After 40 years in Silicon Valley writing and consulting on innovation and technology, John Hagel undertakes the most dominant emotion on the planet in his book Journey Beyond Fear. Learn how senior living operators can tap into endless opportunities by pushing past the limitations of fear to change and innovate.

About John

John is a management consultant, entrepreneur, speaker, and author. He is driven by a desire to help individuals and institutions around the world increase their impact in a rapidly changing world. After recently retiring from Deloitte as a partner, he  founded a new company, Beyond Our Edge, LLC, that works with companies and people who are seeking to anticipate the future and magnify their impact.

While at Deloitte, John was the founder and chairman of the Silicon Valley-based Deloitte Center for the Edge, focusing on identifying emerging business opportunities that are not yet on the CEO’s agenda. Before joining Deloitte, John was an independent consultant and writer and prior to that was a principal at McKinsey & Company and a leader of their Strategy Practice as well as the founder of their E-Commerce Practice. John has served as senior vice president of strategy at Atari, Inc., and is the founder of two Silicon Valley startups.

John is also a faculty member at Singularity University where he gives frequent talks on the mounting performance pressure created by digital technology and promising approaches to help traditional companies make the transition from a linear to an exponential world. He is also on the Board of Trustees at the Santa Fe Institute, an organization that conducts leading edge research on complex adaptive systems. He has also led a number of initiatives regarding business transformation with the World Economic Forum.

Key Takeaways

The new President & CEO of The Eden Alternative® discusses plans to grow the international non-profit, and how the more than 50,000 people trained globally see dramatic improvement in resident wellbeing, occupancy rates and employee morale.

About Patrick

Patrick Bultema has served as Founder, CEO, and Executive Chairman of numerous companies, acted as an advisor to multiple venture-backed startups, and supported various social entrepreneurial initiatives. Throughout his career, one common theme rings clear – leveraging innovation to bring about dramatic, positive change.

Raised in a close-knit community where elders played an important role, Patrick has lived the values that drive the mission of The Eden Alternative. Deeply shaped by this experience, he is committed to expanding the reach and impact of Eden’s vital message.  Patrick has an MDiv from Princeton and is husband to Lily and the father of their seven children, including three adopted daughters from China. Connect with him at [email protected].

Key Takeaways

· Employee turnover at an Eden community is typically half of a traditional senior living community.

· Minimal innovation has occurred in the elder care space. Technology and innovation need to be coupled with solid values.

· Technologies that create efficiencies and reduce tedious, laborious activities free care givers to be more involved with residents.

· Eden encourages staff to share meals with residents—"breaking bread” develops heartfelt connection.

This Top 50 Influencer in Aging and former AARP strategist discusses the increasing importance of geography, how voice technologies are driving innovation, and why sex is the unspoken hero of wellness.

About Jody

Jody Holtzman is founder and Senior Managing Partner of Longevity Venture Advisors LLC, where he works with innovative entrepreneurs, venture investors, public companies, and non-profit organizations to successfully leverage business and investment opportunities in the $8.3 trillion longevity economy. He is a recognized expert on health innovation and products and services of relevance to the aging population, and the opportunities and challenges presented by the demographic wave. He was recognized as a Top 50 Influencer in Aging by Next Avenue/NPR.

He has over three decades of experience helping companies grow by developing and implementing competitive strategies and achieving their strategic market goals. Jody was previously AARP’s Senior Vice President of Thought Leadership and Market Innovation where he conceived and built the first program to spark innovation in the market that benefits people over 50. In this role, he envisioned and developed the concept and market category of the $8.3 trillion Longevity Economy.

His thought leadership and achievements have been recognized in Bloomberg Businessweek, CNBC, Financial Times, Forbes, Fortune, Information Week, Marketplace, NY Times, PBS News Hour, VentureBeat and USA Today.

Key Takeaways

As the largest single campus continuing care retirement community in Arizona, Glencroft has been an incubator for innovation for 50 years. John Wenzlau and Steve Heller share details about their holistic approach to wellness that is inclusive for all.

About John 

Currently, John Wenzlau serves as the President & CEO of Glencroft Center for Modern Aging in Arizona. Hired by the Glencroft nonprofit board to reposition the Center as a leader in the changing landscape serving seniors, Wenzlau pioneered the development of the ZoeLife™ Network, a faith-based lifestyle program that empowers aging adults to pursue vitality through a full, active and purposeful life. He co-produces and co-hosts the ZoeLife™ Radio talk show with 40,000 listeners on Facebook Live. He is the author of the forthcoming book titled, “Falling for ZoeLife.

