Guest Post

Over the past two decades in my work as a social scientist, I’ve been exploring the nature and psychology of transformative experiences in an effort to understand what they are and how they operate.

In today's fast-paced world, it's easy to feel like you're constantly treading water. With endless demands for our time and attention, it's no wonder so many of us feel like we're just on a neverending treadmill, trying to get things done with no end in sight.

After pursuing a career in fashion design in my 20s and 30s, I had the good fortune to be able to return to study psychology and aging at university. Little did I know that I would soon stumble across the work of Becca Levy, a renowned Yale Professor and author of Breaking the Age Code (becca-levy.com/the-book/). I had the great honor of being mentored by Becca for part of my PhD project, visiting with her at Yale in 2012.

Two weeks before my father died, he called my mother over to him and asked her to bring a pen and paper. She later described his state at that time as being somewhere between this world and the next.

On July 28th, in the pitch dark Amazon jungle I married myself.

The Atlantic’s recent article, The New Old Age (https://bit.ly/48fxLVd), marks a milestone for CoGenerate (formerly Encore.org), an indication of the uptake of ideas and language we’d been working to develop, implement and disseminate for more than a decade.

Luke Skywalker. Moana. Harry Potter. And now: Barbie.

Time and again, I’ve been surprised by how often my professional interests and pursuits have collided or overlapped with formative events and explorations in my personal life. For example, my personal and professional dive into the importance of life lessons and leaving a legacy.

One early morning, while at MEA in Baja (a beloved sanctuary), I jogged to Playa Cerritos and went in the ocean. I did this by myself, which, in retrospect, was not a good idea. The ocean—a dear childhood friend—was calling me. I didn’t realize how strongly.

I've always believed that one's purpose in life can often be distilled down to a series of choices we make based on the experiences we've had and the insights we've gained. For the longest stretch of my existence, I’ve lived to serve, to give, to nourish others with unwavering dedication.