45 Forward

Navigating one’s career all the way through to retirement can be challenging and unpredictable—but also rewarding and inspiring, given the many societal shifts we’re facing these days. Industries are undergoing rapid change across continents; companies and their employees are choosing new models of hybrid work schedules; artificial intelligence and other is revolutionizing jobs and tasks across the economy. And as human longevity continues to increase, so, too, does the likelihood that we will have multiple careers across our lifetime. In today’s episode, Lisa Strahs-Lorenc, a career counseling expert and the owner of Go Career Compass, talks about how people can traverse a journey of careers that often shift dramatically as we move from our 40s to our 60s—and beyond. The author of the recently published “Career Journeys from the Ground Up,” Lisa will offer a compendium of vivid stories from her book and will be joined by one of the book’s participants, Les Wolff, owner of Les Wolff Sports, who will relate his own personal journey. Lisa, who is making her third appearance on 45 Forward, also will provide advice on how to learn from others’ experiences, as well as your own mistakes and misdirection, and how to transfer your skills and interests to make the career transition you’re looking for. Career experts stress that we should “do what we love, and we will love what we do.” Finding that path, however, is not always so easy, but Lisa’s goal is to guide you along the way—no matter what your age.

As we look back and review our lives, many of us realize that we’ve become stuck in a cycle of repetitive behavior patterns that keep us from moving forward, trapped within unresolved, often painful mindsets. How do find ways to release ourselves from these limiting beliefs and negative self-talk? As we commemorate National Mental Health Screening Month, we talk today with Dr. Charryse Johnson, a veteran psychotherapist and author of “ Expired Mindsets,” who will tell us about her unique approach to help people get “unstuck” from patterns that no longer serve them well. Dr. Johnson is the founder of Jade Integrative Counseling and Wellness, an integrative therapy practice that focuses on personal values, the search for meaning, and the power of choice. She’ll discuss the importance of self-awareness in identifying and releasing expired mindsets; specific techniques and strategies people can use; and offer some real-life examples from her work. With her extensive training in crisis and trauma, neuroscience and identity development, Dr. Johnson is boldly creating what she defines as “a new lane between the intersection of mental health, inclusivity, and growth mindset.”

As Scott Fisher and Ben Green approached their 70th birthdays, the two lifelong friends decided to dig deeply into the challenges of healthy aging. Faced with the prospect of retirement, declining bodies, and the insistent reminders of mortality, they harnessed their combined eight decades of work experience to arrive at some fresh conclusions about “aging wisely.” Scott, an organizational psychologist, and Ben, a psychoanalyst, decided to take a novel, more personalized approach grounded in their clinical training and deep experience in the field: They interviewed a diverse sample of 52 elders, aged 70 to 95, and the life stories they heard were dazzling in their variety and depth. In today’s episode, Scott and Ben tell us their own story about how they blended personal and statistical research to create what has become “The Aging Wisely Project”—soon to be released as a book. As they sifted through the results, the two researchers realized that they had new information and conclusions about the later stages of life. They propose a practical, yet radical extension, to Erik Erikson’s iconic 8-stage model of human development, adding a 9th stage of potential growth they call “Elder Identity Revision.” Ben and Scott will talk about some of the challenges awaiting us in elderhood, as well as the skills and attitudes required to get the most out of one’s elder years. It is their steadfast conviction that it is never too late to change for the better and grow in every stage of life, and make the time left to us fulfilling, meaningful and satisfying.

If you’ve ever been faced with the sudden task of overseeing a loved one’s care when they’re admitted to a hospital, or when they’re being discharged to rehab, or transitioned back home, well, you know how confusing and overwhelming it can be to navigate our complicated healthcare system. In today’s episode, we talk with Nicole Christensen, the founder and CEO of Care Answered, about her long career advocating for older adults, beginning with her formative experiences working in a nursing home. Nicole will describe the many dimensions of patient advocacy, from helping people know their options for care, to making sure they get the services they need, to guiding them through the maze of health care decisions so their caregivers have peace of mind. She’ll cover a range of key topics, including how to be engaged with your loved ones’ healthcare providers to prevent medical errors in hospitals. Nicole will also offer pragmatic advice about how to prepare for doctor’s visits; what questions to ask medical staff at a hospital (and make sure you understand the answers); what documents you need to be prepared for a healthcare emergency; and what you need to know about the Patient Bill of Rights at healthcare facilities. Nicole passionately believes that everyone deserves the best possible care, and to ensure such care, she helps patients be prepared—not scared.

Everywhere you go these days, people are playing pickleball. It’s especially big among those age 55 and older, who account for more than half of the passionate players of this fast-growing game. With pickleball providing consistent health and social benefits, it’s not surprising that it continues to grow in popularity among this age group. But with such popularity comes, perhaps inevitably, injuries. According to one recent study, 86% of ER visits related to pickleball injuries were by seniors, most commonly sprains, strains, and fractures. In today’s conversation, we talk with Dr. David Neuman, an orthopedic surgeon and founder of Pop-doc.com, an innovative online approach to help individuals take charge of their joint health, a key to staying healthy, alleviating pain and avoiding the risk of injury—and not just from pickleball. With more than 17 years of experience treating sports medicine injuries, Dr. Neuman, will explain how Pop-Doc.com is not just a digital tool for rehabilitation, but also can be used in preventive orthopedic programs, as well as joint maintenance and preservation. He’ll describe the biggest problems we face with our joints as we age, and some ways we can improve our musculoskeletal functions, and alleviate pain. And, Dr. Neuman will talk about his multigenerational educational approach as Executive Director of the non-profit Joint Education Outreach, empowering children to have a better understanding of their bodies so future generations can suffer less and assume greater responsibility for their own health and fitness.

