. For over 30 years, he has led Inventure Expedition walking safaris in East Africa where he is a founder and a board member of the Dorobo Fund for Tanzania.

Useful Links:

Richard’s website
Richard’s blog
Book: Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Old?: The Path of Purposeful Aging by Richard Leider and David Shapiro (2021)
Amazon.com
Amazon UK
Book: The Power of Purpose, by Richard Leider and David Shapiro (4th Edition, 2025)
Amazon.com
Amazon UK

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In this week’s episode of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with journalist and author Melinda Blau, about her latest book, The Wisdom Whisperers. Now in her own Q4, Melinda has written a very personal narrative about the nine much older friends who emboldened her to embrace ageing, instead of dreading it.

Melinda Blau, is an award-winning journalist, a New York Times bestselling author, and a host/producer for the Crow’s Feet: Life As We Age podcast. She has spent a lifetime researching and writing about the importance of relationships: Consequential Strangers is an exploration of vital social connections beyond family and close friends, the New York Times bestseller, Secrets of the Baby Whisperer, its two sequels, and  Family Whispering cover our more intimate bonds. The Wisdom Whisperers looks at the value of relationships between generations. 

Links:

The Wisdom Whisperers on Amazon or wherever you buy books: The Wisdom Whisperers: Golden Guides to a Long Life of Grit, Grace, and Laughter.  
Website: https://melindablau.com/
Substack:  
Medium: https://medium.com/@melindablau

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On 4-Quarter Lives this week Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Neeraj Sagar, founder and CEO of WisdomCircle.com, a platform connecting experienced professionals in Q3 with purposeful, flexible work across the globe. Targeting individuals typically over 50—termed the “Wisdom Generation” or “WisGen”—the platform facilitates engagements across sectors like IT, manufacturing, education, and social impact, allowing retirees to contribute as mentors, consultants, or part-time experts. 

WisdomCircle leverages AI-driven matching to align retirees’ expertise with organizational needs, ensuring roles are compensated to recognise their value. WisdomCircle emphasizes respect and purpose, avoiding unpaid roles and promoting initiatives like the “One Million Teachers” program to integrate seasoned professionals into educational and advisory positions. With a growing presence in the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Singapore, WisdomCircle aspires to become the world’s leading marketplace for senior talent, fostering multigenerational collaboration and challenging traditional notions of retirement.

Neeraj Sagar, founder and CEO of WisdomCircle, brings a rich tapestry of experience from global consulting and leadership roles. He served as a senior partner at Egon Zehnder, leading its Industrial Practice across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. Earlier he worked at McKinsey & Company in Singapore, the Boston Consulting Group in Chicago, and engineering roles at Schlumberger and Engineers India Limited. Neeraj holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, an MS in Petroleum Engineering from Stanford University, and a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from TKIET in India.

Useful Links:

WisdomCircle website

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This week on 4-Quarter-Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Ignacio Moreno and Farah Baxter, the Co-Founders of a pioneering digital platform that reimagines legacy planning by enabling individuals to create and share personalized emotional and practical legacies. Soalma was born from their personal experiences with loss and the realization of the importance of preserving memories and wisdom for future generations. 

The platform offers a secure, user-friendly space where users can compile multimedia content— videos, audio messages, photos, and documents—to capture life stories, advice, and heartfelt messages. These digital legacies can be shared with loved ones either during the user’s lifetime or posthumously, ensuring that personal histories and values endure.

Soalma’s mission is to make legacy planning accessible and emotionally resonant. By providing intuitive templates and prompts, the platform helps users in articulating their narratives. This approach not only aids in preserving individual and family histories but also supports emotional well-being by fostering reflection and connection.

Since its inception, Soalma has garnered recognition for its innovative approach. The startup was a finalist in the Expansión Startup Awards 2023, secured third place in the GBO Startup Awards, and received accolades from French Tech and SilverEco & Aging Well Awards.

Looking ahead, Soalma aims to expand its reach through B2B partnerships, particularly with organizations focused on elder care and long-term planning. The team is also exploring the integration of artificial intelligence to further personalize the legacy creation process. With its headquarters in Madrid, Soalma continues to grow its user base, striving to make legacy planning a meaningful and accessible experience for all. 

Ignacio Moreno and Farah Baxter both have MBAs from INSEAD Business School. They met at an alumni event and discovered they had both recently lost close loved ones. Individually, they had started working on developing solutions to better address what they had found lacking in the grieving process. They decided to join forces and so founded Soalma.

Ignacio Moreno is an entrepreneur and experienced corporate manager and consultant. Prior to Soalma he was CFO of Grupo IGNIS, an energy company in Spain. He also conceived and founded the MasterChef online school, which has since spread from Spain internationally. He has a BA in Law and Economics from Universidad Pontificia Comillas. Farah Baxter has extensive experience in Strategy Management at Hint Inc, Heineken, Booz & Co and Tata Realty. She has a BSc in Business Administration from Boston University.

Useful Links:

SOALMA Website: www.soalma.com.

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On this week’s 4-Quarter Lives Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Laurie Kilby and Katie Waldegrave, co-founders of Now Foster, a bold new initiative reimagining how we recruit and support foster carers. Laurie, a former social worker, and Katie, co-founder of Now Teach, have teamed up to tackle one of the most urgent and overlooked social issues of our time: the crisis in foster care. Building on the success of Now Teach, which helped hundreds transition into teaching in their 50s, Now Foster invites the same generation to consider a different kind of legacy: becoming part-time foster carers—Weekenders.

They explain how fostering can become a civic, shared responsibility, and why this phase of life—often rich in time, energy, and desire for meaning—is ideally suited for people to contribute. Katie and Laurie share the origin story of Nw Foster, the systemic challenges, and the everyday joys of becoming a consistent, caring presence in a child’s life.

It’s a stirring, smart reinvention of foster care—one weekend a month. One child. One adult or one couple. One small idea that could change lives.

Laurie Kirby is Co-Founder and Practice Lead for Now Foster. A former secondary school teacher and social worker, she is herself a Now Foster carer for a young boy and works with local authorities to match children already in foster care to weekend carers. Katie Waldegrave MBE is a serial founder and lead of non-profits including, most recently, Now Foster. Previously she was co-founder, with Lucy Kellaway, of Now Teach, set up in 2016 to encourage people in mid-career to shift to teaching, and before that was co-founder and first Chief Executive of First Story, which placed writers in residence into secondary schools to help young people to nurture their creativity. Earlier, from 2003-8 she was a teacher and one of the first cohort of First Teach, an initiative to encourage new graduates to enter teaching.

Useful Links:

Interested in becoming a Weekender? Want to explore how fostering fits into your Q3? Visit nowfoster.org to learn more or attend one of their info sessions. Everyone welcome—no couple, home ownership or previous experience required.
Weekenders: BBC Story of Sara and her young person
Now Teach – Midlife career changes into teaching

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In this episode of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Lisa Goldsobel, Head of Service Delivery for Two Generations, a UK-based social enterprise tackling two growing challenges: the loneliness of the older and the unaffordable housing for the younger.

Founded in 2019, Two Generations scales the concept of Homesharing, where carefully matched housemates live together—typically an older homeowner and a younger sharer who provides companionship and light support in exchange for affordable accommodation.

Companionship Not Caregiving

Lisa Goldsobel explains the thoughtful vetting, matching and support process that underpins successful and safe co-living arrangements. Homeshare is not a caregiving model but a mutually beneficial companionship arrangement, often lasting well over a year. Financially, it’s an affordable solution for both parties and includes bursary support.

The conversation also explores a new frontier: offering HomeShare as a corporate benefit. With eldercare demands surpassing childcare, Two Generations helps employers support staff struggling to balance work and caregiving responsibilities. The goal is to retain valuable talent—particularly women—while improving wellbeing and productivity.

From heartwarming stories to policy-shifting insights, this episode highlights how HomeShare is transforming lives and could reshape how society supports ageing populations and the modern workforce.

Lisa Goldsobel is responsible for ensuring the successful delivery of the nationwide operations of the Homeshare Scheme. She manages the vetting process, ensures safeguarding compliance, and provides ongoing support for householders and for sharers. She leads the operational strategy to scale the Homesharing scheme effectively, while maintaining standards of care, safety and efficiency.

Useful Links:

Two Generations Website
Homeshare as Employee Benefit – The Corporate Benefits

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In this episode of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox sits down with Jacynth Bassett, the founder of Ageism Is Never In Style, to discuss their collaborative campaign, Intentionally Intergenerational. Launched in conjunction with Global Intergenerational Week (April 24–30), this initiative challenges outdated age narratives and promotes age inclusivity across workplaces and society.

Jacynth, recognized as the 'Anti-Ageist Activist of the Year 2023' and one of the Evening Standard's '22 Londoners Changing The World', shares insights into the campaign's mission to bridge generational divides intentionally. With a community of over 270,000 followers and a reach of 90+ million content views, Ageism Is Never In Style leverages its platform to foster intergenerational connections and highlight the value of age diversity.

Together, Avivah and Jacynth delve into strategies for cultivating age-inclusive cultures, the importance of intergenerational allyship, and the economic imperative of embracing longevity. They also discuss their upcoming free LinkedIn webinar on April 30, 2025, aimed at equipping leaders with tools to navigate and benefit from multigenerational dynamics. Tune in to explore how intentional intergenerational collaboration can drive innovation, inclusivity, and sustainable growth in today's evolving demographic landscape.

Jacynth Bassett is an award-winning expert, consultant and leader on age-inclusivity. As the Founder & CEO of global award-winning consultancy, community & campaign Ageism Is Never In Style®️, she is now widely recognised as a leading pioneer and voice on age inclusivity, ageism and longevity. Jacynth has been driving the age-inclusivity and anti-ageism movement since 2016 - from creating viral campaigns including #ILookMyAge (45M+ views), to consulting for and advising global brands and companies across a wide range of industries and sectors. Her strategic expertise, commercial acumen, and creative vision, paired with a deep ability to connect across generations, make her one of the most exciting visionaries and disruptors in this space.

Useful Links:

LinkedIn Webinar 30 April, 13:00 BST
Ageism is Never in Style website
Ageism Is Never In Style Instagram : www.instagram.com/ageismisneverinstyle

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4-Quarter Lives explores the profound impact of longer lives and careers on… everything: countries, companies, couples, and careers. This week I’m doing a summary of Season 8, a series in two acts and ten voices.

The First Act looked at a how smart older women are working hard on understanding and strengthening the next generation, and also starting to explore the new roles that older women are taking on in Q3.

The Second Act featured some of the change agents waking the world up to this new era of longevity and what I call ‘generational balance’ in a myriad of ways, media and channels.

ACT 1 - What Older Women Know Now

Culture, socialisation, media and gender roles all shape what we can and can’t do with our lives. And these Q3 women are working to redefine the stories we hear and tell.

CULTURE: That we’ve got a big cultural challenge that is getting worse in an age of warring autocrats. It’s impacting our kids – both girls and boys – and our relationships. Kids are getting depressed and disconnected. Niobe Way, a developmental psychologist and NYU professor, shared her 30 years of research on boys, friendship, and the emotional repression imposed by traditional masculinity – and capitalism. As she says “We live in a culture that privileges thinking over feeling. Any culture that does that is going to be deeply screwed up.”
SOCIALISATION: This is especially true in some parts of the world more than others. Fast-changing and exploding India is still no easy place for young women with ambition, and Anuradha Das Mathur founder of the Vedica Scholars Programme for Women, a women-only MBA, is celebrating a decade of training a new generation of women leaders to navigate work, life, and leadership in ways that respect both ambition and care. “Dignity and dependence don’t go hand in hand. If you want dignity, you need independence. And independence requires financial freedom.” She’s ensuring they can claim it.
MEDIA MESSAGING: Then we shifted from early gender roles to later ones. Katja Meier is an award-winning screen writer trying to produce a TV show featuring a 59-year old woman who inherits a lot of money from her capitalist oil baron father and wants to distribute it differently, based on role models like Mackenzie Scott or Melinda French Gates. The producers wanted her to shave 20 years off her leading lady. It’s a great commentary on the money that a lot of Q3 women around the world are likely to inherit over the coming decade, and how little understanding there is of their motivations or interests. “As women, we’ve learned to figure things out—whether it’s navigating careers, family, or life’s challenges. The world may doubt us, but we know what we’re doing.”
GRANDPARENTING: Another lens into emerging Q3 women’s roles is Terri Apter’s new book, Grandparenting. She explores the complexity of modern parenting and grandparenting and how ageing feminists are redefining all the scripts. “We thought we’d finished the feminist fight. And then we became grandmothers. Suddenly, we’re back to renegotiating what’s selfish, what’s selfless—and what’s ours.”

Each of these women is working across generational lines, using knowledge, empathy, and strategy to help younger people thrive – while also claiming space for their own evolving roles in later life.

Act 2: Waking the World Up

The second half of the season looked outward – to the structural and business awakening needed around longevity. These guests are pioneering new ways to educate, communicate, and convene around one of the biggest shifts of our time: the reality that we’re living longer, and need new systems to match.

EDUCATION: Céline Abecassis-Moedas, Dean at Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics, is redesigning leadership education to prepare executives for multigenerational teams and 100-year lives. Our Longevity Leadership programme is part of that future-facing work. If you’re interested, check out our upcoming Longevity Leadership Programme in Lisbon this June 23-27th. “What we do in the Longevity Leadership program is simple yet powerful: we connect the dots between personal transitions, corporate strategies, and societal shifts—because ageing is everyone’s business.”
MOVIES: Education takes different forms, and documentaries are a powerful way of sharing the multiple trends and advances on the scientific side. Ruben Figueres’ film Longevity Hackers, is a wonderfully global overview of the people and the debates swirling around making us live both longer and healthier. “90% of what we can do for longevity has nothing to do with expensive treatments—it’s about lifestyle. Diet, exercise, sleep, and mindset are the key. The best part? These things are available to everyone, not just the wealthy.”
CONFERENCES: Michael and Nancy Hodin, through their Global Coalition on Aging and the International Longevity Summit, are bringing together global leaders, policymakers, and thinkers to elevate longevity as the defining issue of our era. “We’re living longer than ever before, but our systems weren’t built for it. Businesses and governments need to rethink everything—from healthcare to workforce strategies—to truly capitalize on the longevity economy.”
ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Brian Clark, founder of Copyblogger and Further, is using the power of content to tell richer, more resonant stories of midlife and beyond – stories that speak to meaning, reinvention, and legacy. “The longevity economy is the biggest market opportunity and the biggest societal problem you could tackle right now. And yet, businesses are still sleeping on it.”
BOOKS & RESEARCH: Debra Whitman, head of thought leadership at AARP and author of The Next Fifty, is challenging outdated perceptions of ageing and urging institutions to reimagine how we live, work, and contribute across longer lives. “Aging isn't just an extension of the first half of life—it’s an entirely new chapter. We need to reframe it, rethink it, and embrace it.”
LEGACY: James Hagerty, who writes the Wall Street Journal’s obituary column (and has done over 800 of them) recommends that we all write our own stories – early. It’s the only way of ensuring the whole narrative survives. “Most people don’t think their early life is worth sharing, but that’s where the real story begins—how and why you became who you are.”

These voices are loud, clear, and future-focused. They’re not just adapting to longer lives – they’re re-imagining them and designing for them.

Season 8 was a reminder that longevity is a lens – one that lets us see both the potential of our later decades and the urgent need to rethink how we adapt to the realities of our ageing societies and their consequences.

If you know someone who’s shaping the future of longer lives and careers, ageing societies and shifting demographics – or living their 4-Quarters in a way the world needs to hear – let me know. Season 9 is almost finished, but we’re in planning mode for Season 10 which will publish in the fall.

Elderberries is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Dr Terri Apter, psychologist and author of the recently published Grandparenting: On Love and Relationships Across Generations. They discuss the evolving role of grandparents in modern family dynamics and how becoming a grandparent changes relationships with every family member, from adult children to in-laws. Terri categorizes grandmothers into three types: Feminists: Who provide childcare to support their daughters' careers; Radicals: Who prioritize their own independence; and Subversives: Who engage with grandchildren in unconventional ways. She also highlights the evolving role of grandfathers, who now offer hands-on support, sometimes more than they did as fathers. Teens, especially boys, often trust grandfathers most. She discusses alternative ways of grandparenting for those without biological grandchildren, emphasizing mentorship, community involvement, and the role of step-grandparents. This thought-provoking episode reframes grandparenting as a dynamic, multi-generational negotiation, filled with love, shifting expectations, and social change.

