4-Quarter Lives

In this week’s 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Michael and Nancy Hodin. Michael is Chief Executive of the Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA), while Nancy produces events for the Silver Economy Forum as part of the GCOA, while also running her own business as President of H&H Media.Together they discuss the significance of aging, longevity and the silver economy. Michael founded the GCOA 14 years ago, after a 30 year career at Pfizer, He explains its origins, arising from research showing how health and pension systems as well as society generally are increasingly struggling with longevity trends. He outlines its aim, to bring together diverse business sectors to address aging opportunities as a budines development strategy, , and through that focusing on the intersection of public policy, market innovation and healthy aging for GCOA Companies. Nancy, after a similarly long career in media and non-fiction programming, became interested in celebrating the accomplishments of people in their "third quarter" of life. She now leads the Silver Economy Forum as part of GCOA, to bring in cultural/media perspectives to their work.In conversation, Michael, Nancy and Avivah explore the significant disconnect between the economic power of older populations and how businesses/marketers do not target them. For example, 70% of US disposable income is held by those 60+, but only 2% of advertising dollars target the 55+ demographic. Many business are still not strategically planning for this reality and sectors from finance and tech to transportation, housing and travel are as yet failing to tap into the huge market potential of the older age demographic. The aim of the Silver Economy Forum is to raise awareness and drive action on aging-related opportunities across sectors and focus government and global institutional decision makesrs on aligned policy changes By combining policy/data insights with storytelling and popular cultural references, the objective is to shift perceptions on aging even as the market opportunity for businesses is addressed Together Michael and Nancy organise an annual gathering to discuss aging economy opportunities, bringing together policymakers, businesses and cultural figures. They see growing interest from countries like Saudi Arabia and Uruguay adding to the OECD countries from Japan, Italy and Finaland to the U.S. and UK while the UN Decade of Healthy Aging provides a valuable global framework through to 2030.Michael Hodin, Ph.D. is CEO of the Global Coalition on Aging, Managing Partner at High Lantern Group, and a Fellow at Oxford University’s Harris Manchester College. He has spoken internationally on the topic of aging, including at G20, APEC, Davos, and the World Knowledge Forum (WKF). He is also a blogger on Medium.  In previous careers Mike was Legislative Assistant to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan and a Visiting Scholar at Brookings Institution, on U.S. Foreign Economic Policy. He was a senior executive at Pfizer for 30 years, where he created and then led its International Public Affairs and Public Policy operations and served on Management Boards for a number of its businesses. Mike is a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and from 2010-2013 was Adjunct Senior Fellow with a focus on population aging. In 2013, he was invited to lead a Members’ Roundtable with the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging. He was a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Ageing, and he sits on the Advisory Board for the Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging, as well as many other Boards. Mike holds a BA, cum laude, Cornell University, M.Sc.in International Relations from The London School of Economics and Political Science, and M.Phil and Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University.Nancy Jackson Hodin is a strategic content producer, designing specifically for selected distribution platforms and clients. Her work in broadcast, cable, experiential media, the web, live events, and digital signage strives to go beyond the conventional. Since 1986, Hodin has owned and operated her own production services company, H&H Media, Inc. Currently H&H Media is working with the Global Coalition on Aging, producing live and virtual global events on the Silver Economy. Other recent projects have included a ground-breaking video website, First Comes Fashion, a digital platform that was first to live stream fashion runway shows from around the world and produce original content to complement the shows. In addition, under The Clarient Group, Hodin partnered with major real estate developers to create broadcast and advertising signage businesses in mixed use properties, with The Time Warner Center in New York City as their inaugural project. Hodin has a BA from Dartmouth CollegeSome Useful Links:* Global Coalition on Aging website* Silver Economy Forum website* H&H Media Inc. website Get full access to Elderberries at elderberries.substack.com/subscribe

Brian Clark, founder of Further and Longevity Gains, is a serial entrepreneur and content marketing pioneer. In their conversation, he shares his journey from a successful digital business to exploring the longevity economy. He highlights the struggles men face during midlife transitions and the need for more male voices in this space. Clark discusses his initiatives aimed at the 50+ audience, focusing on the abundant opportunities for entrepreneurship in aging, while also urging businesses to adapt to the wealth and needs of older consumers.

