Try looking at any familiar object — say, a chair — and then drawing it freehand. Now, turn the chair sideways and draw it again. Chances are the second drawing, once you turn it right side up again, is fresher and more accurate. It's free of the baked-in assumptions you have about the whole concept of "chair."

What if we could do the same thing with aging? That creative exercise is the exact one that prompted the title of social gerontologist and journalist Jeanette Leardi's book Aging Sideways: Changing Our Perspectives On Getting Older.

Join host Jan M. Flynn in conversation with Jeanette Leardi, and come away with a refreshed outlook on living our elder years with purpose, vitality, and joy.

Jeanette Leardi bio: Jeanette Leardi is the author of the book Ageing Sideways: Changing Our Perspectives On Getting Older. She is a social gerontologist, community educator, writer, editor, public speaker, and aging wellness leader with a passion for older adult empowerment. She finds personal fulfillment helping Boomers and older generations identify and share their wisdom with others. 

As a journalist she's worked with Newsweek, Life, People, Condé Nast Traveler, Sesame Workshop and The Charlotte Observer, as well as Next Avenue and 3rd Act Magazines. She holds presentations and classes on ageing-related topics, and has been a guest on numerous podcasts. 

Links:

Jeanette's website: jeanetteleardi.com

Buy her book, Ageing Sideways: Changing Our Perspectives On Getting Older 

This episode includes Music by Juan Sanchez from Pixabay

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