45 Forward

Originally broadcast 2023-04-24.
April is National Poetry Month, launched more than 25 years ago by the Academy of American Poets to recognize poets’ integral role in our culture. Over the years, it has become the largest literary celebration in the world, and in today’s episode, we talk to an unusual poet who came to this craft later in life—and through the most unimaginable of experiences. Hank Bjorklund, a former professional football player for the New York Jets, became a business lawyer in New York City after retiring from football, then an educator and coach. Then, on one otherwise ordinary day, Hank found himself suddenly hospitalized due to dysautonomia, a severe disruption of his autonomic nervous system possibly caused by the repetitive head hits he received during years of tackle football. An idyllic, healthy life in retirement with his wife was unalterably changed. In his newly published book, “Head Hits I Remember,” Hank recounts his daily struggles to cope with this baffling, life-altering illness, and how he eventually turned to poetry as a way to connect with his thoughts and feelings and deal more gracefully with the profound realities of life previously unseen. He’ll recite a selection of poems from his book, some of which he’s turned into songs and performed with musicians who heard his poems and decided to put his words to music. Hank will talk about how poetry and music have helped him heal and brought meaning back into his life—and hopefully will inspire others seeking the strength to persevere through difficult and debilitating challenges.
An archival conversation from 45 Forward.


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Originally broadcast 2025-02-03.
As we look forward to the end of winter, there’s always a bright spot in February—Valentine’s Day, our annual celebration of romantic love and friendship. But love can be complicated and hard to find (and keep) these days, amid the swift currents of social and cultural change. Many marriages end in divorce; children are estranged from their families; sexual abuse remains a troubling societal concern; friendships are fractured over politics; and people of all ages report widespread loneliness. Our world of relationships is in crisis. So how do we move forward? In today’s conversation, I talk with Beatty Cohan, a nationally recognized psychotherapist and sex therapist, who is also an advice columnist, radio host and author of “For Better, For Worse, Forever: Discover the Path to Lasting Love”. Beatty will talk about our universal aspirations to find true love—and her intriguing research that resulted in a 10-step formula that teaches you how to assess who’s right or wrong for you BEFORE committing to any serious relationship. She’ll describe her experiences serving on Florida’s Commission and Marriage and Family Support Initiatives and her efforts to combat domestic violence. And she’ll offer incisive observations about relationships and mental health from her decades of private practice, working across all age groups—individuals, couples and seniors—helping people relearn the lost art of conversation, heal relationships and rekindle love and friendship.
An archival conversation from 45 Forward.


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Originally broadcast 2021-01-11.
In his inaugural show, Host Ron Roel talks with Kathleen Otte, an award-winning senior official at the U.S. Administration for Community Living, which helps millions of people live independently and stay active as they age in their communities. Kathleen, who has been working to improve the lives of older adults for more than 30 years, will explain how federal and state programs are collaborating to promote the philosophy of "consumer control," engaging people in the decision-making process about their options, preferences, values and financial resources. Advancing the theme for Older Americans Month in 2021 — "Communities of Strength"— Kathleen and Ron will share stories of how older adults have built resilience and strength over the second half of their lives. Kathleen will also offer examples of how families can connect with local, practical resources they need—services, programs, education or just information — wherever they live.
An archival conversation from 45 Forward.


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Originally broadcast 2023-04-03.
“Movement is Life.” Such is the mantra of Diane Jacobowitz, who founded the Dancewave Company more than 25 years ago with the mission of developing programs to capture the talents and imagination of young dancers. In today’s episode, Diane talks about her singular journey, from her own dance and choreography company; to connecting with young artists early to teach them the rigors of high-level performance; to now focusing her teaching on healing, fitness and self-care, including “Creative Movement” workshops for elders. Diane will describe the concept of Essentrics fitness, how we can be fit at every age and stage of life—a physical state not calculated in miles, muscle mass or speed, but rather measured by one’s ability to move freely, live actively and without pain. She’ll break out the elements of rebalancing our body; how movement patterns affect body type; the healing of scar tissue; and strategies to increase our energy. And Diane will talk about the special role dance plays in how our culture moves and the opportunity it offers to change our one-dimensional world of computer screens. This is Part 1 of a unique two-part series on creative aging through dance, healing, wellness and how to stay young through movement.
An archival conversation from 45 Forward.


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Originally broadcast 2023-03-20.
When Ilyce Glink set out on a career path years ago, she wanted to be a screenwriter—she even wrote more than a half dozen scripts and was represented in Hollywood for a time. Then she realized she had to support herself. So she started writing articles about real estate, and discovered she loved being a freelance writer, selling hundreds of stories a year to newspapers, magazines and trade publications. Soon she became a syndicated newspaper columnist—for $15 a week. And now, Ilyce Glink is CEO of Think Glink, the creator of four Chicago-based companies, a best-selling financial journalist, author, and radio and TV personality. In today’s conversation, Ilyce will take us through her extraordinary, evolving journey “Rethinking Glink” across a series of innovative projects and ventures, extending her brand into personal finance, consumer advice and even as a creator of digital content and media strategies. Of course, she’ll give us her latest insights about the real estate market as we head into the spring housing season, as well as the confluence of “Great Reconfigurations” in housing, finance and careers for much of America. And Ilyce will explain her latest ground-breaking project, “Best Money Moves,” a mobile-first employee benefit designed to help organizations measure and dial down financial stress among their workers—and promote the principles of financial wellness.
An archival conversation from 45 Forward.