This week on 4-Quarter Lives Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Céline Abecassis-Moedas, Pro-Rector for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Lisbon, Portugal, and Co-Director of the Longevity Leadership Program at Catolica. As becomes clear during their conversation, her fellow director on this program is Avivah Wittenberg-Cox!Not surprisingly their conversation focuses on the need for and value of a Longevity Leadership programme of this kind. Launched in June 2024, the week-long program addresses the growing impact of lengthening lives for individuals, businesses and society. Céline explains how it offers a unique, holistic approach that combines three elements – personal development, business strategy and societal perspectives on longevity. Lisbon is itself emerging as a longevity hub in various ways, making it a valuable location for the program. Céline describes how her personal experience sparked her interest in longevity and her recognition of a gap in executive education in part (though not specifically) for the 55+ demographic, and examining the growing significance of longer careers. Working with Avivah, they developed this into the larger concept of a course also exploring the organisational and societal implications of changing demographics, and structured a program that covers macro-economic trends, business opportunities, career transitions, personal health and finance, and even urban planning, bringing in a range of experts on each of these topics. Participants, ranging in age from late 20s to early 60s, gender balanced and from a range of corporate and non-corporate backgrounds, reported exceptionally high satisfaction ratings. Finally Céline describes their plans for the 2025 program, to be held June 23-27 in Lisbon, and potentially with online sessions before and after the in-person week.Céline Abecassis-Moedas is a Professor and Pro-Rector for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Universidade Católica Portuguesa and an Ambassador at the Stanford Center on Longevity. She holds a PhD in Management from École Polytechnique, Paris and an MA in Management from the Université Paris Dauphine. She is a graduate from École Normale Supérieure de Cachan and La Sorbonne in Economics and Management. Celine was Dean for Executive Education at Catolica Lisbon from 2019 to 2024 and previously Assistant Professor at the Centre for Business Management at Queen Mary, University of London. She worked in Business Development at Lectra in New York and as a Consultant at AT Kearney in London. Céline’s research interests are on the role of design in innovation, design management, innovation management and entrepreneurship mostly in creative industries, and her work as been widely published. In addition to her academic experience, Celine is non-executive director at CUF, Vista Alegre Atlantis and Lectra.Some Useful Links:* Catolica Lisbon Longevity Leadership Program Overview* Catolica Lisbon Longevity Leadership Program Structure* Catolica Lisbon Longevity Leadership Program Application Form* Stanford Center on Longevity Ambassador Get full access to Elderberries at elderberries.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Dr Niobe Way, Professor of Developmental Psychology at NYU and author of Rebels with a Cause: Reimagining Boys, Ourselves and Our Culture. Her groundbreaking research has transformed how we understand boys, friendships, and the very human need for connection. In Rebels with a Cause she distils four decades of research to uncover the hidden emotional lives of boys and what their struggles teach us – not only about them, but also about ourselves.She and Avivah discuss her insights into how our culture’s rigid ‘boy’ culture norms disconnect us from one another, the mental health impacts of this crisis, and her vision for building a more connected, curious, and relational world. Dr Way describes how research shows the strong desire boys have for close friendships, but at the same time how they struggle to maintain them due to cultural pressures, and the "boy culture" that devalues emotional connection. This culture is pervasive globally and impacts young girls as well, contributing to mental health issues and social problems. She and Avivah explore possible ways of addressing the challenges, and how listening with genuine curiosity is key to fostering connection and breaking down stereotypes. Dr Way also suggests that technology could be leveraged to encourage curiosity and meaningful interaction, rather than superficial "likes". She is developing an ‘Agape Teens’ App which gamify’s the practice of curiosity for teenagers, helping to break down stereotypes and foster real connection.Dr. Niobe Way is a Professor of Developmental Psychology at NYU, the founder of the Project for the Advancement of Our Common Humanity (PACH), co-founder of agapi.teens, and the principal investigator on the Listening with Curiosity Project. Dr. Way was the President of the Society for Research on Adolescence. She has authored nearly a hundred journal articles and numerous books, including Deep Secrets: Boys’ Friendships and the Crisis of Connection (Harvard University Press) and Everyday Courage: The Lives and Stories of Urban Teenagers (NYU Press). She received her B.A. from U.C. Berkeley, her doctoral degree from Harvard, and was an National Institute of Mental Health postdoctoral fellow at Yale in the psychology department.Some Useful Links:* Niobe Way’s website* Review of Rebels with a Cause, The Harvard Gazette* To buy Rebels with a Cause (UK)* To buy Rebels with a Cause (USA) Get full access to Elderberries at elderberries.substack.com/subscribe

