Always Ageless w Valerie v June 2 2025 Anniversary Episode 50

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:19):
Hello friends.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
It's almost hard to believe, but Always Ageless is officially
celebrating it's one year anniversary. This show began not as
a business plan and not as a brand, but as
a feeling. I just couldn't ignore her. For years, I
had the honor being a regular guest on Educated Retirement

(00:41):
on this station with my friend Jay Kaplan, who sadly
no longer with us, But that experience planted the seed,
helping people navigate retirement and life's transitions with heart and humor.
Then one day, Catherine Ambrose, a mentor I deeply respect,
stood up in her group and said, if you've got

(01:02):
something to.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
Say, go say it. Start a show.

Speaker 2 (01:06):
And just a couple hours later, I got a call
from Bill and Mitch from this station, and Always Ageless
was born. But truthfully, it started long before that phone call.
I was tired tired of the way people were talking
about aging, Tired of hearing people being referred to as elderly,

(01:29):
tired of the way we so casually ask how old
are you, as if age defines our value? Even I
felt it. I started to wonder if colleagues, clients, or
friends would treat me differently, if they knew my age.
In fact, I sometimes didn't talk about my mom because

(01:53):
I knew if they knew her age, they could figure
out my age and they would consider me to be old.
And that wasn't just about me. It was about all
of us who've been labeled as senior citizens just because
we turned fifty.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
Five or sixty.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
But I knew deep in my heart that age should
never limit joy, opportunity, or respect, and that's why this
show exists. Always Ageless is not about pretending you're younger.
It's about living fully at every stage, embracing our wisdom
and refusing to be boxed in by numbers. It's all

(02:33):
about showing the world that fun, purpose and bold living
don't have an expiration date. Some of us have. Our
guests have done amazing things in their older years. We
feature them not only because we love their stories, but
because we're continually reminded that it's about stage, not age.

(02:57):
Always Ageless can be your reality.

Speaker 1 (03:01):
And why not.

Speaker 2 (03:02):
You're not elderly old. You're just living in a different
stage of your life and make every minute exciting. So
many of you have shared stories of caregiving transitions, of
wanting more for your parents or for yourselves. You've reminded
me why this show matters for those of us who
find ourselves a little older or adult children of aging parents,

(03:26):
and find ourselves not knowing where to go or what
to do next, how to find what we don't know.
We are your resource because it's not about radio, it's
about real life. So today I want to say thank
you to my team, the radio station, Karen my virtual assistant,

(03:51):
and especially to my mentor, Katherine Ambrose, America Senior Home Coach,
and to Tristan for nudging me when I needed it
the most, And to every guest who said yes they
would be a guest on this show, and most of all,
to you, our listeners, are viewers, our community. As we

(04:13):
move into year two, we have more exciting things planned.
You'll see us in your community doing downsizing and declutter
workshops helping you get your ducks in a row, travel
workshops with community experts in any area that will help
you plan, live and have a safer and more enjoyable

(04:34):
life and a better life. If you are caring for
your parents, you are the reason we're here. And today
we're celebrating by revisiting three of our most meaningful and
impactful episodes, conversations that moved us, educated us, and remind
us that being always ageless is about living boldly with

(04:56):
purpose and joy, no matter what age. It's what always
age us is all about one, especially with Jeff Fitzer
touches us. This is June Alzheimer's Awareness a month as
he shares his personal family journey with Alzheimer's. We hope
this will inspire you, encourage you, remind you that you're

(05:16):
never too old, It's never too late, and joy and
fun and a lively life is within your reach. So
let's keep growing, laughing and living boldly together. Be bold,
not old, and be always ageless. My first guest certainly
needs no introduction in the world of real estate, mortgage

(05:39):
and social media. He's an influencer extraordinaire, leader, speaker, and creator.
His business has evolved into coaching, speaking teaching. Jeff is
the co founder of several platforms including Business Video School,
real Estate Mastery, pros Lab, Coate Agents, and Fitzer Media
Coaching and Content. His passion has resulted in exponential growth

(06:04):
in the largest websites and broadcasts, and he has been
awarded a spot in the Top thirty Video influencers across
the US and Canada.

Speaker 3 (06:13):
He's seen online a lot. With his family, he has.

Speaker 2 (06:16):
About the cutest little girl in the world, and he
shares experiences and time together. But Jeff would probably trade
all of this if he could do just one thing,
and that's fine. A cure for his mom. He will
share his personal story of how she built an amazing
career as a professional in the medical field to becoming

(06:36):
completely dependent on others for her safety and comfort. He'll
tell you how his family has changed and grown together.
He's kind, he's generous, he's caring, and he values his
family above all. Welcome, Jeff fits her.

Speaker 4 (06:52):
Wow, that was awesome. Thank you so much for having me.
It's an honor to be here.

Speaker 5 (06:56):
Who are so welcome.

Speaker 3 (06:58):
When I was thinking of who I would want to have.

Speaker 2 (07:00):
Talk about this, of course Jeff came to mind because
I know he cares so much about his family, and
he's personally involved, and he has stayed in being involved
in his mom's life even though she's not living with
them anymore. So Jeff, start out, of course, by telling
us your journey of your mom's diagnosis Alzheimer's. How did

(07:23):
it initially impact your family? And what happened at the
point when your mom realizes that this is her new life.

