Embracing Elderhood with Kathleen O'Brien

Curiosity has been a massive driver in Kathleen O'Brien's life; it took her into advertising copywriting because she loved to write. She wrote ads for national accounts, and then she took her writing skills into broadcasting. Her curiosity struck again, and she got into broadcasting, delivering news, and interviewing people. On her 60th birthday, Kathleen's curiosity took her in a whole new direction; she wasn't happy about how society looked at old people, so she decided to start researching ancient cultures and their relationship with the elderly. From that research, her attitude towards aging, her age, and her life changed completely.

Kathleen O'Brien is an Author, Lecturer, and former Ad Writer, and TV Broadcaster. She is the Owner of Grow Old Be Happy and Lecturer at the University of Denver. Her journey in media includes a prolific career as a voiceover actress, model, and screenplay writer. She was the voice of the 411 directory assistance, so popular in the '80s and '90s. 

In this episode, Kathleen shares some nuggets of her prolific career in communications and the challenges she faced and conquered. We talked about her process of rediscovering aging, acceptance, and feeling at peace with who we are, and most importantly, with our age. We also talked about her book, the process called gentling, the way society looks and treats the elders, and what we can do to change it without upsetting those who patronize old folks by calling them young men or ladies. 

Tune in to Episode 97 of Rejuvenaging, and get inspired by Kathleen and her view of the perks of aging. 

Some Questions I Ask:

• Can you give us a short course on your journey to becoming an aging guru? (7:22)
•  What is your concept of how to age appropriately? (15:46)
• I'm wondering, what about the people convinced that the brain is going bad and the body is breaking down. The notion of sharing wisdom may not seem as high a priority compared to survival (19:57)
• What kind of people came to your classes? And what did you teach? (26:22)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• What Kathleen learned about how other societies treat old people (9:23)
• The western concept of productivity and the elders (11:50)
• The evolution of graveyards and its impact on our relationship with aging (13:48)
• What is gentling, and what is its purpose (18:25)
• How can we change the way we see old people (24:33)

Resources:

• Kathleen O'Brien website
• Book: Kathleen O'Brien - Reclaim Your Right To Grow Old: How to immerse yourself in, be curious about, and celebrate life's most important stage.

Connect with Kathleen:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Facebook

Useful Rejuvenaging Resources:

• Website: https://www.thementalhealthgym.com/
• Book: Dr. Ron Kaiser -Rejuvenaging: The Art and Science of Growing Older with Enthusiasm
• Email: [email protected]
• TEDx Talk: Aging Enthusiastically to Make the World a Better Place

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