In this first episode of Season 8 of 4 Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Katja Meier, writer and founder of Zenka Films.Katja is on a mission to build a media world where not only female-driven content is the norm, but where female heroes above the age of 50 are no longer the exception. She and Avivah discuss the TV series Katja has developed about a 59-year-old woman who inherits a successful mining company and sets about challenging the less than ethical business practices she discovers there. Katja describes the experiences that led her to this theme, the inspirational women who influenced her thinking, and the negative reactions she received from potential producers and investors at the idea of having a woman in her late 50s as the lead character. She talks about how, determined to prove to industry sceptics the viability of stories centred around an older woman, she set up Zenka Films, and describes the innovative production approaches taken, focused on transparency, fair compensation and startup-like team structures. She and Avivah discuss initial positive audience responses, not only from 50+ audiences but from younger age groups also, as well as the lessons that Katja has learned in the course of this fascinating journey.Katja Meier was an actor in Switzerland and Germany for several years before she swapped Shakespeare and Goethe for a backpack and settled in Italy, where she's lived since 1999. Her varied experiences include running a refugee home in Tuscany, which inspired her memoir "Across the Big Blue Sea: Good Intentions and Hard Lessons in an Italian Refugee Home" (a Guardian Best Summer Book). Today, she splits her time between Italy and a winter campsite in the Swiss Alps – the latter serving as $HARE’s film location. Through Zenka Films, she's pioneering sustainable production methods and fair wage practices in the film industry. Her Substack newsletter 'Startup with 50' follows her entrepreneurial quest to revolutionize storytelling in film and television (which is a TV show in its own right).Some Useful Links:* $HARE pilot episode online* Katja’s substack newsletter.* Katja’s introductory blog.* Zenka films website* Zenka’s Instagram* Katja’s LinkedIn* Katja’s article on Noon* Article in The Guardian* Katja’s Book Get full access to Elderberries at elderberries.substack.com/subscribe

This week on 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Alan MacIntosh, Founding Partner in AgeTech Capital, a purpose-driven private market investment firm focused on innovative & affordable technology solutions for healthier and fulfilling ageing. They discuss the dramatic rise of the longevity economy which, in the USA alone, is projected to triple from $8.3 trillion to $26.8 trillion by 2050. As part of this, age technology is seeing increasing innovation and investment, with areas like connected living, new forms of caregiving, preventative health monitoring and interventions, and financial security all growing as services and investment opportunities. Alan describes examples of AgeTech Capital’s investments, identifies how AI might augment support for older adults, emphasises the need to balance innovation with ethical considerations and outlines a new investor network partnership between AgeTech Capital and the AgeTech Collaborative™ from AARP (American Association of Retired Persons), which aims to drive systemic innovations in the field of ageing.  Building, operating and investing in entrepreneur-led technology businesses across innovation cycles for three decades, Alan MacIntosh’s early international career spanned the energy, IT and mobile sectors with Schlumberger, HP and the Telesystem group. He co-founded GSM Capital, the first global wireless venture fund, with notable investments such as Saraïde (acquired by Infospace) and Paypal. As a founding partner in Acta Wireless, he chaired OZ Communications (acquired by Nokia), co-founded Millennial Media, as well as Real Ventures, Canada's leading source of capital for entrepreneurs and a driving force behind emerging tech ecosystems. Alan's long term commitment to his community includes Cofounder/Ambassador of TechAide (supporting United Way), Advisory Board Member of AI4GoodLab, Cofounder of the OSMO Foundation (Maison Notman House), former Co-Chair of Startup Montreal, Founding Sponsor of the Mobile Giving Foundation and Advisor to Kids Code Jeunesse. A native of Scotland, keen cyclist and lifelong skier, Alan holds a BSc (Hons) in Offshore Engineering from Heriot-Watt University and an MBA from INSEAD. Some Useful Links: * AgeTech Capital website * AgeTech Investor Network link * LifestyleRx * Bloom Finance  Get full access to Elderberries at elderberries.substack.com/subscribe

