Amy Temperley, founder and CEO of Aging Is Cool, has spent over 35 years working with older adults — first in nursing homes and nonprofits, then building a company designed to challenge what senior programming usually looks like. She and Heather dig into the ”new older adult”: people living longer, healthier lives who want more than bingo and rocking chairs, backed by research showing that attitude and engagement alone can add up to a decade to your lifespan.

The conversation covers surprising ground: how virtual reality is helping isolated seniors (including a 100-year-old former scuba diver) experience things they thought were gone forever; why dance may be one of the single best activities for brain health; the science behind creating new neural connections at any age; and why social isolation — often framed as an older-adult problem — is really a challenge across every generation. Amy also pushes back hard on ageism, from everyday assumptions to a real airline study blaming older passengers for slow plane evacuations.

Amy leaves listeners with a clear message: aging isn't something to brace for, it's something to build a plan around — physically, socially, and mentally. She shares how people can join Aging Is Cool's free weekly fitness and stretch classes, and where to find her if they want to bring meaningful engagement to the older adults in their lives.