Terri Apter, Ph.D. is a psychologist and prize-winning writer. Her books on family dynamics, identity and relationships received international acclaim. In addition to her most recent book Grandparenting: On Love and Relationships across Generations, they include Altered Loves: Mothers and Daughters During Adolescence (a New York Times Notable Book of the Year), and The Confident Child (winner of the Delta Kappa Gamma International Educator’s Prize). Her reviews and articles have appeared in the Guardian, the TLS, the Financial Times, the New York Times Book Review, and the Psychologist, and she is a regular blogger for Psychology Today. Raised in Chicago, Terri moved to the UK to study at Edinburgh University and Cambridge University, where she has worked ever since.

Some Useful Links:

Terri Apter’s website
Buy Grandparenting here (UK)
Buy Grandparenting here (USA)

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Dr. Debra Whitman, Executive Vice President and Chief Public Policy Officer for the AARP (the American Association of Retired Persons). They talk about ageing, longevity, and her new book The Second Fifty: Answers to the 7 Big Questions of Midlife and Beyond. Whitman discusses her role at AARP, an organization supporting people over 50 but open to all ages, focusing on advocacy, research, and benefits. She shares her motivation for writing the book, realizing as she approached 50 that many aspects of aging were not well understood. The book addresses key questions like life expectancy, financial security, work longevity, and health. They explore inequalities in ageing, with Whitman highlighting disparities in life expectancy based on income, location, race and the U.S. healthcare system’s focus on disease treatment over prevention. The discussion also covers the challenges of retirement planning, with many forced to work longer due to financial instability. Whitman advocates for policy changes, including improved retirement systems and long-term care solutions. She emphasizes the benefits of a positive ageing mindset, which can extend life expectancy. Relationships are also crucial for well-being, often outweighing financial wealth. The conversation underscores the need for individuals and societies to rethink and reframe ageing. As Chief Public Policy Officer of the AARP, Dr Debra Whitman leads policy development, analysis and research, as well as global thought leadership supporting and advancing the interests of individuals age 50-plus and their families. She oversees AARP’s Public Policy Institute, AARP Research, Office of Policy Development and Integration, Thought Leadership, and AARP International. An economist, her career has been dedicated to solving problems affecting economic and health security, and other issues related to population ageing. Formerly staff director for the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, she worked to increase retirement security, lower the cost of health care, protect vulnerable seniors, safeguard consumers, make the pharmaceutical industry more transparent, and improve the USA’s long term care system. Before that, Dr. Whitman worked for the Congressional Research Service as a specialist in the economics of ageing and, from 2001 to 2003, she served as a Brookings LEGIS Fellow to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. 

Dr. Whitman serves on several boards, including the National Academy of Social Insurance, Syracuse University Maxwell School and the Pension Rights Center. She holds master’s and doctorate degrees in economics from Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree in economics, math and Italian from Gonzaga University.

Some Useful Links:

Buy ‘The Second Fifty here (USA)
Buy ‘The Second Fifty here (UK)
AARP website
Debra’s AARP Blogs

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This week on 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Anuradha Das Mathur, the founder of an original Management and Leadership programme in INDIA, dedicated to young women with ambition. Vedica Scholars is a pioneering leadership program that helps young women in India build sustainable, ‘break-free’ careers by refusing the cultural choice between work and family. This year, it’s celebrating its 10th anniversary and fast-growing alumnae group.

In this conversation, Anuradha and Avivah explore how Vedica is transforming career trajectories for ambitious women, challenging traditional gender norms, identifying enlightened employers and companies, and fostering a new generation of leaders who are financially independent, self-assured, and unafraid to break free from outdated expectations. Anuradha also describes her personal journey - how her own awakening to gender inequalities led her to launch a program that has now empowered over 800 women. She and Avivah discuss the changing aspirations of young women in India, the cultural shifts influencing their career and life choices, and how this might be transferred to other regions of the world. India’s evolution is key to the 21st century, as are its women.

Anuradha Das Mathur is Founding Director of the Vedica Foundation, the Founder and Dean of the Vedica Scholars Programme for Women, and Founder of the Vedica Women’s Alliance, a network of senior women professionals who are committed to advocate for a more gender-balanced professional ecosystem. She also serves as Senior Adviser at the DGA Group and is Managing Director of the CFO Collective – a boutique media company serving India’s senior finance community. She has also co-founded Samarth, one of India’s most reputed elder care companies with operations in 100 cities. Anuradha spent twelve years of her career with the Indian affiliate of the Economist Intelligence Unit, where she led the research and advisory business, working at the intersection of the policy, business and development sectors. Prior to this, she ran Businessworld, India’s most widely-read business magazine. She was selected, with 25 other women globally, for the prestigious Global Women's Mentoring Partnership program, a joint initiative by Fortune and the U.S. Department of State. Her passion for improving women’s participation in the workforce took root during this programme and has led to her pioneering ventures such as The Foundation for Working Women and the Vedica Foundation. In 2016, she was elected to be a part of India's ‘100 Women Achievers’, an initiative launched by the Government of India. Anuradha received a B.A. in Economics from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University and an M.A. in Economics from Trinity College, Cambridge University. In 2016 she was selected as a Yale Greenberg Global World Fellow.

Some Useful Links:

Vedica Scholars Programme Website
The Vedica Story | Inception, Impact, and Vision
“If you can’t see it, you can’t be it” - Only 11% of Top Business School Case Studies Have a Female Protagonist
Falling fertility rates leave India staring at a looming demographic challenge

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with James R. (Bob) Hagerty, longtime journalist and obituary writer for The Wall Street Journal. After a 40-year career covering business and markets across New York, London, Hong Kong, and Paris, James found an unexpected calling - writing obituaries that capture the richness of lives well-lived. Through more than a thousand obituaries, he’s uncovered what gets remembered, what gets lost, and why we should all take the time to write our own life stories. In this conversation, he and Avivah explore the power of memoir writing—not just for those who come after us, but for ourselves. Why do so many of us wait too long to reflect on our own journeys? How can writing our own stories help us make sense of the choices we’ve made and even shape our futures? And how does storytelling preserve both personal and collective history?

James’ book, Yours Truly, makes the case for taking our own narratives into our hands before others summarize them for us.

James R. (Bob) Hagerty is based in Pittsburgh and writes obituaries and other feature stories for The Wall Street Journal. Over the past four decades, he also has worked as a reporter, editor and bureau chief for the Journal and the International Herald Tribune in Hong Kong, London, Brussels, Paris, Atlanta and New York. He served as managing editor of The Wall Street Journal's Asian edition and London bureau chief of the WSJ. In addition to his journalism, James is the author of The Fateful History of Fannie Mae (History Press 2012), and Yours Truly, An Obituary Writer’s Guide to Telling Your Story(Kensington's Citadel Press, 2022), a book on how to tell life stories. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of North Dakota.

Some Useful Links:

Buy Your’s Truly (Amazon USA)
Buy Your’s Truly (Amazon UK)

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In this week’s episode of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Ruben Figueres, co-Producer of the new film ‘Longevity Hackers’. The film follows Emmy Nominated Filmmaker Michal Siewierski (Food Choices, Diet Fiction, Takeout) on a journey to discover the latest research and science breakthroughs in the field of longevity and healthy life extension. Ruben talks about how an increasing number of experts, scientists, researchers and startup CEO’s believe that we are on the brink of being able to dramatically increase human health span and lifespan. He describes where the inspiration for the film originated, and the challenges of producing it over 4 years, featuring interviews with over 70 experts and seeking to present a balanced perspective on the topic. The focus is as much on health-span as life-span and emphasises that 90% of longevity improvements are already accessible to everyone through lifestyle changes. He believes, however, that living to 200 is increasingly realistic, due to exponential technological advancements and AI's potential impact on longevity research. He admits that producing the film significantly changed his own perspective on longevity and health and led to improved personal habits, especially sleep, resulting in better mood, physical state, and mental clarity. Ruben is now working on a second film focusing on inspiring stories of older individuals achieving remarkable feats.

‘Longevity Hackers’ came out in 2024 and is currently available on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, and Voodoo in most countries.

Entrepreneur, media expert, author and accomplished Ironman athlete, Ruben Figueres brings over two decades of media, business and advertising experience to the table, with his work ranging from fortune five hundred companies to presidential campaigns. Having executive produced hundreds of TV commercials, TV shows and infomercials. Ruben joined New Roots Films as Director of Business Affairs and co-producer of the film "Longevity Hackers". He is also President of the Alario Group, a leading Hispanic advertising agency in Chicago, whichh he founded, and was previously Business Development Strategist for Flowers Communications Group. He has an MBA from Escola Superior d’Administratio i Direccio d’Empreses (Esade) in Barcelona.

Useful Links:

‘Longevity Hackers’ website
New Roots Films website
Businesswire report on Longevity Hackers
Hollywood Reporter on Longevity Hackers

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Michael and Nancy Hodin. Michael is Chief Executive of the Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA), while Nancy produces events for the Silver Economy Forum as part of the GCOA, while also running her own business as President of H&H Media.

Together they discuss the significance of aging, longevity and the silver economy. Michael founded the GCOA 14 years ago, after a 30 year career at Pfizer, He explains its origins, arising from research showing how health and pension systems as well as society generally are increasingly struggling with longevity trends. He outlines its aim, to bring together diverse business sectors to address aging opportunities as a budines development strategy, , and through that focusing on the intersection of public policy, market innovation and healthy aging for GCOA Companies. Nancy, after a similarly long career in media and non-fiction programming, became interested in celebrating the accomplishments of people in their "third quarter" of life. She now leads the Silver Economy Forum as part of GCOA, to bring in cultural/media perspectives to their work.

In conversation, Michael, Nancy and Avivah explore the significant disconnect between the economic power of older populations and how businesses/marketers do not target them. For example, 70% of US disposable income is held by those 60+, but only 2% of advertising dollars target the 55+ demographic. Many business are still not strategically planning for this reality and sectors from finance and tech to transportation, housing and travel are as yet failing to tap into the huge market potential of the older age demographic. The aim of the Silver Economy Forum is to raise awareness and drive action on aging-related opportunities across sectors and focus government and global institutional decision makesrs on aligned policy changes By combining policy/data insights with storytelling and popular cultural references, the objective is to shift perceptions on aging even as the market opportunity for businesses is addressed Together Michael and Nancy organise an annual gathering to discuss aging economy opportunities, bringing together policymakers, businesses and cultural figures. They see growing interest from countries like Saudi Arabia and Uruguay adding to the OECD countries from Japan, Italy and Finaland to the U.S. and UK while the UN Decade of Healthy Aging provides a valuable global framework through to 2030.

Michael Hodin, Ph.D. is CEO of the Global Coalition on Aging, Managing Partner at High Lantern Group, and a Fellow at Oxford University’s Harris Manchester College. He has spoken internationally on the topic of aging, including at G20, APEC, Davos, and the World Knowledge Forum (WKF). He is also a blogger on Medium.  In previous careers Mike was Legislative Assistant to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan and a Visiting Scholar at Brookings Institution, on U.S. Foreign Economic Policy. He was a senior executive at Pfizer for 30 years, where he created and then led its International Public Affairs and Public Policy operations and served on Management Boards for a number of its businesses. Mike is a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and from 2010-2013 was Adjunct Senior Fellow with a focus on population aging. In 2013, he was invited to lead a Members’ Roundtable with the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging. He was a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Ageing, and he sits on the Advisory Board for the Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging, as well as many other Boards. Mike holds a BA, cum laude, Cornell University, M.Sc.in International Relations from The London School of Economics and Political Science, and M.Phil and Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University.

Nancy Jackson Hodin is a strategic content producer, designing specifically for selected distribution platforms and clients. Her work in broadcast, cable, experiential media, the web, live events, and digital signage strives to go beyond the conventional. Since 1986, Hodin has owned and operated her own production services company, H&H Media, Inc. Currently H&H Media is working with the Global Coalition on Aging, producing live and virtual global events on the Silver Economy. Other recent projects have included a ground-breaking video website, First Comes Fashion, a digital platform that was first to live stream fashion runway shows from around the world and produce original content to complement the shows. In addition, under The Clarient Group, Hodin partnered with major real estate developers to create broadcast and advertising signage businesses in mixed use properties, with The Time Warner Center in New York City as their inaugural project. Hodin has a BA from Dartmouth College

Some Useful Links:

Global Coalition on Aging website
Silver Economy Forum website
H&H Media Inc. website

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In this episode of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Brian Clark, Founder of the midlife personal growth newsletter Further, of the marketing services business Longevity Gains, and serial digital entrepreneur. They discuss how, after selling his hugely successful digital business Copyblogger in 2018, Brian took time out from his serial entrepreneurship to travel and reflect on his future direction. He recognised how often men struggle silently with midlife transitions, and how men’s voices were lacking in the longevity space. He describes his career to that point and how the content marketing principles he had developed during that time remain powerfully relevant for educating and engaging older consumers. He also recognised how slow many businesses have been to recognise and adapt to the demographic shift of older and more affluent consumers. He outlines how, recognising the need for more male voices discussing both the personal and the business aspects of longevity and midlife transitions, he launched two projects. Further is a newsletter focused on the 50+ audience, providing resources for Gen Xers who reject the idea of a “golden years” retirement and seek to start location-independent businesses to live and work from anywhere as part of their “unretirement” lifestyle. Additionally, Longevity Gains is a service to educate and advise marketers and entrepreneurs on the huge opportunities of the longevity economy.

Brian Clark is a writer, traveler, and serial digital entrepreneur. He’s the founder of the pioneering content marketing website Copyblogger, the midlife personal growth newsletter Further, and of Leading Expert, an educational community that provides smart strategies for location-independent business owners. He’s also co-founder of Digital Commerce Partners, a content marketing and SEO agency for digital business owners.

Brian has started 13 businesses in the last 27 years, either solo or as a co-founder. The first one failed, but every company since has yielded higher revenue, profits, and happiness. He began publishing online in 1998, and by 1999 had his first entrepreneurial success thanks to an understanding of the emerging commercial internet. He went on to launch two additional successful businesses using purely online marketing and digital infrastructure, attaining even greater success. In 2006, he started a one-man website called Copyblogger, which quickly evolved into an influential digital trade magazine for the content marketing industry. The company created software-as-a-service, web hosting, WordPress themes and plugins, courses, and conferences. It’s been the dedicated service to the Copyblogger audience that has been the catalyst for the multimillion dollar tools, training, and service company Brian headed up as CEO, until his sale of the business in 2018. This level of success, plus Brian’s early adoption of online content to fuel startup companies, makes him a recognized pioneer of the now $44 billion content marketing industry.

Useful Links:

Brian’s newsletter: Further
Longevity Gains website

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This week on 4-Quarter Lives Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Céline Abecassis-Moedas, Pro-Rector for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Lisbon, Portugal, and Co-Director of the Longevity Leadership Program at Catolica. As becomes clear during their conversation, her fellow director on this program is Avivah Wittenberg-Cox!

Some Useful Links:

Catolica Lisbon Longevity Leadership Program Overview
Catolica Lisbon Longevity Leadership Program Structure
Catolica Lisbon Longevity Leadership Program Application Form
Stanford Center on Longevity Ambassador

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In this episode of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Dr Niobe Way, Professor of Developmental Psychology at NYU and author of Rebels with a Cause: Reimagining Boys, Ourselves and Our Culture. Her groundbreaking research has transformed how we understand boys, friendships, and the very human need for connection. In Rebels with a Cause she distils four decades of research to uncover the hidden emotional lives of boys and what their struggles teach us – not only about them, but also about ourselves.

She and Avivah discuss her insights into how our culture’s rigid ‘boy’ culture norms disconnect us from one another, the mental health impacts of this crisis, and her vision for building a more connected, curious, and relational world. Dr Way describes how research shows the strong desire boys have for close friendships, but at the same time how they struggle to maintain them due to cultural pressures, and the "boy culture" that devalues emotional connection. This culture is pervasive globally and impacts young girls as well, contributing to mental health issues and social problems. She and Avivah explore possible ways of addressing the challenges, and how listening with genuine curiosity is key to fostering connection and breaking down stereotypes. Dr Way also suggests that technology could be leveraged to encourage curiosity and meaningful interaction, rather than superficial "likes". She is developing an ‘Agape Teens’ App which gamify’s the practice of curiosity for teenagers, helping to break down stereotypes and foster real connection.

