Exciting news! On our podcast – At Home, On Air – we released our first mini-series, Changemaker Interviews, where we highlighted the impact of changemakers on the quality of our lives. These individuals have challenged and changed systems, introduced new ways of thinking and told previously untold stories. We kicked off the mini-series by reflecting on key moments from past conversations with three exceptional women, featured in our special edition released in January of 2025.
A huge thank you to all of our guest speakers, whose insights and personal stories have offered us valuable perspectives on aging, community and the power of storytelling – wisdom that continues to inspire and guide us through these transformative times. And thank you to those in our learning community who joined us for the live, online conversations!
We invite you to explore this series celebrating the changemakers in our communities, continue these conversations with those you know, and subscribe to our podcast to support our work!
Wisdom from Changemakers:
Jennie Chin Hansen
Former President of AARP and Executive Director of OnLok
“Policy is very powerful; but policy by itself, if it’s not implemented, doesn’t mean a whole lot. It really takes the vision and then the hard work.”
Listen to Episode 44: Changemaker Interviews Special Edition
Mistinguette Smith
Writer, Equity Consultant, Founder of the Black Land Project
“Eldering is not just the act of growing older; it’s also a responsibility to share stories with others.”
Listen to Episode 44: Changemaker Interviews Special Edition
Katy Butler
Author, End-of-Life Activist, Award Winning Journalist
“Being willing to contemplate mortality can lead to a better death.”
Listen to Episode 44: Changemaker Interviews Special Edition
Valerie Fletcher
Executive Director of the Institute for Human Centered Design
“Every street, every town, every event, every destination has got to anticipate the ordinariness of the range of ability because our abilities change as we age.”
Rick Moody, Ph.D.
Author, Climate Activist, retired Vice President for Academic Affairs with AARP
“The language of climate action in four words: Here, Now, You, Hope. Hope is the last word because hope is action.”
Patrick Roden, Ph.D.
Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist, Award-Winning Nurse, CEO of aginginplace.com, Author
“Stay curious. That is a longevity strategy. Stay curious about your surroundings, about the world, about yourself. Stay curious.”
Listen to Episode 47: The Creativity Effect in Healthy Aging
Bryan Gibel
Filmmaker, Director of the documentary, Sign My Name to Freedom
“ Betty didn’t become a park ranger until she was 85. She didn’t become a celebrity until she was in her nineties. Her life peaked in a lot of ways in her nineties, and people thought that would not be possible. She didn’t listen to that. And so, she’s a great example of how much we can achieve as we age, but she’s definitely not the only one.”
Alyana Reid
Co-Producer and Social Media Manager of the documentary, Sign My Name to Freedom, Granddaughter of Betty Reid Soskin
”My grandmother has said it over and over again, “The way that we can grow as a society is through looking at all of our histories and really coming together and having a more informed, holistic solution that will benefit everybody moving forward. Continuing to go down that very narrow path of what has been traditionally told and traditionally prioritized is only going to continue the ongoing issues.”
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