Glowing Older kicks off Season 2 with Colin Milner, CEO and founder of the International Council on Active Aging® (ICAA) and Active Aging Week. He shares the findings from the ICAA Covid-19 Senior Living Task Force white paper Creating a path towards the "next normal" in senior living. ICAA brought together 154 providers of housing and services for older adults to create strategies and tactics to help all segments of the senior living industry emerge from being locked down. Learn about the 6 strategies and 35 tactics developed to optimize the health and well-being of residents and staff.

About Colin

Colin Milner is a leading authority on the health and wellbeing of the older adult and has been recognized by the World Economic Forum as one of “the most innovative and influential minds” in the world on aging-related topics. An award-winning writer, Milner has authored more than 300 articles and contributed a chapter to the World Economic Forum book Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise?

His expertise has been sought by organizations around the world, including the World Health Organization, the White House Conference on Aging, the National Institute on Aging, New Balance, and the European Commission. He is the publisher of the Journal on Active Aging and has authored more than 300 articles on fitness, wellness, and the business of healthy aging.

Key Takeaways

As founder of the International Council on Active Aging® (ICAA) and Active Aging Week, and the Journal of Active Aging, Colin is the known in senior living circles as the “guru of wellness.” has been advocating for a new paradigm in aging for more than 30 years. Get an insider’s point of view into top trends in senior living, including a “wellness” versus “care” model, on-demand services, personalization, Covid-19 new normal, and much more!

About Colin

Colin Milner is CEO of the International Council on Active Aging® (ICAA) and founder of the active-aging industry in North America. Milner is also a leading authority on the health and wellbeing of the older adult and has been recognized by the World Economic Forum as one of “the most innovative and influential minds” in the world on aging-related topics. An award-winning writer, Milner has authored more than 300 articles and contributed a chapter to the World Economic Forum book Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise?

His expertise has been sought by organizations around the world, including the World Health Organization, the White House Conference on Aging, the National Institute on Aging, New Balance and the European Commission. He is the publisher of the Journal on Active Aging and has authored more than 300 articles on fitness, wellness, and the business of healthy aging.

Key Takeaways

Join an intimate dialogue with wellness and real estate expert Wendy Bosalavage, President and Chief Revenue Officer of LIVunLtd, as she discusses the integral relationship between design and program delivery. “Seniors with seniority” are well-traveled and have high expectations. They want amenities and features that separate just the ordinary from something extraordinary. LIVunLtd pivot to virtual programming after the COVID-19 outbreak was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal: Luxury Developers Ramp Up Virtual Offerings for Stir-Crazy Renters.

About Wendy

Wendy Bosalavage is the President and Chief Revenue Officer of LIVuLtd, which provides custom concierge, fitness and wellness experiences for residential and commercial buildings, spas and hotels, and senior living. LIVultd is part of The Amenity Collective, consisting of LIVuLtd, American Pool, Heartline Fitness and LIV North.  As thought leaders in every facet of lifestyle service, this collaborative partnership is setting trends and redefining the amenity space. 

Wendy’s inexhaustible drive is fueled by her passionate belief that there is a direct correlation between maintaining the value of a property and offering facilities and services that provide residents with the opportunity for a healthy, balanced lifestyle. She has consulted on the design and implementation of innumerable fitness and spa facilities in luxury residential and commercial properties around the world. She earned her certificate as a Wellness Coach from the Institute of Integrative Medicine.

Key Takeaways

Aras Erekul, MD, MMH is the National Director of Integrative Well-being at Watermark Retirement Communities. His unique blend of health and hospitality led to his current position in senior living—overseeing resident, staff and community wellbeing at 65  Watermark properties nationwide. As the senior living industry evolves to embrace a deeper understanding of holistic health approaches, he serves as the lead well-being architect for Watermark, weaving innovative technology with ancient wisdom practices for both existing and future Watermark communities.

About Aras

Aras is a wellness innovator who merges medicine, integrative therapies, and hospitality business insights to create life-transforming communal experiences. His educational foundation is in clinical medicine from Hacettepe University in his native Turkey, followed by a Master of Management in Hospitality at Cornell University, focusing on wellness resort development, as well as a Fellowship in Integrative Medicine from University of Arizona.

Before joining Watermark, he was the Corporate Director of Experience Development for Canyon Ranch, one of the leading healthy lifestyle and luxury hospitality brands in the world, curating and improving all wellness experiences provided on land and at sea. Aras is also a founding member of the Vitality Lab at Google, an invitation-only collective of experts from diverse backgrounds, exploring innovations to encourage more people to live purposeful, healthy lives.

Key Takeaways:

Peter Anderson, CEO of Anderson & Associates, shares his views on the proliferation of new senior living environments. Providing examples of best in class facilities, he offers insights on creating community, experiential engaged experiences and opportunities for residents to lead active and fulfilled lives.