Dr. Niobe Way is a Professor of Developmental Psychology at NYU, the founder of the Project for the Advancement of Our Common Humanity (PACH), co-founder of agapi.teens, and the principal investigator on the Listening with Curiosity Project. Dr. Way was the President of the Society for Research on Adolescence. She has authored nearly a hundred journal articles and numerous books, including Deep Secrets: Boys’ Friendships and the Crisis of Connection (Harvard University Press) and Everyday Courage: The Lives and Stories of Urban Teenagers (NYU Press). She received her B.A. from U.C. Berkeley, her doctoral degree from Harvard, and was an National Institute of Mental Health postdoctoral fellow at Yale in the psychology department.

Some Useful Links:

Niobe Way’s website
Review of Rebels with a Cause, The Harvard Gazette
To buy Rebels with a Cause (UK)
To buy Rebels with a Cause (USA)

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In this first episode of Season 8 of 4 Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Katja Meier, writer and founder of Zenka Films.

Katja is on a mission to build a media world where not only female-driven content is the norm, but where female heroes above the age of 50 are no longer the exception. She and Avivah discuss the TV series Katja has developed about a 59-year-old woman who inherits a successful mining company and sets about challenging the less than ethical business practices she discovers there. Katja describes the experiences that led her to this theme, the inspirational women who influenced her thinking, and the negative reactions she received from potential producers and investors at the idea of having a woman in her late 50s as the lead character. She talks about how, determined to prove to industry sceptics the viability of stories centred around an older woman, she set up Zenka Films, and describes the innovative production approaches taken, focused on transparency, fair compensation and startup-like team structures. She and Avivah discuss initial positive audience responses, not only from 50+ audiences but from younger age groups also, as well as the lessons that Katja has learned in the course of this fascinating journey.

Katja Meier was an actor in Switzerland and Germany for several years before she swapped Shakespeare and Goethe for a backpack and settled in Italy, where she's lived since 1999. Her varied experiences include running a refugee home in Tuscany, which inspired her memoir "Across the Big Blue Sea: Good Intentions and Hard Lessons in an Italian Refugee Home" (a Guardian Best Summer Book). Today, she splits her time between Italy and a winter campsite in the Swiss Alps – the latter serving as $HARE’s film location. Through Zenka Films, she's pioneering sustainable production methods and fair wage practices in the film industry. Her Substack newsletter 'Startup with 50' follows her entrepreneurial quest to revolutionize storytelling in film and television (which is a TV show in its own right).

Some Useful Links:

$HARE pilot episode online
Katja’s substack newsletter.
Katja’s introductory blog.
Zenka films website
Zenka’s Instagram
Katja’s LinkedIn
Katja’s article on Noon
Article in The Guardian
Katja’s Book

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This week on 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Suzanne Noble, host of the podcast Sex Advice for Seniors and co-creator of Startup School for Seniors.

Suzanne has become a prominent voice on relationships for older adults through her podcast, TikTok and media appearances. She and Avivah discuss some of the key relationships and sexual issues older adults may face, from erectile dysfunction and vaginal atrophy to loss of libido and body confidence concerns. There may be shifts from spontaneous to more responsive arousal. They talk about the importance of communication, creativity and prioritising intimacy for maintaining healthy living and relationships, and the need for better education and resources for both individuals and medical professionals. Suzanne describes her background, how she came to this work and her current projects.

Suzanne Noble spent over 20 years working as an entertainment publicist for household names such as Led Zeppelin, The Who, Gladys Knight, and others, and for launching Harry Potter on DVD. For six years, she was global PR and Marketing Director for the children's TV series LazyTown. Always passionate about jazz and blues, in 2018 she resumed her earlier singing career and performs jazz and 'dirty blues' in London's clubs and pubs. Following this, in 2020 she and Mark Elliott founded Startup School for Seniors to help and encourage individuals in their third quarter to turn their passions and life experiences into profitable businesses. Alongside this, her TikTok channel, Sex Advice for Seniors, has been featured in the UK's Metro, the Sun, Independent and further afield, such as Brazil and Poland.

Some Useful Links:

Startup School for Seniors - Website
Sex Advice for Seniors podcast link
Advantages of Age – Suzanne’s Substack blog
Suzanne’s LinkedIn page

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This week on 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Alan MacIntosh, Founding Partner in AgeTech Capital, a purpose-driven private market investment firm focused on innovative & affordable technology solutions for healthier and fulfilling ageing. They discuss the dramatic rise of the longevity economy which, in the USA alone, is projected to triple from $8.3 trillion to $26.8 trillion by 2050. As part of this, age technology is seeing increasing innovation and investment, with areas like connected living, new forms of caregiving, preventative health monitoring and interventions, and financial security all growing as services and investment opportunities. Alan describes examples of AgeTech Capital’s investments, identifies how AI might augment support for older adults, emphasises the need to balance innovation with ethical considerations and outlines a new investor network partnership between AgeTech Capital and the AgeTech Collaborative™ from AARP (American Association of Retired Persons), which aims to drive systemic innovations in the field of ageing.

Building, operating and investing in entrepreneur-led technology businesses across innovation cycles for three decades, Alan MacIntosh’s early international career spanned the energy, IT and mobile sectors with Schlumberger, HP and the Telesystem group.

He co-founded GSM Capital, the first global wireless venture fund, with notable investments such as Saraïde (acquired by Infospace) and Paypal. As a founding partner in Acta Wireless, he chaired OZ Communications (acquired by Nokia), co-founded Millennial Media, as well as Real Ventures, Canada's leading source of capital for entrepreneurs and a driving force behind emerging tech ecosystems.

Alan's long term commitment to his community includes Cofounder/Ambassador of TechAide (supporting United Way), Advisory Board Member of AI4GoodLab, Cofounder of the OSMO Foundation (Maison Notman House), former Co-Chair of Startup Montreal, Founding Sponsor of the Mobile Giving Foundation and Advisor to Kids Code Jeunesse.

A native of Scotland, keen cyclist and lifelong skier, Alan holds a BSc (Hons) in Offshore Engineering from Heriot-Watt University and an MBA from INSEAD.

Some Useful Links:

AgeTech Capital website
AgeTech Investor Network link
LifestyleRx
Bloom Finance

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This week on 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Shruti Singh, Senior Economist for Ageing and Employment Policies at the OECD. The OECD has been studying workforce ageing for over 30 years, with a shift from focusing on financial risks towards the opportunities this change offers. Shruti set out the business case for age diversity, the importance of flexibility, current barriers to mid-career job changes and persistent age discrimination in hiring. Both policy and mindset change are needed to adapt to longer working lives. She and Avivah discuss attitudes to work flexibility, the sharp decline in job changes after age 50, the issues for older workers seeking new jobs and the huge value of mid-career reviews, ongoing training and micro-credentials and the case fo government support for retraining costs. Finally, Shruti describes an index the OECD is developing that will explore companies’ and organisations’ ‘age-friendliness.’

Shruti Singh is a Senior Economist in the Skills and Employment Division of the OECD where she leads the work on Ageing and Employment policies. She joined the OECD in 2007, and has since then, led and co-authored several landmark reports in the area of active ageing, career mobility and retention of older workers, promotion of age-inclusive workplaces, age diversity, disability, mental health and work policies. Shruti also co-leads the award-winning initiative Living, Learning and Earning Longer to support global companies reshaping employer practices and policies to nurture a multigenerational workforce. Prior to joining the OECD, Shruti was a policy analyst at the Department for Work and Pensions in the United Kingdom where she was responsible for designing and providing policy advice on UK’s key labor market policies.

Some Useful Links:

OECD Report: Promoting an Age-Inclusive Workforce
OECD Report: Retaining Talent at All Ages
OECD Report: Working Better with Age

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This week on 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Amanda Philpott, the co-founder and CEO of eargym. They discuss hearing health and how hearing loss is strongly correlated with cognitive decline and risk of dementia, yet is often overlooked in preventative healthcare. Amanda explains how early intervention can significantly improve quality of life as we age, and in particular reduce the social isolation (and consequent cognitive decline) that hearing loss can cause. She describes her own experience of living with moderate hearing loss and how this led her to create eargym after a 30-year career in the UK’s National Health Service. Eargym’s focus is on ongoing hearing checks and auditory training games focused on sound detection, localisation, discrimination and meaning attribution. Amanda also talks about the exciting but rewarding challenge in her Q3 of transitioning from the NHS to a role as start-up entrepreneur.

Amanda Philpott founded eargym in 2020. Both she and her eargym co-founder, ex-DJ Andy Shanks, live with moderate hearing loss and have family with dementia. She is an ex-NHS CEO, has extensive senior leadership and operational experience in health and care and is a population health strategy specialist. Her hope, in making the leap from her long public service career into the world of digital health start-ups, is to try to have a valuable impact on global health and well-being from a wholly different perspective. 

Some Useful Links:

eargym website
eargym video
eargym online ear check

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This week on 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Deirdre Wafer, Global Co-Chair of the Wisdom Employee Resource Group at LinkedIn. They discuss how to navigate the many intricacies of careers, the pivotal nature of transitions, particularly later in careers, and the role that the Wisdom ERG plays at LinkedIn.

Deirdre Wafer is Global Co-Chair of the Wisdom Employee Resource Group at LinkedIn, which brings employees 40+ and their allies together with the aim of making LinkedIn an inclusive workplace for all ages. Additionally, she leads a Customer Insights team for LinkedIn Marketing Solutions within EMEA & LATAM, delivering insights to big brand and media agency clients. Prior to joining LinkedIn, Deirdre had a successful marketing career across various industries, working with companies such as Virgin Media, Liberty Insurance, Meteor Mobile, AXA, and Bank of Ireland.

Some Useful Links:

“How employers can break down generational echo chambers at work” – Raconteur Article
Deirdre Wafer LinkedIn link.

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In this episode of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox speaks with Michael King, Managing Director of Senior Response, one of the UK’s first and only client contact management services dedicated to the over-50s market. Established in 2001 Senior Response manages client contact communication, by phone, SMS, email, post, and webchat on behalf of clients.

Michael shares his professional journey, starting from his early career with Capital One to his eventual role at Senior Response, a company he first encountered as a client. He explains how Senior Response sets itself apart by employing older agents who can relate to their customers’ life experiences, providing a more empathetic and effective service. He and Avivah discuss the challenges companies face when marketing to older demographics, highlighting the need for tailored approaches that account for their specific life stages. He emphasizes that businesses should recognize the role of adult children in purchasing decisions and adapt their strategies accordingly. The conversation also touches on the importance of flexibility in work environments, particularly in a sector known for high turnover, and how Senior Response maintains high retention by offering adaptable shifts and a supportive culture.

Michael King joined Senior Response Ltd in 2018 as Managing Director. He is an experienced Senior Contact Centre Professional with a history of working across multiple industries and businesses, including Dixons Carphone, the Post Office, BNP Paribas and Capital One. His experience includes Contact Centre Operations, Business Process Improvement, Sales Operations, Customer Retention, and Stakeholder Management. He has a degree in Accounting and Business Management from Long Island University.

Some Useful Links:

Senior Response website

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This week on 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Tina Backhouse, the General Manager in the UK of Theramex, a global speciality pharmaceutical company focused on supporting the health needs of women at all stages of life. They discuss the particular health needs of women, particularly as they age, the need for women to monitor key health metrics post menopause, the specific risks of cardiovascular disease, dementia and osteoporosis and the need for research to take better account of different ethnicities and age groups. Tina describes how Theramex addresses these and other health issues, the changing health concerns for women pre- and post-menopause, the value of DEXA scans, other preventative screenings and the increased importance of fitness, diet and exercise habits from the late 40s onwards. They discuss the role of supplements and of HRT treatment.

Tina Backhouse has over 25 years’ experience in global senior leadership roles in the pharmaceutical industry, launching innovative products across a diverse range of therapy areas in both large and small pharma companies. She joined Theramex to lead the UK Women’s Health business in 2020, helping establish Theramex in the UK as the largest supplier of HRT & Menopause Products. She is passionate about there being equality of healthcare for all women in the UK, and that women have choice in their healthcare options.

Some Useful Links:

Theramex UK website
Theramex International website
The British Menopause Society website

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This week on 4-Quarter Lives Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Nick Viner, co-Founder and Director of Circle Square — a membership community for individuals over 50 focused on positive ageing, personal growth, and purpose in the third quarter of life. Nick shares his insights into creating a vibrant community for people moving into new life chapters, offering a rich programme of curated events, trusted services and a career transition programme. He talks about what motivated him to create Circle Square and who it is for. He emphasises the importance of building a gender-balanced community for social interaction, sharing of wisdom, and adding value to society, and discusses the challenge many face in finding friendships and purpose after their careers end, which Circle Square helps to address. Currently focused on the UK, the aim is to build local chapters globally, starting in New York, and to expand their Planning Your Next Chapter coaching programme worldwide.

In his previous career, before launching Circle Square in 2017, Nick spent 20 years at The Boston Consulting Group, helping clients around the world on strategy, business development and leadership. Shifting to the not-for-profit sector, he established and built a $50 million ground-breaking new cultural and community centre in London, called JW3, for the Jewish community and for London as a whole. He is currently Chair of Jewish Museum London, and has served as a trustee or Board member of charities with a strong commitment to education and the arts including Alexander Haus eV, the Architectural Association, the Institute of Imagination, JW3 and WAC Arts. He is a non-executive Director of independent publisher, Profile Books, and a Board member of several grant-giving foundations. Nick studied law at Cambridge and has an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is married with 4 children and 3 grandchildren.

Some Useful Links:

Circle Square website
Circle Square’s Planning Your Next Chapter Programme

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This week on 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Lindsey Beagley, Senior Director of Lifelong University Engagement at Arizona State University. They discuss the growing interest of universities to re-design themselves for the new age of longevity, engaging with people throughout their lives rather than just as the outset. Lindsey describes how Arizona State University is doing so in its various programmes, and in particular their ground-breaking Mirabella University Retirement Community on the ASU Tempe campus – integrating a continuing care retirement community into a university campus. She talks about how older adults involved in the Mirabella program are eager to help young people as well as to continue their own learning, and how this desire to mentor and support younger generations has influenced the program's design and success.

Some Useful Links:

https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/2024/08/08/longevity-boom-boost-higher-ed-opinion
https://www.mirabellaasu.org/
https://learning.asu.edu/
https://www.universityretirementcommunities.com
The Nexel Collaborative: https://thenexel.org/
Age Friendly University Global Network: www.afugn.org
Heirloom Communities: https://www.heirloomcommunities.com/

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In the latest episode of 4-Quarter Lives Podcast, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with former private equity partner Graham Heddle about the opportunities to use AI as a tool for personal reinvention. They discuss Graham's own journey of career transition and how he harnessed the power of AI, particularly ChatGPT, for personal growth and exploration. Graham shares his insights on using AI as a co-intelligence tool, facilitating deep self-reflection, and finding new purpose after leaving a long-term career.

Graham now divides his time between the charity and commercial sectors. He is Senior Advisor to recruitment firm ZRG, Chair of the Trustees at the charity Goods for Good, an ambassador at Brave Starts and Strategic Application Consultant at The Fore amongst other interests. While creating this diverse portfolio, he has been investigating AI and exploring its productive applications in both business and personal life.

Following 10 years in banking with Barclays, working in the UK, Germany and France, Graham Heddle spent 23 years as a partner at Primary Capital, a private equity firm based in London. Graham was both chair and non-executive director on several of the firm’s investments and a member of the investment committee. Graham’s first love was modern languages and after A Levels in French and German, he went on to complete his first joint honours degree in German and Spanish, with Portuguese and Dutch, at Nottingham University, then spent a year living and working in Brazil and Venezuela. He also has an MBA from INSEAD and enjoys giving guest lectures on the ups and downs of private equity investment and his current favourite subject: “how not to choose a career”.

Some Useful Links:

ZRG Partners website
Goods for Good website
Brave Starts website
The Fore website
A Brief Guide to AI and How To Use It (with Appendices on Prompting)

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In this episode of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Anne Thevenet-Abitbol of French food giant, Danone. Anne shares her insights on ageing, digital communication and the necessity of generational collaboration in today's workplace. She talks about the philosophy behind ageing without becoming 'old' and how personal and professional growth doesn't stop at any age. They discuss how she navigates the challenges of constant digital interaction and maintains authenticity and relatability in her communications. And Anne describes her journey from focusing on gender balance to advocating for generational balance, promoting a workplace where all ages are valued.

