275 - Finding Awe As We Age for a Longer, Happier Life with NYT Bestselling Author Caroline Paul

Episode • Mar 27, 2024 • 1h 12m

Our extraordinary guest today is a true adventurer at heart. From hang gliding to paragliding, from flying small planes to training for the US Olympic team as a luger, Caroline Paul’s life is a series of thrilling escapades.

As one of the first female firefighters in the San Francisco Fire Department, Caroline faced challenges head-on. Her autobiography "Fighting Fire" chronicles her remarkable 13-year journey with the department as one of 15 women out of 1500 men. She was also the very first woman on the Rescue team, which was tasked with getting people out of collapsed buildings and finding bodies in the bay. These days, she takes to the skies in a gyrocopter, surfs the San Francisco Bay, and zips through the city streets on her electric skateboard – proving age is just a number.

With seven books under her belt, including a New York Times bestseller, Caroline explores the intersection of outdoor adventure and aging in her latest work, "Tough Broad: From Boogie Boarding to Wing Walking, How Outdoor Adventure Improves Our Lives as We Age.” Through science-backed insights and inspiring stories of women in their 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and even 90s, she shows us that the best adventures lie ahead.

Join us as we discuss Caroline's latest book, delving into the exhilarating world of outdoor adventure and discovering how it enriches our lives as we age. Get ready to be inspired!

“People have come up to me and said it starts as young as 40 or even 30, that our older age is going to be a time of frail bones, cognitive decline. We're going to be boring. We're going to, we're becoming culturally irrelevant. And why this is so dangerous is because, well, first of all, we start pulling back, but second of all, it really makes us dread our own aging journey.” - Caroline Paul

What we discuss in this episode:

- The five pillars for fulfilling aging.

- What inspired Caroline to write Tough Broad.

- The health benefits of outdoor adventure.

- How mindset about aging can predict how we’ll age.

- The power and importance of experiencing awe.

- How novelty keeps your brain healthy.

- What does using GPS do to your memory?

- How to unearth your inner explorer.

Resources:

- Caroline Paul’s website: Caroline Paul - https://www.carolinepaul.com/

- Her new book: Tough Broad — Caroline Paul - https://www.carolinepaul.com/tough-broad