MEET THE WINNER OF THE GROWING BOLDER INSPIRATION AWARD
Stop Growing Older. Start Growing Bolder.™
A REVOLUTION IN MEDICAL EDUCATION LOVE AND ADDICTION: GROWING UP CARLIN
STILL FOOTLOOSE AT 90 Dick Van Dyke’s Advice? Dance More, Worry Less.
Dick Van Dyke and his 2013 Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award.
CONTENTS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016
FEATURE
WORRY LESS, DANCE MORE
DEPARTMENTS 5 | FROM THE EDITOR
12
6 | GROWING BOLDER WITH
22 | BOLDER HEALTH Medical school dean teaches a focus on prevention. By Jackie Carlin
7 | THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH ® At 96, Charles Eugster is a champ in every way. By Marc Middleton
24 | TEAM GB ELITE Despite her hearing aid, she’s now living out loud. By Karen Putz
8 | MOVE FORWARD. GIVE BACK. ® Rob Butcher wins the Growing Bolder Inspiration Award. By Marc Middleton
26 | ROAD TO RECOVERY Embracing one of life’s most vital conversations. By Robert Masson, M.D.
A TV icon and a YouTube sensation at 90, Dick Van Dyke says the secret to his longevity is to never stay still. BY JACKIE CARLIN
30 | THE TAKEAWAY When it comes to success, risky is the new safe. By Randy Gage
SPECIAL SECTION THE GOOD LIFE A roundup spotlighting some of Central Florida's top active-adult communities. MEET THE WINNER OF THE GROWING BOLDER INSPIRATION AWARD
STOP GROWING OLDER. Start GrowinG Bolder.™
9 | BOLDER HEALTH Good nutrition plays a critical role in healing. By Jackie Carlin
27 | ROAD TO RECOVERY Neurosurgeon fulfills a dream with Park City facility. By Marc Middleton
10 | 5 QUESTIONS Kelly Carlin on a childhood full of love – and addiction. By Bill Shafer
28 | SURVIVING & THRIVING How a midlife career shift became a fight for life. By Bill Shafer
4 GROWING BOLDER
®
A REVOLUTION IN MEDICAL EDUCATION LOVE AND ADDICTION: GROWING UP CARLIN
STILL FOOTLOOSE AT 90 Dick Van Dyke’s Advice? Dance More, Worry Less.
Dick Van Dyke and his 2013 Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award.
ON THE COVER: Dick Van Dyke, photo by Mark Hill/TNT. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016
FROM THE EDITOR
Editor-in-Chief Marc Middleton Managing Editor Jackie Carlin Associate Editors Bill Shafer, Katy Widrick Contributing Writers Robert Masson, M.D. Additional Photography Dan Dion, Mark Hill/TNT, Rob Greer Lynn Novakofski, Terri Potoczna
407-406-5910 One Purlieu Place, Suite 139 Winter Park, FL 32792 GrowingBolderMagazine.com All editorial content copyright 2016 by Bolder Broadcasting Inc. Growing Bolder is a registered trademark of Bolder Broadcasting Inc. Nothing may be reprinted in part or in whole without written permission from Bolder Broadcasting Inc.