After 12 years in the advertising industry, in 1998 Anne Thevenet-Abitbol was recruited as Foresight and New Concepts Director of Danone by Franck Riboud, president of Danone, to work alongside him on any subject likely to move the Group forward. She is often presented as an “ideas agitator”. In this atypical role, she suggests ideas, initiates and leads projects or areas of development. She intervenes on various marketing, social or societal subjects. She is an internal creative resource for all teams seeking an alternative perspective on their subjects and she also develops her own projects. Since 2010 she has designed and led the multi-company EVE Program to help women progress in organizations. Following this in 2012 she launched the OCTAVE Program, also inter-company, which aims to get generations to work better together and better integrate the impact of new technologies. And, more recently, she launched Nold – Never Old - a media platform and brand aiming to talk to an invisible generation of people who feel they are “too old to be young, but too young to be old”, and to change perception on ageing.

Some useful links:

Website for the Octave intergenerational program
Nold Never Old website (French)
Nold Never Old Instagram
Nold Never Old Facebook
Website for The EVE program

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In the latest episode of 4-Quarter Lives Podcast, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox delves into the fascinating world of longitudinal studies with George Ploubidis, Professor of Population Health and Statistics at University College London. George offers invaluable insights into how these studies shape our understanding of health, economic circumstances, employment, family life and wellbeing across the life course. They discuss how large-scale, population-based surveys like the 1958 and 1970 British birth cohort studies provide crucial life course data across generations, informing social policies and public health interventions. George reveals surprising findings such as the deteriorating health of Generation X compared to baby boomers, despite overall improvements in living standards. He argues that making longitudinal data freely available to researchers worldwide, reveals the huge value of open access for scientific advancement and policy development.

George Ploubidis is Professor of Population Health and Statistics at the UCL Social Research Institute and Director of the 1958 National Child Development Study and the 1970 British Cohort Study at the Centre for Longitudinal Studies. He joined the Centre for Longitudinal Studies in 2014 as the Centre’s Chief Statistician, and in 2016 became CLS’s inaugural Director of Research. Prior to joining UCL George held posts at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of Cambridge. His research interests relate to socioeconomic and demographic determinants of health over the life course and the mechanisms that underlie generational differences in health, well-being and mortality. His methodological work in longitudinal surveys focuses on applications for handling missing data, causal inference and measurement errors.

Some Useful Links:

George’s UCL website
Recent keynote: The future of ageing: A cross generational life course perspective
Centre for Longitudinal Studies website (for all info CLS related).
CLS Data Access page (with information on how to access CLS data).
UK Data Service (where the data can be downloaded from).
Forbes Article by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox: The Battle Over Gen Z Minds, Sad, Bad or Mad?

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This week on 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Adrita Bhattacharya-Craven, the Director of Health and Demography at the Geneva Association. This association is a leading think-tank exploring the issues the insurance industry faces and researching how insurance can contribute to a better world. Not surprisingly the insurance sector is ever more aware of the implications of ageing societies and how insurance products must continually adapt to changing needs.

Adrita Bhattacharya-Craven has been the Director of Health and Demography at the Geneva Association since 2020. Her work at the GA focuses on the strategic and long-term research priorities of health and life insurers which is undertaken in collaboration with CEOs and senior executives of GA member companies, academic institutions as well as global organisations. Her work reflects the growing convergence of life and health insurance, against the backdrop of an emerging risk landscape brought about by new disease patterns, ageing, technology and other market disruptors that are central considerations for improving consumer access to risk protection and business sustainability.

Prior to joining the GA, Adrita has worked extensively in global health across the public and private sectors as well as with global multilateral organisations such as the World Bank and UKAID. She specialises in strategic purchasing of healthcare, health market analysis and has closely supported several high-level health financing interventions internationally. She has Masters degrees in health policy planning and financing from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the London School of Economics.

Some Useful Links:

Website of The Geneva Association
Report from Geneva Association, with the Global Aging Institute: Financial Wellbeing: Is it Key to Reinventing Life Insurance?
Report from Geneva Association: New Care Models: How Insurers Can Rise to the Challenge of Older and Sicker Societies

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with serial entrepreneur, renowned speaker and prolific author Peter Hinssen about his ideas on innovation and longevity, and perspectives on reinventing oneself.

Peter has a unique background combining technology, entrepreneurship, leadership and storytelling. He believes constant reinvention is key for both companies and individuals to thrive in a rapidly changing world. His "Phoenix" model for organizational reinvention can also be applied to personal reinvention, and he actively seeks out younger perspectives to keep learning and stay future-focused. As he argues, longevity will bring big changes with huge potential, but also significant risks, and demographic shifts will reshape the geopolitical landscape in the coming decades.

Peter Hinssen is a serial entrepreneur, author and keynote speaker on the topics of radical innovation, leadership and the impact of all things digital on society and business. After studying engineering and computer science, and a brief corporate stint, he became a serial entrepreneur. He then shifted to teaching, writing and public speaking and has written five best-selling business books, including The Phoenix and the Unicorn (2020), The Day After Tomorrow (2017, The Network Always Wins (2014), The New Normal (2010) and Business/IT Fusion (2008). He has lectured widely, including at the London Business School and MIT, and is a contributing writer for Forbes. His current company, nexxworks, helps organisations become fluid, innovate and thrive in the Day After Tomorrow.

Some Useful Links:

Peter Hinssen’s Website
Peter Hinssen's ‘Never Normal’ Newsletter
Peter Hinssen’s LinkedIn Profile
Book – The Phoenix and the Unicorn
Book – The Day After Tomorrow
Nexxworks website

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In this episode of "4 Quarter Lives," Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Tim Parr, CEO of Caddis, to explore his multifaceted journey from a serial entrepreneur in the action sports industry to revolutionizing how we perceive ageing through his innovative eyewear company focused on the Q3 demographic. Tim shares his insights on midlife reinvention, the importance of authenticity in marketing, and why embracing ageing can be your next great adventure. He talks about his own transitions, the significance of tone and understanding your audience in brand communication, and the potential of the longevity economy.

Tim has both founded new companies and worked with some of the most respected brands in the apparel and sporting goods industries, including Patagonia, L.L.Bean, Filson, Kono and others. After founding cycling brand Swobo he developed his ideas and expertise in brand building. He became GM of Patagonia’s WaterGirl surf business, then established his own brand strategy business to help others build relevant customer brand experience. He brought this expertise to the founding of Caddis, a lifestyle brand specifically addressing the needs of people over 40. And alongside this he has toured his Bluegrass band across the western USA. He is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Useful Links

Caddis website

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In the first episode of Season 6 of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Martin Frolander, the Founder and Chief Executive of Junoverse, a company with a mission to reimagine the future of seniors through the most comprehensive retirement platform yet built. Their conversation delves into Junoverse's three integrated platforms: Ready, Go, and Connect, each tailored to different stakeholders key to an individual's career and life.

Ready supports employers in managing mid to late career employees aged 50-80. It features assessments, personalized plans, algorithm-based recommendations, and mentoring.
Go assists individuals in retirement, helping them navigate post-work life effectively, with a series of resources and tools
Connect aims to create and enable age-friendly communities, facilitating better integration and interaction among community members of varying ages.

Finally, Martin and Avivah discuss why there remains relatively low awareness and urgency among employers regarding the ageing workforce.

Martin Frölander is an international citizen with over 20 years of business experience ranging from founder of multiple startups, leadership positions in multinational companies as well as advisor to international Boards and CEOs. He has a track record of building and scaling successful companies in the Wellness/Health Ed and AgeTech industry. Martin is Swedish by birth, but Mozambican at heart.

Useful Links

Junoverse website

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In this episode of 4 Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox summarises key points from the fascinating conversations she has had with a wide range of experts across the Season 5. Her aim this season was to dig deeper into the midlife transition issue, how to prepare people for longer careers, more change and the need for real longlife learning. She started with Richard Alderson of Careershifters and Victoria Tomlinson of NextUp, both of whom have launched businesses helping people with these momentous career moves. Richard described the 6 phases of career shifts that everyone goes through, while Victoria discussed evolving attitudes to late work, and how to better exit big jobs, while avoiding the sudden cliff edge of endings.

Avivah’s next guest was London Business School Professor Herminia Ibarra, author of the seminal book Working Identity, which focuses in on the particular challenges of changing careers in midlife. Following that was Helen Tupper, co-CEO of Amazing If, a company that introduced the concept of ‘squiggly careers’, helping corporates to flex their managers’ minds and systems, not least to retain good talent. This objective is also dear to the heart of Pedro Patella, or France’s SANOFI, with whom Avivah discussed their new global Generations Employee network. Another informative guest was Ann Francke, CEO of the UK’s Chartered Management Institute, who focused on the management competencies involved in working with inter-generational workforces and customers.

Also keen to drill down into the issue of how to influence decision-makers in organisations is Michael Clinton, former Head of Publishing of Hearst Magazines, and author of ROAR: Into the Second Half of Your Life. Meanwhile Bradley Schuman is author of The Super Age: Decoding our Demographic Destiny, as well as CEO of Human Change. Both brought their deep insights to the podcast.

Avivah ended the season with two pioneers in the longevity space. Chip Conley is the Founder of the Modern Elder Academy and his latest book is Learn to Love Midlife. He uses his own life as a radically honest exploration of the new shape of life. Finally, Avivah talked with Professor Andrew Scott, of London Business School, who has just followed up his massively impactful book The 100-Year-Life, with his latest, The Longevity Imperative. This is big-picture thinking, encompassing not just individual change but cultural, social and economic at a global level.

Some Useful Links

The universities around the world running midlife transition programmes
OECD report summaries
Employers Don’t Care if You Have 25 Years Experience – Or 5
Changing Jobs at Midlife is Good for Your Career – And Your Salary

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In this final episode of Season 5 of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah talks with Professor Andrew Scott about his new book, The Longevity Imperative, and the profound implications of increased lifespan. Andrew distinguishes between the first and second longevity revolutions, highlighting the shift from surviving childhood to redefining the ageing process itself. He emphasizes the imperative for cultural and societal changes to enable individuals to age better and maximise the potential of their additional healthy years. He provides clarity on life expectancy data, explaining the nuances between period and cohort measures, and underscoring how gains in life expectancy now predominantly occur after the age of 60. And he shines a light on health inequalities that hinder progress in the UK and USA.

The conversation continues by looking at the importance of fostering generational balance and perspectives in the workforce. Andrew advocates for restructuring systems to value mixed-age workforces, stressing the necessity for flexible career structures and confronting ageism. He frames ageing as a continuous process rather than a singular event, critiquing the prevalent dichotomy between ‘young’ and ‘old’. He is optimistic that this generation can pioneer new perspectives on extended life, influencing future generations with a more holistic view of ageing.

Professor Andrew Scott is a world expert on the economics of longevity and on what that entails for ensuring happier, healthier and more productive lives. An award-winning researcher, speaker, author and teacher, he is co-founder of The Longevity Forum, co-author (with Lynda Gratton) of the global bestselling book “The Hundred Year Life” and a professor of economics at London Business School. He is also a consulting scholar at Stanford University’s Center on Longevity.

He was Managing Editor for the Royal Economic Society’s Economic Journal and Non-Executive Director for the UK’s Financial Services Authority 2009-2013. He has been an advisor on policy to a range of governments. He is currently on the advisory board of the UK’s Office for Budget Responsibility, the Cabinet Office Honours Committee (Science and Technology), co-founder of The Longevity Forum, a member of the National Academy of Medicine’s International Commission on Health Longevity and the WEF council on Healthy Ageing and Longevity. Previously Andrew held positions at Oxford University, London School of Economics and Harvard University. His MA is from Oxford, his M.Sc. from the London School of Economics and his D.Phil from Oxford.

Useful Links:

Andrew Scott’s website
Buy The Longevity Imperative on Amazon UK or Amazon USA
Buy The Hundred Year Life on Amazon UK or Amazon USA
Report (joint author): The Longevity Dividend: The Economics of Healthier, Longer and More Productive Lives
Article (joint author) in The Journal of the Economics of Ageing: Healthy ageing trends in England between 2002 to 2018: Improving but slow and unequal

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The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity

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Chip Conley is on a midlife mission. After disrupting the hospitality industry twice, first as the founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, the second-largest operator of boutique hotels in the U.S., and then as Airbnb’s Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy, leading a worldwide revolution in travel, Conley co-founded MEA (Modern Elder Academy) in January 2018 in Baja California, Mexico. Inspired by his experience of intergenerational mentoring as a ‘modern elder’ at Airbnb, where his guidance was instrumental to the company’s extraordinary transformation from fast-growing start-up to the world’s most valuable hospitality brand, MEA is the world's first ‘midlife wisdom school’ and has a campus opening on a 2,600-acre regenerative horse ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico in early 2024. Dedicated to reframing the concept of ageing, MEA supports students to navigate midlife with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility. A New York Times bestselling author, Conley's 7th book "Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better with Age" is about rebranding midlife to help people understand the upside of this often-misunderstood life stage. In 2023 he gave a TED talk on the “midlife chrysalis."

Some Useful Links:

Website: Chip Conley
Book: Learning to Love Midlife – or at Amazon
Website: Modern Elder Academy
Chip Copley’s Daily Blog: Wisdom Well
Blue Zones Retreat at MEA

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In this episode of 4 Quarter Lives we tackle the complexities of longevity, ageing populations, and the evolving business landscape that accompanies these global shifts. While longevity science progresses at a breakneck pace, societal norms and economic structures lag behind, posing significant challenges. Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with demographic strategist Bradley Schuman. Together they take a deep dive into how businesses that leverage age diversity can outpace the competition and why addressing the unique challenges women face in midlife could be a game-changer for innovative companies. They also explore the critical skills that will define success in the future workforce, highlighting the importance of curiosity, creativity, and compassion.

Bradley Schurman is Founder and CEO of Human Change – a global strategic research and advisory firm helping public and private organizations understand the challenges and harness the opportunities of demographic change, with a focus on population ageing. Human Change works to ensure that these subjects are considered across organizational strategies from human resources, marketing and communication, public policies, and product and service design. Schurman is also the author of “The Super Age: Decoding Our Demographic Destiny”, which examines how this shift is driving social and economic change around the world. Prior to launching his company and authoring the book, Schurman was Co-Founder and Managing Partner of EconomyFour, where he led business development in Asia and Europe. He also served at AARP – the world’s largest organization dedicated to improving the lives of older people – where he was Director of Global Partnerships and Engagements. 

Some Useful Links:

Website - Human Change
Book: The Super Age: Decoding out Demographic Destiny
Newsletter: newrulesmedia.substack.com

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The Super Age: Decoding Our Demographic Destiny

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In this episode, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Michael Clinton, a visionary leader and former President, Marketing and Publishing Director of Hearst Magazines. They discuss the evolving workplace, the benefits of age inclusivity, and the transformative power of media in shaping societal views on ageing. Michael shares his perspectives on how businesses and content creators can contribute to a more inclusive environment that values experience and longevity.

Michael Clinton is a writer, photographer and former magazine publishing executive. He was publisher of GQ magazine from 1988 to 1994, senior vice president and executive VP of Condé Nast until 1997. He then joined Hearst Magazines as senior VP and Chief Marketing Officer. From 2010, he was President, marketing and publishing director of Hearst Magazines and served on the board of The Hearst Corporation. He remains special media adviser to the CEO.

He has written many books and his latest, published in 2021, is his eleventh, ROAR: Into the Second Half of Your Life (Before It's Too Late). The book draws its title from an acronym:

Reimagine yourself
Own who you are
Act on what's next for you
Reassess your relationships

The book describes how people can transform themselves later in life and pursue a new career trajectory by "rewiring or 'refiring' for what could be another 30 or 40 years of life". Michael also runs a joint venture business with Hearst called roarforward.com.

Michael is also an avid traveler and runner. He has visited more than 123 countries, run races in over 60 and run marathons on all 7 continents, including Antarctica. A former board member and supporter of Starlight Children’s Foundation, he is also the founder of Circle of Generosity, a foundation that grants random acts of kindness to people in need. He has a degree in economics and political science from Pittsburgh University, an MBA from Pace University, an honorary doctorate from Pace and, after retirement, in 2021 earned a Master of Science in Non-Profit Management from Columbia University. He lives in Manhattan, New York, and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Some Useful Links:

Michael’s JV website: Roar Forward
Michael’s book: ROAR Into the Second Half of Your Life
Forbes article by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox: 5 Steps to Longevity Leadership – Is Your Business Ready?

