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Long before the pandemic, back in 2009, Benita Cooper, noticed a problem when she moved to Philadelphia. Social isolation. She had an idea, inspired by a recent personal experience, that she thought could help. So she began a small project at lunchtime to tap into the power of storytelling. You’ll find her story and her not-for-profit organization The Best Day of My Life So Far inspiring.

Want to make a difference? See the links below for info on how you can connect the programs at The Best Day of My Life So Far with your community, school, organization, company or business, There’s a range of options from Lunch & Learns to Pop Up events to starting your own storytelling group.

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Benita Cooper is an award-winning Registered Architect in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. She holds an MArch from Harvard University and a BA in Art and a BA in Architecture from the University of Washington. Driven to build and lead from a young age, she entered college at the age of 15, after moving from Hong Kong at 12.

Benita has received prestigious awards from the American Institute of Architects, the American Architectural Foundation, Harvard University and may more. Her work has been awarded first place by the American Society of Internal Designers.

Inspired by her friendship with her grandma, Benita Cooper launched The Best Day of My Life So Far a multimedia storytelling project to connect seniors with younger generations in 2009. It provides a cure for social isolation, by empowering older adults to share life stories and inspiring human connection across generational and social divides. In 2020, in response to the global pandemic, the not-for-profit expanded all of it’s programs to include more robust virtual options, and is well-positioned to take it’s work into the future.

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For More On Benita Cooper

The Best Day of My Life So Far

Programs – Get Involved

Benita Cooper Design

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Podcast Episodes You May Like

Changing the World One Small Act at a Time – Brad Aronson

How Seniors Are Saving the World With Activism – Thelma Reese

The Exciting Potential of Intergenerational Mentoring – Charlotte Japp

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Wise Quotes

On Storytelling

“I knew from the very, very first call with my grandma that stories could do what years of conversation could not. Stories could bring generations together. Stories brought my grandma and me together with one single phone call, one single story,  Over time, with more calls and more stories, we became even closer. We became best friends. So stories are the building blocks to real communication. Real communication is a building block to real relationships. And real relationship, if enough people are doing it around you, is the building block to real community. And all of this is significantly more powerful when the story storytelling is shared between generations.”

On Life Lessons

“Every story contains sometimes not just one, but multiple life lessons. All of those things could be unexpected. You might not expect, if you’re someone younger,  that somebody older would be so open-minded about whatever social issue is happening at the moment. And when you’re someone older, likewise, you might not expect that somebody younger would be open to your way of thinking. Or that they would find you funny. If you’re someone older and you tell somebody younger or something sad, you might be surprised by the confidence they see in you, which you never knew you had. So that story that’s within every story, there is something to be discovered and some impact that you could have if you allow the story to kind of sink in both sides – for storyteller and for the listener. The possibilities are truly limitless. What you can discover about each other is insight into life and into people. What you will discover is a greater love of life and of people.”

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About Retirement Wisdom

I help people who are retiring, but not quite done yet, discover what’s next. A long retirement is a terrible thing to waste. And a meaningful retirement doesn’t just happen by accident. Retire smarter. Schedule a call today to discuss how The Designing Your Life process created by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans can help you make yours great.

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About Your Podcast Host 

Joe Casey is an executive coach who also helps people design their next life after their primary career. He created his own next chapter after a twenty-six-year career at Merrill Lynch, where he was Senior Vice President and Head of HR for Global Markets & Investment Banking. Today, in addition to his work with clients, Joe hosts The Retirement Wisdom Podcast, which thanks to his guests and loyal listeners, ranks in the top 1 % globally in popularity by Listen Notes. Business Insider has recognized him as one of 23 innovative coaches who are making a difference. He’s the author of Win the Retirement Game: How to Outsmart the 9 Forces Trying to Steal Your Joy.