Aging Untold: Midlife can be a season of self-discovery rather than a crisis
(Aging Untold) — On this episode of Aging Untold, we discuss how major transitions can spark a second bloom by redefining midlife as a season of self-discovery rather than a crisis.
We also examine the new rules of healthy aging that doctors recommend to help you stay strong and proactive.
Plus, we share the story of a former inmate who returns to prison to help incarcerated women rebuild their self-worth through fitness.
Midlife can be a season of self-discovery rather than a crisis
Major life transitions, such as retirement, having an empty nest and health changes can bring about a second bloom rather than a midlife or later-life crisis.
It can be a time of growth or a second bloom.
Amy O’Rourke, an aging expert, said she has been through that transition.
“It’s very freeing. But I’ll also tell you that people in my circle have had to adjust a little bit to some of the changes in me,” O’Rourke said.
Breaking down new rules for healthy aging
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The old idea that aging brings inevitable decline is outdated, according to doctors at Oak Street Health. They say people can take a proactive approach to how they age.
Dr. Ahmed Mohiuddin, of Oak Street Health, said, ‘The new rules are that we should be proactive, that there’s a lot of things that we can do that really have us age with grace and have us live really fulfilling lives, regardless of the decade that we’re in.”
Libraries see more book checkouts after districts ban cell phones
In Louisville, Kentucky, students at one high school are checking out more books than the librarians have seen before.
And this surge coincides with a districtwide cell phone ban that took effect at the start of the 2025 school year.
Librarian Erin Reed said the school checked out more books in the first three months of the school year than in all of the previous year. She also said students are more social in the library.
Former inmate leads weekly fitness program at women’s prison
A former inmate returns to the prison she was released from to lead a fitness class every week for women incarcerated there.
Kristin Kline created the program, which is called Convicted Comeback. She said fitness saved her life.
Now she is bringing fitness to the prison where she said she “lost everything.’”
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