Trilingual in English, French and German, Wenzlau holds a Master of Divinity and M. A. R. E. (Gerontology) from Southwestern Baptist Seminary; an MBA (Finance/Marketing) from Southern Methodist University; an M.A. (German/Linguistics) and a B.A. (Political Science) from the University of Oregon and has pursued Doctoral Studies (Philosophy) at the University of Munich, Germany.  Mesa Community College, the largest of the 10 community colleges in the Maricopa County District in Mesa, AZ, named him Teacher of the Year.

His passion is providing an alternative way of living for people who are aging in place, and to influence the perception that retirement can be the most energizing years of life.

About Steve 

Steve Heller is co-founder of ZoeLife at Glencroft. A ZoeLife community empowers aging adults to pursue vitality through a full, active, and purposeful life, providing a holistic approach to wellness for senior living communities. Mr. Heller first implemented ZoeLife at the Glencroft where he oversees ZoeLife programs and operations.

Mr. Heller integrates ZoeLife principles with his extensive knowledge of exercise physiology and rehabilitation conditioning to help aging adults achieve and sustain the greatest level of independence and quality of life for as long as possible.

Heller is the Co-founder and Director of Fore-Max Training Systems for Westin Hotels & Resorts. He served for 16 years as an exercise physiologist and trainer for professional athletes (NFL, NBA, PGA, LPGA, MLB) within the luxury hospitality industry. His work and programs have been covered by New York Times, USA Today, Forbes andMen’s Journal, among others.

Key Takeaways

Learn how inclusive and inspiring designs foster a sense of purpose, encourage community and engagement, and improve physical, emotional, and mental health.

About Sarah

Sarah is CEO of the consulting firm Delight by Design, which creates age-inclusive products, brands, spaces, and experiences that delight the consumer at every age. She is an accomplished leader of innovation, serving as a global aging expert advising startups, large corporations, and investors. For nearly 20 years, she has been dedicated to transforming the aging experience.

Sarah has held key leadership positions across the US and Asia, developing and implementing strategic corporate innovation initiatives, including change management. She serves as the Executive-in-Residence at Aging2.0and is a principal consultant in the Nexus Insights a firm specializing in aging transformation. She most recently led all commercial activity for Seismic Holdings - a Silicon Valley-based company shaping human potential through integration of apparel and robotics to augment human strength and performance. Sarah’s commercial expertise helped position the organization for esteemed recognition by the World Economic Forum, Fast Company, The Economist and CES.

A published author, she serves in multiple advisory positions, sits on numerous boards and is an accomplished keynote speaker on topics such as healthy longevity and aging innovations.

Key Takeaways

Foster Strategy plays in the space of innovation with some of the country’s top life plan communities. Learn about new consumer preferences, unique ways of delivering amenities, and the types of intergenerational connection breaking down silos and changing the face of senior living.

About Helen

Helen launched Foster Strategy, LLC in 2008, and as principal and lead consultant, she collaborates with a select group of clients to envision and execute wholly new approaches to community development and resident life. Helen’s clients include some of the nation’s most innovative community developers and operators, including Rancho Mission Viejo and Willow Valley Communities – organizations with which she has been affiliated since 2004 and 1996, respectively.

She maintains a specialty in age-qualified (55+) development, and she is Chair of the Urban Land Institute’s Lifestyle Residential Development Council. She is also Vice President of the Board for Willow Valley Communities and Co-Chair of the Global Wellness Institute’s Wellness Real Estate & Communities Initiative.

Key Takeaways

With one foot in Silicon Valley and the other Washington D.C., Mary Furlong has the inside scoop on senior living. Learn about the innovations making a difference to older adults, and how a focus on family, creativity, learning, community, and vitality leads to success in the longevity market.

About Mary

Mary Furlong is Founder and CEO of Mary Furlong & Associates (MFA). Founded in 2003, MFA is a strategy, business development and marketing company headquartered in Lafayette, California. A serial  entrepreneur, Mary founded the first social network for older adults, SeniorNet.org in 1986, and ThirdAge Media in 1996 (acquired by Ancestry.com in 2002), prior to MFA. She served as a White House Commissioner on Libraries and the Internet and has been honored as one of the top 100 Women in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley Business Journal, in addition to recognition from American Society on Aging and Ad Tech. Mary has also been featured in Fortune Small Business Top 25 and Time Digital Top 50.