This week on 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Amanda Philpott, the co-founder and CEO of eargym. They discuss hearing health and how hearing loss is strongly correlated with cognitive decline and risk of dementia, yet is often overlooked in preventative healthcare. Amanda explains how early intervention can significantly improve quality of life as we age, and in particular reduce the social isolation (and consequent cognitive decline) that hearing loss can cause. She describes her own experience of living with moderate hearing loss and how this led her to create eargym after a 30-year career in the UK’s National Health Service. Eargym’s focus is on ongoing hearing checks and auditory training games focused on sound detection, localisation, discrimination and meaning attribution. Amanda also talks about the exciting but rewarding challenge in her Q3 of transitioning from the NHS to a role as start-up entrepreneur.  Amanda Philpott founded eargym in 2020. Both she and her eargym co-founder, ex-DJ Andy Shanks, live with moderate hearing loss and have family with dementia. She is an ex-NHS CEO, has extensive senior leadership and operational experience in health and care and is a population health strategy specialist. Her hope, in making the leap from her long public service career into the world of digital health start-ups, is to try to have a valuable impact on global health and well-being from a wholly different perspective.  Some Useful Links: * eargym website * eargym video * eargym online ear check  Get full access to Elderberries at elderberries.substack.com/subscribe

This week on 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Deirdre Wafer, Global Co-Chair of the Wisdom Employee Resource Group at LinkedIn. They discuss how to navigate the many intricacies of careers, the pivotal nature of transitions, particularly later in careers, and the role that the Wisdom ERG plays at LinkedIn. Deirdre Wafer is Global Co-Chair of the Wisdom Employee Resource Group at LinkedIn, which brings employees 40+ and their allies together with the aim of making LinkedIn an inclusive workplace for all ages. Additionally, she leads a Customer Insights team for LinkedIn Marketing Solutions within EMEA & LATAM, delivering insights to big brand and media agency clients. Prior to joining LinkedIn, Deirdre had a successful marketing career across various industries, working with companies such as Virgin Media, Liberty Insurance, Meteor Mobile, AXA, and Bank of Ireland. Some Useful Links:  * “How employers can break down generational echo chambers at work” – Raconteur Article  * Deirdre Wafer LinkedIn link.  Get full access to Elderberries at elderberries.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox speaks with Michael King, Managing Director of Senior Response, one of the UK’s first and only client contact management services dedicated to the over-50s market. Established in 2001 Senior Response manages client contact communication, by phone, SMS, email, post, and webchat on behalf of clients. Michael shares his professional journey, starting from his early career with Capital One to his eventual role at Senior Response, a company he first encountered as a client. He explains how Senior Response sets itself apart by employing older agents who can relate to their customers’ life experiences, providing a more empathetic and effective service. He and Avivah discuss the challenges companies face when marketing to older demographics, highlighting the need for tailored approaches that account for their specific life stages. He emphasizes that businesses should recognize the role of adult children in purchasing decisions and adapt their strategies accordingly. The conversation also touches on the importance of flexibility in work environments, particularly in a sector known for high turnover, and how Senior Response maintains high retention by offering adaptable shifts and a supportive culture. Michael King joined Senior Response Ltd in 2018 as Managing Director. He is an experienced Senior Contact Centre Professional with a history of working across multiple industries and businesses, including Dixons Carphone, the Post Office, BNP Paribas and Capital One. His experience includes Contact Centre Operations, Business Process Improvement, Sales Operations, Customer Retention, and Stakeholder Management. He has a degree in Accounting and Business Management from Long Island University. Some Useful Links: * Senior Response website  Get full access to Elderberries at elderberries.substack.com/subscribe

This week on 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox talks with Tina Backhouse, the General Manager in the UK of Theramex, a global speciality pharmaceutical company focused on supporting the health needs of women at all stages of life. They discuss the particular health needs of women, particularly as they age, the need for women to monitor key health metrics post menopause, the specific risks of cardiovascular disease, dementia and osteoporosis and the need for research to take better account of different ethnicities and age groups. Tina describes how Theramex addresses these and other health issues, the changing health concerns for women pre- and post-menopause, the value of DEXA scans, other preventative screenings and the increased importance of fitness, diet and exercise habits from the late 40s onwards. They discuss the role of supplements and of HRT treatment. Tina Backhouse has over 25 years’ experience in global senior leadership roles in the pharmaceutical industry, launching innovative products across a diverse range of therapy areas in both large and small pharma companies. She joined Theramex to lead the UK Women’s Health business in 2020, helping establish Theramex in the UK as the largest supplier of HRT & Menopause Products. She is passionate about there being equality of healthcare for all women in the UK, and that women have choice in their healthcare options. Some Useful Links: * Theramex UK website * Theramex International website * The British Menopause Society website  Get full access to Elderberries at elderberries.substack.com/subscribe