More people are living longer than ever before. And with longer lives come more complications—loss, loneliness, illness and other things we associate with our own mortality. But there’s so much more to life than that, and if you live long enough you learn how to move beyond your fears and limitations.

Our guest today spent a year with six people over the age of 85, and many hours in conversation with them about the aging process, their lives, their loves and fears and humanity—and the result are lessons we can all use today, at any age, to help navigate a world that can weigh anyone down.

GUEST: John Leland, New York Times, author of Happiness Is a Choice You Make: Lessons from a Year Among the Oldest Old