Speaker 4 (07:30):
Honestly, it's actually been a long time. This is we're
about ten years now, in which five to ten years ago,
what chances they'd give her to be living ten years later,
it was very very slim, if at all. And so
I think that's a testament to medicine and then how
it's progressed and how it's at least keeping keeping Alzheimer's

(07:54):
patients around. And so here my mom is ten years later,
and Frank, you know it's not my mom, you know,
I mean, she doesn't know anybuddy's names. She doesn't you
can't even have a conversation whether she really doesn't even
formulate words anymore. When it started, it actually the story

(08:14):
was it was roughly ten years ago my dad and
my mom were at a Cardinal baseball game, and my
dad tells the story that the first time he knew
something was wrong was she left to go to the
bathroom and didn't come back for like forty five minutes
and she probably just got lost, We don't really know,
and didn't know, you know, how to get back. And

(08:35):
this is, you know, the progression just started at that point.
And admittedly I have two siblings. I'm the middle child,
and I was in denial for years, like, no, this
is just my flighty mom. You know, she's just getting old,
she's just being forgetful. It was just our siblings. We
would just go check in on my mom, like so
she was still independent and everything was fine, you know,

(08:57):
and she was still working. And I still remember that
it was during this time. It was when you know,
sundowners is a very real thing for Alzheimer's patients, and
you know, my mom would be fine during the day
and then as soon as nightfall would hit, she would
just spiral. I was definitely denial. I think my siblings
were embracing that this might be the case. And I

(09:18):
just remember it was I was on I was quote
unquote on duty one day or one night and checking
on her, and it was my first real experience that
this is real, like something's really wrong. And it was
from that moment on, I feel like it was the
next couple of years, I really was just in mourning,
you know, because it's like, yeah, it's almost like they're

(09:41):
they're passing and and but while living, and so that's it,
you know, from there. It just she stayed. My dad
kept her at home as long as he possibly could.
It got to the point where it was just too
much for him, and we were encouraging him. He's a proud,
proud guy. I just wanted to always keep my mom close.

(10:01):
And we said, Dad, you gotta for your own sanity
and your own longevity, she's got to go into a home.
And that happened a number of years ago, and to
this day, she's actually doing really, really well.

Speaker 2 (10:14):
Was she aware of any of this? Could you have
a conversation with her?

Speaker 4 (10:19):
It's hard to say, because I remember when I was
in denial. I remember kind of challenging my mom like
come on, like you you remember this stuff right, like
you know? And and I remember that was my way
of dealing with it, almost as though it's like, come on,
snap out of it. And that's also my ignorance, my

(10:42):
way of thinking, like I can help her, I can
coach her out of this. Nobody has that chance, like
there's just nothing you can do. And it's it's been
an interesting, you know, just overall journey because even with
my dad, who was a little impatient, he would snap easily,
even you know, at us as kids. He was a
great dad, just you know, when when his fuse would

(11:04):
get lit right and and he would he would display
a lack of patience with my mom. And as this progressed,
watching the evolution of my dad become the most patient
human on the planet was also an interesting part of
the journey because he's a he's an inspiration to to

(11:24):
what it means to love one's spouse and to be
there for them until the very bitter end. And and
here we still are, and and and she's now been
in a home for gosh a number of years, and
she's even switched homes uh during this time. And he
is so incredibly loyal to her, visits her every day.

(11:45):
We try to get him to go in vacation, and
he will, but only sparingly because he doesn't want to
be right away from her for too long. And we
remind him it's like Dad, it doesn't matter. I mean,
she doesn't know, like you need to go live your life.
But that's a testament to what a wonderful man he's
really become.

Speaker 2 (12:02):
And I think you've talked about this, but as a
caregiver and a son, what were some of the most
challenging moments that you faced when your mom was first diagnosed.

Speaker 3 (12:11):
You talked about a little bit already.

Speaker 4 (12:14):
I really struggled to be, you know, probably what I
should have been, honestly. My wife she's very strong, not
I'm physically strong, and and there was a couple of
times when my mom, like would fall in the shower
and my dad couldn't get her up, and because she
just didn't have the cognizance to really understand how to
get her balance, and he struggled physically, and and my wife,

(12:38):
Sarah would run over there on a whim and and
physically do what needed to be done. And it was
from kind of that point forward that I always made
a really strong point to make sure we spend time
with them. And for a number of years, you know,
they stayed living together, you know, she stayed living with
my dad. And we still bring my mom around on

(13:00):
holidays and stuff, which is really great to see. And
she still lights up and still smiles, but she doesn't
know anybody or anything. I think it's just reactionary at
this point, and she just she kind of mirrors you.
So when we're with her, I always smile at her
and giggle with her, and she kind of just does
what you do. But it's it's still great to see,

(13:22):
you know, you bring out anything that you possibly can.
It's it's hard to describe to people, Like I said,
it's and I don't even know how it's gonna be
val when when when she passes, because I feel like
I've already mourned her passing and now it's she's just
here in body, She's not here mentally, and it's not
my mom.

Speaker 2 (13:41):
You know, if I if I recall correctly, I think
I heard or read that your mom had been a dentist.

Speaker 3 (13:47):
Is that true?

Speaker 4 (13:48):
Yeah, Hygiennis dental hygienist. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (13:50):
So how did her transition from a professional career to
requiring full time care affect her?