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In this episode of 4-Quarter Lives Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Ann Francke, Chief Executive of the Chartered Management Institute, about the pivotal role of management skills in supporting and enhancing longer career spans. They uncover startling statistics, including that 82% of managers receiving no training upon promotion, resulting in what's known as "accidental managers", and the sobering reality that only 42% of managers are open to hiring workers over 50. Their conversation touches on the unique challenges women face as they enter the third quarter (Q3) of their careers and the huge importance of managers in shaping workplace culture and team member wellbeing. Ann describes CMI's extensive research on ageism in the workplace, strategies to support older workers, and the significance of leveraging the talents of a multi-generational workforce. Together Ann and Avivah explore how individual behaviours can influence organizational culture and how managers can become catalysts for an equitable and inclusive work environment.

Ann Francke is Chief Executive of the Chartered Management Institute, the UK's leading professional body for management and leadership with an international member community of over 200,000. She started her career at Procter & Gamble and has held senior executive positions at Mars, Boots, Yell and BSI. She is an expert in Management and Leadership in the workplace, speaks frequently in the media and at conferences and is a regular columnist for The London Times. She’s the author of ‘Create a Gender-balanced Workplace,’ published by Penguin, and the ‘Financial Times Guide to Management.’ She holds several Board positions and Honorary Doctorates for her work in management and leadership and is an ambassador for the 30% Club.

Some Useful Links:

The Everyone Economy. A project, as part of CMI’s 75th anniversary, to understand the current state of inclusion in the workplace. Age was one of six characteristics looked at.
Age in the Workplace. As part of the Everyone Economy, CMI published a discussion paper examining the evidence base around age inclusion.
The Workplace in Review: Age. Part of CMI’s documentary series on barriers to fairness and inclusion in the workplace. This 20 minute episode focuses on age in the workplace.
Over-50s at work: 'You feel your usefulness has passed'. A BBC article from January 2023 citing CMI research into managers' openness to hiring older workers.

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In this episode of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Pedro Pitella to explore the innovative work of global healthcare company Sanofi in fostering an inclusive work environment through Generations+, its intergenerational Employee Resource Group (ERG). Pedro is Head of People and Culture for Sanofi Brazil, and global lead for Generations+. The conversation explores the importance of age diversity in the workplace and the valuable insights Sanofi has gained in shaping the way for a diverse and inclusive future. From tackling age justice awareness to updating company policies to serve an ageing customer base, Avivah and Pedro discuss why a multi-generational workforce is not just a social justice issue, but a business imperative, and the practical steps Sanofi is taking to make an impact both locally and globally.

Pedro Pitella has 20 years of business operational experience followed by 18 years in positions with increasing responsibility in Human Resources. Prior to joining Sanofi he worked in multinational companies including C&A, Citibank, Procter & Gamble, Mondelez, Johnson & Johnson and Makro. His first-hand business operational experience has been invaluable for developing HR strategies to support organizational growth and transformation. He holds a Production Engineering Degree from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and an MBA from Fundação Getúlio Vargas, and has lived and worked in Brazil, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

Some Useful Links:

Sanofi’s Employee Resource Group approach
Sanofi’s ERG ‘Allyship Guides’

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In this episode of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Helen Tupper, Chief Executive of Amazing If, a company redefining careers for individuals and companies. Together they explore the intricacies of career transitions during midlife and how organizations can support these changes. The conversation also delves into personal experience, highlighting the essential balance between work and life.

Helen Tupper is co-founder and CEO of Amazing If, a company with an ambition to make careers better for everyone. Together with her business partner Sarah Ellis, she is the author of two Sunday Times bestsellers The Squiggly Career  and You Coach You. Sarah and Helen are also hosts of the podcast Squiggly Careers which has had 4m downloads and their TED talk, The best career isn’t always a straight line, has been watched by almost 2m people. In 2023 Helen was awarded a place on EYs International Winning Women programme. Prior to founding Amazing If, Helen held leadership roles for Microsoft, Virgin and BP and was awarded the FT & 30% Club’s Women in Leadership MBA Scholarship.

Some Useful Links:

Amazing If website.
Book: The Squiggly Career, by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis
The Squiggly Careers podcast.
Helen Tupper’s LinkedIn

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In this episode of the 4-Quarter Lives podcast, we delve into the intricate world of career transitions and identity change with renowned expert Professor Herminia Ibarra of the London Business School. As we navigate the realities of career shifts, Herminia shares invaluable insights on why these transitions often take years, not months, and the importance of managing expectations during this journey.

We confront the myth of discovering a "true self" and explore how identity is actually mutable, shaped through experimentation. Herminia guides us through the often "dark, messy middle" of career change — a period of confusion and uncertainty that paradoxically serves as a fertile ground for growth. We also discuss the significance of connecting with others in similar phases and practical steps to initiate change, such as reactivating dormant networks and embarking on side projects. Join Avivah Wittenberg-Cox and Herminia Ibarra for a deep dive into the evolving landscape of career transitions in today’s fast-paced world.

Herminia is the author of best-selling books, Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader and Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career. She writes regularly in leading academic journals and business publications including the Harvard Business Review, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, and New York Times, is the author of numerous best-selling business case studies, and speaks internationally on leadership and organizational transformation. A native of Cuba, Herminia received her M.A. and Ph.D. from Yale University, where she was a National Science Fellow.

Some Useful Links:

Herminia Ibarra’s book on career transitions: Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career
Herminia Ibarra’s website
Latest Harvard Business Review Article: Why Career Transition is So Hard
Harvard Business Review Article: Reinventing Your Career – When It’s Not Just About You

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Join Avivah Wittenberg-Cox in this episode of 4-Quarter Lives, as she sits down with Victoria Tomlinson, the innovative mind behind Next-Up. Next-Up is revolutionizing the way we think about retirement and the roles of older workers in today's workforce. We delve into the outdated concept of retirement, the challenges faced by older employees, and the importance of intergenerational working for successful companies. Victoria shares her expertise on how Next-Up assists employers in engaging with their seasoned staff through workshops and an online platform, turning apprehension about later life stages into excitement and motivation. We also explore the unique struggles of older workers in finding purpose, the significance of planning early for life transitions, and practical tips for creating a fulfilling post-retirement life. Tune in for an insightful discussion that challenges the status quo and offers a fresh perspective on retirement and the workplace.

Victoria Tomlinson founded her second business, Next-Up, five years ago at the age of 63, and has developed an online platform to help employees coming up to unretirement, as well as running workshops for pre-retirement partners in professional firms. She has spoken at TEDx on A Generation of Wasted Talent.

A former director of EY in London, she ran an award-winning comms and digital business for 30 years. She was founding chair of Women in Leeds Digital, increasing the diversity of digital teams. She chaired the management division advisory board for University of Leeds and sat on Northern Ballet’s board for eight years. She is on HMP Askham Grange employment advisory board to help ex-offenders, is a Teaching Fellow of Lancaster University and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She has coached chief executives and directors, mentors start-up businesses, young people, ex-offenders and those transitioning into retirement. Next-Up’s own podcast, Re-think Retirement, helps people with inspiration and ideas for unretirement.

Some Useful Links:

NextUp website
NextUp Podcast Rethink Retirement

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Welcome to Season 5 of 4-Quarter Lives, a podcast exploring the profound impact of longer lives and careers … on everything: countries, companies, couples and careers. Thanks for all your support and listening over the past year, we love all the feedback and reactions. Please keep it coming!

In this season Avivah Wittenberg-Cox will start by investigating the scary, exciting and urgent topic of career change. Why is it so terrifying, how can we do it better, and why (and how) can companies help their talent to transition more smoothly across our 60-year career spans?

Introducing Richard Alderson, CEO Careershifters

This week, Avivah talks with Richard Alderson, CEO of Careershifters. After his own feeling of serious stuckness in his late 20s, and his subsequent successful and life-changing shift, Richard Alderson has devoted his career to convincing people that they can successfully change careers. He’s spent the last decade working with thousands of individuals and companies. In this podcast, he shares his learning and data. For example:

what are the 2 big issues that block career-shifters,
the 6 phases of transition that people go through when moving, and
the single most important success factor of a career shift.

Created in 2006, the aim of Careershifters is to help motivated people who feel stuck in the wrong career to find and move into fulfilling work. The starting point is helping more effective career changes, with personal fulfillment at the core. Using a combination of coaching, community and technology, and drawing from entrepreneurship, psychology and design thinking, Careershifters now has an online community of over 180,000, helping people make both individual career moves, and to develop the mindset for confidence in making future shifts. Careershifters is a B-Corporation, a business that consciously balances purpose and profit and considers the impact of its decisions on workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment.

After a number of years in the corporate world, Richard Alderson became disillusioned with what he was doing and quit his job in search of something more meaningful. Seeing a gap in the career guidance and support market, and following a programme at INSEAD Business School in Social Entrepreneurship, he founded Careershifters.

Some Useful Links:

https://www.careershifters.org/
https://www.careershifters.org/career-change-test (free assessment to discover your career change stage)
https://careerscanchange.co.uk/

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In this wrap-up episode to the latest season of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox reviews the 10 fascinating conversations she has had over the last 10 weeks. Her discussions with Haleh Nazeri (World Economic Forum), Philip O’Keefe (Ageing Asia Research Hub) and Emi Kiyota (Singapore National University) explored the challenges presented by aging populations, at a regional and national level. She followed this with conversations about the implications of older workers and customers for companies. James Root (Bain & Co), Michael Fossat (Schneider Electric), Lisa Edgar (Saga), Sibylle Le Maire (Club Landoy) and Lyndsey Simpson (55 Redefined) discussed their research and organizational responses to the issue. Finally, she looked at what all this means for individuals, their careers – and career prospects. Her conversations with Mona Mourshed (Generation: You Employed) and Julie Miller (AARP) provided fascinating insights for all of us.

As Avivah concludes, The season has been a good example of what she has been aiming to do with 4-Quarter Lives - namely to chart the impact of the new longevity on careers, companies and countries and the complexity and inter-relationships between these areas. And to show how generational balance is to the 21st century what gender balance was to the 20th.

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Sibylle Le Maire, Executive Director of the media group Bayard, based in France. She is the Founder and President of Club Landoy, which consists of 24 member companies and is focused on the impact of demographic transitions, aiming to bring out new approaches and innovative solutions for social progress. Today, a third of the French (and developed world’s) population will spend a third of their time in ‘retirement’. This is something that has never previously happened in the history of humanity. This raises many questions and will profoundly change social balances, and economic and personal trajectories. Club Landoy explores this phenomenon, and stimulates business awareness of the impact of longer lives.

Sibylle Le Maire worked in the publishing industry in London before joining Bayard in 2002 as head of overseas sales rights. In 2009 she was appointed Deputy Director of the Group’s International Business Development Unit and, in 2017, executive director of audience and information of websites notrefamille.com and notretemps.com, and General Manager of Bayard Media Development, a subsidiary of Bayard in charge of diversification and B2B and B2C development for the group. She is also the Founder and President of ViveS Media, the first 100% digital media in France dedicated to the relationship between women and money. She is a board member of Forces Femmes, an association that supports women over 45 in their efforts to return to work and set up their own businesses, and of Orpea, a major provider of care services.

Some Useful Links:

Club Landoy website
Bayard website

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This week’s guest with Avivah Wittenberg-Cox on 4-Quarter Lives is Dr Mona Mourshed, the founder and CEO of Generation, a global non-profit organisation that prepares, places and supports adult learners of all ages into careers that are otherwise inaccessible, delivering sector-leading employment and income results consistently.

Generation has recently worked with the OECD to publish a report on The MidCareer Opportunity. It recognises that the world of work is getting older, with profound implications for the labour market, government finances, healthcare and welfare systems, and millions of midcareer workers. The OECD and Generation teamed up to survey thousands of hiring managers, employed, and unemployed people across Europe, the UK, and the US. The resulting report reveals unfounded but deep-seated ageism, explores barriers and enablers to career success, and lays out the steps that business, policymakers, and midcareer and older workers themselves can take now to navigate our transition to a more digital and sustainable world.

Launched in 2015, Generation comprises a global hub (Generation You Employed, or GYE) and a network of in-country affiliates. To date, the network has over 100,000 graduates and helped more than 14,000 employers across 40 professions and 18 countries. When learners join Generation, 90% are unemployed, of which nearly half are long-term unemployed. Three months after completing Generation’s programme, graduates have an 80% job placement rate, rising to 90% within six months. Of their employed graduates, 68% are hired by repeat employer partners, and 88% are in jobs directly related to the profession for which Generation has trained them. Employed graduates immediately earn an average of 3-4 times their previous earnings. Two to five years after graduation, 70% of alumni continue to meet their daily financial needs and 40% save for the future. To date, Generation’s global graduates have earned some $900 million in wages.

Dr Mona Mourshed has decades of experience as a leader in the education and workforce space. She has authored widely cited education reports, including Education to Employment: Getting Europe’s Youth Into Work, Education to Employment: Designing a System That Works, How the World’s Most Improved School Systems Keep Getting Better, and How the World’s Best Performing School Systems Come Out on Top.

Previously she founded and led McKinsey & Company’s global education practice, and led McKinsey’s global social responsibility agenda. She was selected as one of Fortune Magazine’s ’40 under 40’, sits on the boards of Last Mile Health, New America and Teach for All, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, is a Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation Entrepreneur, and previously served on the Board of Governors of the International Baccalaureate Organization. Mona has a B.A. from Stanford University and a Ph.D. from MIT. She holds dual Egyptian and American citizenship.

Some Useful Links:

Generation website
The MidCareer Opportunity – Report by Generation and the OECD
Forbes Article: ‘Employers May Not Value 25 Years Experience As Much As 5, New Data Shows’, by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Lisa Edgar from Saga, a British company which, since its creation over 70 years ago, has focused on services for the over 50s market. Its operations range from holidays, cruise ships and tours, to a wide range of insurance products, personal financial services and personal alarms. Its Saga Magazine has a monthly readership of over 1 million. In 2022 there were some 26.1 million people over 50, and this is expected to increase to 28.2 million by 2032. Currently this represents 39% of the UK population, which is estimated to spend some £292 billion on non-household expenditure. Saga is a key player in this marked and a byword for having seen and responded to the interests of the older customer.

Lisa is Saga’s Chief Customer Officer and the Chief Executive of its own wholly owned insight agency, the Big Window. She joined the Saga Executive Leadership Team in February 2022 to drive its vision of knowing its customers, and what it means to get older. Prior to Saga, Lisa owned and led insight agencies for over 20 years and is a multi-award-winning and published speaker on ageing consumers, together with how they behave and respond. During that time, Lisa worked with leading UK and global players, including Aviva, Zurich, Bupa, Hargreaves Lansdown, BBC and many others, helping them to develop leading-edge insight into their strategies and tactics. Over the last 10 years, Lisa focused her attention on the ageing population and , in particular, ageing and decision-making for consumers, employees and employers. She is now regarded as a leader in the field of what it means to age as a consumer and employee, what needs are created by this, and how to best satisfy those needs with products and services.

Some Useful Links

Saga’s Customer-facing website
Saga’s Corporate and Investor website
The Big Window website

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Dr Emi Kiyota, Founder and director of Ibasho, an organization that facilitates the co-creation with elders of socially integrated, sustainable communities that value their elders. In Japanese, Ibasho means ‘A place where you can feel like yourself’.

Emi Kiyota was born and grew up in Japan in a 4-generation household. She thought living with grandparents and great-grandparents was both normal and essential - until she discovered the world thought otherwise. After a doctorate in the US, and living in American nursing homes, she thought there must be a better way to design life for our future selves. She founded the Ibasho concept, which flips the script. Instead of caring for elders, it’s the elders who care for us. With projects already in Japan, she’s now bringing the idea to Singapore.

Dr. Kiyota holds a Ph.D. in architecture from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is an environmental gerontologist and a consultant with over 20 years experience in designing and implementing person-centered care in long-term care facilities and hospitals globally. Her current focus is on creating socially integrated and resilient cities where elders are engaged and able to actively participate in their communities. She has published journal articles and book chapters and serves on the board of directors of the Global Ageing Network. Dr. Kiyota has been awarded fellowships to investigate this topic, including the Loeb Fellowship at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, the Rockefeller Bellagio Residency Fellowship, and the Atlantic Fellowship for Equity in Brain Health at the Global Brain Health Institute at University of California, San Francisco. She is currently Deputy Executive Director, Centre for Population Health, at the National University of Singapore, and Associate Professor, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and College of Design and Engineering.

