242 Welcome 2026. Healthspan Extension Starts Here: Your Epigenetic Path to Aging Well with Dr. Gillian Lockitch
Growing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
Release Date: 01/05/2026
Growing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
In this conversation with Dr. Gillian Lockitch, Dr. Natalya Borakowski explains the neurological remodeling and hormonal shifts that occur during perimenopause and menopause — and why these changes can trigger identity disruption and appearance anxiety. You’ll learn how understanding the biology behind midlife can restore self-trust, reduce fear, and support aging youthfully. Midlife often arrives with an unexpected sense of instability. Women describe feeling anxious, self-critical, emotionally reactive, or disconnected from their reflection — even when medical tests show nothing...
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THIS Flashback Friday EPISODE OF GROWING OLDER LIVING YOUNGER focuses on food addiction, in particular addiction to sugar and refined carbohydrates.Today’s Featured Expert is Dr. Vera Tarman, author of Food Junkies: Recovery from Food Addiction, cohost of the popular Food Junkies Podcast and founder of the Facebook group called “I’m Sweet Enough: Sugar-Free for Life.”We discuss the reality and the pathophysiology of sugar addiction, how to know whether you have an addiction and the impact that corporate sponsorship of research and disease-focused organizations have on the...
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Why does weight loss feel harder with age—even when we “do everything right”? In this episode, award-winning health journalist Julia Belluz challenges the calorie-centric narrative of weight control and explains how metabolism, hormones, food environments, and ultra-processed foods shape how—and why—we eat. This conversation reframes weight, aging, and health through evidence rather than diet dogma.For decades, we’ve been told that weight control is simply a matter of discipline: eat less, move more, and the scale will comply. Yet for many people—especially as they age—this...
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Flashback Friday re-post of most popular episodes THIS EPISODE OF GROWING OLDER LIVING YOUNGER focuses on improving your cognitive functioning through playing computer brain training games.Today’s Featured Expert discussing the neuroscience of cognitive training and the Lumosity brain training program, is Bob Schafer, President of Lumos Labs Medical, and Chief Science Officer at Lumos Labs (Lumosity)We discuss the neuroscience of cognition and Lumos Labs Human Cognition Project, how the Lumosity platform is built around training cognitive skills through engaging digital games, what you, the...
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Back pain is one of the most common causes of reduced mobility and loss of independence as we age. In this episode, spine surgeon Dr. Gbolahan Okubadejo explains the causes of back and neck pain, when conservative treatment is appropriate, and when spine surgery may become the best option for restoring mobility and quality of life. Chronic back and neck often trigger fear. Many people assume pain is inevitable, that surgery always leads to long downtime, or that recovery means permanent limitation. In this episode, we explore modern advances in spine care, recovery, and how the right...
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EPISODE 147 OF GROWING OLDER LIVING YOUNGER focuses on protecting eye, brain and overall health with the antioxidant carotenoid pigments, especially lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin, as determined in the Central Retinal Enrichment Supplementation Clinical Trials (CREST). Download my free that explains the wellness benefits and food sources of these protective nutrients. To tell us how key nutrients can protect our eyes from macular degeneration, and help preserve memory and mental acuity, I talk with today’s Featured Expert, Professor John Nolan. He is a Fulbright Scholar, and a...
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Modern medicine excels at treating disease, less so at prevention. In this episode, we explore how wearable technology powered by artificial intelligence is bringing together Western physiology biometrics and Traditional Chinese Medicine to support true preventive health. Ryan Yuen shares how continuous monitoring of subtle body signals can help identify imbalance long before symptoms appear—and what this means for healthy longevity. Aging well is not about acccepting decline—it’s about identifying early warning signs and supporting body balance before disease is established....
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THIS EPISODE OF GROWING OLDER LIVING YOUNGER focuses on ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) in older adults. Today’s Featured Expert is Kathleen Nadeau, PhD. We discuss how unrecognized ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) may impact healthy aging and perhaps be confused with dementia in an older person; and whether there are alternative strategies to medication Speaker BioDr. Kathleen Nadeau is an internationally recognized authority on ADHD across the lifespan and is the author of 15 books related to ADHD. Her most recent book, Still Distracted After All...
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Dementia is one of the greatest fears associated with aging—but what if it didn’t have to mean loss, disappearance, or despair? In this deeply moving episode, author and arts innovator Marilyn Raichle shares how walking toward her mother, rather than away, transformed dementia into a journey of presence, creativity, connection, and joy. This conversation offers a profoundly human reframe of memory loss and aging. For many people, dementia is equated with the loss of self, meaning, and value. Families are often advised—explicitly or implicitly—to disengage emotionally, preparing for...
