269 The Healing Power of Play: Rebuiling Life After Loss at Any Age
Growing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
Release Date: 05/25/2026
Growing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
Could difficulty hearing conversations today affect your brain health, independence and quality of life in the years ahead? Hearing loss is often treated as a minor inconvenience of growing older, yet it can affect communication, relationships, social connection, confidence and independence. In this episode, Dr. Gillian Lockitch speaks with hearing-health advocate and author Robert “Bob” Keefer, MD, about the association between hearing loss and cognitive decline, why so many people delay seeking help for hearing deficits and what questions to ask before choosing a hearing-care provider....
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Health care professionals emphasize optimizing cholesterol, blood sugar and hormone levels and from that assessing biological age. These measurements can provide useful information, but do they tell us whether the body is still resilient, adaptable and capable of recovering from illness, injury or stress? In this episode, Dr. Gillian Lockitch and Dr. Sean Fletch explore the difference between moving a laboratory number into the desired range, and addressing the upstream conditions that caused it to change. Dr. Fletch reframes healthspan as more than the number of years lived...
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What does a physician-scientist actually do each day to support her own healthy aging? This is a question Dr. Gillian Lockitch hears often. Her answer is not a prescription, a shopping list or a collection of fashionable biohacks. Healthy longevity is personal: our genetics, health histories, medications, priorities and goals differ, so the most useful routine is one designed for the individual. In this solo episode, Dr. Gillian organizes her approach around the seven pillars of healthy longevity described in her book, Growing Older, Living Younger. She explains how epigenetics offers a more...
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Could retirement actually become the beginning of your most meaningful work? In this personal solo episode, Dr. Gillian Lockitch shares how spinal surgery, ballroom dancing, entrepreneurship and podcasting transformed her understanding of healthy longevity. You’ll discover why curiosity, consistency and a renewed sense of purpose can help you remain mentally sharp, physically engaged and excited about the future at any age. For most of her professional life, Dr. Gillian Lockitch was a physician, medical biochemist, researcher, university professor and department head. She expected...
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What helps people stay active, strong, and independent as they age—luck, genetics, or habits built years earlier? In this episode of Growing Older Living Younger, Dr. Gillian Lockitch speaks with Carl Daikeler, co-founder and CEO of BODi, about why healthy longevity is rooted in consistency: regular movement, supportive nutrition, and the discipline to care for your body before a health crisis forces the issue. Carl shares his personal story of discovering a congenital heart block at age 59, receiving a pacemaker, and using that experience to deepen his commitment to healthspan...
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What if the path to healthy longevity lies not in choosing between ancient healing traditions and modern science, but in learning how to integrate both? In this episode, Dr. Gillian Lockitch speaks with Dr. Mao Shing Ni—38th-generation doctor of Chinese medicine, co-founder of Tao of Wellness, and author of Secrets of Longevity—about how Traditional Chinese Medicine can complement modern approaches to healthspan optimization. Dr. Mao explains the foundational principles of Chinese medicine, including balance, the five elemental systems, and the links between organ function,...
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How does our immune system change as we age, and what role can vaccines play in supporting healthy longevity? In this informative episode of Growing Older Living Younger, Dr. Gillian Lockitch welcomes physician, healthcare executive, and medical writer Dr. Michael Myers for a thoughtful, evidence-based discussion about immunosenescence—the age-related decline of immune function—and its implications for healthy aging. Together they explore how vaccines work, why vaccine recommendations evolve throughout life, and the importance of understanding both the science and the uncertainties...
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What role does muscle strength play in healthy aging, longevity, and independence? In this episode, Dr. Gillian Lockitch speaks with Jeanne Phares about why maintaining and building muscle becomes increasingly important for women during and after menopause. Drawing on her personal experience as a leukemia survivor and decades of strength training, Jeanne explains the connections between muscle mass, metabolism, bone health, resilience, and recovery. Listeners will learn practical strategies for strength training, nutrition, and lifestyle habits that support vitality...
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THIS FLASHBACK FRIDAY EPISODE OF GROWING OLDER LIVING YOUNGER focuses on the impact of low carbohydrate and ketogenic nutrition on health and aging well. Today’s Featured Expert is Anne Mullens, an award winning Canadian journalist and author specializing in Health and Science Writing, At a time when the twin hazards of diabetes and obesity are so prevalent in our society that we say that there is a diabesity epidemic, we are bombarded with discordant messages about what, when, and how to eat, to stay healthy and age gracefully. A goal of this podcast is to cut through the noise and provide...
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Is chronic pain really an inevitable part of aging—or could it be a warning sign that deeper imbalances are affecting your healthspan, mobility, and quality of life? In this episode of Growing Older Living Younger, Dr. Gillian Lockitch speaks with physical therapist, registered nurse, educator, and functional wellness expert,Stacey Roberts, about the root causes of chronic pain and why conventional treatments often focus on symptom relief instead of true healing. Stacey explains how chronic inflammation, food sensitivities, hormone imbalance, gut health issues, biomechanics, and lifestyle...
info_outlineWhat if one of the most powerful tools for aging youthfully isn’t found in a supplement, a diet, or even an exercise routine—but in how you think, play, and respond to life’s most difficult moments? In this deeply moving and insightful conversation, Dr. Gillian Lockitch speaks with Kym Coco, who shares how profound loss became the catalyst for transformation, resilience, and renewed purpose. Drawing on her background in sports kinesiology, emotional awareness, and performance coaching, Kym reveals how mindset, movement, and intentional play can help rewire emotional responses and restore vitality.
Listeners will discover how grief can become a gateway to growth, how simple shifts in self-talk can transform your inner critic into a supportive coach, and how engaging fully in the present moment—through activities like golf or dance—can restore joy, clarity, and resilience at any age. This episode offers both science-informed insight and practical tools to help you take control of how you age—mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Episode Timeline
00:00 – Welcome and introduction
Overview of the episode theme: healing through play, mindset, and emotional resilience
02:30 – Kym Coco’s story and the origin of Miracle on the Mountainside
A powerful journey through trauma, recovery, and conscious healing
05:00 – Life-changing accident and mindset transformation
How surrender, belief, and active participation in healing shaped a new path
08:30 – Mind, body, and emotions as interconnected systems
How sensory input, beliefs, and emotional states influence physiology and decision-making
11:30 – Golf as a tool for healing and rebuilding life
Using structure, presence, and play to move through grief and uncertainty
14:30 – Dr. Gillian’s personal story of dance and renewal
From loss to ballroom dancing and rediscovering joy and purpose
20:00 – Creating new pathways: the “100 golf courses” vision
Using challenge, novelty, and environment to rebuild identity and resilience
23:00 – The power of symbolic reminders: the “rock ritual”
Simple daily practices to reinforce agency, intention, and emotional choice
25:00 – Communication, emotional triggers, and conscious response
Tools to create space between reaction and response for better relationships
27:00 – Transforming the inner critic into a supportive coach
Practical strategies to shift self-talk and build resilience
29:00 – Daily practice for emotional resilience and vitality
Morning awareness, reframing thoughts, and integrating body and mind
30:50 – Key takeaways and closing reflections
Choosing joy, presence, and purposeful aging
Connect with Kym Coco
Book: Miracle on the Mountainside
Call to Action
Connect with Dr. Gillian Lockitch at https://www.askdrgill.com/ or email: askdrgill@gmail.com
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