45 Forward

The first time I met Dr. Ken Dychtwald was in 1989, when I was writing a cover story about older workers as a business reporter for Newsday, Long Island’s daily newspaper. I remember it well. I was interviewing job experts and workers who talked about the frustration they felt being overlooked by employers—especially at a time when most companies, facing acute labor shortages, could ill afford to do so. Ken was the author of a best-selling book, “Age Wave,” (he now has written 19 books) and was the founder of an acclaimed think tank bearing the same name. At the time Ken explained what has become commonly known today: that the U.S. was experiencing a “senior boom.” Older workers were living longer; the baby-boom generation was turning forty-something; and the nation’s birth rate was continuing to decline. “A young country is growing old,” Ken told me. He foresaw a time when most older workers would routinely work longer and leave jobs in their 50s for entirely new careers. “It will happen within the next decade,” he said. “We’re tiptoeing on the edge of the ice, testing the surface.” Well, folks, we are now at center ice. Ken Dychtwald was absolutely right—as he has been about many observations in the field of aging. In today’s episode, you’ll get to hear an array of Ken’s latest thoughts—observations, reflections and sage advice from America’s foremost thinker regarding the many consequences of our aging society. He’ll talk about how we can close the gap between our lifespan and healthspan; how we need to recast the conversation about what older people really want as they age; and how many of us are choosing to redefine our legacy from success to significance. All that, and much more!