In this chat, biogerontologist Dr Suresh Rattan delivers a masterclass in longevity, touching upon biology, longevity trends, even philosophy. The Indian-origin, Denmark-based scientist explains why humans enjoy an “essential lifespan” of 45 years, his interpretation of a “hormetic” and balanced way of life, and how the definition of health changes at different stages of life. He also tells Gen Seasoned co-founder Anuradha Varma why antioxidants have been considered as risks of causing cancer.

A specialist in the biology of ageing and longevity, Dr Rattan is also Editor-in-Chief of the international peer reviewed journal Biogerontology, published by Springer Publishers. Listen in! Do share and subscribe!

Follow Dr Rattan: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram 

Timestamps: Timestamps
02:11 After 45, it’s all downhill biologically
06:44 What makes us human? The bhajan “Vaishnav jan…” and quality of empathy
16:36 Essential lifespan, warranty period or “best before” of a human being is 45
24:15 How we can reach 100, as a society
28:00 There is no “gerontogene” or enemy gene
30:55 The problem with “anti-ageing”; ageing is just happening, not being done to us
34:50 Why pills don’t work; on bio-hacker Bryan Johnson
40:29 Antioxidants and the link to cancer
43:21 Hormetins and health mechanisms for maintenance
46:27 United Nations’ Intrinsic capacity to measure health & Dr Rattan’s concept of “homeodynamic space”
48:00 Bryan Johnson and plasma transfer; similar successful experiment on rats
54:00 UN definition of health; what health means at every stage of life
57:00 Measurable markers of Activities of Daily Living — absolute independence vs adequate physical and mental independence
01:03:49 The hormetic way of life
01:08:24 Meditation and physical exercise exhibit the same stress markers
01:12:19 His “Indus Valley Diet”
01:22:29 Sustained pleasure is important for a hormetic way of life
01:25:50 Nutrition, food and diet for longevity; we eat what we are
01:45:17 We have multiple ages

Email: [email protected]
Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are personal. Listener discretion is advised. 

“You show up differently when you have purpose,” says Seema Sinha, the only woman driving coach in north India. She talks to Anuradha Varma, Gen Seasoned co-founder, about re-entering the workforce in her 40s, armed with new skills as a parent of three, and forming connections with the younger generation. She questions the idea of “age-appropriate dressing”, and is a firm believer that only women, not men, should teach driving! Listen in!

Follow Seema on Instagram

Timestamps:
02:20 Changing career perspectives in her 40s, a lot calmer now
07:10 Her job as a driving coach
09:00 Dealing with people from 18 to 80s
15:00 Appreciating Gen Z
18:00 Connecting with the younger generation
20:02 How old do you feel?
24:07 Her self-care routine
25:45 Dealing with new clients
29:52 Who decides age-appropriate dressing?
37:49 Aspire to raise a generation of women coaches

Email: [email protected]
Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are personal. Listener discretion is advised. 

Dr Asha Gauri Shankar, a retired or rather, seasoned Maths professor, has reinvented herself through her YouTube channel explaining Math concepts not just to children but adults as well. The 75-year-old former Delhi University professor speaks to Gen Seasoned co-founder Anuradha Varma on her passion for teaching, becoming an independent content creator, learning editing tools, and crossing 100,000 subscribers on her channel.

Follow Dr Shankar on LinkedIn | Instagram
Dr Shankar’s Maths Shorts
Dr Shankar’s long Maths videos

Timestamps:
01:28 Dr Asha Gauri Shankar’s introduction, coming from a family of teachers
09:50 Using everyday objects for teaching
12:00 Being active at 75
14:45 Starting her YouTube channel
21:04 Learning to be independent
24:47 Maths is weak among primary school students
27:44 The blessings and challenges of modern tech
32:00 Scheduling her content
33:17 Her love for prime numbers and divisibility tests
37:00 Starting her channel in April 2025
42:30 Adults also watch her channel
45:07 Maths as a language
48:20 What her contemporaries are doing; learning calligraphy
52:00 Words of encouragement for other creators
55:16 Teachers can share knowledge on YouTube
01:08:30 Simplifying puzzles for her channel

Email: [email protected]

Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are personal. Listener discretion is advised. 

Getting pregnant in one’s 40s should be an informed choice, says Dr Aswati Nair, Clinical Director & IVF specialist at Nova IVF, Rajouri Garden, Delhi. In this conversation with Jahnavi Sarma, Co-founder, Gen Seasoned, the IVF expert talks about making the right lifestyle choices early on to improve fertility in later years, and the options available as one enters their 40s, even after hitting menopause. She also has a message for men!