Useful Links:

Website of Ibasho
Article: Ibasho House, A Communal Place in an Aging Local Community
World Bank Report: The Ibasho Toolkit
Wiley Online Library: Co-creating Environments: Empowering Elders and Strengthening Communities through Design

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Michael Fossat, head of Schneider Electric’s Future Ready program. With a 180-year history, Schneider is now focused on assisting and driving the energy transition to an electric and digital future. Yet this 150,000 strong company discovered that its 51+ employees (what Avivah calls Q3) weren’t as motivated and engaged as the rest. Schneider determined to fix that, especially given the talent wars they feel pressing on their business needs every day. The Future Ready Program is their response.

Michael Fossat has worked at Schneider for much of his professional career. Passionate about sustainable business and people’s central role in achieving it, he joined Schneider Electric in France as an HR apprentice in an industrial department, participated in the creation of HR shared services for the entire group and worked in the R&D division, before moving to Barcelona to create the HR Metrics function globally. Returning to Paris he was successively HR VP for one of the business units, HR head of Central and Eastern Europe and HR leader for European plants and distribution centres. In taking on his current role in 2021 as head of the Future Ready Program he brought a wide knowledge of what motivates people across the group.

Schneider Electric website

Schneider Electric – Company Purpose

https://www.kornferry.com/content/dam/kornferry/docs/pdfs/KF-Future-of-Work-Talent-Crunch-Report.pdf

https://www.aarpinternational.org/

Articles by Avivah on other Corporate Initiatives: Unilever and Aviva

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Dr Julie Miller, Director of Thought Leadership, Financial Resilience, at the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). Dr Miller seeks to propel new conversations and cultivate partnerships that will challenge the status quo of longevity and empower people to have the financial and economic stability to live longer, healthier lives.

Prior to joining AARP, Julie Miller spent a decade as a social science researcher at the MIT AgeLab, where she led translational social science research across key topical areas of longevity planning, caregiving and wellbeing, housing and home logistics, and transportation and livable communities. As a Rappaport Public Policy Fellow through Harvard University’s Rappaport Institute, Dr. Miller supported the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs in its administration of the nation’s first statewide Governor’s Council to Address Aging. She served as a lecturer and program founder and coordinator at Northeastern University, Boston University, and UC Berkeley and produced two documentary films centering “Vibrant Aging.”

Dr. Miller work has appeared in The New York Times, Barron’s, Rethinking65, CNBC, Innovation in Aging, The Journal of Financial Planning, The Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Families in Society, The Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, The Journal of Gerontological Social Work, Gerontology and Geriatrics Education, The Journal of Workplace and Behavioral Health, and numerous edited books. She received her doctorate of philosophy in social work at Boston College, her masters in social work with a concentration in gerontology from The University of California, Berkeley, and her bachelors of science from Northeastern University, where she studied Human Services and American Sign Language.

Some Useful Links:

The reports Julie describes and other resources can be found at aarpinternational.org
Unleashing the Economic Power of Older Women
How Women 50+ Are Driving the Global Economy
An Analysis of Governmental Plans for Healthy Aging from Around the WorldThe Business Case for Healthy Longevity Workbook
o Longevity Economy Outlook

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On this week’s 4-Quarter Lives Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Haleh Nazeri, Lead, Longevity Economy at the World Economic Forum. Earlier this year Haleh was responsible for the WEF’s report “Living Longer Better - Understanding Longevity Literacy.” Her work convenes senior executives from the financial services industry, key stakeholders from the public sector, and civil society leaders to promote financial innovations for a more resilient and equitable longer life.

Before joining the World Economic Forum, Haleh Nazeri worked for a number of years for global insurance group AIG, as well as for the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation and the Council on Foreign Relations. She has a BA from the University of California Santa Cruz and an MA in Middle Eastern Studies from New York University.

Some Useful Links:

WEF Report: Living Longer Better – Understanding Longevity Literacy
WEF link to financial resilience initiatives: Financial resilience for every generation
Article: Why Longevity Literacy is the Secret to a Prosperous Longer Life, by Haleh Nazeri
Article: We desperately need to disrupt our approach to retirement saving, by Haleh Nazeri
Article: How a multi-generational workforce is key to economic growth, by Andre Belelieu and Haleh Nazeri.

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This week on 4 Quarter Lives Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Philip O’Keefe, Director of the Ageing Asia Research Hub at the Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR), based in Sydney Australia. Asia is on an accelerated journey on so many dimensions. We’ve long watched its extraordinary economic growth. Now, we’re seeing it accelerating in other areas that in the past took far longer in the West: namely demographic transition, ageing populations and plummeting fertility levels. The speed at which the populations of this region are shifting, reshaping and in some cases already shrinking is remarkable. The role of the Ageing Asia Research Hub is to plot and understand these shifts, and to examine their social and economic implications.

Philip (Pip) O’Keefe is Professor of Practice, University of New South Wales Business School, Sydney, and Director of the Ageing Asia Research Hub, Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR). Prior to joining CEPAR, between 1993 and 2021, he had a full and varied career at the World Bank, based in Washington D.C., Beijing, New Delhi, Sydney and Budapest. He worked in East Asia and Pacific (EAP), South Asia, and Eastern Europe and Central Asia regions, most recently as Practice Manager for Social Protection and Jobs for EAP region. During his World Bank career, he was regional Lead Human Development Economist for EAP, Lead Economist in EAP and South Asia, and a founding member of the Global Expert Team on Social Assistance. He was lead author and core team member on numerous flagship World Bank publications, including the EAP Regional Ageing report, China 2030 (co-authored with the Development Research Centre of the State Council of China), and Protecting All, a global strategy on the future of social protection systems in a changing world of work. He also led policy dialogue with governments and managed budget support and investment lending operations across Asia and ECA regions.

Prior to joining the World Bank, he was Lecturer at the University of Warwick, UK, focusing on international economic law, and Researcher at the University of London. He has a BA (Hons.) and LLB (University of Sydney); MSc (Oxford University); and LLM (London School of Economics).

Some Useful Links

Ageing Asia Research Hub: https://cepar.edu.au/research/ageing-asia-research-hub
Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research: https://cepar.edu.au
World Bank Report: Live Long and Prosper – Aging in East Asia and Pacific (2016)
Forbes article by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox: Women are Voting with their Wombs

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This week on 4-Quarter Lives Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Lyndsey Simpson, the founder and CEO of 55/Redefined, an organisation connecting the UK’s active over 50s with tailored products, services and advice spanning jobs, finance, and lifestyle.

55/Redefined’s mission is to end ageism – in both workplaces and society – and add ten productive years to life, while supporting over-50s to get what they want out of life. Recognising a gap in the market, Lyndsey set up 55/Redefined to fly the flag for those who may be getting older - but have no intention of slowing down.

The firm has a technology platform connecting active over-50s with content focused on careers and lifestyle and spans three distinct brands: Life/Redefined, Work/Redefined and Jobs/Redefined. Through its employer platform, Work/Redefined, it offers Age Inclusive Accreditation for organisations to become 50+ employers of choice.

Before setting up 55/Redefined, Lyndsey Simpson was CEO of HR & Recruitment outsourcer, The Curve Group. Her earlier career was in financial services at Barclays. She has been recognised by Management Today and The Sunday Times as one of the UK’s Top 35 Business Women and is listed among ‘UK’s 50 Most Inspirational Female Entrepreneurs’ by FreeOfficeFinder.

Related Links

55/redefined: https://55redefined.co
Work/Redefined: Services for Age-Inclusive Employers
Life/Redefined: Platform championing over-50s content from life stories, to career advice, fitness & travel
Jobs/Redefined: Over-50s Jobs Board
Profile of 55/Redefined: Forbes article by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox

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This week on 4-Quarter Lives I talk with James Root, Chair of Bain Futures.

Part of consulting firm Bain & Co, Bain Futures focuses on future trends. Their new report is titled Better With Age: The Rising Importance of Older Workers.

Why Work?

The study asked some 40,000 people across 19 countries a simple but fundamental question: ‘why do you go to work?’.

The report identifies six archetypes that encompass the diversity of motivations that people bring to their work. You can test which one you are here (I’m a Pioneer). James and I discuss evolving work motivations for people in their 3rd quarters, and the impact on companies across the world as their workforces age.

Bio - James Root

Based in Hong Kong, James Root has 35 years consulting experience in Asia, North America and Europe. He is the Former Leader of Bain & Co.’s Asia Pacific Organisation Practice; Former Managing Partner of Bain New York; and Former Chair of Bain’s Nominating Committee. An active thought leader, he's written extensively in the business press, from Harvard Business Review to The Wall Street Journal, on topics of talent, China, international expansion and the firm of the future. He’s a regular guest on TV and Radio, including CNN, CNBC and Bloomberg and Adjunct Professor on the faculty of HKUST since 2011, as well as a Fellow of Hughes Hall College, Cambridge University since 2021.

Links We Discuss

Better with Age: The Rising Importance of Older Workers
Quiz - What Work Archetype Are You?
The Working Future report
The Working Women report

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On this week’s 4-Quarter Lives Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Bruno Palier, Research Director at France’s elite Sciences Po University, Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics. The common government response to ageing societies around the world is to have people work longer. But ‘people’ aren’t always in agreement, nor are companies always willing to keep them. The French protests at raising the retirement age have been well covered by the international press, but not always well understood. Bruno Palier works on the comparative political economy of welfare state reforms. He has co-led a project on the differing politics of social investment around the world and another on growth and welfare in global capitalism. And his take is that France – and the French – aren’t half as unusual as the media would have us think. The unrest between employers and employees reflects systemic shifts grounded in our new demographics. It’s likely to be coming to the country you’re in. Are you ready?

Bruno Palier has a PhD in Political science. He co-directed then directed Sciences Po’s Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Evaluation of Public Policies from 2014 to 2020. He has been Guest Professor at the University of Stockholm, Visiting Scholar at Northwestern University and at the Center for European Studies at Harvard, as well as Jean Monnet Fellow in the European University Institute in Florence. He is a member of the Executive Council of the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics (SASE).

Some Useful Links:

About Bruno Palier
Publication (in French): Reforming Retirement (Réformer Les Retraites)
The World Politics of Social Investment, volume 1: Welfare States in the Knowledge Economy
The World Politics of Social Investment, volume II: The Politics of Varying Social Investment Strategies
Growth and Welfare in Advanced Capitalist Economies

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On this week’s 4-Quarter Lives Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Nic Palmarini, the Director of the UK National Innovation Centre on Ageing. NICA is based in Newcastle and was launched with £40 million investment from the UK Government and Newcastle University. The Centre's mission is to “add intelligence to ageing and longevity”, allowing the private and public sectors to tackle the opportunities of the longevity economies while reducing inequalities, by developing and bringing to market innovative ideas, business models, services and products which enhance and improve all aspects of life for our ageing societies.

Prior to heading up NICA, Nic was Head of AI for Healthy Ageing at IBM Research, and AI Ethics Lead and Research Manager at the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab, an academic-industry partnership for the responsible advancement of artificial intelligence. His specialty is connecting dots across disciplines to bridge academic and industrial research with real-world applications.

Trained in social studies and business communication, he also served as Director of the IBM Human Centric Solution Centre in Paris. He holds a decade of experience in research on supporting older adults’ autonomy and independence, and leading teams in developing Human Activity Recognition techniques dedicated to older adults based on AI applied to IoT data.

Nic is also an author, teacher, applied research scientist and his main areas of research are loneliness as an accelerator of physical and cognitive diseases, ageism, ageing and economic factors, ethics and AI. The work done by his teams have twice been awarded the Computer Honours Award at the United Nations for Aging Initiative and received the Disability Matters – Market Place Award. He is the author of five books and member of several boards included the Scientific Advisory Committee at McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA), GIMI (Global Management Innovation Institute) and the Scientific Board of Political Sciences and International Relations at Universita’ Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan. Nic has been recently appointed as board member of the Humane Technology Lab.

Some Useful Links:

National Innovation Centre on Ageing
About Nic Palmarini (website)
Article in Forbes by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, with Nic Palmarini and Lynne Corner: ‘Ten Steps to Longevity for the Second Billion – Are We Ready?’
Nic’s TED Talk on Ageism
IBM Europe Human Centric Innovation Center

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On 4-Quarter Lives this week Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Professor Theo Kocken, about his fascinating new film ‘Your Hundred Year Life’. Theo comes to the issue of longevity with a business and academic background. He is professor of Risk Management at VU University Amsterdam, founder of the Anglo-Dutch pension investment & risk management firm Cardano and chairman of the Cardano Development Foundation. He is also an extraordinary professor at NWU University (South Africa). Before founding Cardano in 2000, he worked in the banking sector, including as head of Market Risk at ING and Rabobank.

Theo is not, however, your average economist or academic. In addition to writing several books on risk management and pension fund design, he uses alternative media to get his ideas across to a wider and more general audience. Together with Monty Python’s Terry Jones, in 2015 he produced the documentary “Boom Bust Boom” on financial crises and endogenous financial instability. Following this he identified the worldwide increase in longevity as a major issue for individuals and for society and in 2022 released his film ‘Your Hundred Year Life’. This documentary is a mind-blowing representation of the parlous state of old-age provision, all over the world. It mixes personal stories and expert analysis with humour and optimism. Highlighting the challenges for rich and poor countries alike, it argues that it is not too late to rethink the concept of retirement and old age.

Some Relevant Links:

Theo Kocken has generously made a link to his film ‘Your Hundred Year Life’ available free to paying subscribers to Avivah’s weekly ‘Elderberries’ blog. To access it, please send an email to queries@20-first.com, to receive access and password details.
Trailer to ‘Your Hundred Year Life:
Website to ‘Your Hundred Year Life’.
Website of the Cardano Group.
Cardano Development website.

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The guest on this week’s 4-Quarter Lives is Ambassador Luis Gallegos who, at 76, is as active and engaged as he has ever been in his long and extremely distinguished career. He is advocating for the adoption, by the United Nations, of an international Convention for the Rights of Older People. This follows his role as president of the U.N. committee that drafted the U.N.’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the first human rights treaty of the 21st century. He was also an elected member on the U.N.’s Committee on the Convention Against Torture, president of the advisory committee of the Institute of Public Policy & Disability, and former board member of Special Olympics International. During 2022 he was a Fellow of Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative, which is where he and Avivah Wittenberg-Cox first met.

An Ecuadorian diplomat, Luis is the former Ecuadorian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility. Previously he served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, and Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the United Nations in New York and Geneva. He is currently Chair of Trustees of UNITAR, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, and Chairman of the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies. The Congress of Ecuador has honored him twice for his work in human rights and for his leadership in the promotion and protection of human rights of persons with disabilities. Ambassador Gallegos is also a recipient of the Justice for All Disabilities Rights Award.

Prior to his appointment to the United Nations, Gallegos served as Ecuador's Ambassador to the United States from 2005 to 2011. He previously served as Ecuador's Head of Mission to Bulgaria from 1985 to 1989; Ambassador to El Salvador from 1994 to 1997; and Ambassador to Australia, among other positions. He holds a Juris Doctor Degree from the Central University of Ecuador, as well as a Masters of Arts Degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University. He is married and has two children.

Some Useful Links:

Wikipedia – Luis Gallegos Chiriboga
United Nations Institute for Training and Research - UNITAR
The Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs – G3ict
Strengthening Older People’s Rights: Towards a UN Convention (2010)
Article on a Convention on the Rights of Older Persons - Wikipedia
Advanced Leadership Initiative, Harvard - ALI

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In this episode of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Charlotte Japp. Early in her career, Charlotte noticed a huge gap between the 20-somethings she worked with and baby boomers like her parents. Older workers had decades of experience, but were forced to retire or start secondary careers due to ageist hiring trends. Her friends and colleagues wanted career mentorship, while her parents and their friends were looking for new skills and trend reports to stay competitive in their careers.

From this realisation Charlotte created CIRKEL, a platform connecting a community of professionals ages 20-70+ who connect for two-way career support and mentorship. CIRKEL also works with businesses to unite the 5-generation workforce. Charlotte has promoted this thinking at conferences around the world about the future of ageing, and currently serves on the advisory council for Stanford’s Center for Longevity.

In her parallel professional career, Charlotte is a creative leader who specializes in content development (video, copywriting, social content), events/conferences, community building, and brand partnership. She is currently Head of Platform at ff Venture Capital, a seed stage fund investing in FinTech, AI, B2B SaaS, and autonomy. In her role, she oversees all of ffVC’s brand marketing, as well as portfolio support for its 90+ portfolio companies in the US, Canada, Israel, and Central & Eastern Europe. Previously Charlotte has held roles at VICE Media, Live Nation, TikTok, and several startups. She graduated from Georgetown University with honors.