Speaker 4 (13:56):
Yeah, she did retire. It never impacted her career because
she was really great at what she did. And she
actually worked for two dental dentist offices because she couldn't
choose one, and neither one of them would let her go.
They loved her so much that she just worked for
both of them part time, you know, basically, And you know,
I will say that that was definitely a big part

(14:18):
of her life. She didn't My mom was a stay
at home mom until my brother went to school, and
then and then and my brothers, you know, my youngest
or the youngest, and so she went back to dental
hygiene school after he went to school, you know, and
then went and started a career after spending probably fifteen
years being a stay at home mom. And and so

(14:39):
that was neat she was. She finished number one in
her class when she did it. I remember all of that.
That was really that was really cool to see. And
then you know, of course, mouthcare has always been very
important in our lives, and that's obviously been a thing
that my mom has passed down, which is also one
of the hardest things to now witness because you know,
your hygiene and just taking care of herself is completely gone,

(15:02):
and it's been gone for years.

Speaker 2 (15:04):
So when you started looking for a place, how did
you what did you search for, and how did you
eventually choose the place where she is.

Speaker 4 (15:11):
Well, so obviously my dad was the driver, We were
the driver behind getting him to get to this place.
And when he started to search, he was leaning Lutheran
like he wanted to stay that way. He ultimately ended
up choosing a home where my mom's mom was. We

(15:34):
chose that location first, and we didn't like it. It
was not great. I think she was there for about
a year. We ended up moving her from that facility
to another facility really so close to where my dad lives.
Can he walks there. He'll exercise and go walk and
see her, which is phenomenal. And it's a much smaller

(15:57):
building and so there's very few places they can oh,
it's much more homey feeling. There's a there's a dining
area than on the other side of the wall. It's
a living area with couches, and they they always have
like old time shows on and they have an area
where we can go and they have a big cabinet
with games. So as soon as we get there, Winter
b lines the games because it means she gets to

(16:18):
play games. And it's just it's been wonderful. It's been
it's been a blessing and we all feel so much
better about where she is now.

Speaker 2 (16:29):
So tell me how how has this How do you
balance it with your life? Because you just go there
whenever she's close enough to you that you can just
go there whenever you're in town.

Speaker 4 (16:39):
Yeah, yeah, I'll tell you. In the beginning, I tried
to make a point of going there every week. It's
definitely subsided. I travel a lot, and so it's it's
a lot harder now. I'm usually I usually go see
her once or twice a month, and again, my dad's
there probably every day. And sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less,
but I I definitely try to get by there as
much as I can. And you usually visit for honestly,

(17:01):
fifteen twenty thirty minutes. There's only so much you can do.
Sometimes she's nodding off because you know, they probably spend
most of their time sleeping. She's usually pretty good with us,
and when we go there, we get her up, we
walk around, we'll take her outside for a walk, and
they know us, so we don't need any special passes
or anything. You just we know the codes, so we

(17:24):
can just walk right in and they don't even require
us to check in anymore, which is great because the
previous facility was you know, and I guess it needs
to be on lock and key to a degree, but
you know, it's like, hey, we know that who you are.
Just come on in. You don't need us, you know,
and it's great. We love that about it, and so

(17:44):
we can just go in and go out as we wish,
and which is nice, but you have to have a
code to get in, and you know, I think they
only give that to close family probably. But sadly, my
dad has shared with us because he's so in evolved
the staff, you know, he's become he's gotten to know
the staff really well. And the staff tells him that

(18:05):
most of the patients or the members, whatever you want
to call them, don't get much visitation from family, and
so I think we are one of the families that
probably visits the most. And so it's it's interesting to
hear that kind of feedback.

Speaker 2 (18:21):
Yeah, it's sad, but it's good for you that that's
one thing you know you'll never have us.

Speaker 4 (18:26):
Yeah, it's it's actually funny how the whole thing has
progressed too, is because my dad, you know, in the beginning,
you know, it's different concerns now than he had several
years ago. And today his concerns are she's going to
outlive him and and then she's going to be our burden.
That's what he says. And it's like Ted, like just
shut up, like stop talking like that. That's not a burden.

(18:47):
It's you know, she's our mom, Like we would take
care of her. There's nothing is going to be no
there's gonna be no issues there, right, And but those
are That's it. That's how much this is has changed
and evolved and progressed.

Speaker 2 (19:01):
If you so, knowing what you know now and having
been through this, what advice would you give to other
families who are just beginning their journey, have are suspecting it, or.

Speaker 5 (19:12):
Have discovered it?

Speaker 2 (19:14):
What would you tell them? And I will probably run
in with us with your travels. I mean you probably
run into other professionals in your business.

Speaker 4 (19:20):
Yeah, yeah, I have. I mean, you know, first of all,
from my perspective, you know, try not to be so
closed off to it and be more open. I wish
I wasn't. It's just I guess the way I deal
with with quote unquote tragedy and and I do think
that that have My dad getting us involved with the

(19:41):
with the organization, with the ALS organization was a wonderful thing.
It allowed us to be educated and learn, and they're
very open and willing to do it. At least they
were in our in our city, in our community, and
they come to your house and they'll sit down with
you and they'll talk you through the stages and all
the things, and I think that's the important I think
it's a I think it's really important for the family

(20:03):
to stay close. So if you are in my shoes
and you are the child, uh, it's it's important for
you to be there to support. Honestly, your biggest role
is to support the caregiver, not the patient. My mom
was gone. It's it's a tall task to be a caregivers,

(20:25):
as I'm sure you're familiar, and it's it's I mean,
I don't wish that upon anyone.