September is a pivotal time to pause, get organized, declutter our lives and plan for the future, whether for the next few months, the next several years or our retirement. But getting organized is not so easy for most of us, when we’re trying to balance the hectic demands of family and friends, school, work, household tasks and social obligations. Not to mention the temporary states of disorganization and clutter we experience when we’re faced with major disruptions, like the loss of a loved one, a change in job or work schedule, or a move to a new home and town. In today’s episode, we talk with Annmarie Brogan and Marie Limpert, professional organizers and experts in the field of decluttering, space maximization, and life-management strategies. They are co-owners of Organize Me! of NY, and co-authors of a pragmatic, plain-spoken book, Beyond Tidy: Declutter Your Mind and Discover the Magic of Organized Living. Annmarie and Marie will not only explain their eight principles to help you declutter and organize effectively, but also how to create a positive mindset that keeps you motivated and focused on solutions. They’ll demonstrate how organization (and disorganization) can impact your home, relationships, quality of life and overall wellbeing. And they’ll tell us how to plan for obstacles and stay resilient throughout the organizing process, on the way to discovering a new vision of what’s possible in creating a home and life you love.

Each year, September 11th marks a solemn anniversary, when our nation remembers and honors the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. More than two decades later, it’s still a difficult and emotional day, as families and communities continue to grieve losses that have changed our lives forever. In today’s episode, we talk with two grief recovery experts, Vicki Ellner, a long-time patient advocate and nurse, and Bill Solz, a veteran social worker the director of Stress Solutions of New York. Vicki and Bill will provide a broad understanding of the various dimensions of grief, its relationship to trauma and stress, and how it shapes our response to tragic events. They will talk about how we can come to terms with deep losses in our lives, process our emotions and experiences, and move forward with renewed purpose and meaning.

Two years shy of her 50th birthday, Hilary Topper, a highly successful entrepreneur and mother of two, knew she needed a change. She was fully absorbed in her work, but it wasn’t making her happy anymore. She was sick and tired of the ups and downs of the business world. So she decided to run. In today’s episode, Hilary talks about how her foray into running grew into a remarkable journey as a triathlete, which she chronicles in her newly published book, “From Couch Potato to Endurance Athlete: A Portrait of a Non-Athletic Triathlete.” Hilary is now an established presence in the sport of triathlon—she is even a certified triathlon coach who oversees a team of endurance athletes, from beginners to experienced Ironmen. But it has not been as easy transformation for a former coach potato—she did not even know how to swim when she started. In today’s conversation, Hilary share her deeply personal story, detailing her memorable races and achievements but also how she overcame unexpected challenges, setbacks and failures along the way. Hilary, an insightful blogger who has journaled since she was a young girl, will offer an array of lessons learned at each juncture of her journey. And if you think you’re too out of shape, too old, too heavy or too…anything…to become a triathlete, Hilary will change your mind.

A few decades ago, when Mary Pipher was a working mother in the midst of a busy career as a clinical psychologist, she realized she might find some precious time during her days to do what she always wanted to do: To write. She read dozens of books on writing, attended workshops and joined a writers’ group. In 1994 she published “Reviving Ophelia,” her first of 11 books, four of which became New York Times bestsellers. In today’s episode, Mary talks about her latest book, “A Life of Light: Meditations on Impermanence,” an illuminating memoir that not only offers heartfelt stories, but profound insights and wisdom into loss, change and hope as we age. Drawing on her own life, which began with a hard, dark childhood, she explores what she’s learned about how to balance despair with joy, trauma with recovery, attachments with separation from the people and things we deeply love. Mary, who has earned the title of “cultural therapist” for her generation, will share the coping skills and resilience she has honed during her lifetime. And she will talk about how each of us can look inside ourselves to write our own story as a life in light.

Graduating from college as an outstanding student in French, Jim Ryan began his career as a high school foreign language teacher on Long Island. But over the years, his passion for teaching would take him on an unexpected journey that would lead him to an iconic role as—in his words—a “spreader of happiness.” In today’s episode, Jim will talk about how his career evolved through a series of shifts across the educational and business worlds to a moment when he decided to take a volunteer job teaching prisoners locked up for multiple DWI convictions. It was then that he had an “Aha!” moment, realizing that his true passion was teaching personal development. Jim will talk about how this epiphany led to his widely popular book, “Simple Happiness: 52 Easy Ways to Lighten Up,” and to his current career as a motivational speaker and author, sharing his “Simple Happiness” message through empowering seminars across the country and sending out a weekly email of “Aha Moments” to thousands of people every Wednesday. Jim has discovered that he has the ability to turn profound concepts into easily understood solutions, and with humor, anecdotes and song, his presentations have folks leaving excited about the possibilities of living a better life.