About Peter

Peter Anderson is a 30-year veteran in the leisure industries. He is the founder and CEO of Anderson and Associates, a consultancy firm specializing in developing and programming issues related to senior lifestyle communities, wellness real estate as well as resorts and spas. His day-to-day activities include developing strategic operating plans for his clients with respect to new construction, expansion, renovations, branding or enhanced operation. Operational issues include developing and training to operational standards and developing comprehensive standard operating procedures. He evaluates senior communities and wellness lodging trends and their related revenue sources vis-à-vis market acceptance and economic viability.

Selected lifestyle and wellness clients include Dubai Health Care City Wellness Master Plan, (Dubai, UAE), The Los Angeles Athletic Club,(Los Angeles, CA) Hotel Bel Air Spa, (Bel Air, CA), Chopra Life Style Centers (Westminster, CO), The Phoenician Center for Well Being, (Scottsdale, AZ), the Springs at Clifton, Holistic Mineral Springs Spa at the Hospital (Clifton Springs, NY), and Glen Ivy Hot Springs, (Corona CA).

Peter is a board member of the Kitalys Institute for the delay and prevention of age-related diseases and the breaking down of silos among age-related professions.He is also a faculty member at both the Collins School of Hospitality Management at the California State University’s campus in Pomona, CA. and the California State University Hotel Management Program in Long Beach, CA.

Prior to founding Anderson and Associates, Peter was a Vice President with PKF consulting in Los Angeles. He also managed the Hospitality consulting practice of Deloitte and Touche LLP out of their Los Angeles location. senior consultant in management advisory services of Laventhol and Horwath in San Diego, CA.

In addition to consulting for development and operations of senior centers and wellness real estate, Anderson is a member of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants, an invitation-only organization composed of approximately 200 members from 37 countries, dedicated to technical and ethical excellence. Mr. Anderson holds a Bachelor of Arts in Physiological Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters of Professional Studies in Hotel Administration from Cornell University.

Key Takeaways:

Celebrity chef and nutritionist Abbie Gellman shares her experience in the science and art of providing a delicious and healthy culinary experience for senior living residents. The operative word is choice—discerning older adults demand individualized, restaurant quality food when the want it, where they want it. Also front of mind is food as the first line of defense in preventing disease.

About Abbie

Chef Abbie Gellman, MS RD CDN is a spokesperson, recipe and product developer, and educator. She creates, produces, and hosts cooking and nutrition videos and works with a wide variety of food companies/brands/commodity boards, foodservice operators, health professionals, and private clients. She also contributes to many publications; her first cookbook, The Mediterranean DASH Diet, was published November 2019.

She is the consulting “Better for You” R&D Chef/RD for the private company Happi Foodi and has created two lines of healthy frozen meals for them under the WalMart Better For You Great Value brand and the Happi Foodi brand; both can currently be found at WalMart. Abbie lives in NYC with her daughter, Olivia, and many shelves of cookbooks. Learn more about her at ChefAbbieGellman.com and connect with her via @ChefAbbieGellman on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Key Takeaways

Sharon stands out as one of the youngest Executive Directors in senior living, and one of few women in a lead role. Learn how Mirabella leverages technology and addresses residents’ mind, body and soul through lasting connections and a customized approach.

About Sharon

Sharon McCartney is skilled in management, elder care, healthcare management and marketing strategy. She is currently Executive Director of Mirabella Portland, operated by Pacific Retirement Services. At the age of 25, she took over as Healthcare Administrator of Mirabella Portland, overseeing skilled nursing, memory care, and long-term assisted living. In 2016, Sharon was promoted to Executive Director, overseeing the overall operations of the continuing care retirement community (CCRC).

Sharon has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Southern Oregon University. . Her career trajectory in senior living began 13 years ago, through a college human resources internship in a senior living community, then completing an administrator and training program to become a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator. She credits her success to amazing mentors who coached her on developing the necessary leadership and management qualities.

Key Takeaways:

Senior living visionary Joe McCarron discusses the culmination of his life’s work, Wellpoint Community. Wellpoint is a revolutionary concept that combines innovative wellness, learning, meaningful engagement with the wider community and new technology. Joe shares the evolution of senior housing from cottage nursing home industry, to a major asset sector representing a wide range of product classes providers and related service offerings.

About Joe

Joseph McCarron has over 35 years of extensive executive experience in capital formation, property development and operations management dedicated exclusively in the realm of Senior Living and Aging Services. He is Principal & Founder of Capital Care Associates, LLC providing business and financial advisory services in this industry sector.  Joe’s business career has extended to representing over $2B of invested capital in Seniors Housing & Care. He is a recognized industry expert representing extensive transactional history and has served in multiple leadership positions for varied business and industry associations.