Speaker 2 (20:31):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (20:31):
To know what my dad had to go through and
the things that he was doing and the messes he's
cleaning up every single day is just it's it's you know,
it's not it's not what you sign up for when
you say your vows, and it's it's a part of life, right,
It's a part of this this torrible disease. But I

(20:52):
think being a supportive person to your caregiver is really
where it's needed more than anything else.

Speaker 2 (20:58):
That's interesting that you say that, and I think that
there's a lot of truth to that, because as our
parents get older, we become their parents then. And yeah, no,
it's not something we sign up for But your mom otherwise.

Speaker 3 (21:12):
Is she healthy?

Speaker 4 (21:14):
She's doing great. Yeah, very few issues. You know, every
once in a while she might have a fall or
something and she'll have a big old black eye, and
then we tease her about we tease her about getting
into a fight or something like that. But no, she's
really doing exceptionally, very steady. That's why I tell everyone,
I said, how's your mom doing? Same? And I said

(21:35):
that same is probably the best we'll ever get. And
so as long as I continue to say same, that's
a good thing. And hopefully it stays that way and
we get a number of more years with her on
this earth.

Speaker 3 (21:48):
And does she.

Speaker 5 (21:49):
Play games with you?

Speaker 3 (21:49):
Can she do those things?

Speaker 4 (21:51):
She'll fum, she'll fiddle around with the games, and she'll
take an interest sometimes. And she still likes to hold
a baby, so they have like baby dolls, and she
still has that very much. That nurture just instinct is
still inside of her. And when winter's there and she'll
fidget around with it. We also have to be careful
of that she doesn't take stuff and put it in

(22:11):
her mouth. So you know, there's a level of security
that you have to watch for. But for the most part.
Yeah's she'll sit there and watch and smile and it's
just it's fun to see.

Speaker 2 (22:22):
Thank you so much for your time today and for
sharing your personal story. Doctor Karina Loyo, PhD. She's a
dedicated longevity planner and she's going to tell us what
that is and a senior home coach who specializes in
enhancing health span, protecting assets, and facilitating aging in place

(22:43):
for seniors with a compassionate approach. She's made a significant
impact on the lives of so many around her. She's
helped them navigate the complexities of aging with confidence and grace.

Speaker 3 (22:55):
Welcome, doctor Karina Loyo.

Speaker 6 (22:58):
Thank you, Valerie. I excited to be here with you
and your audience.

Speaker 3 (23:03):
Well, we're excited to have you. Tell us. First of all,
what is your PhD In?

Speaker 6 (23:08):
So, my doctorate is in health promotion and gerontology, And
what that means is I specialize in program planning, implementation, promotion,
and evaluation. A lot of it is related to health
behavior modification. And then gerontology is the biology, physiology, and

(23:29):
psychology of aging. And so basically, I guess I wanted
to learn how to live the happiest, healthiest life. I
possibly can and be able to get other people to
live that as well.

Speaker 2 (23:42):
Well, let's take a minute and ask you to explain gerontology.

Speaker 6 (23:46):
So gerontology is more the study of aging, and so
to study aging you study various aspects of aging. So
it would be like the psychology of aging, what do
people think and feel as they can through the aging process.
The physiology of aging, what is actually happening in the body,
the physical changes that occur due to the aging process.

(24:09):
Our cells get older, our organs get older, and those
have implications on our overall health. And then it's also
the physiology, so the movement of how we move and
how we change. So there's the biomechanics. So really it
is all aspects of aging. From a more psychosocial point

(24:32):
of view, aging doesn't happen in a test tube. We
live in this world and so everything around us is
going to impact us, right, and whether we're eating food
that has a lot of pesticides in it or not,
that has a certain impact on it. Everything that has
been constructed, whether it's sidewalks or buildings, or if you

(24:53):
live close to McDonald's and fast food, those types of
places you tend to eat less healthy but if you're
closer park, you're more likely to go out and exercise.
So all of these things around you is an ecosystem
that either support your aging process and your help or
they don't.

Speaker 2 (25:10):
So we know you love learning, you love data, you
love science, You're so good at it. And so what
is your inspiration for this? What happened in your life
that caused you to want to be a constant learner?

Speaker 6 (25:22):
Honestly, I had amazing grandparents and I just admired them.
They had just like such a passion for living, and
especially my grandparents here in the US. So I grew
up in Mexico City and here in the United States.
My dad was Mexican, my mom was American, so I
got the best of both worlds.

Speaker 3 (25:40):
Yeah, And.

Speaker 6 (25:43):
When I finished high school, my grandparents here in the
States needed help, and the whole family was living in Mexico.
My mom, I'm the oldest of four children, so she
couldn't come and you know, help out. I came because
my grandmother had Alzheimer's and my grandfather was starting to
need some help with her. And then shortly after I

(26:04):
got here, so that was in August, and by October
he has a stroke, and three days later I turned nineteen.
So oh yes, so I came to have the college
experience help them out, and then all of a sudden,
I found myself as a caregiver to both of them. Yeah,
you know, I just love the knowledge and the experiences

(26:28):
that they had and the wisdom. And so I've always
been drawn to older adults. I guess as a kid
in Mexico, I'm five nine, everybody was five foot nothing,
so I always felt out of place. Yeah, so coming
here and being with older people, I felt like that
was my tribe and I could associate with them. And

(26:51):
so that's where it all began.