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FLORIDA HOME MEDIA Group Publisher Randy Noles Art Director Jenna Carberg CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Harry Wessel Florida Home Media’s Family of Publications: VoLUsia CoUntY: beaChes anD beYonD
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Rebranding Aging
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Digital Development and Production Jason Morrow, Pat Narciso, Josh Doolittle, Mike Nanus
H
appy New Year! And thanks for helping us change the narrative around aging. As we like to say, we’re Rebranding Aging™. I had a business meeting recently with a very smart guy who wanted to learn more about Growing Bolder. He’s a Harvard Business School grad and works for one of the world’s most successful and entrepreneurial companies. We talked about all things Growing Bolder, and eventually the conversation came around to the advertising and marketing world’s obsession with young people and their lack of appreciation for the larger, more lucrative 50-plus audience. “You know why the big companies only talk to, target and spend money to attract younger customers?” he asked. Of course, I knew the many versions of the answer — but I paused because I wanted to hear what he thought. “They believe,” he continued, “that all older people aspire to be younger, and if they can show young people enjoying their products, the older people will want to buy those products as well. They believe that they don’t have to target the older audience. They’ll get them automatically if they can get the younger audience.” I was about to launch into my regularly delivered response on why that’s no longer true when he continued with an observation that floored me: “You’re the first company, the first media group, to successfully flip that assumption 180 degrees. You’re making younger people aspire to be like the older people that you feature. That’s huge, and potentially very valuable. You’re selling yourself short if you think Growing Bolder only connects with the 45-plus market.” I paused again to enjoy the moment. We hear regularly from younger people who tell us that they’re inspired by and relate to the message of Growing Bolder. We know that for many who follow us, we have indeed flipped the aging-aspiration assumption 180 degrees. We just didn’t think that anyone else fully understood that yet. When it comes to Growing Bolder, we’re only the messenger. You are the ones who are flipping the switch, because it’s your stories that we tell, your examples that we share. So thanks again for helping us spread the life-changing and life-affirming message of Growing Bolder.
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Marc Middleton, Editor-in-Chief marcmiddleton@growingbolder.com GROWING BOLDER 5
GROWING BOLDER WITH
ANNABELLE GURWITCH
54
COMEDIAN AND AUTHOR
“Hitting 50 was just one of those moments when you think, ‘Wow! Is that possible? I know 50 follows 49, but it can’t be right. The math must be wrong!’ You just have to laugh about it. I also started thinking about that popular saying that 50 is the new 40. What 40-year-old thinks they’re the same age as someone who’s 50? That’s just silly. I knew I had to find a way to be the actual age I am and love it. So I made up business cards that said, ‘Annabelle Gurwitch: Since 1961.’ If restaurants can tout the years they were founded, why can’t I? I’ve found a sense of humor gets me through the hardest things I face in life.”
While some people take the notion of aging very seriously, others point out the humor in it, including the very funny Annabelle Gurwitch. You may remember her from hosting the weekend TV specials, Dinner and a Movie. Today, she’s also a comedian, actor and author. In her book, I See You Made an Effort, she takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the positive and negative aspects of the aging process.
SUZANNE SOMERS
69
ACTRESS AND AUTHOR
“Life is a journey you can’t plan. I never, ever, ever thought this was the path I’d take — but if you follow the flow, it seems to take you to the right place. I never wanted to be a cancer victim or a cancer survivor. When I was diagnosed, I said to myself, ‘What have I done in my diet or lifestyle that caused me to play host to this disease?’ That sent me on a journey that turned my cancer into this great gift. I’m at such a great time in my life. I feel content and have everything I want — and it has nothing to do with money. My journey has taken me right to where I want to be.”
When America first discovered Suzanne Somers, she was the goofy, gorgeous blonde on the sitcom Three’s Company. When that fell apart over a contract dispute, she set out to reinvent herself. Over the years, she became known for new things, from exercise equipment to her unconventional way of dealing with cancer. Since her diagnosis in 2001, Somers has used her celebrity to implore all of us to take charge of our own health. She’s the author of 25 books, including her latest, Tox-Sick: From Toxic to Not Sick.
CLIVE CUSSLER
“When I was starting out, nobody wanted to publish me because they said adventure stories would never sell. They said, ‘Don’t get your hopes up. Nothing will ever come from it.’ Well, now I’m in my 80s and nobody will let me retire! Life is about always looking for something new. When I travel, I don’t usually visit the same place twice. Go out there and keep searching for whatever you want to look for. Experiment and try new things. Do something no one else has ever done before. That’s a real adventure!”