Some Useful Links:

For more about CIRKEL, go to www.cirkel.world
Charlotte’s creative portfolio: www.charlottejapp.com/
For ff Venture Capital: www.ffvc.com

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Roberta Katz was involved in helping to establish the Distinguished Careers Institute program at Stanford University and has been a DCI advisor for many years. She is a Senior Research Scholar at Stanford’s Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) and co-author of the book Gen Z, Explained: The Art of Living in a Digital Age (University of Chicago Press, 2021). In this podcast she and Avivah Wittenberg-Cox discuss the book, which describes the findings from a multi-year, interdisciplinary study of the behaviors and values of American and British Gen Zers and analyses the historical, technological, and social trends that have influenced them.

Roberta holds a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from Columbia University as well as a JD from the University of Washington. She was in private law practice before becoming the General Counsel and Senior Vice President of McCaw Cellular Corporation (now AT&T Wireless) and, subsequently, Netscape Communications Corporation. Between July 2004 and September 2017, she served as Associate Vice President for Strategic Planning at Stanford. She has been deeply involved in the facilitation of a variety of interdisciplinary research initiatives at Stanford, and is a member of various Stanford advisory boards. She is also a member of the Boards of Trustees of the Exploratorium (SF) and the National Parks Conservation Association (DC).

Some Useful Links:

Roberta’s book is Gen Z, Explained: The Art of Living in a Digital Age. It is by Roberta Katz, Sarah Ogilvie, Jane Shaw and Linda Woodhead, and is available from Amazon here (USA) or here (UK).
Roberta also mentioned Parenting for a Digital Future, by Sonia Livingstone and Alicia Blum-Ross (Oxford University Press, 2020), about democratization of the family.
Distinguished Careers Institute, Stanford University

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Dr Vijeth Iyengar is the guest in this week’s 4-Quarter Lives, with Avivah Wittenberg-Cox. Dr Iyengar is Director of Global Aging at the International Office of AARP – the American Association of Retired People. He leads cutting-edge research on global aging issues, including financial resilience, health security, the human rights of older persons, and their social connections, and cultivates relationships and strategic alliances to promote AARP’s vision to serve older adults everywhere.

A cognitive neuroscientist by training, before joining AARP, Vijeth served three US Government administrations in a variety of roles, including as Brain Health Lead and Technical Advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aging at the Administration for Community Living, as a Policy Advisor to the 4th U.S. Chief Technology Officer at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, as co-lead coordinator of the Older Adult working group for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Healthy People 2020/2030 initiative, and as lead author of the 2018-2022 U.S. country report for the Fourth Review and Appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. Additionally he completed a secondment at the Pan American Health Organization’s Mental Health and Substance Use Unit where he chronicled member-state progress towards indicators found in the 2015 Strategy and Plan of Action on Dementias in Older Persons.

Originally from Louisiana, Vijeth attended Cornell and Tulane Universities, and received his masters and doctoral degrees from Duke University. Among other recognitions, Dr. Iyengar was a Presidential Management Fellow, a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, and selected as a 2020 Aspen Ideas Festival Health Fellow. Amongst other contributions, he is a mentor for the Techstars Future of Longevity Accelerator.

Some Useful Links:

The AARP International website is a rich resource for information and discussion of global ageing issues: https://www.aarpinternational.org
Report: Achieving Equitable Healthy Aging in Low and Middle-Income Countries: The Aging Readiness and Competitiveness Report 4.0
The Journal of AARP International: https://www.aarpinternational.org/the-journal
AARP Report: Building Equity in Longevity
AARP website: https://www.aarp.org
TechStars Future of Longevity Accelerator Program

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Alistair McQueen is head of savings and retirement at Aviva, the UK’s largest general insurance company and a major life and pensions provider. Aviva also has a significant presence in Canada and Ireland. He leads Aviva’s pensions business, helping six million people save for and live in retirement, as well as representing Aviva in the media and with government. He is also a member of the Association of British Insurers’ retirement working group; the Money and Pensions Service long-term savings challenge group; the Department for Work & Pensions Mid-life-MOT board; the Business in the Community Age Leadership Team; and sits on the advisory board of Bravestarts – a social enterprise with the goal of supporting a fuller working life.

Some Useful Links:

Aviva – How Long will Retirement Be?
Aviva Mid-Life MOT app.
UK Government Mid-Life MOT
Brave Starts – new opportunities for over 45s

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Ryan Frederick is the Chief Executive of Here, a strategic consultancy and consumer platform focused on creating housing options and helping people make good decisions about place in the context of healthy aging. A thought leader, speaker, author, developer and strategy consultant, he has advised organizations internationally, including Fortune 500 companies, global institutional investors, leading health businesses and housing developers and operators.

Ryan spreads the message about how to think through where and how you want to live in later life through keynote talks, workshops, videos, blogs, online assessments and his book, Right Place, Right Time. He particularly advocates the benefits of inter-generational housing. He is on the National Advisory Board for the School of Nursing at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, a past member of the Bipartisan Policy Center task force on health and housing and an Encore.org Public Voices Fellow. A graduate of Princeton and Stanford, he lives in Austin, Texas with his family after previously living for long stretches on both the East and West Coast of the US.

Some Useful Links:

Ryan’s website: www.here.life
Ryan’s book Right Place Right Time – The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Home for the Second Half of Life: Amazon UK or Amazon.com
The Right Place Assessment Quiz

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Right Place, Right Time: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Home for the Second Half of Life

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On 4-Quarter Lives this week Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Catherine Foot, Director of Phoenix Insights. Catherine is a research and policy expert in ageing and longevity, with over 20 years of experience in the field. Phoenix Insights is a think tank set up by the Phoenix Group (one of the UK’s leading pensions and savings groups) in 2021, to conduct research and stimulate debate on how society should respond to the possibilities of longer lives. Its research examines issues of financial security, work, and learning and skills, as well as health and care, homes and communities.

Before joining Phoenix, from 2015-21 Catherine was Director of Evidence at the Centre for Ageing Better. The Centre’s aim is to make ageing better a reality for everyone, challenging ageism and promoting age-friendly employment and homes.

Catherine has also held senior roles with The King’s Fund and Cancer Research UK. She holds degrees from University of Cambridge and University College London.

Some Relevant Links:

Phoenix Insights Website
Phoenix Insights Blogs
Report: Beyond the Great Retirement – Understanding and Tackling Economic Inactivity Among the Over 50s.
Report: Retirement Preparations Among Different Ethnic Groups
Report: Caught in a Gap – the role of Government and Employers in Enabling Women to Build Better Pensions
The Centre for Ageing Better

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In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Eleanor Mills. Eleanor is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Noon, which she created in 2021 in the UK as a resource for women at the mid-point – the Noon – of their lives. an online media platform and community for women at the mid-point – the noon – of their lives. As she argues, "Midlife is when those dreams we had when we were young but put aside to earn a living or raise a family can finally be revisited; it’s never too late to be what you wanted to be." In this episode she tells Avivah her thinking behind the concept, and what Noon offers. She has also coined the term Queenagers – the later life counterpart to teenagers – and is currently writing a book on the opportunities she sees for women at this stage of life.

Eleanor is an award-winning editor, writer and broadcaster. She worked for the Sunday Times for 23 years as Editorial Director, Editor of the Sunday Times Magazine, and as a columnist and interviewer (interrogating everyone from Mikhail Gorbachev to Sheryl Sandberg and Theresa May). As Chair of Women in Journalism (2014-21) she argued that the media must be a true mirror, not the distorting lens that happens if decision-makers are not diverse. She has been a trustee of the Society of Editors, and a board member of Reporters Sans Frontieres. Her previous publications include Cupcakes and Kalashnikovs: 100 Years of the Best Journalism by Women. She lives in London and has two daughters.

Some Useful Links:

Noon: https://www.noon.org.uk
Eleanor’s story about how Noon began: Click here.
Eleanor’s bio: Click here.
Eleanor’s Twitter: Click here.

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Terri Harrington is one of the members of the first cohort of a new program at the University of Colorado Denver, called Change-Makers. In this podcast series so far, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox has talked with people who have gone through equivalent programs at Harvard and Stanford, and she has been intrigued to see new options opening up at a number of other schools not only in the US but in other countries. In this conversation she was keen to understand what the Denver program is offering, what drew Terri to it, and what she is hoping to emerge from this shift in direction after a lifetime in the law.

Terri Harrington is a founding attorney of Harrington Brewster Mahoney Smits law firm in Denver, Colorado. In this role she has practiced law for over 40 years, providing counsel and support to clients throughout the greater Denver area and across Colorado. Her specialization has been in family law, mediation, conflict coaching and divorce. She is an ardent advocate of mediation in family disputes as an alternative to litigation and lectures on collaborative law, mediation, and alternative dispute resolution. She formerly served many years on the executive council of the Family Law Section of the Colorado Bar, was a board member of the Colorado Collaborative Law Professionals and is a current member of the Rocky Mountain Collaborative Law Professionals. Terri worked tirelessly for ten years until Colorado enacted the Colorado Collaborative Law Act in 2021. She was awarded the ICON award in 2022 by the Family Law Bar.

Useful Links:

Denver Change-Makers Program: https://www.ucdenver.edu/change-makers
Terri Harrington bio: https://www.hbmslaw.com/terri-harrington
‘Old School – Mid-Life Transition Programs Take Off’ – Forbes Article
‘Next Chapter Matters: Two More Universities Launch Mid-Life Programs – Forbes Article (Part 2)
The Race2Dinner Book Club, mentioned by Terri: Race2Dinner Book Club

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For International Women’s Day, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox is delighted to have Professor Claudia Goldin join her on 4-Quarter Lives. Claudia is Henry Lee Professor of Economics at Harvard University and co-director of the National Bureau of Economic Research’s Gender in the Economy Study Group. Her research uses history to explore the origins of issues in the present, particularly with regard to women’s lives and careers. She has explored the history of women’s search for career and family, co-education in higher education, the impact of “The Pill” on career and family decisions, women’s surnames after marriage as a social indicator, the reasons why women are not the majority of undergraduates and the new lifecycle of women’s employment.

Professor Goldin’s most recent book, published in 2021, is Career and Family: Women’s Century-Long Journey toward Equity. In it she provides a history of all these factors in women’s advancement and concludes with the impact of the pandemic on women’s careers and couple equity. As she and Avivah discuss in this episode, lengthening lives and careers is an important part of this story of a century of progress, stumbling blocks and future opportunities for both men and women around the world.

Useful Links:

Claudia Goldin: Career and Family: Women’s Century-Long Journey toward Equity. (Princeton University Press)
Claudia Goldin: Wikipedia Bio.
‘A Century of Women, Work – and Juggling Family’ – Forbes Article by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox

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The guest this week in 4-Quarter Lives is Barbara Waxman, whose work Avivah Wittenberg-Cox came across early on in her exploration of the topic of how to manage our ever longer lives. Barbara is a gerontologist and coach and has combined both these areas in a career focused on helping people become both more effective professionally and at the same time truer to who they themselves are as individuals. With a background in gerontology, she found at the start of her own empty-nester years a chance to reconsider her own trajectory, and realised just how much more opportunity the years ahead had to offer. Recognising the similarity between this turbulent time and that of adolescence, she coined the term ‘Middlescence’ and authored a book aptly called The Middlescence Manifesto: Igniting the Passion of Midlife. She serves as an Advisory Council Member for the Stanford Center on Longevity and is a faculty member of the Modern Elder Academy. In this conversation Barbara and Avivah talk about the ‘3Rs’ of the subject – Reality, Response and Roadmap and about the different challenges of this time for men and women. And Barbara introduces yet another wonderful reframing – that instead of thinking about ‘retirement’ we should move to ‘preferment’.

Links relevant to this episode:

Barbara Waxman’s Website: https://barbarawaxman.com

Barbara Waxman’s Middlescence Website: https://middlescence.co

To buy The Middlescence Manifesto click here (Amazon.com)

The Stanford Center on Longevity: https://longevity.stanford.edu

The Modern Elder Academy: https://www.modernelderacademy.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbarawaxman/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarbaraWaxman

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The Middlescence Manifesto: Igniting the passion of midlife

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In this week’s episode of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Dawn Browne. Dawn is the People & Talent Director of Fuller’s, a hospitality company that runs some 200 hundred pubs and restaurants in the UK, across London and Hampshire, and employs 5,000 people. In today’s talent-strapped Britain, Fuller’s has been running contrary to the ageism many people accuse companies of. They have been going out to recruit older workers, and wooing them with flexibility and benefits. Recently they announced a new partnership with Rest Less, a digital community and advocate for people aged over 50, with a view to attracting more mature workers.

Dawn Browne is a highly experienced people and development director, with a background in both hospitality and travel – two sectors where customer relations are key for consumer loyalty. She is convinced that older people bring particularly high levels of customer service and interaction. She tells us why this is so important for the business, what generational balance brings, and how to build it, sustainably.

Some Useful Links:

For a link to Fuller’s, click here
For a link to Rest Less, click here

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Focus on Stage (Not Age)

Susan Wilner Golden is the Founder and Director of the dciX initiative at the Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute, or DCI, a similar program to the one at Harvard (the Advanced Leadership Initiative). Her focus is on the intersection of longevity and innovation and the unique entrepreneurial opportunities that longer lives and the growing $22 trillion longevity economy present. She integrates multiple perspectives based on her professional experiences in public health, venture capital, and as an advisor and mentor to startup companies and teams. Her aim is to help entrepreneurs identify the unique features of starting companies focused on older adults and the many market opportunities for new products and services in the fastest growing sector.

Susan’s book STAGE (Not Age) was published in 2022 by Harvard Business Review Press. She shares fascinating insights into how companies are thinking and innovating around the massive longevity opportunity, which she also outlines in this podcast.

Susan Wilner Golden

Susan is a lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and an adjunct professor at Stanford School of Medicine. She also serves as a mentor in residence to the Techstars Future of Longevity Accelerator, and is a thought leader partner with Pivotal Ventures for initiatives on innovations for caregivers of older adults. Previously she was a partner at Schroder Ventures, a firm specializing in life sciences and healthcare investments. She also worked at Genentech, taught at University of California San Francisco, where she was a Pew Health Policy Fellow, and was an assistant professor at the Boston University Medical School. Golden received a Doctorate of Science from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Get a Discount on the Book

Harvard Business Review Press is generously offering a 30% coupon code for purchasers of STAGE (Not Age) for listeners to the 4- Quarter Lives Podcast. To benefit from this opportunity please click here and enter the Promo Code STAGE2023.

Other Useful Links:

Stanford Distinguished Career Institute
Stanford Center on Longevity
Stanford dciX
Techstars Future of Longevity Accelerator

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This week’s guest with Avivah Wittenberg-Cox on 4-Quarter Lives is environmentalist and educator Dr. Mary Pearl. Mary was born and raised to be a New York debutante but had other plans. Her mother wanted her to go to Wellesley College for Women, but Yale opened to women just in the nick of time (1972). She then flew the coop again, becoming a biologist and exploring the behaviours of primates in the wild. This led her to connect the dots between the health of humans, wildlife and eco systems – the concept of conservation medicine - well before this was on everyone’s agenda. As president of the Ecohealth Alliance, Mary helped build careers of local scientists and educators in 20 high-biodiversity countries around the world. She also sits on the boards of Brazil’s Institute for Ecological Research and the Center for Large Landscape Conservation and is convener of the International Biodiversity Network.

Move into Education

Mary’s 3rd Quarter saw her move into academe where she became the founding dean of Stony Brook University’s College of Sustainability. Later, she became the Dean of Macaulay Honors College, the City University of New York’s school for its top students. At 72, she decided to step back and to go to Stanford’s Distinguished Careers Institute, a move that has taken her in interesting, and surprising new directions.

This episode was recorded in 2022, when Mary was still at Stanford. Since then she has continued to write, and has recently become an advisor to the Helping Africa Foundation for their program extending high quality education, especially in the STEM fields, to every district in Ghana.

Some useful links:

Dr. Mary Pearl bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_C._Pearl
Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute: https://dci.stanford.edu
International Biodiversity Network: https://www.biodiversitynetwork.org
Center for Large Landscape Conservation: https://largelandscapes.org
Helping Africa Foundation: https://helpingafrica.org

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Morag Lynagh is Unilever’s Global Director of the Future of Work, with particular responsibility for new employment models, age and longevity. As as an employer of almost 150,000 people, Unilever is one of the first companies to recognise that people have different needs and expectations of work throughout their working lives. This has led to the creation of U-Work within Unilever, a new, internal ‘gig’ employment model that is redefining how people relate to the world of work.