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What if the way you age isn’t determined primarily by your genes, your diet, or even how much you exercise—but by how intelligently you manage your thoughts, emotions, and everyday habits? Many of us make well-intentioned health plans that never quite stick—despite knowing what we should be doing. This episode explores why behavior change is so difficult, how unconscious programming shapes daily habits, and what science reveals about making lasting change without burnout or deprivation. Today’s guest brings a powerful framework—Lifestyle...
info_outlineMany people believe that memory loss, physical decline, and loss of independence are inevitable parts of aging. But what if that belief is wrong? In this first Growing Older Living Younger episode of 2026, Dr. Gillian Lockitch challenges the outdated narrative that aging automatically means decline. Drawing on decades of medical expertise, cutting-edge epigenetic science, and her own lived experience, Dr. Lockitch explains why growing older is inevitable—but aging poorly is not.
This episode introduces the concept of healthspan—the years of life lived with clarity, mobility, independence, and purpose—and shows how healthspan is not fixed by your genes or your chronological age. Instead, it is shaped daily by belief, biology, and small, consistent lifestyle choices that influence how your genes are expressed. Dr. Lockitch also explains why information alone is not enough to create lasting change, and why guided support, accountability, and community are essential for sustainable healthy aging. She outlines the Seven Pillars of the Growing Older Living Younger roadmap and previews two focused coaching pathways launching in 2026: The Ageless Mind Blueprint and The Better Body Healthspan Blueprint. If you’ve ever wondered whether there is a better way to age—this episode offers clarity, science, and hope.
00:00 – 03:45 | Opening & Welcome
“Growing older is inevitable—aging poorly is not”. Common fears listeners experience but rarely voice aloud
03:45 – 06:30 | What Is Healthspan—Defining healthspan vs. lifespan
“Adding life to your years, not just years to your life”
06:30 – 08:45 | Epigenetics: Why Healthspan Is Modifiable
Genes as a blueprint. How lifestyle, nutrition, movement, sleep, stress, and mindset influence gene expression and Why people of the same chronological age age differently
08:45 – 10:30 | Belief Comes First
Why belief shapes behavior—and behavior shapes biology, The physiological (not just motivational) basis of belief. Why believing change is possible is essential for sustainable aging
10:30 – 12:40 | Why Information Alone Is Not Enough
Knowing vs. doing. Why healthy aging requires guidance, structure, and accountability
The role of mentorship, community, and support
12:40 – 17:00 | The Seven Pillars of Growing Older Living Younger
- Your Genetic Blueprint – Don’t let your genes determine your destiny
- You Are What You Eat – Nourishment vs. toxicity
- Physical Activity & Posture – Movement, resilience, and recovery
- Beauty Is Skin Deep – Caring for your skin as a vital organ
- Mindset, Mindfulness & Mindkeep – Cognitive resilience and presence
- Choose a Challenge – Growth through discomfort
- Communication & Connection – You are not alone
Personal reflections, including transforming obstacles into opportunities
17:00 – 19:00 | Two New Coaching Pathways for 2026
The Ageless Mind Blueprint
Focus: memory, cognition, and fear of dementia
The Better Body Healthspan Blueprint
Focus: peri- and post-menopausal bone, muscle, joint, and fascial health
Same science, same pillars—different emphasis
19:00 – 21:30 | Tools, Ethics, and Lifestyle Support
Clarification of Dr. Lockitch’s role as a retired physician
Evidence-informed epigenetic nutrition, supplementation, and skin-care tools
Supporting the body’s natural repair and regeneration—no shortcuts
21:30 – 24:00 | Final Reflections for 2026
- Small, incremental changes can be transformational
- You don’t need to be perfect—progress matters
- Why you don’t need to do this alone
- Healthspan extension begins with belief
24:00 – End | Invitation & Closing
- Invitation to schedule a personal healthspan roadmap call with Dr. Lockitch
- Encouragement to share the episode and subscribe
The Seven Pillars of Growing Older Living Younger
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Your Genetic Blueprint – Your genes are not your destiny
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You Are What You Eat – Nourishment vs. toxicity
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Physical Activity & Posture – Movement as medicine
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Beauty Is Skin Deep – Caring for your body’s largest organ
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Mindset, Mindfulness & Mindkeep – Protecting cognitive health
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Choose a Challenge – Growth requires discomfort
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Communication & Connection – You are not alone
🛤️ New for 2026: Two Focused Pathways
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The Ageless Mind Blueprint
For those concerned about memory, cognitive clarity, and fear of dementia -
The Better Body Healthspan Blueprint
For peri- and post-menopausal women focused on bone, muscle, joint, and fascial health
Different emphasis. Same foundational science. Same seven pillars.
💡 Key Takeaways
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Healthspan extension begins with belief
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Small, incremental changes can be transformational
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You don’t need to be perfect—progress matters
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You don’t have to do this alone
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Your future health is worth your attention now
“If you believe you can, you can.”
📘 About the Host
Dr. Gillian Lockitch is an international speaker, retired physician, medical biochemist, author of Growing Older Living Younger, and host of the Growing Older Living Younger podcast. Known as The Bionic Dancing Doc, she empowers midlife and older adults to take control of how they age through evidence-based epigenetic lifestyle practices.
If today’s episode sparked your desire to take control of how you age, schedule a call with Dr. Gillian Lockitch to explore your personal roadmap to longer healthspan and a vibrant, purpose-filled life.
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