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,
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...
info_outlineGrowing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
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...
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What if stubborn weight gain, brain fog, poor sleep, and chronic inflammation aren’t “just aging”—but signals from your gut that started decades earlier? Today’s conversation challenges the myth of inevitable decline and shows how understanding your microbiome can make your chronological age truly just a number. After 40, many people find that diets stop working, digestion becomes unpredictable, hormones feel out of control, and inflammation quietly creeps in. This episode explains why gut healing becomes harder with age, what’s actually changing...
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What if chronic inflammation—not aging itself—is the real reason energy fades, disease risk rises, and resilience declines as the years go by? Today’s conversation challenges the idea that inflammation is just something that “comes with age.” Instead, we explore how targeted science, smart biology, and informed choices can dramatically reshape how you age. Chronic inflammation is the silent driver behind many of the diseases we associate with aging—cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration, metabolic dysfunction, autoimmune disorders, and even cancer. Yet most people...
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What if the most powerful breakthroughs in reversing chronic disease had less to do with new drugs—and everything to do with understanding human behavior? Type 2 diabetes is widely treated as a lifelong, progressive condition. But what if that assumption is wrong? In today’s episode, we explore how reclaiming personal agency, supported by behavioral science and AI-driven personalization, can fundamentally reshape how you age—because age is just a number, but how you age is a choice. Type 2 diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases associated with aging, yet conventional...
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In recent years, headlines warning about microplastics in fish, water, and even the human body have triggered widespread anxiety. While fear-based narratives grab attention, they also keep the nervous system in a chronic stress state—driving inflammation, impaired decision-making, and accelerated biological aging. The question is no longer just environmental, but deeply personal: what happens when alarming headlines age us faster than reality? For those committed to healthy longevity, constant environmental alarmism can quietly undermine well-being. Chronic stress is a known driver of...
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Many people enter retirement feeling uncertain, disconnected, or afraid of becoming irrelevant. In this episode, author and conscious aging advocate Wayne Lehrer reframes later life as a powerful third act—one that can be consciously designed for purpose, vitality, and authentic happiness. You’ll learn how mindset, meaning, and daily practices shape not just how long you live, but how well you age. Wayne Lehrer is an author, sculptor, meditation teacher, and conscious aging advocate. A former World’s Fair and theme-park designer and IMAX filmmaker, he now leads international...
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Women entering perimenopause and menopause are often told to “do more cardio,” “eat less,” and “push harder” to stay fit. Yet for many, these strategies lead to exhaustion, stalled progress, injuries, and declining confidence rather than improved health. As estrogen declines, muscle loss accelerates, recovery slows, and stress hormones become more influential on weight, sleep, and inflammation. Following outdated fitness rules during this phase can quietly accelerate biological aging and undermine long-term healthspan. Today's guest, Alicia Jones, combines kinesiology,...
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Canada’s healthcare system is under unprecedented strain, with thousands of people experiencing serious harm—or death—while waiting for diagnostic procedures, specialist care, or life-saving treatments. Despite public trust in the system, delays have become a hidden personal risk that most Canadians fail to plan for. As we age, delays in diagnosis and treatment don’t just affect outcomes—they accelerate physical decline, cognitive stress, emotional exhaustion, and financial vulnerability. Loss of access means loss of control, which directly undermines resilience, independence,...
info_outlineGrowing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
Extreme diets dominate social media, but what actually happens inside your body when you follow them? In this episode, registered dietitian Andres Ayesta shares the results of a 60-day self-experiment comparing a carnivore diet with a whole-foods, minimally processed approach. Using lab testing, DEXA scans, and behavioral science, he reveals what truly changes—and what doesn’t—when it comes to weight, body composition, energy, and long-term health as we age. Andres Ayesta is a registered dietitian, sports nutritionist, and founder of Planos Nutrition. With...
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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