Most recently, Joe was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Wellpoint Community, LLC – representing sponsorship and development of progressively planned and mixed-use lifestyle communities. The Wellpoint Community prototype represents the integrative delivery of lifestyle offerings surrounding wellness programming, healthcare services and active engagement programming. Wellpoint is conceived as responsive to exhibiting trends in aging services and beyond – enabling best practices through innovation while promoting living well and supporting longevity for all ages.

The VIA Center for Well-Being, operated by the Cerner Corporation, will serve as the hub of each Wellpoint Community. Via is a center like no other, where residents from Wellpoint and also from the wider community can connect through learning, wellness, coworking, socializing and more. Using the most advanced technology, Via offers a state-of-the-art wellness/medical facility, innovative educational and fitness programming, and coworking spaces that invite people of all ages and interests to collaborate and innovate. It truly is a place that builds community via connection.

Key Takeaways:

A renowned expert on the intersection of health and hospitality, Michael Tompkins shares his opinions on senior living from his perspective as partner in Hutchinson Consulting, a leading recruitment and consulting firm in hospitality and wellness. Michael discusses opportunities for hospitality professionals to move into the senior living space to create new programming and deliver a high level of service.

About Michael

A visionary leader in the luxury hospitality, wellness, and spa industries, Michael G. Tompkins has led celebrated brands to success for more than two decades. He is a partner with St. Louis based Hutchinson Consulting, where he helps build leading teams for luxury hospitality and spa brands. In 2018 Tompkins led the recruitment company into Senior Living, bringing experts from hospitality and wellness as a product differentiator into this industry, where bringing hospitality to care is a desirable new trend.

He transitioned from healthcare as a registered nurse manager in long term care to hospitality with Canyon Ranch Health Resorts as part of their executive management team. Then as Vice President of Hotels and Spas for Turning Stone Resort and Casino, Tompkins led their team to be the first property in US history east of the Mississippi to have two Four Diamond AAA Hotels, garnering Best New US Spa for Skana Spa, and earning New York State Hospitality Association’s Hotel Executive of the Year.

From there Tompkins helped reposition Miraval Resorts in Tucson, AZ starting as General Manager then promoted to President/ CEO of Miraval Resorts. During his seven-year tenure at Miraval, Tompkins led the brand to an unprecedented 46 industry awards in one year, building one of the most successful hotel real estate projects in the country, the Villas at Miraval, and creating strategic partnerships with National Geographic, Dr. Andrew Weil Integrative Wellness Center, and the Miraval Life in Balance Spa with Clarins.

After assisting in the successful majority sale of the Miraval brand, Tompkins repositioned Hilton Head Health in 2014 and 2015 building Indigo Spa, 2015’s Best New US Spa and topped lists as Best Weight Loss Resort in the US.

In 2014 and 2015, Tompkins helped raise capital to build and launch a new hybrid of concierge medicine blended with spa, fitness, and nutrition in a community center at PALM Health in St. Louis, Mo.

Tompkins is a Past Chairman of the International Spa Association (ISPA) where he served on its board for seven years. He is an author or contributing author to four books on health and wellness, and is a sought-after global keynote. Considered a leading expert in his field, he has appeared on Fox Business News, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal Television, and the celebrity reality show Giuliana and Bill.

Key Takeaways:

The newly released What Retirees Want: A Holistic View of Life’s Third Age is the culmination of decades of research by Robert Morison and world-famous “Age Wave” expert Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D.  Join Robert (Bob), a renowned authority on the intersection of business, technology, and people management, as he discusses highlights of the book as they relate to the senior living industry. The book is a valuable compendium of retirees opportunities and challenges--a must-read for organizations wanting to better understand retirees in order to better serve them.

About Bob

Robert Morison is the Senior Advisor with Age Wave and Lead Faculty with the International Institute for Analytics. He has worked with hundreds of major organizations across industries to help them capitalize on the business potential of information technology, business analytics, and progressive management practices. He has written or edited more than 250 research reports and management guides. And he has contributed to a variety of executive programs for Chief Information, Technology, Human Resource, and Marketing Officers, as well as senior executives generally. 

He is co-author of Analytics At Work: Smarter Decisions, Better Results (Harvard Business Press, 2010), Workforce Crisis: How to Beat the Coming Shortage of Skills And Talent (Harvard Business Press, 2006), and three Harvard Business Review articles, one of which received a McKinsey Award as best article of the year. Bob has spoken before hundreds of corporate, industry, and government groups, and has been a commentator on workforce issues on Nightly Business Report on PBS. He previously served as executive vice president and director of research with Concours Group and CSC Index, and he began his career with General Electric Information Services Company. He holds an A.B. from Dartmouth College and an M.A. from Boston University. 

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