This week on the podcast I’m joined by lifestyle and success coach, Alice Agnello. Alice works with women who are facing the empty nest and trying to figure out what they want to do with the rest of our lives.

Alice and I talk about how women tend to stuff down our feelings and what we truly want and put our kids, homes and husbands first.

Alice talks about the fear factor and how that stops so many women from taking risks and trying new things. We discuss a growth mindset and how the beliefs that you’ve had for 40-50 years, can limit you if you don’t question them.

Understanding that your thoughts and unpacking limiting beliefs is a critical step to figuring out midlife and beyond.   Listen in here!

In this week’s episode, Molly interviews Nancy Davis Kho.  Nancy is a podcast host, speaker and author of the book “The Thank You Project”.    The conversation this week is all about Nancy’s decision to write thank you notes for a year and how that turned into a book.

Nancy is full of wit and wisdom, and the book shares how you too can benefit from setting up your own Thank You project.  She set out to help people make the process easier for others with laying out how she chose the people to send the letters to, what she wrote and how she wrote the letters.   She shares how the practice of writing these letters helped her become more optimistic and how to see more positive things in her life daily.  Listen in here!

This week’s episode is an inspirational conversation with Deb Cummins Stellato, life coach and podcast host. Deb has been a longtime success coach, facilitator and speaker working with non-profit organizations to help leaders develop their leadership mindsets. In what she coins as a major “pivot” in her life, she studied to become a life coach during the past year.

When she was envisioning how she might provide coaching services to people, she decided that “Thinking Courageously” was how she wanted to help successful women show up and make pivots in their own life.

Courage, says Deb, is being able to see something that is bigger and better is on the other side of failing and being vulnerable.  Her podcast shares stories of courage from women that have pivoted and are now redefining success in different ways.  Deb focuses on “energy leadership” and shares how she helps women achieve a new and even higher level of success.  Deb helps women play bigger and be bolder.  Deb believes that women have the opportunity to find new levels of energy and wonders what if you could do something and not fail, or even if you do fail, you show up perfectly imperfect.  Listen here.

What? PB &J?  Is this episode all about the beloved peanut butter and jelly sandwich? No, not really.  This week’s episode is all about handling the URGES that come when you’ve built a habit that doesn’t serve you. When you have created a pattern of dealing with negative emotions, or consistently repeated an activity…like eating in front of the tv at night, your body responds to the cues around you with URGES or cravings that are the result of your habits. And now those urges feel like they have to be answered. Like an itch that NEEDS to be scratched, you’ve set yourself up to eat chips when you feel stressed, or when you sit down to watch your favorite Netflix series because the URGE is always there.

To undo that urge we need to remember PB& J.

P: Pause and Ponder

B: Breathe on purpose

J: Just for 10 minutes

Listen in as I share my strategy for allowing an urge to be there and not resist it and not give into it. It’s as easy as PB&J.

In this week’s episode we revisit one of our earliest and most popular episode’s on Blue Zones.  Here is what we said back when this was first published in 2018:

Have you heard about “Blue Zones®?”

Come with us as we discuss the research and information discovered by Dan Buettner in five geographic areas in the world where people live the longest and where the are high numbers of older people who age without typical diseases like heart disease, cancer or diabetes.

First written in an article for National Geographic titled “The Secrets of Long Life”, Buettner detailed five unique areas and found common traits among them, that he later dubbed the “Power 9®”. These nine commonalities lead to longer, healthier happier lives.  Listen here!

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Are we preprogrammed with more than our physical attributes from our parents?  Are we programmed to behave in certain ways too?  This week on the podcast,  I’m speaking with Johanna Lynn, founder of the Family Imprint Institute.  Johanna helps people understand how their background, their parents’ backgrounds and even their grandparents may be influencing their behavior now.

Johanna says, “The good news about epigenetics is that you can release how you hold the past within. One of the most amazing aspects of the brain is that it is changeable. Neuroplasticity gives us the proof we need to know that the brain can overcome early or inherited negative epigenetic changes.  Listen in here!

This week on the podcast I’m talking about walking, with health coach Carolyn Cohen.  We discuss the benefits of walking as a way of improving your health and increasing longevity in the best possible way.

Carolyn is a health coach who believes that walking is the very best way to improve health for everyone.  She hosts a weekly podcast called “Wellness While Walking” where she shares wellness information and emphasizes a Blue Zones approach to movement. She focuses on walking because research has proven that for most people just walking is enough to significantly improve their health.

