Reversing Aging and Rethinking Health: What Harvard’s ‘Mother of Mindfulness’ Wants You to Know: Dr. Ellen Langer

Dr. Ellen Langer, known as the “mother of mindfulness,” and the first woman ever tenured in psychology at Harvard University and joins PRETTYSMART for an unforgettable conversation that will challenge everything you think you know about health, aging, and control over your life. With decades of groundbreaking research, Dr. Langer has reshaped our understanding of the mind’s power to transform the body and revolutionized how we approach healing, decision-making, and resilience. In this eye-opening episode, we explore:

• The one phrase she lives by (it changed Danielle’s life). 

• Why the traditional “mind-body connection” is outdated—and how embracing mind-body unity can unlock extraordinary healing potential.
• The startling study that showed reversing aging isn’t science fiction—it’s science.
• How simple shifts in perception, like seeing daily work as exercise, can dramatically improve your health.
• What her groundbreaking research reveals about the illusion of control—and how to reclaim it in your own life.
• Why language, like the term “in remission,” shapes how we experience illness and healing.

• Her personal stories, from her mother’s miraculous recovery from terminal cancer to the fire that destroyed nearly everything she owned—and how she found meaning and growth in both experiences.

Book Reccomendation: The Mindful Body: Thinking Our Way to Chronic Health by Dr. Ellen Langer 

Follow Ellen here