45 Forward

45 Forward

Welcome to “45 Forward” with Ron Roel, where the mission is to make your second half of life even better than the first! Thanks to advances in medicine and health, most of us are just approaching our half-life when we reach the mid-40s, with many productive years ahead. But there’s no road map to prepare us for this kind of longevity. That’s where 45 Forward comes in. Each episode tackles an aspect of health, finance, family and friends, housing, work and personal pursuits—all as part of an integrated plan. Experts discuss topics like revitalizing relationships, creating mini-retirements, managing the maze of technology, finding your next homestead and caring for aging parents. To contact Ron, please email him at: ron.roel@gmail.com To learn more about Ron and his work, visit his websites: www.roelresources.com & www.caregivingnav.com If you like what you hear, please help us to continue broadcasting: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/45-forward--6550893/support

Episodes

45 Forward #240 – Ask Early. Age Better. Beating the Barrier to Aging Well.

August 27, 2025 • 61 mins
A near-death scare sparked BetterAge—Jim Firman reveals the #1 obstacle to aging well (and the fix). We cover the Aging Mastery Program, policy wins (HICAP, Medigap reforms, CLASS), and a new NIH-funded platform turning insights into action—especially for caregivers and homebound older adults.
In this conversation with host Ron Roel, Jim shares:
  • The quintuple-bypass story that reframed time as a gift
  • Why 20% of older adults say th...
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45 Forward #239 - Aging is an Extreme Sport - Inside MIT’s AgeLab

August 24, 2025 • 58 mins
Aging is an extreme sport. In this episode, Ron sits down with Taylor Brennan of MIT AgeLab to explore how design, data, and intergenerational programs can help us thrive at 85+. We dive into AGNES (the age-empathy suit), surprising financial red flags that can precede dementia by 6–8 years, older adults hacking hearables (yes, AirPods), and the real costs of family caregiving. Plus: how to join AgeLab’s panels and where the field ...
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45 Forward #238 - He Tried This For 45 Years and Here’s What Happened

August 13, 2025 • 63 mins
What does a life of creative reinvention really look like #45Forward #BillWilliams In this episode of 45 Forward, host Ron Roel sits down with writer–producer–editor Bill Williams—a military brat turned TV/film consultant, presidential slide-maker, registered lobbyist, disaster-relief communicator, finance pro, and creator of the long-running email series “Thought for the Day.” Bill shares funny, startling, and deeply human stories...
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45 Forward #237 - Celebrating the Journey of Aging with BetterAge CEO Diana Yin

August 13, 2025 • 61 mins
What does it really mean to age well? In this episode, host Ron Roel speaks with Diana Yin, co-founder of BetterAge, a mission-driven public benefit corporation helping older adults take control of their health and well-being with a personalized "journey map" for aging. Diana shares her vision of empowering people through awareness, action, and achievement—three stages that help individuals build new habits, find purpose, and live ...
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45 Forward #236 - Caregiving Is Broken—Can We Fix It?

August 13, 2025 • 47 mins
What if the biggest issues we call “senior problems” are really everyone’s problems?
In this powerful episode of 45 Forward, host Ron Roel speaks with two inspiring changemakers—Arielle Galinsky, a Harvard Kennedy School grad student and founder of The Legacy Project, and Cindy Morris, CEO of The Benson Agency and founder of Women Who Changed the World. Together, they challenge outdated thinking around ageism, caregiving, social sec...
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45 Forward #235 - Capturing the Amazing Stories of America’s Seniors

July 27, 2025 • 61 mins
We all love good storytellers, and the best storytellers are the ones with the most to tell—America’s seniors, who have already lived long lives. But our older generations often don’t get a chance to tell their stories. In fact, they’re not even asked. But in today’s episode, I’ll be talking with Jack York, whose mission is to change all that. Jack, who’s been immersed in the senior living world for more than 25 years, is the found...
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45 Forward #234 - An Inside View of How Senior Centers Work

July 27, 2025 • 53 mins
There are over 11,000 senior centers in America. They serve over a million adults every day, offering a wide variety of programs and services, from meals and nutritional programs; to social and recreational activities; intergenerational programs; and fitness and wellness classes. Most of us probably know about our local senior center, but do you know much about them? How do they actually work? What does it take to provide all their...
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45Forward #233 - A Retirement Expert Assesses the Security of Social Security

July 27, 2025 • 47 mins
There’s a lot of upheaval these days across Washington, as many federal agencies face significant cuts in staffing and programs, including the Social Security Administration. It’s not exactly clear what changes are going on inside the agency (the news seems to change by the week), but what IS clear is that many people are really anxious about the potential loss of their benefits and services—both near-term and in the coming years. ...
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45 Forward #232 - A Psychiatrist Offers an Innovative Look at Schizophrenia

June 18, 2025 • 56 mins
On today’s show we talk about a subject that’s carried a lot of stigma over the years: mental illness. But more recently, there seems to be a growing awareness and willingness to talk about mental health issues among both younger and older people, in part, spurred by the experiences of isolation, loneliness and disruption brought about by the COVID pandemic. We know, in fact, that one in five adults today experience a mental illnes...
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45 Forward #231 - How to Manage One of Life’s Top Stressors: Moving

June 11, 2025 • 58 mins
Among the most stressful events in life, moving is often cited as a top stressor, ranking third, only after the death of a spouse and divorce. In today’s episode, we tackle the many challenges of moving—especially for older individuals and families—in our wide-ranging conversation with Robert Esposito, the entrepreneurial owner of Relocators, a multi-dimensional moving and transitioning company. The author of a new book, Nobody Mov...
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45 Forward #230 - Passionate Advocates Talk about Alzheimer’s Support and Caregiving

June 4, 2025 • 55 mins
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45 Forward #229 - Emiliana Vegas: How to Turn Your Career into a Force for Good

May 28, 2025 • 55 mins
As we move forward through our career, perhaps it’s time to consider some bigger aspirations beyond professional advancement—especially as we get older and ponder our legacy. How might we create a significant contribution to making a better world? In today’s episode, I talk with Emiliana Vegas and Harvard professor and author of the recent book, “Let’s Change the World,” who has spent her career focusing on issues to improve the ed...
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45 Forward #228 - Jennifer Cona & Sandra Radna: Navigating the Stressful Schism of ‘Gray Divorce’

May 21, 2025 • 51 mins
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45 Forward #227 - Nancy Griffin: How We Can Transform Growing Older into “Glowing Older”

May 14, 2025 • 55 mins
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45 Forward #226 - Susan Capurso: An Inspiring Legacy Specialist Helps Families...

May 7, 2025 • 55 mins
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45 Forward #225 - Reviving Forgotten Books for a New Generation of Lit Lovers

April 30, 2025 • 55 mins
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45 Forward #224- A Gardening Design Guru Reveals How to Turn Our Backyard into a “Foodscape”

April 23, 2025 • 55 mins
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45 Forward #223 - Kevin Wade: A Star TV Producer and Screenwriter “Rewires” his Career

April 16, 2025 • 55 mins
For my generation of older TV watchers, there was a time—at least before DVRs totally upended weekly viewing habits—that Friday nights were frequently reserved to watch the iconic police drama, Blue Bloods. While the show recently completed its 14-year run, its executive producer and show runner, Kevin Wade, (thankfully for us) has not retired. He recently debuted with an extraordinarily accomplished crime thriller, Johnny Careless...
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45 Forward #222 - Reshaping How Women are Recognized as Role Models & Change-Makers

April 9, 2025 • 56 mins
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45 Forward #221 - Renata Glaz: A Holistic Approach to Aging in Place—at Any Age

April 2, 2025 • 55 mins
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