Episode 20:8 Bruce Frankel on Embracing Change and Finding Purpose in Later Life

Bruce Frankel’s unique journey includes a career as a journalist for People, USA Today, and Time, followed by earning an MFA in Poetry in his 50s. Now an advocate for aging well, he serves as the President of the Life Planning Network, co-founder of Redstring and Business Authority, and author of What Should I Do with the Rest of My Life?. He shares valuable insights on older entrepreneurship, positive aging, and finding fulfillment in later life.

About Bruce

Bruce Frankel is Vice-President of Redstring, a community-building technology and business, and Co-Founder of Business Authority, a business accelerator and eCampus supporting entrepreneurs 50 and over. He is also President of the Life Planning Network, a national nonprofit association educating professionals shaping the culture of aging and helping people navigate the second half of life. He is the author of What Should I Do with the Rest of My Life? True Stories of Finding Success, Passion, and New Meaning in the Second Half of Life.

Bruce has spoken at the United Nations on behalf of older adults and is a 2021 Fellow of Columbia University’s Age Boom Academy. He is an editor of LIVE SMART AFTER 50! A former writer and editor at People magazine and New York based national reporter for USA Today, he is also a co-author of World War II: History’s Greatest Conflict.

Bruce has an MFA in Poetry from Sarah Lawrence College. He lives in Sharon, MA.

Key Takeaways

• Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to adapt and change throughout an individual's life. By learning to adapt and make intentional choices, older adults can experience greater purpose, joy, personal growth, and improved cognitive function. Challenging your brain with new things is one of the most important components of brain health.

• Life planning is about being intentional. It's about looking at yourself, your values, strengths, motivations, unrealized dreams, and asking, "What do I want to do with this one precious life, or what's left of it?" "What kind of legacy do I want to leave?"
• Planning isn't boxing yourself in, it's about opening to possibilities and protecting yourself. You will inevitably make worse choices in a crisis.
• We internalize ageism and it colors the stories we tell ourselves about aging, about ourselves and others. The best defense against the “army of D’s” (disease dependence, decline, dementia, death) is awareness of internalized ageist narratives.