EP428: A new year brings a great conversation with Kay Van Norman, an internationally renowned healthy aging expert and President of Brilliant Aging, who will inspire you to create your own vitality plan to kick off 2025 right.

Kay’s work is absolutely groundbreaking. She directed the Keiser Institute on Aging, serves on global boards, and has an incredible list of publications. Her award-winning Vitality Portfolio® model has been featured in a book with Jack Canfield and is now available as an online course!

Kay is the definition of living with purpose and passion. She’s a lifelong dancer and a backcountry horsewoman who lives her vibrant life in Montana. Her energy and insights about healthy aging are so uplifting - I think you’ll love this conversation as much as I did!

In this episode, we talked about:

• Kay’s start as a physical education teacher and how she became interested in helping people age brilliantly.
• Kay’s Vitality Portfolio® model and its six dimensions of wellness: physical, social, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and vocational.
• Why functional fitness and maintaining muscle mass are essential to staying independent as we age.
• Why it’s important to set realistic goals and how you can more easily achieve them by implementing micro-habits.

This episode is full of practical tips and heartwarming stories that will leave you feeling inspired and ready to take action. Kay has such a refreshing way of looking at aging—it’s all about building resilience, independence, and joy. Her advice is not just about adding years to your life but adding life to your years.

So, grab your favorite cozy drink and join us for this motivating conversation. Let’s make this year your most vibrant one yet—starting right here, right now. What is one micro-habit you’re ready to commit to in 2025?

Other ways to find and connect with Kay are:

Website: https://www.brilliantaging.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brilliantaging Kay’s article on Sixty & Me: How to balance the 6 dimensions of wellness in your life after 60

Click on the following link to listen to the interview I mentioned that I did with my college roommate who attributed her positive mindset as key in the healing process during her breast cancer treatment: Episode 3: How mindset played a key role in her cancer treatment & recovery, with Kim Fleming Matthews

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You can sign up for my newsletter on my website, or if you'd like to connect with me, you can email me or send a message using any of the sites below

Website: https://www.notyouraveragegrandma.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurieColvinWright/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/not_your_average_grandma/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NotYourAverageGrandma Note: Not Your Average Grandma is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

EP427: As we head into the holiday week, I've pulled out one of my best "Lessons Learned" episodes from 2022 when I shared my 3 biggest tips to improving conversations which I learned from going through my year-long coaching certification.

I always thought I was a good conversationalist until I went through this training. Wow, was that an eye-opener!!!

I learned my conversations were more about me trying to get my voice heard and give my opinions and/or advice vs. me wanting to connect with the other person and making sure they felt heard and valued.

Or if I was trying to connect, I wasn't doing it with the intention of making the person I was talking to feel heard and seen. It was with the intent of ME being seen and heard! :(

Sounds kind of awful, doesn't it? But now I know why, and if you'd like to know more about that, check out last week's episode (Episode 286), where I share a childhood trauma I uncovered that explains everything!

As I was thinking about what topics to cover as we head into the holidays, I thought about all of the conversations that will likely be happening at parties and at family gatherings, and how nice it would be if you could learn how to better connect with the people you talk to.

But be careful because you might become the most popular person at the party once you learn how to master these tips. 😜

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and subscribe to (or follow) the podcast (if you haven't already) so you don't miss any new episodes.

You can sign up for my newsletter on my website, or if you'd like to connect with me, you can email me or send a message using any of the sites below:



Website: www.notyouraveragegrandma.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/LaurieColvinWright Instagram: www.instagram.com/not_your_average_grandma Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/NotYourAverageGrandma

Note: Not Your Average Grandma is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

EP426: Today we welcome back a previous guest, Merle Saferstein, an accomplished expert on legacy building. In this episode, she shares the story behind the development of her latest passion project, “Wisdom of the Century,” a book that captures the life lessons of 90 individuals over the age of 90.

Merle’s career is a testament to her unwavering commitment to memory, education, and the preservation of personal legacies. She is an author of three impactful books, a prolific journal writer, a facilitator of writing groups, a public speaker, a pioneer in legacy journaling, and even a bereavement volunteer.

Merle and I talked about:

• How our legacy is not just about financial inheritance or monumental achievements.
• A behind-the-scenes look at the process she followed and the challenges she overcame to document so many stories and the special kind of expertise each member of her team brought to the experience.
• Expert guidance for creating ethical wills and capturing life’s lessons, values, and a lifetime of wisdom.
• The transformational power of giving people the opportunity to share their stories.

Merle’s insights and practical advice offer a wonderful starting point for anyone curious about legacy work. One often overlooked aspect Merle shares about legacy is that it isn't solely defined by our experiences and accomplishments; rather, it's our beliefs and values that offer the most enduring memory to those we cherish.

Merle will undoubtedly leave you inspired to consider capturing the legacy you wish to leave behind and maybe even thinking about how you can help a loved one document theirs. I encourage you to tune in and discover how you can begin your own journey of preserving the lessons, values, and memories that matter most.

Click here to get to Merle’s first episode with me: https://www.notyouraveragegrandma.com/blog/episode345 Other ways to find and connect with Merle are:

Website: https://merlersaferstein.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/merle.saferstein Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/merle-saferstein-43b97739 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/merles1212/ Past Books: Living and Leaving My Legacy, Vol. 1, Living and Leaving My Legacy, Vol. II: A, and Legacy Journal New Book (launching on 12/12/24): Wisdom of the Century

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and subscribe to (or follow) the podcast (if you haven't already) so you don't miss any new episodes.

You can sign up for my newsletter on my website, or if you'd like to connect with me, you can email me or send a message using any of the sites below:



Website: https://www.notyouraveragegrandma.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurieColvinWright/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/not_your_average_grandma/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NotYourAverageGrandma

Note: Not Your Average Grandma is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.