Don't Act Your Age podcast

Adventures in aging, for Boomers and beyond.

They don't call it The Greatest Generation for nothing 06/18/2021

They don't call it The Greatest Generation for nothing Meet Socrates G. Cretekos, nicknamed "Odg." It's a miracle this Greek-American from Tarpon Springs, Florida, lived to tell his story, 77 years after landing at Normandy on D-Day. Odg knows it as an eye witness who led and lost men through the landing, then helped free Paris, rescued skeleton-like prisoners at Dachau, and suffered two wounds along the way. He doesn't look like a history-making hero, but he's the kind of guy the book "The Greatest Generation" was written about. /episode/index/show/dontactyourage/id/19529345

Confessions of a 70-something Blacksmith 10/14/2020

Confessions of a 70-something Blacksmith Having a reason to get up in the morning can make life more meaningful, enjoyable — and even add years to that life. It’s one of the secrets for positive aging. There’s even research to prove it. Maybe your reason to bounce out of bed is an energizing hobby. Or the soul enrichment found in volunteering to help others. Or it could be the satisfaction of fulfilling work — like Dan the blacksmith, the seemingly ageless artisan in our latest episode. /episode/index/show/dontactyourage/id/16404965

The Farm: From Hippie to Homesteader 06/13/2020

The Farm: From Hippie to Homesteader In the early 70s, busloads of flower children trekked cross- country from Haight-Ashbury to the sticks. With no agricultural experience, they brought nothing but grit and determination to make a go of farming. And the goal of building a utopian refuge of peace and love. /episode/index/show/dontactyourage/id/14809982

Kindness In The Time of the Coronavirus 03/15/2020

Kindness In The Time of the Coronavirus Kindness: a soothing agent to fight fear and frustration during the virus crisis. For inspiration, click on the Unleashing Kindness Facebook group. Launched long before the virus hit by two retirees, it's a resource and reminder that treating each other with compassion and respect is not only a good habit, it’s free. /episode/index/show/dontactyourage/id/13559192

My Hippie Mom 01/04/2020

My Hippie Mom A daughter digs into the past to learn about the Mother she barely knew. Though from a wealthy family, Didi rejected an upscale lifestyle to became a hippie during Woodstock, then lived a gypsy existence on her terms. As they would say in the 60s, relationships were not her bag. /episode/index/show/dontactyourage/id/12613085

A geriatrician on a mission to empower elders and redefine aging 11/14/2019

A geriatrician on a mission to empower elders and redefine aging Dr. Louise Aronson's positive but forceful message about disrupting stereotypes and demanding fairness from a healthcare system geared to coddle youngsters and ease adults through middle age. /episode/index/show/dontactyourage/id/12040217

The 97-Year Old Gym Rat 05/22/2019

The 97-Year Old Gym Rat One dictionary defines a gym rat as “someone who spends all leisure time playing sports or working out in a gymnasium or health spa.” The last guy you’d expect to fit that is a 97-year old Holocaust survivor named Ben Heller. But six days a week you’ll find Ben on the treadmill or cranking one of the weight machines at an Atlanta fitness club. Ben has won the respect of millennial club members amazed by his Just-Do-It determination. Especially when they learn his backstory of survival during three grim years in a WWII Nazi death camp. Ben told us about his remarkable life, right after—what else?—a long workout at the gym. /episode/index/show/dontactyourage/id/9875408

Double Jeopardy 12/08/2018

Double Jeopardy "I'm living on borrowed time." A GI relives how he and a buddy survive the pivotal battle of the Vietnam War. Under enemy fire, they escape in opposite directions—split-second decisions that result in very different twists of fate. /episode/index/show/dontactyourage/id/7847294

My Psychedelic Escape Plan 09/19/2018

My Psychedelic Escape Plan In the 60s, lots of guys 18-to-26 took a trip to avoid the Vietnam War. And we don't just mean on a bus to Canada. /episode/index/show/dontactyourage/id/7066938

Her Name Was Jean 07/03/2018

Her Name Was Jean A story of lost and found love, and two people who just couldn't forget each other. Make that three people. /episode/index/show/dontactyourage/id/6772188

Don't Act Your Age 04/24/2018

Don't Act Your Age How are high-mileage Americans outliving the undertaker? /episode/index/show/dontactyourage/id/6518166

Last Train From Marienburg 02/14/2018

Last Train From Marienburg Most of us remember little or nothing about being 5 years old. Frank Gregor is the exception. He recalls it all too clearly. Far better than he'd like to. /episode/index/show/dontactyourage/id/6258638

R-E-S-P-E-C-T 08/04/2017

R-E-S-P-E-C-T Ashton Applewhite’s book (“This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Aging”) is a wakeup call for a society obsessed with youth. You may not agree with everything Ashton says, but she delivers a cherry bomb of an argument people of any age can’t ignore. /episode/index/show/dontactyourage/id/5610546

The New Old Me 06/07/2017

The New Old Me Break-ups, shake-ups and couch surfing at 60. Is it too late to rebuild your life when fate knocks you around like a piñata? /episode/index/show/dontactyourage/id/5427561

The Reluctant Millionaire 03/25/2017

The Reluctant Millionaire Honk if you didn’t have dreams of getting rich when you were in your 20s and 30s. Well, we know a guy who turned that dream into reality. An Iowa boy from humble beginnings, he became a savvy entrepreneur, and later sold his company for the big bucks. Now in retirement, he’s found that money can buy happiness — not just for himself, but the thousands of people for whom diabetes is a daily cross to bear. /episode/index/show/dontactyourage/id/5202950

Crash Landing: A Love Story 01/01/2017

Crash Landing: A Love Story A 60-something woman trying to hold a relationship together. A crisis at 8,000 feet. A certain...eh, bodily fluid. Dealing with loss without losing your mind. It's like a whole season of a TV drama in one short and sweet episode. /episode/index/show/dontactyourage/id/4955408

What can the dying teach the living about life? 08/31/2016

What can the dying teach the living about life? Lessons learned the hard way about what’s truly important, whether you’re 25 or 75. Listen as Hospice patients look back with the perspective only someone at the end can see clearly. Even their regrets can teach us how to live with purpose and dignity. /episode/index/show/dontactyourage/id/4632847

On The Trail of a Killer 07/05/2016

On The Trail of a Killer Ebola. Even though it's no longer a scary headline doesn't mean that it's gone. But why in hell would a comfortably retired Granddad go looking for it? /episode/index/show/dontactyourage/id/4493902

High School Horror Movies 03/19/2016

High School Horror Movies Vampires, werewolves and Godzilla gave you a chance to cuddle with your sweetie at the drive-in movies. But they couldn't compare with the scare of those gory training films your friends dared you to see in Driver's Ed. class. /episode/index/show/dontactyourage/id/4232662

The Agreement 03/19/2016

The Agreement During the 60s, some guys escaped the Vietnam War by going to Canada. Some by swearing they were conscientious objectors. And one guy by being very lucky. Nearly 50 years later he recalls his good fortune: Part war story, part love story, and one like you've probably never heard before. /episode/index/show/dontactyourage/id/4232649

Living A Lie 03/19/2016

Living A Lie Tom was just your average guy in the 60s: a good husband, father and breadwinner — everything society expected him to be. Except he had a secret that, in his words, "was killing me." /episode/index/show/dontactyourage/id/4232632

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