We talk about the benefits of walking as well as Carolyn’s own path to health and wellness and why she decided to start her podcast.  The podcast is designed to be listened to during a 30 minute walk and she gives you an auditory signal half-way through so you can turn around if need be. Listen in here!

In this week’s episode I revisit some of the great books that I’ve read and reviewed on the podcast as well as some of the wonderful author’s I’ve interviewed.  Any of these books would make a great addition to your pandemic reading list.   I also discuss people’s stress and anxiety levels during the pandemic. This is an unprecedented global crisis. 

I hope that if you are truly needing professional medical or psychological attention that you are able to get it.  I am including  this  list put together by verywell mind that provides online therapy resources. This includes video chat services, medical appointments–if you need help I encourage you to check it out. https://www.verywellmind.com/best-online-therapy-4691206

For the complete episode listen here.

This week’s short episode is dedicated to helping you feel better NOW.  I focus on five actions that I noticed last week really helped me be in the best possible place to manage my mind.  It’s always our thoughts that cause our feelings, but sometimes its just easier for your frontal cortex to manage that primitive brain. Listen in for five things you can do this week, during a pandemic, to help you feel better now. Plus I share some of the fun free online services I’ve been using. Listen in here.

In this short episode I  talk all about buffering and the habits we build in an attempt to avoid feeling negative emotions. I discuss the value of being able to recognize our thoughts and how they are creating the feelings that lead to buffering.  Buffering is when we use external things to change how we feel internally; an artificial external thing that changes how we feel internally.

Buffering is a way of numbing your emotions instead of figuring out why you are feeling them. The answer to why you are feeling them is of course your thoughts…but for many of us we aren’t aware of our thoughts because they’ve run so long in the background of our lives that they have become unconscious.

Listen in here!

This week I’m revisiting some of our best episodes on habits and grabbing some of the best little nuggets of each. One of the lessons I’ve learned over the last nearly three years of building Five for Life is the IMPACT of habits on our lives. Ultimately it’s what you do consistently over time that defines what your life story will be. And consistency and time–those two things are the major pieces of what defines a habit. 

The first episode we really talked about the true importance of habits was in Episode #23 when we introduced Darren Hardy’s book the Compound Effect.  In Episode #25 we dove into James Clear’s Atomic Habits. In episodes #42, #43 and #44 we did a three part series on habits.  Episode #42 was about the science of the brain and habits, Episode #43 focused on building good habits and  in Episode #44 we talked all about breaking the habits that don’t serve you.

This week’s episode discusses the important book “Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End”. This book focuses on autonomy in aging and dignity in dying.  It is written by physician, surgeon and best-selling author Dr. Atul Gawande.

I share some of the most important insights from this book and how planning for death is actually part of living a happier, longer life. The review of the book doesn’t do it justice, but provides important conversation starters as well as questions to ask yourself as to what makes life worth living for you.  The overwhelming idea you should have after listening to this podcast is that you want to read this book. In fact, I suggest that everyone NEEDS to read this book.  Listen here. 

In this week’s episode, Molly is joined by broadcasting pro and podcast host, Peter Bowes for a conversation about their shared passion–longevity. Peter hosts, Live Long and Master Aging (or the LLAMA podcast) where he explores the stories and the science behind human longevity.

Peter is a veteran reporter for the BBC in Los Angeles and has had the opportunity to interview some amazing scientists as well as some very inspiring elders, including some wonderful centenarians.

We have shared a few guests along our journeys exploring longevity and had so much to discuss both in terms of the science behind longevity, as well as lessons learned that science may support but mostly just amounts to common sense.

There are some practical ideas shared on how to incorporate small habits into your life that can positively impact your longevity. Did you know that walking fast might be an even better idea than just walking?  Listen here to learn more.

This week on the podcast, Molly is joined by sisters Amy and Nancy Harrington.  Amy and Nancy both left careers in the entertainment industry to begin their own business together.  Their love of pop culture fueled a successful business producing positive entertainment content — including interviews, articles and trivia challenges — that been syndicated to Yahoo, OMG!, Examiner, Screenpicks, Belief.net and many more.

While they have always loved pop culture, just over two years ago, the pair decided that they wanted to create something more meaningful and launched The Passionistas Project podcast. The podcast is designed to highlight women entrepreneurs who are following their passion and building a business around it. Since March of 2018, they’ve featured some amazing women (who they say you’ve likely never heard of) to support the positive and strong things women are doing in business.