Speaker 2 (26:54):
Explain to us what does help span mean and why
is it just as important as life span for seniors,
and what practical steps could seniors take to enhance their
health span?

Speaker 6 (27:10):
Okay, well I'll start with this. Lifespan is the length
of one's life, right, and the longer the people live,
the better, at least according.

Speaker 1 (27:19):
To most think. Yes, we hope, so we think.

Speaker 6 (27:21):
So, right, that's what we have been taught to believe, right,
But the truth of the matter is a much better
life is dependent on the quality of that life. So
if you get to live ten years more. But those
ten years are in a wheelchair. That's not very high
quality of life. But if you get to live those
ten years and you can still go out and play

(27:42):
pickleball and go see your friends and you only spent
maybe the last two months of your life with more
limited mobility, well that is a much better lifestyle. So
that's what we refer to as health span. Health span
being the longest time we can spread your healthy years too.
And so our goal as health promotion experts is to

(28:06):
try to get you to adopt the healthy behaviors that
are going to lead you to have the longest, healthiest
portion of your life possible. Of course, you know, certainly
there are genes and there are things that you know
we cannot control. But for those things that we can control,
we are making choices every day. It's the beliefs that

(28:28):
we have and the behaviors and the habits that we
have that are causing us not to make that a
priority or not to make those healthier choices. And so
what I studied was that psychology of Okay, where do
those beliefs and behaviors come from? Well, the behaviors comes
from the beliefs that we have or from the habits

(28:51):
that we were surrounded with as we grew up. And
so when we try to convince people to all of
a sudden completely forget all that stuff and go change
their lifestyle basically night and day, one hundred and eighty degrees,
it never works. And it doesn't work because we have

(29:12):
not taken the intremental steps to examine, well, where did
you learn this? And if I'm going to change your
whole way of eating, that's probably not the right thing
to do. But if I tweak it just a little
bit and say, okay, fine, this is what you eat. Okay,
let's focus on eating the vegetables first because they're the

(29:34):
lower calorie ones, and then you can eat your protein
and finally your carbohydrates. So if we change just simply
the order of in which you eat things, you're more
likely to feel full before you get to eating all
the carbohydrates or the higher concentrated calorie portion of your meal,
and that in itself produces a weight loss, right or

(29:57):
at least a stabilization of that. Or when it comes
to exercise, a lot of people are like, oh, I
just I'm too tired to exercise at the end of
the day, Okay, well, what's going on there. I have
a whole bunch of theories on that one. You may
have to bear with me. But most of us work
outside of the home, right, and most of us will

(30:22):
get tired, really tired on the way home, and most
of us will commute about yeah, twenty to forty minutes
right about. Okay, Well, one of the things that a
lot of people don't realize is that the angle of
your chair in your vehicle is actually causing you to

(30:44):
become more tired and more stressed.

Speaker 3 (30:46):
Really, yes, yes, I've never heard that before.

Speaker 6 (30:50):
Okay, well, let me explain, and I wish I could
be seen, you know, completely. Okay, let's just imagine this.
You have a sports car, right, and that sports car
is really cool, and you're like leaning your chair backwards, right,
and I'm gonna try to turn the side and maybe
for those that are being able to see that we

(31:10):
can see. So I'm to the side, and so I'm
leaning back. Right. At first, I'm leaning back and I
have my arms stretched out. I'm really cool, and I'm
looking over my steering wheel. Well what happens is that's
really good at the first few minutes, but eventually, as
I start driving, you see my head starts moving forward. Yes,
And as my head starts moving forward, my shoulders start

(31:33):
moving upwards. And the other thing that you probably can't
see is that my ribcage starts tipping into my back.
And so as that happens, what has occurrent is I
am compressing my long space. So I've closed my long space.
I've taken my head and I've moved it forward. So
now this head that's supposed to balance on our spine

(31:53):
and not weigh anything to the muscles that turn it
left and right, now all the muscles the back of
our neck and our shoulders are working hard to keep
that head balanced forward because it's no longer balanced on
the on the vertebrates. It is now being kept up
by the muscles. And so this tension builds up in

(32:16):
our neck and shoulders. And by the time we get
home twenty thirty minutes later, we are so tired and
we're stressed. And then of course the guy in front
of us made us mad, and you know, we got
stressed with the drastic and it just kind of accumulates, right.
But the reality is it was our physiological position that
caused us to end up tired. A much better thing

(32:40):
to do when you get home is actually to take
and stretch your arms up of her head and take
a really big, deep breath. And when you do that,
what you've done is you've opened up your ribcage. You're
getting oxygen into all parts of your body. And if
you just did that for two minutes, that breathing with
your arms up in the air or even you know,
out to the side, if you can't get them up

(33:02):
in the air, just put them out to the side
and let yourself breathe in and breathe deep and relax
your shoulders. As you're doing this, you're gonna find that
all of a sudden you're no longer tired, you're no
longer stressed. Now you have energy to go out and
do things.

Speaker 2 (33:18):
Well, there you go, our listeners and our viewers, now
we know how we have to do.

