Reframing Age Perceptions at Work

Age bias is everywhere: online, at work, even in the stories we tell ourselves. Ashton Applewhite wants us to see age not as a limitation, but as a source of strength. In today’s episode, Jessi Hempel sits down with the anti-ageism activist to unpack the hidden ways ageism shapes our workplaces, and how we can push back.

Ashton is a leading voice in the age equity movement. She’s the author of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism and founder of the Old School Hub, a resource center filled with free tools to combat age bias. In this conversation, she shares practical strategies for navigating ageism at work, whether you’re feeling “too old,” “too young,” or just underestimated.

Jessi and Ashton discuss:

• Why age has less to do with competence than we think

• How internalized ageism holds us back, and how to recognize it

• What managers can do to build age-diverse teams

• How to tell your story in a way that challenges bias

• Tips for job seekers facing age-based assumptions

• The power of language in shaping workplace perceptions

Continue the conversation with us at Hello Monday Office Hours! Join us on the LinkedIn News page this Wednesday at 3 PM ET.