On October 30th of 2019, Amy and Nancy launched what seems like a natural extension of the podcast–the Passionistas Project Pack.  The Pack is a subscription box that includes only products from women-owned businesses and female artisans.  Learning social media as well as all that goes into a subscription box business has challenged the sisters in the very best way and they are eager to see how big of an impact they can have with this latest venture. Listen here!

It happens in all of our lives.  There are situations and circumstances that simply suck. In this episode, you’ll learn how to manage your mind through times of crises and how to prevent the negative thought spin cycle.  First step is to acknowledge something terrible has happened.  Second step is to ask questions of your brain to help guide your thoughts toward solutions and away from negative spin cycles that increase your suffering. Third step is to use your imagination to imagine the best case scenario happening.

Listen in here!

This week’s episode sparks conversation on the term “anti-aging” with filmmaker and director, Tara Gadomski.  Tara wrote and directed this short film, which employs dark humor to get across the point that aging is something that none of us have any control over. We discuss the beauty industry’s marketing messages, and how they use dangerous terms like “flaws” or “corrections” for aging skin.

We had a great time discussing the film, the actors and why Tara felt compelled to create this film.

Tara gives a synopsis of this short, ten-minute film which is really a great conversation starter about how we view the aging process.

You can catch “Signs of Aging” on Vimeo here. Or on Amazon Prime here.

Listen to our conversation here.

In this episode, Molly reminds us that our thoughts are what determine our happiness, not our circumstances.  Even when circumstances seem challenging, we can add to our own suffering by focusing our thoughts on how difficult life feels. She also recaps the popular TED talk (and book) by Ron Gutman called, SMILE-the astonishing power of a Simple Act”.  Listen right here!

She shares some of the powerful statistics on smiling as well as Gutman’s suggestion of a “Dandelion List” as a reminder to be present and smile no matter where you are or what you are doing.

This week’s episode is the first as a solo podcast with host Molly Watts. Molly talks about the vision for the podcast moving forward and how the combination of information, inspiration, education and motivation will unfold to help you create the habits of a happier, longer life.  In honor of her Dad’s 92nd birthday, she revisits some of the science behind the five daily habits that make up Five for Life.

The goal for Five for Life is to create sustainable habits that are proven to both increase longevity and improve overall happiness along the way.  The five daily habits are move, learn, share, give and let go.  Each can be started, regardless of your age and will provide benefits both immediately and over time.  Listen in here!

This week in the 61st episode of the Live Happier Longer Podcast we say goodbye to wonderful co-host Angela McDade.

We share our thoughts on doing the podcast together for the last year and a half, how much we’ve grown and how much we’ve learned about building the habits of a HAPPIER, longer life.

We reflect on some of the great interviews, exceptional learning and lots of laughter and fun along the way.

Stay tuned next week as Molly unveils “Live HAPPIER Longer 2.0” or is it “1.0”?  We’re not going away, we’re just pivoting and supporting Angela’s choice to spend more time with her family during her son’s senior year of high school.

If we’ve learned nothing about “aging with optimism” it’s that you need to be resilient and bend with the wind.   So listen in and enjoy that brilliant Scottish accent one more time.

Listen here.

As we prepare for the holidays and a time of joy and inspiration we wanted to revisit some of our most inspirational interviews.

In this short episode, we revisit our interview with Katherine Switzer, who shares her story of being the first woman to run in the Boston Marathon. A historic event for women and women’s running as told by the woman who did it all.    We also revisit our interview with Pat Gallant-Charette, who at the age of 68 was recently inducted in to the Open Water Marathon swimming Hall of Fame. Pat didn’t start open-water swimming until she was almost 50 and despite a fear of deep water, has swam the English Channel, the Strait of Gibraltar and around the island of Manhattan.  Last we share some of our interview with Cherie Gruenfeld.  Cherie who didn’t start running until her 40’s, holds thirteen world Ironman titles and seven world records.

All of these women are inspirations because of their physical accomplishments but even more so in what they do to help others.   Listen here!

On the podcast this week, we talk with Sky Bergman all about the “Lives Well Lived” , the documentary she directed and filmed that was inspired by her own grandmother who lived to 103.  The film includes forty different elders with interviews conducted over four years and is a wonderful montage of their stories.

The result is a very inspiring film that proves that an optimistic attitude is always available to you and living a “life well-lived” includes several common themes.

We noticed that many of the “stars” of the film had discovered new creative passions and new opportunities to learn at midlife and later. Most of the elders, including Sky’s grandmother made “moving” a part of their daily life.  Relationships and sharing their lives with other people (family, neighbors, friends, community)  is also a central part of what contributed to their positive outcomes.