Speaker 3 (33:23):
Go home and be in the mood to exercise.

Speaker 6 (33:25):
And then another thing that a lot of people will
do is they'll be tired when they get home, and
so then when they decide what they want to cook,
they just put something together that's easy and usually hiring carbohydrates.
And so one of the things that I recommend for
people is take an apple to work with you and
then eat that apple on the way home. So what

(33:46):
happens is, because you're eating the apple on the way home,
you're getting a little bit of energy. Your body is
getting the message that you have plenty access to food,
and so by the time you get home, you've gotten
some fibers, you've gotten some good news, and you're no
longer starved.

Speaker 2 (34:02):
Karina, you are launching a new book and at the
title is Longevity Blueprint for Health, Wealth and Purpose, embracing
the rest of your life. What inspired you to write
this book? At what point did you say I need
to write a book.

Speaker 6 (34:20):
I realized that I could not have enough conversations with
people and let people know how important it is for
them to plan ahead.

Speaker 2 (34:27):
I'm going to ask you if you were in and
we've talked about some of this today, but if you
were in the living room with our viewers and our listeners,
and I know you do a lot of public speaking,
so you have the opportunity to do this, what would
you want them to know you talk about do you
accept or decline the call when the call comes? I
think you've accepted the call for serving seniors. But what

(34:50):
would you want them to know? What are your future plans?
You've written your book, what do you hope to accomplish
in your in.

Speaker 3 (34:57):
Your life yet to go?

Speaker 6 (34:59):
Well, what I hope or my next step after I
get this book out and start promoting it is to
write a second book which is targeted more at the
go to kid who's going to be the caregiver, so
that you and I yeah, so that there's a companion
where we can learn about the aging perspective from the
point of view of trying to balance our own life.

(35:22):
Because the reality is we have to balance our own life,
and if we start making choices of becoming an unpaid caregiver,
that is huge financial implications for us. And if we
have to contribute financially well, that has financial implications for
our own retirement, and then our children may end up
having to help us out too, And so really being

(35:43):
able to understand kind of all the ins and outs
and implications, and so being able to ask the questions
and think about what is the best overall approach, because
we have to consider everybody in the equation and we
want to be loving and respectful, but everybody Udy's life
is just as valuable, and we can't just put our

(36:03):
life on hold to take care of our loved ones.
We think it's more of we've got a project, manage
and sure that they are safe, but we don't necessarily
have to own doing everything ourselves, and so it's finding
that balance.

Speaker 2 (36:20):
Thank you, doctor Karina Loyo, PhD for being with us
today on Always Ageless. I'm so honored to introduce you
to this phenomenal lady who's not just standing, she's still
learning and working and thriving.

Speaker 1 (36:35):
Welcome to Always Ageless, Nan Free you.

Speaker 5 (36:40):
I'm really honored to be here with you today. Thank
you so much.

Speaker 1 (36:44):
You are very welcome.

Speaker 2 (36:45):
Well, Nan, Before we start to get into your professional journey,
take us back and tell us what was your childhood like.

Speaker 1 (36:53):
What shaped your early view of life and of work.

Speaker 5 (36:58):
You know, my dad was always very positive. I followed him.
My mom was a commercial artist. She always a home.
So I had both parents as long as they were alive,
so I think I had an advantage to that having
them guide me. I have an antidote that happened when

(37:20):
I was fifteen. I had had to have surgery and
my dad took me to the doors of the hospital
and said get out. You go through those doors, turn
to the left, go down to what says admission, and
go in. I had no clue what was going on.
He was ninety five when he passed away, and interestingly enough,

(37:43):
maybe a year before he passed he told me. He says,
I have to apologize to you for something that happened
years ago. And I said, what was that? And he says,
when I dropped you off at the hospital that day
to have your surgery, I should have gone in with you.
And I said no. I said, you know what, you
taught me a lesson that I've never forgotten. It's taught

(38:05):
me that I'm independent. And I started learning that at
a very young age, and independence has served me well.
So that was my early childhood and you know, through
throughout my life until he was gone. And so I
then I became a teenager, I wanted to be a hairdresser,

(38:27):
and okay, a hairdresser, I go, yeah, I've always wanted
to do that. So I got a scholarship that my
mom and dad told them I couldn't have it. And
so when I was a mother with two children, I
went back to school and got my cosmetology license.

Speaker 4 (38:47):
So.

Speaker 5 (38:49):
And it's such a far cry. When I tell people
I was a software engineer, they're going, you're kidding.

Speaker 1 (38:55):
Me, that's kind of what I thought.

Speaker 5 (38:58):
Well, you know, most people don't think that cosmetologists have
a brain. I'm sorry to say that, but I came
from that industry and I know how people are treated,
and we had to take chemistry and anatomy and all
of those things to get where we were, so it
wasn't like, you know, it just just happened. So anyway,

(39:20):
I did that for a while. I'm a musician. I
taught piano for years children, little children. I should say,
I have a varied interest. It's not always the same.
When I was I was in an accident and I thought, well,

(39:42):
I'm sitting here at home. I need to put my
time to use. And I went back to college and
got my software engineer degree. And so that, you know,
it has evolved, and I've loved everything I've done. I
guess I'm really fortunate to do that because most people

(40:04):
get stuck in the same job and they're not, you know,
happy for how many years. But I always when I
became disponded on what I was doing, then I changed
and it was fresh again. And I was in software
engineering for almost twenty years. So then I retired from
software engineering and I became a real estate agent. I've

(40:29):
always had an interest in real estate. I've bought and
sold my own homes, and you know, I just enjoyed
it and I haven't looked back. I had three strokes
two years ago, and I had another stroke prior to that,
so I've had four strokes. Oh my, and I have

(40:50):
a very positive attitude. I don't let things get me down.
I don't care.