Timestamps:
02:18 Getting pregnant in one’s 40s
07:18 Fertility options available for women in their 40s
09:25 Pregnancy is possible after menopause
10:07 Has IVF given a false sense of security to women?
11:42 Treating a 49-year-old couple for fertility
13:56 What the law says
15:50 Lifestyle factors that affect fertility
18:00 Managing lifestyle diseases during pregnancy in one’s 40s
20:00 Beyond 50, male fertility also declines
21:33 Like egg freezing, is sperm freezing possible?
23:40 Maternal age more under focus than paternal age
26:00 Paternal age can influence genetic defects
27:03 Diabetes and male fertility

Email: [email protected]

Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are personal. Listener discretion is advised.

In conversation with Vandana Srivastava, the Founder-CEO of Zuva Life, who is supporting people in navigating midlife transitions and “reframing midlife as a season of growth, connection, and possibility.” She talks about turning mid-life “crisis” into a crossing, and redesigning the next 30 years of our lives with intention, as we gear up for a 100-year-life.

Vandana also talks about Vanaprastha, in Hindu philosophy, and how it doesn’t necessarily mean retreating into the forest, but becoming a forest and sharing wisdom with others.

Host Anuradha Varma, co-founder of Gen Seasoned, is a journalist and Mindset Coach.

Follow Vandana Srivastava: LinkedIn
Zuva Life Recommends: Reading List

Email: [email protected]
Timestamps: 
01:38 People are transitioning into mid-life earlier
04:30 Starting Zuva Life; watching her parents ageing
06:50 Defining purpose 08:20 When the old maps fail, redesigning our life
11:09 Vanaprastha, becoming the forest
15:15 Challenges of mid-life—empty-nesters, menopause, caregiving responsibilities, etc
18:08 Ninety-year-old participant at the workshop
20:40 The retirement age is not realistic
23:51 “Seenagers” or “senior teenagers”
25:15 “Just turned 60, but I’m not done”
28:00 Corporate conversations around reframing retirement
30:35 Book recommendations

Disclaimer: Views are personal. Listener discretion is advised.

“Scrabble is my life, the rest is a game,” says 69-year-old Mohan Verghese Chunkath, retired IAS officer and national Scrabble champion many times over, in conversation with 15-year-old Suyash Manchali, himself a top-rated player. Their love for Scrabble shines through as they discuss words like “doomer”, “quoil”, “madafu”, and hizzoner, their rigour of practicing an hour daily, and sparring against players across age-groups in tournaments around the country and internationally. Both also advocate for recognising Scrabble as a professional sport.

Chennai-based Mohan was the first player to represent India at the World Scrabble Championship held in 1999 at Melbourne, Australia. He also represented India in the World Scrabble Championship Tournaments in 2001, 2005 and 2016. Bengaluru-based Suyash has won many laurels, such as becoming the Under-12 world champion in WYSC 2019 (Malaysia), U-14 world champion in WYSC 2021 (Online), U-16 second runner-up in WYSC 2023 (Thailand), 10th place in WYSC 2023 (Thailand), U-16 world champion in WYSC 2024 (Sri Lanka), Runner-up of 2024 World Youth Scrabble Championship (Sri Lanka). He has also been the 2nd runner up at the Asia Youth Cup 2024 and U-14 runner-up at Asia Youth Cup 2022.

For more information, visit: Scrabble Association of India 
Host Anuradha Varma, co-founder of Gen Seasoned, is a journalist and Mindset Coach. 

Email: [email protected]

Timestamps: 
01:16 Mohan Chunkath’s introduction
05:15 Suyash’s initiation into Scrabble
06:23 Mohan’s initial days in Scrabble
12:48 Probability vs playability
23:11 Suyash on why chess scores over Scrabble
25:28 Suyash’s preparation routine; never picked up a dictionary; online apps & tools
27:50 Mohan on how Scrabble is a proprietary game, but needs to be treated as a professional sport
30:40 On Nigel Richards, world Scrabble champion
33:37 Mohan on Ganesh Ashirvadam, now retired, as superior to Nigel
37:48 How the World Youth Championship works
42:54 Mohan on evolution of dictionaries
51:30 Suyash balancing Scrabble practice with homework
51:42 Mohan on being active in the Scrabble circuit
56:53 Studying and playing across generations
01:01:05 The case for promoting Scrabble as a sport

Disclaimer: Views are personal. Listener discretion is advised.