In the words of one of the “Lives Well Lived” stars, ” Ride loosely in the saddle of life”.   Listen here.

This week on the podcast we talk with storyteller, writer, and podcaster Stephanie Rafflelock about her upcoming book “A Delightful Little Book on Aging” as well as an article she recently published called “Five Gratitude Practices to See You Through Tough Times”

Stephanie believes that that a good story can transform the way you see the world.

She wants to help older women find their voices, “not go quietly into the night” by focusing on positive aging. Stephanie believes that every day you should start out with saying “Thank you!”

Listen here.

This week we’re reflecting on some of the best conversations we’ve had regarding gratitude. From our earliest episode on gratitude, episode #17 where we talked about the science of gratitude. Gratitude actually rewires your brain and isn’t just a momentary feel-good action.  Gratitude impacts the brain and has been linked to increased longevity. Gratitude activates the hypothalmus. It activates dopamine that gives you the “feel good” feeling and creates a habit. We talk about how all of our five habits are intertwined and that gratitude also helps your physical health.

From there we revisit our conversation on Brene Brown’s “The Gift of Imperfection” and her guidepost for creating a “whole-hearted life” which is cultivating gratitude and joy. It’s episode #39 and we loved exploring this book and sharing Brene’s unique perspective on life. Brene Brown talks about the difference of having a practice of gratitude as opposed to an attitude.  We share her analogy of having a yoga attitude versus a yoga practice and relate that to the action of practicing gratitude as opposed to just thinking about it.

We move then to episode #49 and building the habit of gratitude and when Molly was first exposed to the habit of gratitude. The expression of gratitude creates optimism in people which has been linked to longevity. There is a link between expressing gratitude and reducing inflammation which decreases the risk of the killer diseases like heart disease, cancer and high blood pressure.

Finally we share some of our favorite quotes from some of our guests who believe that gratitude is a big part of living their HAPPIER, longer lives.

Kathryn Nicolai (Nothing Much Happens)*LaLa LaLanne*Suzy Gammon* Maria Olsen*John Leland*David Steindall Rast

There is always, always something to be grateful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!  Listen Here.

This week we pick up where we left off last week–literally as a glitch caused the podcast to end rather abruptly.

We’re talking about the two pillars that make up our 30 Day Ultimate Habit Building System.

Pillar number one is Brain Training -Based on the self-coaching model by Brook Castillo we talk about how our thoughts create our feelings, which determine our actions and get the results that we have in our lives.c Pillar number two is the PLAN. Building new habits in our 30-Day Ultimate Habit Building System is based on setting up “minimum achievable commitments” for yourself each week and then adding incremental 1% each week.We shared all about our January 2020 Habit Challenge and how you can be a part of it! For only $29.95 you will receive the 30-Day Ultimate Habit Building System which includes a Five for Life Planner, and you’ll be included in our January Habit Challenge where we will help you start the next decade of right with NO resolutions–just new HABITS!   Listen here.

This week on the podcast we are doing the first of a two-part series on the Ultimate 30-Day Habit Building System!

We talk all about the “whys” behind habit-building and how our system can help you with a repeatable framework to build new habits and replace habits that don’t serve you.

First you need to understand why it’s important to focus on habits, what habits you already have and notice them and then choosing the habits you want to build.

We discuss the compounding effects of habits and how they are the compound interest of self-improvement. (James Clear) And how small incremental actions that seem insignificant at the time end up being what transforms your life. James Clear says you need to fall in love with the system, not the goal.

In our system, we dive into who you want to become, focusing on internalizing the identity of someone who incorporates the habits that you want to build into their lives. For instance, you need to identify yourself as a “runner” you need to do what runners do and that is run consistently.

It’s also important to understand the “why” behind the who you want to become. Darren Hardy calls it your “why power” and the who you want to become depends on your WHY.

In the pre-work for the Ultimate 30-Day Habit Building System we are going to choose one habit that reflects the identity of the person you are trying to become.

We share about how we set ourselves up for success so that incorporating the new habit into our lives is fun.

Pillar number one of the Ultimate 30-Day Habit Building System is Brain Training.  As we embark on new habits, our primitive brains want to keep us comfortable and pain-free so we need to override our plans and goals. Brain training and managing your mind is fundamental to succeeding at building new habits.  Listen here!

This week on the podcast we talk with John Leland about his book, “Happiness is a Choice You Make-Lessons from a year among the Oldest Old”.