Clive Cussler is the bestselling author or co-author of more than 60 books, and he’s one of those rare writers whose non-fiction works are just as fascinating as his fictional ones. He’s also founder of the National Underwater & Marine Agency, a nonprofit organization dedicated to American maritime and naval history. NUMA volunteers have discovered more than 60 lost, sunken ships of historic significance and turned verified artifacts over to other nonprofit agencies, universities and governments around the world.
GB EXTRA Visit GrowingBolderMagazine.com to listen to our entire Growing Bolder Radio conversations with Clive Cussler, Suzanne Somers and Annabelle Gurwitch.
6 GROWING BOLDER
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016
PHOTO OF clive cussler: Rob Greer
84
AUTHOR
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH Charles Eugster may very well be the fittest man alive over the age of 90, holding several age-group world records in Masters sports.
NEVER TOO LATE At 96, Charles Eugster is a Champ in Every Way.
PHOTO OF Charles Eugster: Terri Potocnza
BY MARC MIDDLETON
C
harles Eugster, 96, may be the fittest man alive over the age of 90. The retired dentist is, without question, the greatest athlete alive over 90. But Eugster isn’t just a nonagenarian with muscles; he’s a man on a mission. “I want to change the world,” he says. “Our perception of age is completely faulty. You can start something new at any age.” And he isn’t just saying it. He’s proving it. Eugster took up competitive rowing when he was 63, and became the World Masters Rowing Champion. But as he grew older, it became harder for him to find training partners. So, despite an occasional workout, he gained weight and lost both muscle mass and enGROWINGBOLDERMAGAZINE.COM
ergy. When he was 87, vanity got him off the couch for good. “I looked in the mirror one morning,” he recalls, “and I didn’t like what I saw. I decided to rebuild my body.” He hired a personal trainer and began lifting weights, eventually becoming a Masters bodybuilding champion. In 2014, he decided to take up running for the first time ever. “I wanted to start sprinting because I read something about high intensity interval training being good for your heart,” he says. “And I wanted to show that you can start something completely new at any age.” Mission accomplished. In March 2015, he obliterated the indoor 200-meter world record by nearly three seconds in the 95-
99-year age group — and has set two other age-group world records since then. Eugster has become an outspoken evangelist for active aging. “Old age has been reduced to suffering with chronic disease. It doesn’t have to be that way,” he insists. He offered Growing Bolder three keys to successful aging: 1. NEVER RETIRE. “Retirement is a financial disaster and a health catastrophe. We must get rid of retirement, re-educate older people so they can get new jobs and rebuild their bodies so they can start new lives.” 2. WATCH YOUR DIET. “We still have the bodies of hunter-gatherers, and the huntergatherers had enormous variety in their diet. We should continue that today, consuming naturally produced foods and avoiding manufactured and processed foods.” 3. EXERCISE. “We need to vary our training and train with more intensity. Training routines should be altered every five to six weeks, completely changed. The reason there are so many injuries in sports is because of the enormous repetition — doing the same thing over and over again. The answer to that is to cross train for multiple sports. And we have to train harder — working the muscles to exhaustion or failure.” What’s next for Eugster? More running, more weightlifting and perhaps some swimming. “When I was younger, I had an allergy to the chemical that they put in the water,” he says. “I’m thinking of having myself tested to see if I still have an allergic reaction — and if not, I may take up swimming.” Scientists and researchers can tell us what they think might be possible as we age, but it takes someone like Eugster — who has the will, the discipline and the intellectual curiosity — to actually prove that age is just a number. “Life really started getting better when I reached 90,” he says. “At the moment, I can tell you that life at 96 is fantastic, stupendous, amazing, exciting, glorious and wonderful. My God, it’s absolutely super.”
GB EXTRA Visit GrowingBolderMagazine.com to listen to our Growing Bolder Radio conversation with Dr. Charles Eugster and to meet other people who’ve discovered the power of the Fountain of Youth®. GROWING BOLDER 7