Morag is a graduate of Edinburgh University. She worked in the travel, property and conference industries before joining Unilever in 1994. Within the company she has worked in HR business partnering, recruitment and reward, and spent more than a decade as Unilever’s UK Employment Policy & Law expert, leading teams in this area.

As one of the innovators behind U-Work, Morag Lynagh is rethinking the management of careers to reflect shifting needs at different life stages. In her conversation with Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, she explains what this means, and how leading companies are thinking about - and preparing for - ageing societies, both from the consumer/ market side, as well as the internal/ employee side.

Key Takeaways

Don’t make corporate policies for older employees alone, redesign policies to make them inclusive of everyone
Flexibility is key to the young, the old and the parents - flex up!
Unilever is leading the way, more companies need to get on the age inclusion bandwagon

Some Useful Links:

For Unilever web pages on U-Work and the future of work, click here
For Unilever’s report on ‘The Future of Work’ Summit, click here.
For Unilever’s Future of Work Goals, click here.
FORBES Article by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox about U-Work: Flexibility for ALL: U-Work

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4-Quarter Lives initially focused on individuals role modelling the new 3rd Quarter. This episode, however, looks at the impact of longer lives on the one before - that normally insane phase of life from 25 to 50. Avivah Wittenberg-Cox speaks with two men who have consciously stepped back from their full-on and very successful tech careers to live more rounded lives.

Cain Ullah is Founder and former CEO of UK-based digital transformation company Red Badger. Kevin Maguire was an executive with Google for almost a decade. Both were on stellar professional career trajectories. Yet as young fathers in Q2, they have both made big career and life choices. Their aims are to profit from the opportunity to plan and pace longer lives, to be true to the idea of more gender balanced couples and to prioritise work/ family balance more than most prior generations of men were able to do. This is a tale familiar to many women but may encourage listeners of all genders to rethink their Q2 career strategy. Having taken this decision, Kevin has also decided to write about it, and produces a regular and fascinating newsletter on Substack, which he calls The New Fatherhood.

Some Useful Links

For Kevin’s blog:
For Red Badger: https://red-badger.com
Follow Kevin on Twitter: @kevmaguire
Follow Cain on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cainullah/

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John Bateson is an expert on the Third Age Consumer, the period of healthy ageing after retirement and before age restricts consumption. Few people can have his breadth and depth of knowledge about the growing consumer interests and needs - and business opportunities - among those in their 3rd and 4th Quarters. Now a visiting Professor of Management at City, London University, he publishes a newsletter Consumer Ageism on Substack, has a website on The Business of Age and is completing a new book on the subject.

Previously John was a Senior Partner in the MAC Group, Senior Vice President at Gemini Consulting, a member of Cap Gemini’s Group Executive Committee, CEO of SHL and has chaired multiple businesses. He was also Professor of Marketing at London Business School and Stanford Business School and has written extensively on services marketing. He holds a doctorate in marketing from Harvard Business School and an MBA from the London Business School.

Some Useful Links

· For John’s Substack blog, Consumer Ageism, click here

· For John’s highly informative website TheBusinessofAge.com, click here.

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In this last episode of 4-Quarter Lives’ first season, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot. A sociologist and Harvard Professor of Education, with a teaching and writing career spanning five decades, Sara was one of the first academics to examine and focus on the third quarter of life. Her book The Third Chapter: Risk, Passion, and Adventure in the Twenty-Five Years After 50 uses interviews and story-telling to explore how people respond to this time of new opportunity and activity – or not.

Life Before & After 50

Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot has been a fellow at the Bunting Institute and at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioural Sciences at Stanford University. She is a recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Prize, was awarded Harvard's George Ledlie Prize for research that makes the "most valuable contribution to science" and "the benefit of mankind" and has been the recipient of 28 honorary degrees from colleges and universities in the USA and Canada. Since 1998 she has been the Emily Hargroves Fisher Endowed Chair at Harvard University. Upon her retirement, this will become the Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot Chair, making Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot the first African-American woman in Harvard's history to have an endowed professorship named in her honour.

Useful Links

For Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot’s full profile, click here.

In the course of the conversation, Sara mentions three of her many books:

The Third Chapter: Risk, Passion, and Adventure in the Twenty-Five Years After 50
Exit: The Endings that Set Us Free
Growing Each Other Up: When Our Children Become our Teachers

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Bernard Franklin is Avivah Wittenberg-Cox’s guest this week on 4-Quarter Lives. He is a great example of how programmes such as Harvard’s Advance Leadership Initiative give the opportunity to review where we are in life, reconsider how our skills and experience can best be used, and recharge batteries after an intense and at times bruising career and life.

Fatherlessness & Its Impacts

Bernard grew up poor and African American in Alabama. His community’s struggles with stable fatherhood – as well as his own - led him from the Carter White House to the National Center for Fathering and then on to senior roles for student support in higher education. Then life threw him one of those curveballs which made fatherhood a very personal pillar of his Third Quarter, when the death of his wife made him a single parent. He came to Harvard frustrated with higher education’s continuing failure to be the great equalizer in society, particularly for young men of colour.

Finding Renewed Purpose

Bernard and Avivah’s conversation was recorded in May this year, when Bernard was still searching for his route forward. Since then an intense ALI module on society’s mental health challenges, and other research and conversations, led him to focus on alienation in the young black community as an issue of mental wellbeing. He has now become MD of the Boston-based non-profit Uncornered, which uses innovative ways to help young men engaged in gang-related street violence to find ways out. The programme puts a particular focus on their mental health and other support needs, and on the role of core influencers to support individuals on their journey from incarceration to contributing citizens, from disengaged to engaged, from surviving on the street to thriving in the community. Bernard’s challenge: to take a model proven in one city and scale it elsewhere.

Some useful Links:

Bernard’s website & blogs: https://www.bfranklinphd.org
National Center for Fathering: https://fathers.com
Uncornered: https://uncornered.org

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Dr. Paula Rochon – Founding Director of the World’s First Women’s Age Lab.

In this week’s edition of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Dr. Paula Rochon, Founding Director of the world’s first Women’s Age Lab, based in Toronto, Canada. If there is one thing most people intrinsically know about older people, it is that there are more women than men in the mix and that they tend to live longer. And yet beyond that simple fact, there has been astonishingly little attention paid to either the causes or the consequences of this reality.

A Mission for Understanding

Paula Rochon’s mission, and that of the Women’s Age Lab, is to address that lack, and to address not only the medical implications, but also the social, in terms of long-term care, community connectedness and gendered ageism. Paula brings deep experience to the topic as a geriatrician, a senior scientist and researcher at Women’s College Hospital, a professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto and inaugural Chair in Geriatric Medicine there. She and Avivah discuss the four work pillars of the Age Lab and the gaps in our understanding that it is starting to fill. As she points out, with women being the majority of the one billion people over the age of 60 in the world, it’s time to understand and respond to their needs and priorities.

Some useful links:

Women’s Age Lab: https://www.womensresearch.ca/womens-age-lab/
FORBES article: Why We Need A Women’s Age Lab
Paula Rochon’s bio: Click here
What Gets Counted Counts: Paying Attention to Sex and Age in Health Data: Click here
Gendered Ageism Toolkit: Click here
A book mentioned by Paula is Louise Aronson’s Elderhood
womensagelab.ca

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Joining Avivah Wittenberg-Cox for this episode of 4-Quarter Lives is Eduardo Chadwick. From Chile, Eduardo is President of his family’s vineyard which stretches back five generations. He took the vineyard from the brink of bankruptcy to world renowned winery and is now looking at how he will pass on the legacy he has created.

A Family Affair

Born in Santiago, Chile in 1959, Eduardo shares how his unusual education shaped his view on standing alone. And how his youth ultimately moulded his fighting spirit. By 25, he had taken charge of his family’s faltering vineyard and was traveling the world learning how to bring his product to the global market. Eduardo married at 28 and he and his wife had two sons and four daughters. Just as life seemed to be moving upward, tragedy struck, and Eduardo lost both his sons.

A Global Seduction

Eduardo’s Q2 was tumultuous. Many challenges shook both his family and his work. Two decades spent building the business and product up - and then, from the year 2000 onwards - spreading the word. He became a tireless global promoter of Chile and its wines. In 2004 came the ultimate professional accolade, when his wine took first and second places in a famous blind test competition in Berlin. This was a defining moment for Eduardo and his company, which has remained internationally successful ever since.

Giving Forward - the Next Generation

Now 63, Eduardo is tasting new challenges, and has a year out as a Fellow of the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative (ALI). It exactly answers his desire to make a transition, refocus his energies and scale them - this time for social impact. As he looks forward, Eduardo is focusing on improving the lives of children in Chile and more widely. Eduardo has made a life out of dreaming big, pursuing dreams and bringing them to life. Next?

For Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative: https://www.advancedleadership.harvard.edu

Find out more about Eduardo’s vineyards: https://errazuriz.com/en/

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Carole Carlson joins Avivah Wittenberg-Cox for this episode of 4-Quarter Lives. Carole has been a coach with Harvard Business School for some 20 years, and has been accompanying participants in its Advanced Leadership Initiative since its founding. She is also the Director of the Heller MBA Program at Brandeis University – and a Senior Lecturer there. A busy portfolio of roles and impact.

Unleashing Impact in Q3

Author of a new book titled Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation, her lifelong passion for purposeful impact is the red thread through Carlson’s coaching and teaching career. She is focused on unleashing it – which is very aligned with the purpose of ALI. There aren’t many people who have been observing and supporting midlife transitions at senior leadership levels as closely as Carole.

In this episode of 4-Quarter Lives she shares takeaways and lessons from her decades of experience. She and Avivah discuss social impact, Harvard’s ALI program, how people experience it, the challenge of transitions in the 3rd Quarter and how people can better prepare for them - and navigate them mindfully.

Useful Links:

Carole’s book here.
Carole’s Brandeis University page here.

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‘Look Like a Lady, Sound Like a Truck Driver’

Surgeon Dr Pat Roberts joins Avivah Wittenberg-Cox for this episode of 4-Quarter Lives. Pat had such an impressive first career, that deciding what to do afterwards was always going to be a challenge. She knew she wanted to be a surgeon from the age of five – and was one of the rare women of her generation to make it – not just through but all the way to the top of her profession. She credits competition with her three brothers, and sheer determination, and the ability to ‘look like a lady but sound like a truck driver.’ In all the ills of the macho workplace, she learned to give as good as she got. And managed to have three kids in three years in her late 30s to round it out.

An Illustrious Career

Across her 35-year career as a surgeon, she rose to be the first female Chair of the Department of Surgery at the Lahey Hospital at Tufts University, where her husband also worked. She always knew she wanted a second act but was always too busy with her first to think what it could be. She went to Stanford’s Distinguished Careers Institute programme to start exploring, and discovered a completely new side to herself. She admits she is still exploring, but along the way, through teaching and mentoring, she is already making a transition that gives both value and personal satisfaction.

For Stanford’s Distinguished Careers Institute: https://dci.stanford.edu/

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David Sinclair is Chief Executive of the UK’s International Longevity Centre. He has worked in policy, advocacy and research on ageing and demographic change for over 20 years. In this wide-ranging conversation, we explore different countries’ approach to seismic demographic shifts, the pandemic’s mass retirement and how companies are responding, shifting attitudes to dying with dignity legislation, inclusive marketing towards older consumers, and gender differences in life, work and longevity. He shares a uniquely global overview of ageing society issues.

A Global Perspective

The overview is nourished by the ILC’s Global Alliance and its 16 representatives from countries and contexts around the globe. ‘Longevity’ is a uniquely broad tent, and David Sinclair opens a view of its vast and potentially huge opportunities, with an impassioned invitation to the world – and to each of us - to wake up to ageing’s reality and multiple impacts.

He also provides us with a range of key reports (see below) and a Save the Date for the ILC’s Future of Ageing Conference coming soon, Nov 24th.

Useful Links:

International Longevity Centre: https://ilcuk.org.uk/
ILC Conference Nov 24th, 2022: https://ilcuk.org.uk/future-of-ageing-2022/
ILC Report: Health equals wealth: The global longevity dividend
ILC Report: A window of opportunity: Delivering prevention in an ageing world
David Sinclair’s bio: David Sinclair
Twitter: @sinclairda
ILC Twitter: @ilcuk

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In Conversation with Kevin Robinson, Harvard ALI Fellow ‘22

Joining Avivah Wittenberg-Cox for this episode of 4-Quarter Lives is Kevin Robinson. Born into modest beginnings in a black American family in Detroit, Kevin was the first of his family to go to college. Through what he describes as ‘luck’ and ‘a few smarts’ he rose through the world of law, as a public prosecutor at local, regional and national levels, before joining the corporate world as General Counsel for asset managers Guggenheim Investments. Together with his wife, he also looked to what he could contribute through a range of voluntary activities at local level.

Transitioning and Giving Forward in Q3At 60, however, Kevin decided more was still possible, and he came to Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative in 2022 with a clear goal – to make a transition in this third quarter of life, give back and ensure that other members of the community he came from would have both more stability and more opportunity through better financial education.

For Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative: https://www.advancedleadership.harvard.edu

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Joining Avivah Wittenberg-Cox for this episode of 4-Quarter Lives is Yvonne Sonsino. Yvonne is one of the pioneers in the longevity space, with a 40-year career focused on the financial, actuarial and corporate sides of the ageing equation. She is global co-Leader of consulting firm Mercer’s Next Stage consulting division, and works with companies across the global to develop longevity strategies around the future of work and seize the opportunities of the longevity economy. She’s also the author of The New Rules of Living Longer: How to Survive Your Longer Life. And she partners with the World Economic Forum on a working group on Retiring Retirement. She’s not shy of sharing some uncomfortable – but urgently necessary – truths about money, pensions and ageing, and in particular the gender disparities for women. Want a good idea of the current state of play on where companies stand? Yvonne is the person to give it.

For Yvonne’s book & website: https://www.newrulesoflivinglonger.com
For Mercer’s diagnostic tool to help companies think about the issue of longevity and employment: https://www.mercer.com/our-thinking/career/redesigning-later-life.html
For Mercer’s analysis of how to fix the gender pension gap: https://www.mercer.com/our-thinking/how-to-fix-the-gender-pension-gap.html

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Avivah Wittenberg-Cox’s guest this week is Isabel Saint Malo. After two decades working as a Panamanian diplomat at the UN, on Latin American and Caribbean issues, she ran for office and became Panama’s first female Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. Rejecting calls to run for the top job as President, she focused instead on the issues she cared most about – notably youth employment and advancement of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. She also became known for the courageous – and sometimes unpopular - positions she took on issues such as LGBTQ rights. Most recently, however, during 2022 she has stepped back from this full-on trajectory to take part in Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative, which aims to help leaders like her refocus their energies and empower them for even greater social impact. Isabel describes this as an opportunity to transition from her second quarter ‘Mad House’ to a third quarter of inner peace and prioritization. She says that ‘you need to learn to go on living’. While you don’t necessarily need to go back to school or a classroom, a program like ALI is a wonderful opportunity to stop and take stock.

For Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative:

https://www.advancedleadership.harvard.edu

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In this first episode of 4-Quarter Lives, host Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Paul Irving. Paul is the archetype of the stories this podcast would like to share. First, he’s a role model of Third Quarter re-inventions. He went back to school in his late 50s, after a successful 30 plus-year career in the law. He moved from Los Angeles to Cambridge to go through Harvard’s Advanced Leadership (ALI) program in 2010, soon after it started. This program, which Avivah herself is taking part in, provides people in their third quarter of life opportunities to explore new directions, with a particular emphasis on social impact.

Post-ALI, Paul returned to L.A. to serve as president of a prominent think tank, the Milken Institute, and founded its Center for the Future of Aging – where he has now spent more than a decade engaging with an entirely new world. An advocate for the power of lifelong learning, Paul shares the impact his late education had on his life. Then we explore how the longevity topic has exploded in the time he has been at Milken – from knocking on doors that wouldn’t answer to being awarded red carpets (and awards) around the globe. He gives us today’s state of play, for individuals making transitions in midlife and for organisations. And he looks forward to what’s next – and what you may want to do about it.

Key Reports

Age Forward Cities for 2030
Silver to Gold: The Business of Ageing

Related Roles & Organisations

https://milkeninstitute.org/centers/center-for-the-future-of-aging
https://gero.usc.edu/
https://encore.org/
https://nam.edu/initiatives/grand-challenge-healthy-longevity/global-roadmap-for-healthy-longevity/
https://dci.stanford.edu/

4-Quarter Lives: Recent Episodes

Avivah Wittenberg-Cox