Leland,  an award-winning journalist with the NY Times , shared some of his experiences with us in writing this book which started as an assignment for the newspaper.  In his own words, ” In 2015, I followed six people over age 85 for a year. I expected a deep dive into the hardships of old age. Instead, they taught me lessons that changed my life: lessons in resilience, joy, purpose, gratitude and acceptance. I learned why older people are more content than young adults, and why even talking about wanting to die can make you happy. Best of all, I learned that we don’t have to wait until we’re old to learn these lessons.”  Listen Here!

This week on the podcast we discuss how happiness is found in our day to day lives and not something that we look for in big, thrilling moments.  We talk about the fact that happiness is a decision of mindset in the day to day, average moments in life. We approach being happy in a deep and lasting way and not just looking for those “thrilling high” moments as proof that we’re happy.

Martha Beck says that “our culture has come to define happiness as an experience that blows your mind. It’s as though we’re somehow falling short if we don’t routinely feel the way Times Square looks—madly pulsing with a billion watts of Wow!”  Don’t get me wrong. Excitement is a great and necessary thing; without it life wouldn’t be complete. But happiness—real happiness—is something entirely different, at once calmer and more rewarding. And cultivating it is one of the most important steps we can take toward creating fulfilling lives.”  Beck says that intense excitement is actually the enemy of true joy. Listen here!

Are you a morning person? This week we discuss the power of a morning routine and why it sets you up for success throughout your day. Having a morning routine has been proven to have health benefits including reduced stress and anxiety. People who don’t have routines often suffer from poor sleep, poor diet and poor physical health. We reflect on the idea that a morning routine actually necessitates an evening routine and that your sleep can’t be compromised to build this habit.

Some ideas to start building the habit of a morning routine include setting your intentions especially the night before. Be flexible and willing to trade things out if they don’t work for you, eg: if you don’t feel like running, try a brisk walk instead. Carry your momentum from the morning forward.  For more, listen here!

This week on the podcast we pause for a moment to look back on our first 50 episodes. We take just one thought, sentence, quote or statement from each and share them. They are a mix of powerful ideas, interesting statistics and a couple that will just make you smile.

We want to say thank you to all of our listeners, subscribers, reviewers and to our family and friends. A big thank you to our editor  Erin Bryant as well.  Listen here.

On this week’s podcast we discuss how daily habit #5, LET GO, may be the most important habit of all. Stress and worry are not just negative emotion words that we should be tossing around daily or even weekly. They are true social trends with major health implications impacting us now and in the future. Stress is literally killing us.

Beyond stress, when we talk about “LET GO” we really mean all of the negative emotions that can build up over time. Anger, fear, sadness, regret. 

We discuss strategies for building the habit of letting go daily including meditation, journaling, take a walk, take a bath, nap, and our personal favorite, hold a baby.  Listen here!

This week on the podcast, we discuss the science of gratitude and how it can help you increase optimism and longevity. We share some of the latest research on optimism including a recent study done by Boston University that was just published this summer as well as other information on how gratitude and optimism can improve your health.

People who focus on practicing gratitude are healthier, experience less illness (including depression), have stronger relationships, behave in more generous ways, and are overall happier and more optimistic. 

We discuss the ways of building the habit of gratitude on a daily basis and how the mindful decision to be grateful achieves the strongest results. Practical tips are provided on building the habit of gratitude through journaling, gratitude meditation and setting a timer throughout the day. 

Listen here!

This week on the podcast we’re talking all about our daily habit #3-SHARE. For us, sharing isn’t about being generous with things you own or your money, it’s about sharing your life with the people around you. It’s staying connected and engaged and developing the habit of fostering friendships.

We share the negative impacts of loneliness and isolation, as well as discuss the positive health benefits of having strong relationships. We also give you practical tips in how to combat loneliness as well as ideas for building strong friendships.

Science has proven that loneliness and isolation increase morbidity amongst seniors, while developing social connections is proven to increase longevity and improve overall quality of life. This is a habit that can be learned and even if you consider yourself an introvert, we have ideas for you to build new friendships.

Listen here!

This week on the podcast it’s all about your brain and building the habits that protect brain health as you age!  Molly and Angela discuss factors that impact protect brain health. Learn all about exercise, diet and most importantly brain activities that encourage neural plasticity and can prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Also, hear practical tips and ideas for activities that you can start doing on a daily basis to challenge your brain.

Lastly, have you wanted to start the habit of reading?  Molly and Angela offer easy steps to build a reading habit as well as a list of some of their favorite books!