Speaker 1 (40:53):
I can see that.

Speaker 5 (40:55):
Yeah it's maybe it's a stupid thing.

Speaker 1 (41:00):
I don't think.

Speaker 5 (41:00):
So I really feel that I've been very blessed for
one I love what I do, and people have said,
why don't you just retire? I think they don't like
the company.

Speaker 2 (41:12):
Yeah, well that could be. Or were you living when
you started your real estate career long Beach? Oh you
were back in California.

Speaker 1 (41:20):
Yeah, well, good for you. So what was your first
year like?

Speaker 2 (41:24):
Because you and I know that selling real estate in
the eighties or the nineties is still very different than
it is now. So what was your first year like?
Do you remember your first sale, your first transaction?

Speaker 5 (41:37):
I do, and I'm friends with them.

Speaker 3 (41:39):
Really.

Speaker 5 (41:40):
Oh that house that they bought and they moved to Japan.
Six weeks after I had my license, I had my
first transaction and wow, because you know, I was putting
in long hours during that time because I had a
lot to learn. I think I was with Killer Williams

(42:02):
and they, the CEO, had me as in the top
twenty five of the company in Long Beach for production,
and I was I was really proud of that because
I was older than anybody there. And you know, I
was always learning. I like a sponge. I'm always reading

(42:27):
or I don't read novels, I read technical stuff. I
have prided myself on being a good negotiator because I
had a client a couple of years ago and they
wanted to give the seller an extra five thousand dollars
just so they take the.

Speaker 1 (42:47):
Offord.

Speaker 5 (42:48):
Yeah, and I said, no, you don't need to do that.
They have had nobody looking at their house. They you know,
they don't leave another five thousand dollars, and they were
worried that they were going to lose it. I said,
let's shoot, this will not happen and we can always renegotiate.
So they were comfortable with that, and they kept five
thousand dollars in their pocket. So it's you know, you

(43:11):
have to know when you can you know, what do
they fold them on? Whatever that is?

Speaker 1 (43:16):
Yeah, when to help fold them, when to walk and run?

Speaker 2 (43:18):
Huh yeah, absolutely absolutely. So Then what made you decide
to specialize in serving seniors and what have you learned
from working with them?

Speaker 5 (43:31):
Well, first of all, I am a senior, and I
felt it was a very good match. You know, I
have had people I think they trust me more. My
goal is to have seniors seminars, and I haven't been
able to get that off the ground yet until I

(43:51):
met you, and then I'm being exposed to other avenues.

Speaker 1 (43:55):
So I thank you for that, But you're welcome.

Speaker 2 (43:59):
We'll work on that together this year. We both have
that goal. Let's talk about your health, your resilience, your reinvention.
You've survived. I thought it was three and I've learned
four strokes. That alone is extraordinary. Can you give us
some idea of what that experience is like?

Speaker 5 (44:19):
It was very scary. The first stroke I had. I
was in a doctor's office and I told him very well,
and he was writing in his notebooks. Close that book
said you're just fine. I'll see you next next year.
And walked out the door and I had no feeling

(44:42):
on my lap side of my and I couldn't speak
and his receptionist when I went in, I signed in
and then she asked me what doctor are you here
to see? And I said I couldn't speak, and she said, oh,
that's okay, go sit down. I guess she just thought
I was stuttering. So I went home. I drove myself

(45:07):
home and that morning I had noticed my left side
felt funny, but you know, and I hadn't I didn't.
I live alone, so I didn't speak to anybody, so
I didn't know I couldn't speak. And a friend of
mine called me and he said, I can't understand a
word you're seeing. I'm calling nine one one And the

(45:28):
paramedics came. And I still have a sense of humor
and I was joking with them even though I couldn't
speak very well. But they got me to the hospital,
and you know, they did all the tests and everything,
and I did have some residuals from that. For a
while I had to go through speech therapy, et cetera.
But this last time I had three strokes. The one

(45:50):
in my eye was the first that I knew of.
And my neurologist came into the hospital and said he
was smiling. He says, guess what we just found And
I said what and he says, you had two other
strokes besides you one in your eye.

Speaker 1 (46:04):
So that was no kidding right same time.

Speaker 5 (46:08):
And so I've got some really good doctors that are
working with me. And I still have some cognitive issues.
Numbers are not my friend. That's not good for realture.
But I my broker has always been there for me.
If they are right there for me, So I feel

(46:31):
more confident, you know, in what I can do now.

Speaker 2 (46:36):
So how did these health challenges affect your day to
day life, both physically and emotionally? How did you handle that?

Speaker 5 (46:46):
Because I am positive and the doctors gave me therapy
that I do.

Speaker 3 (46:50):
I crochet oh lot.

Speaker 5 (46:54):
The doctor said that is the best therapy for what
you've had, and I want you to continue to do that.

Speaker 2 (47:02):
Let's talk about your personality, what you do your life?