Mary produces the Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit, the Washington Innovation Summit, and What’s Next Boomer Business Summit in the United States and co-produces What’s Next Canada in conjunction with CABHI. She is an adviser to the Ziegler LinkAge Fund, CABHI and numerous start-up companies.

She is a professor of entrepreneurship and Women in Leadership at the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University.  She is the author of Turning Silver into Gold, How to Profit in the Boomer Market and The MFA Longevity Market Report. Her passion is helping entrepreneurs and organizations improve the lives of older adults by building products and services that make a difference. The MFA team brings intelligence, energy, and integrity plus a curated network of leaders to projects that transform the longevity market.

Key Takeaways

Sara Zeff Geber wrote the book on Solo Aging—literally! The author of Essential Retirement Planning for Solo Agers: A Retirement and Aging Roadmap for Single and Childless Adults shares what concepts will appeal to this growing market and how senior living operators can satisfy their needs.

About Sara

Dr. Sara Zeff Geber, 2018 recipient of the “Influencers in Aging” designation by PBS’ Next Avenue, is an author, certified retirement coach, and professional speaker on retirement and aging. She has developed a niche specialty working with “Solo Agers,” people who have no children or who are aging alone.

Dr. Geber is the author of Essential Retirement Planning for Solo Agers: A Retirement and Aging Roadmap for Single and Childless Adults (Mango Press, 2018) which was selected that year as a “best book on aging well” by the Wall Street Journal. With her speaking and writing, Sara has been raising awareness of Solo Agers for the past 10 years. She believes Solo Agers have unique needs in later life that warrant greater foresight and a more robust approach to planning.

Sara is a regular contributor to Forbes.comon the topics of aging and retirement and is a fellow at Nexus Insights, a think tank and incubator for revolutionary concepts in senior living and aging.  A sought-after speaker at conferences on retirement and aging, Sara is active in the Retirement Coaches Association, the American Society on Aging, the Life Planning Network, the Transition Network, the Sonoma County Section on Aging, and the Gerontological Society of America.

Key Takeaways

Eldera matches kids in 22 countries with older vetted mentors using leading-edge AI technology. Learn about their foray into senior living with Watermark Retirement Communities and how the platform weaves into a senior living wellness program.

About Dana

Dana Griffin is the Co-Founder and CEO of Eldera the global platform for wisdom sharing and intergenerational connection on a mission to tap into the time and wisdom of 1 billion elders around the world as a new natural resource for the next generation. Eldera is all about bringing back the Era of the Elders. She envisions Eldera as a virtual multigenerational village where kids benefit from social-emotional learning and increased resilience, elders benefit from a sense of purpose and expanded community, and most importantly everyone experiences more joy.

Dana was raised by her grandparents in Transylvania, Romania and has been guided by elder mentors throughout her life.  A former data and advertising executive turned age-tech entrepreneur, AI for Good advocate and author of multiple trademarks and patents focused on aging and wisdom, Dana serves on multiple AI and Aging related boards. She has been advising, consulting, and speaking internationally about principled uses of AI for innovation, policy, and social impact and was recognized by AdAge as a “40 under 40 changing the advertising industry".

A Vedic meditator and outspoken fan of interesting people and good food, Dana spends her time cooking, training in Krav Maga and exploring human consciousness.

Key Takeaways

Sarah shares her journey from co-founding Connected Living in 2007 to today’s suite of technology and the progression from content management software to mobile apps, digital signage, in-room engagement through TV and Alexa, and Temi the personal robot.

About Sarah

Sarah Hoit is a career social entrepreneur focused on companies that impact larger social issues. She is currently CEO of Connected Living and Co-Founded the company in 2007 to provide families and communities with a private social network to bridge the “digital divide” for the millions of seniors who have been left out of the conversation. Connected Living provides a “high tech and high touch” way for families to connect, access goods and services, and enhance quality of life across the nation and soon globally.

Sarah was previously Founder and CEO of Explore, Inc., an education company that operated programs to meet the academic and social needs of every student through the integration of experiential learning, homework and skill lessons, physical education, and community services.

Prior to founding Explore, Sarah served as the Director of Business Planning in the White House Office of National Service, and then Deputy Director of AmeriCorps where she was a senior official in a national service program that has enabled over 1 million youth to serve their country.

Sarah holds a BA with Honors from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard Business School (HBS), where she was awarded a public service fellowship. She has been a guest lecturer at HBS and Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business on social entrepreneurism and is a member of the Dementia Friendly America Board, the Tenacity Board.

Key Takeaways