Listen here!

This week on the podcast we talk with author, entrepreneur, and influencer–Lorraine C. Ladish. Lorraine calls herself a 21st Century communicator who helps empower women and others to achieve their goals. She has always put an emphasis on fitness in her life, and after a running injury when she was 48, has been devoted to yoga. So much so, that last year she gained her certification as a yoga instructor.  Lorraine’s poses are admired across all of her social media and websites and she has worked with AARP on a series of yoga videos focused on beginning yoga for older adults.

We wanted to chat with Lorraine about how important moving is to her as a habit, and what she believes about exercise as she ages. Her passion for exercise reflects all of the reasons daily habit #1 is MOVE. She talks with us about why she doesn’t like to miss a day of moving and how it affects so much more than just her physical body.  Over the course of her life, she has faced many challenges and moving her body has always been something she uses to help her mood, her energy levels and her stress. We also talk about how she’s learned to meditate as a way of stress reduction and why she believes that being still is just as important as moving.

Listen Here!

For the next few weeks, we’re going to be talking about the FIVE habits that make up our lifestyle strategy and philosophy at Five for Life. 

If you are new to the podcast, real quickly the five daily habits of a HAPPIER, longer life are: 

MOVE*LEARN* SHARE*GIVE* LET GO. All backed by science and proven to increase longevity AND improve overall happiness. So over the next few weeks we will be going through each of these five habits individually and talking about some of the science behind the habit and we’re going to talk about what steps you can take to build these specific habits. 

First up is daily habit #1 MOVE. So we say all the time that it’s daily habit number one for a reason…and it’s really not “a reason” it’s MANY reasons.  Listen Here!

Are you trying to break a “bad” habit? Listen in as Molly & Angela discuss why they don’t use the word “bad” to describe habits. Hear about strategies from James Clear’s Atomic Habits and from Charles Duhigg and The Power of Habits. 

We talk about the inversion of the laws of habit building and provide five practical tips for breaking habits that don’t serve you.

1) Visualize a tangible “why”.

2) Isolate the cue and identify the routine.

3) Have a plan. Pre-commit to change.

4) Ask for help.

5) Replace Habits that don’t serve you with habits that inspire you.

Learn the Golden Rule of Habit Change. (Hint: you can’t truly break habits)  Listen Here!

On the podcast this week Molly and Angela talk about the metaskill of “how to build  a new habit”. By definition, a meta skill is a nugget of practical knowledge that applies to a wide variety of circumstances including ones you have never directly experienced before. Figuring out how to manage your brain so you can create the thoughts that lead to the feelings, that compel your actions is absolutely critical to building habits. Choosing to listen to your prefrontal cortex, instead of your primitive brain is how we lean into the future and reach our goals.

We go in depth to teach  the habit loop and James Clear, from “Atomic Habits” and his approach to making the habit loop work for you when you are building a new habit.

Lastly we share our own 6 C’s for building habits. 

Listen Here!

This week on the podcast we take a 10,000 foot view of brain science, and in particular the areas of the brain that are involved with habit formation. Want to build new habits? You’re going to have to be aware of your primitive brain while you make plans with and listen to your executive brain. Why does the brain build habits? How much of your life is on autopilot and how do you feel about your habits.The good news is that building habits, and changing your brain can happen at any age!

In preparation for next week, when we’ll start learning how to build new habits, click on the  to download our  version of habit scorecard (adapted from James Clear, Atomic Habits).

Habit Scorecard

Ready to listen?  Go right here!

In the first episode of season 2, co-hosts Molly Watts and Angela McDade revisit the five daily habits of a happier, longer life. As they continue to highlight these habits–MOVE, LEARN, SHARE, GIVE and LET GO–including the science behind increasing longevity and improving overall quality of life, the focus for season is on HOW to build habits that serve you.

What is a habit mindset and how can you train your brain to build the habits you want?  How can you break habits that don’t serve you?  This season the podcast will give very tactical and practical information on building the habits for longevity and happiness. We’ll talk about the 6 C’s of habit formation and how you can incorporate a habit mindset for whatever goal you want to achieve.   Listen here!

Pat Gallant-Charette is no ordinary grandma! The 68-year-old life-long Maine resident has completed six of the Oceans Seven, a marathon swimming challenge that has athletes attempting seven of the toughest open-water swims in the world.  Only 12 people to date have accomplished the feat. Until last year, Pat was the oldest swimmer to swim the English Channel and she still holds 9 world records for age group in marathon open-water swimming. Here’s the really crazy part! Pat didn’t get serious about swimming until she was 58. And she was terrified of the ocean for years, after she had what she thought was a close encounter with a shark (it was really a curious seal) when she was 13.