Speaker 1 (47:07):
So what keeps you going? Why have you chosen to
keep working?

Speaker 5 (47:13):
The satisfaction that I get from it helping people. I
want to be able to make a difference in people's
lives and make things easier for them, not harder.

Speaker 1 (47:22):
And I'm sure you do.

Speaker 2 (47:24):
And when you look back at your life, Nan, all
you've gone through, and all the different careers you've had,
your work challenges, what are you most proud of?

Speaker 5 (47:34):
I think my heart is still with the technology I
have embraced AI.

Speaker 1 (47:41):
I think it's fascinating.

Speaker 2 (47:43):
And I love the fact that you're still fascinated by
AI because some people are even younger than we are,
are not as interested in AI and don't realize the
impact it has or the things that we can do.

Speaker 5 (47:59):
Everybody's telling me I need to retire. I don't want
to retire, and after I talk to you, I'm not
going to retire. Oh so you know you do have
an impact on people if you speak up. I wasn't,
I told him. I said, I'm being selfish here because
I don't want you to go away.

Speaker 1 (48:17):
Of course not, of course not.

Speaker 2 (48:20):
And then people that come up to me and say, oh,
I want to be like you when I grow up,
or someone's who will say, oh, my parents don't even
do any technology, right, they don't, especially AI, And I
wish my parents were more like you, and whatever so
I can I can relate to that.

Speaker 1 (48:39):
And when people hear your story and learn your.

Speaker 2 (48:42):
Age, what do they say to you and how do
you respond to it?

Speaker 5 (48:48):
Most of the time they don't know that I'm eighty one,
you know. Somebody asked me what keeps you so young?
And it was one of my son's friends, and I said, well,
I never drank, I never smoked. And she said, oh
before that, she said, I want to be dislike you,
like you said earlier. And when I said I didn't drink,

(49:08):
her smoke and I said, I eat healthy. She goes, well,
that will never happen then, because she's she that was
not interested. She wasn't interested in that. She wanted to
put planet what is it panacea that pa And I
said no, I said, you have to work at it,
and I do. I exercise every day. I have a

(49:30):
machine that oscillates and jiggles and all that stuff, and
I use that every day. My son is a chiropractor,
and he said he can tell when I come in
for an adjustment if I've been on my machine or not,
because right, and he says, Mom, you know, when I
was sick last year, I couldn't do a lot of

(49:51):
that and I locked up. My body locked up. But
thank goodness he's my son. So I have very the
treatments every week.

Speaker 1 (50:01):
Well that's nice. That's a definite advantage.

Speaker 2 (50:06):
So where are you where? What is your future? What
is your plan for the next ten years? Will you
be with us ten years from now we're still working
in real estate? Will you be doing something different?

Speaker 5 (50:19):
I think I would probably keep working as long as
my health. I'm healthy as an ants. So you know,
my dad was ninety five, played tennis till he was ninety,
So yeah, so you know, as long as I feel
like I am doing a service for someone that I

(50:41):
don't lose it to Alzheimer's, dementia or anything like that.
God willing and the creek don't rise. You know, you
say that, I have no intention of stopping. As long
as I feel good, I've got the energy and so
wherewithal to do it.

Speaker 1 (51:01):
It has been a delight having you with us.

Speaker 2 (51:04):
This is exactly what we want to feature on Always Ageless.
You are the perfect example of someone who we consider
to be always ageless. You reminded us Nan that strength
doesn't always roar. It often whispers, and it shows up anyway,
and it just keeps going and.

Speaker 1 (51:22):
That's what you are.

Speaker 2 (51:23):
Your story is a powerful example of what it looks
like to live with purpose, no matter your age, and
no matter.

Speaker 1 (51:31):
What obstacles life shows your way. Thank you so much.
We want to see you five ten years from now.

Speaker 5 (51:37):
Thank you for inviting me. I appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (51:39):
You're so welcome.

Speaker 2 (51:41):
Thank you again for being a part of this beautiful journey.
If you've ever tuned in, shared an episode, left a comment,
told a friend, we are so grateful. This show isn't mine,
it's yours. Your questions, your stories, and your needs are
what shape every episode we create. As we head into
our second year, invite each of you to reach out.

(52:01):
Tell us what topics matter to you, What questions do
you have, Who would you like to hear from, What
would you like to know. We're all going into new
journeys together. Whether we're an adult, whether we are aging,
whether we're the adult child of an aging parent, whether
we're in the Sandwich generation or a baby boomer. We
have lots of questions and we do answer every email.

(52:25):
So this is not just a broadcast, it's a community,
and I want you to know we're here for you.
So what questions do you have? What stories should we tell?
Let's keep listening, keep living fully, and always remember you're
not too old, it's not too late, and the best
is yet to come. So thank you from the bottom

(52:46):
of my heart for being a part of Always Ageless.
This show belongs to you, your lives, your stories, your questions,
your challenges, your journeys and challenges you thought may never
be a part of you or your family. You may
thought you've never had to face these things. So you
can email us anytime. We respond to each and every message,

(53:06):
because this isn't a journey, not just a program. We
are your trusted resource, your conversation partner, and your cheerleader
through every season of your life. So until next week,
remember you are valued, you are vibrant, You are always Ageless.
So from my heart to yours, thank you for being
a part of Always Ageless.

Speaker 1 (53:26):
See you next week.