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Originally broadcast 2023-02-27.
For many decades, we’ve held a conventional assumption that the “peak ages” of creativity are between 39 and 42. It ain’t necessarily so, says poet, writer and teacher Priscilla Long in her recently published book, “Dancing with the Muse in Old Age.” In fact, she says, our older years are a prime time to flourish in creative productivity—even a prime time to BEGIN creative work. In today’s episode, Priscilla reflects on new ways to look at old age as a potentially dynamic time, full of connections to others and deeply satisfying work. Her book provides examples of hundreds of prominent people who grew very old while living remarkably creative lives—many of them in the arts, but others in a wide range of fields and endeavors. Yes, Priscilla acknowledges, ageism can poison creativity. But she challenges these deep and often unconscious prejudices, affirming that in old age, creative work can truly thrive. And these opportunities are not merely for the brilliant, exceptional elders. They’re for all of us, Priscilla affirms. She offers a series of questions we should ask ourselves as we strive to shape an old age of flourishing well-being, learning and engagement in creative work—while we also help reshape the future of the middle-aged, the young, and the generations to come.
An archival conversation from 45 Forward.


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Originally broadcast 2023-02-06.
Patricia King has had a long, extraordinary career —and she continues to evolve with new projects and pursuits, even into her 80s. Pat spent 25 years as an international management consultant, working with Fortune 50 companies like PepsiCo, Chase Bank, and Pfizer, and writing five nonfiction business books, including the bestseller, “Never Work for a Jerk,” which landed her on the Oprah Winfrey show. In her sixties, Pat launched another successful career as a historical mystery writer—with the pen name, Annamaria Alfieri. Her early mysteries, set in South America, were followed by another series set in British East Africa, now Kenya. While working on her last novel, “The Blasphemers,” Pat came across accounts of British missionaries who sought, over 100 years ago, to end the practice of female genital mutilation, or FGM, imposed on young girls, between the ages of 11 and 14. Just as her book was launched, she made another startling discovery: FGM is still practiced in Kenya, as well as several other African countries. In today’s episode, Pat talks about the latest chapter in her life—how she met a proud Massai woman named Sarah Lesiamito, who founded the Sidai Resource Center, a nonprofit whose mission is to save Kenyan girls from forced marriages, female genital mutilation and other regressive practices. Pat will describe her own efforts to support Sarah’s mission, raising awareness abroad and funds needed to continue the work of the Sidai Resource Center. Such efforts not only help young girls become full-fledged members of society, but they transform the lives of everyone in their communities.
An archival conversation from 45 Forward.


Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/45-forward--6550893/support.

Originally broadcast 2023-05-08.
Last month, Diane Jacobowitz, the founder of the Dancewave Company in New York, spoke to 45 Forward about her life teaching “Creative Movement,” focusing on healing, self-care, and a functional fitness approach called Essentrics. In today’s episode, Diane returns to the show to explain another kind of healing therapy—an alternative treatment known as Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) Tapping. EFT is a mind-body method of tapping acupuncture points on the hands, face, and body with your fingertips while focusing on an issue or feeling you’re hoping to resolve. This method has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, improve performance, lessen cravings, and help resolve fears. Diane will go through several tapping sequences with the listening audience, explain how it works, and how people can use it to take charge of their emotional state any time they want to move out of a painful feeling. This is Part 2 of a unique two-part series.
An archival conversation from 45 Forward.


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Originally broadcast 2021-01-25.
We celebrate friendship as one of the true joys—and necessities—of life, from our childhood through our elder years. But what does true friendship really mean, and how do we sustain it in our fast-paced and changing world — especially in these difficult times of social distancing and social unrest? Host Ron Roel and Dr. Andrea Gould-Marks, a clinical psychologist with decades of experience guiding people through relationships and life transitions, share wide-ranging thoughts about the many “nutritional values” and facets of friendship. How do we preserve and renew relationships with cherished old friends, and how do we find and develop dynamic new friendships as our lives and locations change? What are realistic expectations from different kinds of friendships — at work, at school, in our places of worship, and community? And how do we deal with loneliness —which experts say has become an epidemic worldwide, despite the profusion of social media and technology?
An archival conversation from 45 Forward.


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Originally broadcast 2024-11-18.
The first time I met Dr. Ken Dychtwald was in 1989, when I was writing a cover story about older workers as a business reporter for Newsday, Long Island’s daily newspaper. I remember it well. I was interviewing job experts and workers who talked about the frustration they felt being overlooked by employers—especially at a time when most companies, facing acute labor shortages, could ill afford to do so. Ken was the author of a best-selling book, “Age Wave,” (he now has written 19 books) and was the founder of an acclaimed think tank bearing the same name.  At the time Ken explained what has become commonly known today: that the U.S. was experiencing a “senior boom.” Older workers were living longer; the baby-boom generation was turning forty-something; and the nation’s birth rate was continuing to decline. “A young country is growing old,” Ken told me. He foresaw a time when most older workers would routinely work longer and leave jobs in their 50s for entirely new careers. “It will happen within the next decade,” he said. “We’re tiptoeing on the edge of the ice, testing the surface.” Well, folks, we are now at center ice. Ken Dychtwald was absolutely right—as he has been about many observations in the field of aging. In today’s episode, you’ll get to hear an array of Ken’s latest thoughts—observations, reflections and sage advice from America’s foremost thinker regarding the many consequences of our aging society. He’ll talk about how we can close the gap between our lifespan and healthspan; how we need to recast the conversation about what older people really want as they age; and how many of us are choosing to redefine our legacy from success to significance. All that, and much more!
An archival conversation from 45 Forward.


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