We talk with her about overcoming fears, living a life without regret and learning new things (incuding snow-shoeing and maple tapping) as she approaches her 70th birthday! (Unusual for someone who has lived their whole life in Maine to never have tried before!)

And she’s not done swimming. Pat has no plans to retire and believes she will still be completing marathon swims in her 80’s. Get inspired to try something new–listen here.

In this episode we talk to Maria Leonard Olsen.

At age 50, Maria had drank her way out of her 25-year marriage. She had, against much advice, put all her eggs in the motherhood basket, will-fully derailing her successful law career. As teenagers, her precious children did not need her in the hands-on way they previously had. Her husband and she had grown apart because, among other things, they failed to nurture that important relationship. She was depressed and stuck. When she turned 50, she had the distinct feeling that she was on the downward slope of her life. Actuarially speaking, she was. So when she turned 50, her gift to herself was to go on a crusade to make the most of whatever time she had left.

She set out to do 50 new things that were significant, at least to her. The list spanned physical challenges, adventure travel, and lifestyle changes. Each taught her something about herself and about how she wanted to lead the next years of her life to come. She ended up writing a book that follows the work she did to overcome addiction and trauma to accomplish those 50 new things and shares with readers how to make their own action lists.

We talk with Maria about living her authentic life, living with intention and how she is creating her best life.  Listen here!

In this episode Molly and Angela talk with speaker, author and professor, Dr. Catherine Sanderson, PhD about the science behind happiness and how we can truly impact our happiness.

After compiling lots of research, Dr. Sanderson wrote her book “The Positive Shift” which focuses on small changes we can all make regardless of whether or not we are genetically disposed to being happier. And yes! That’s a real thing. Dr Sanderson explains it much like metabolism. You know how some people can seemingly eat anything and never gain weight?  (They are probably the happy ones too) And some people gain weight by simply looking at pizza?  OK..well maybe not, but you get the point. Same thing applies to our disposition. Some people are just naturally happier and others have to work at it.

In their studies, the researchers determined that things we can do to impact our happiness really fall into two areas: mindset  (how we think about things) and behaviors (what we do).

Here are a few things any of us can try to improve our happiness, health and longevity that are all backed by science:

1) Don’t catastrophize the small irritations of life. People who have a tendency to dwell on the negative and be critical aren’t happier.

2) Get out in nature.

3) Volunteer and give to others.

4) Smile at someone.

5) Have strong relationships.

6) Express gratitude.

Happiness is good for all of us. It’s better for the world.  Talking about it, teaching about it, just getting it out there in the conversation. We are all benefiting when the people around us are happier.

Listen here!

This week we speak with Kathrine Switzer, who has long been one of running’s most iconic figures.  She was the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon in 1967. Her entry revolutionized the sporting world when a photo of her being physcially attacked by the race director trying to remove her bib was spread across the globe. That photo, has been immortalized by Time-Life  becoming one of their “100  Photos that Changed the World”.

She went on to campaign for women, ensuring their official status by 1972 in the Boston Marathon. After, she created and organized a global series of races, called the Avon International Running Circuit—400 races in 27 countries for over a million women. Through those races she was instrumental in demonstrating women’s running capability to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and getting  women’s marathon included in the Olympics in 1984.

We talk with Katherine about her passion for running, helping women and running the Boston Marathon again in 2017 at age 70, in honor of the 50th anniversary of her historic first run. At age 72, she is a great example of creating the habits of a happier, longer life!  You’ll love her story here.

Suzy Gammon, 75,  is a blogger who describes herself as  “super old and writing about it on her website, AgingTimeBomb.com.” Her blog started without a real focus. Suzy says, “I was afraid to look back and pick at my life’s scabs because I feared I could bleed to death without the tough crusts protecting me.” Hear about her journey to better writing and why she believes finding peace with who we are and how we arrived here is the greatest gift we can give ourselves. Now the blog is helping her to “age gracefully”.

Here is how Suzy describes it: This blog is for people who know they are aging and the people who care about them. Especially those who are growing old with heartache to gently cradle and to reconcile. As we grow old, some of us take comfort in only looking forward and others in only looking back. The graceful ones are those who are in sync with both perspectives. Listen here!

Suzy has a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies and her career focused on high-risk adolescents and young adults. This background doesn’t give her much knowledge about aging, so she reads and learns from others such as Five for Life.
Suzy lives in the Portland Oregon metropolitan area with her husband of over fifty years. They have as many grand-dogs as grandchildren and often find themselves caring for four-legged family members. Suzy is an avid hiker who volunteers with organizations that promote and protect public lands in the Columbia River Gorge and the mountains nearby.

• A 2.4 Mile Swim
• 112 Mile Bicycle Ride
• 26.2 Mile Run (Marathon)

We’re summarizing and distilling a lot of what we learned this month with our focus on “healthy” diets this week on the podcast. We talk about changes you can make and what seemed to be the overriding theme with all of our guests.  Plus we share just a few takeaways from the book The Compound Effect written by Darren Hardy. If you’ve wondered how much sugar is in a typical American diet (daily) you’ll want to find out here!

Have you heard about intermittent fasting? What about bioindividuality?  On this episode we talk with Deb Gutierrez, a holistic health coach and personal trainer who focuses on optimal health for aging.  In this episode we discuss the holistic approach to aging from a nutrition and fitness perspective. Deb’s approach to healthy eating  involves personal “tweaks” that take into account your own stress levels, your sleep, your exercise and the way your body responds to different types of foods.  Listen here!

This month, we are tackling the dreaded “D” word….DIET. But not in terms of weight loss, because although a healthy weight is important, what is even more important is disease prevention and how you actually feel. We aren’t a weight loss company. There are plenty of options there, but we want to help you LEARN about different approaches to healthier eating. Even if you think you’ve heard it all before, we are talking to some different experts that have compelling science behind what they do.

This week’s guest is Lisa King.

This week on the podcast we’re talking to an empty-nester who has made a unique life decision when it came to downsizing. Ben Soto, and his wife Julie made the decision to move into urban co-housing. When I hear the word co-housing, I am not quite sure what it means. My first thought is commune-style (but then again I am a child of the sixties).

What we learned from Ben is just how modern and intentional their co-housing environment is. Built in the heart of Seattle, it’s one of the first of it’s kind in Washington.  Click here!

In this week’s episode, we’re talking about the science of gratitude. Not just the “woo woo” feel-good idea of gratitude, but how practicing gratitude activates parts of your brain and has been proven to have overall health benefits. We talk about lessons we’ve learned about practicing gratitude and recognizing joyful moments. We talk about going from the retroactive process of looking back at your day and appreciating moments to actively looking for “wonder” and “joy” in real time. We discuss “awe” and seeking out something that awes you. Lastly, we share the advice from a Benedictine monk David Steidl-Rast, that to be truly happy you just need to slow down and be grateful for every moment for the opportunity it is. Moment by moment, you just need to stop, look and then go.  Listen here!

What do you believe about mindset?  Do you think your feelings guide your thoughts?  In this episode of the podcast we talk to Elizabeth Salazar about self-coaching and how to work on your thought patterns to guide your life.  Elizabeth teaches us about how circumstances are neutral, our thoughts are optional and that we have the power to choose our thoughts which will determine our feelings, actions and ultimately results. You’ll love it. Listen here!

So first things first–Phyllis is 67! Yes, this is what 67 can look like. For Phyllis it started in her 20’s after losing her mother at the age of 53 due to a heart attack. She realized she needed a plan and serendipitously picked up a book about women’s bodybuilding by Arnold Schwarzenegger. She claims it was love at first sentence and joined the first all women’s bodybuilding gym.We talk with Phyllis about some of the challenges she’s faced (including two hip replacements in the last three years) as well as what inspired her to start her blog at the tender age of 64. We think you will love her energy, her no-nonsense approach and you’ll definitely learn something about weight-lifting. More than anything, Phyllis shows us all that you can be strong, no matter what age you are! Click here!

Rachel Hollis is an author, motivational speaker, blogger and podcast host who has been at the forefront of women’s empowerment this year with the release of her book, “Girl Wash Your Face”. In this episode we take some lessons from this book and apply them to living a HAPPIER, longer life.   Diving into “Girl Wash Your Face” we share some of the best lessons we learned for goal setting and roadblocks to happiness.  You can listen here.

November is Diabetes Awareness Month and on this episode of the Live HAPPIER longer podcast we talk with podcast host and professional broadcaster, Stacey Simms, about some of the myths surrounding diabetes and some of the advances that are changing the way we treat it. Full of lots of great information and dome interesting facts you might not be aware of. Listen here!