S1E87 - Maddy Dychtwald - Women Are Different Than Men!
Author and global futurist Maddy Dychtwald joined us for a wide-ranging deep dive into the subject of her latest best-selling book on the topic of women and aging. We began with her discussing her reasons for writing the book, her work with cutting edge researchers, her erasing of personal hip pain and the longevity revolution. She clarified her objective of not trying to retain youth versus discovering ways to prevent or delay physical or brain decline. We delved into gender differences and the historical gender biases in the health care system beyond reproductive health. A question followed on ultra processed foods which, Maddy argued "should be kept out of the pantry," followed by a caveat from the host about lingering uncertainties. Problems of ageism, discrimination of women in the workplace, loss and loneliness were also addressed as were factors to offset all of those – especially sense of purpose and social connections, family and pets. We then addressed commercial and demographic changes and the thirty trillion dollars women stand to inherit though we also touched on women's poverty in the U.S. and the developing world. We spoke of the effect of sugar, alcohol and the importance of lifelong learning and financial agency, proper hours of circadian sleep and a positive attitude. We focused on spirituality, meditation and sex, including the role of orgasms, and wound-up discussing hormone replacement and what is singularly most important for women's health. We even heard a bit about Maddy Dychtwald's youthful career as an actor. An illuminating, spirited and lively hour!
Biography
Recognized by Forbes as one of the top fifty female futurists globally, for nearly 40 years, Maddy Dychtwald has been deeply involved in exploring all aspects of the age wave and how it’s fundamentally transforming our lives and the world at-large. This has led her to become an award-winning author, acclaimed public speaker, and thought leader on longevity and aging, health, wellness, and the new retirement.
Maddy co-founded Age Wave, the world’s leader in understanding and addressing the far-reaching impacts of longevity and our aging population. The Age Wave team has worked with more than half of the Fortune 500 in industries ranging from healthcare and medical technology to financial services and consumer products.
With women at the forefront of the longevity revolution, Maddy has dug deep into their specific longevity-related wants, needs, challenges and opportunities. As a researcher and social scientist, she has led numerous acclaimed studies, including the landmark Women, Money and Power sponsored by Allianz and Women and Financial Wellness: Beyond the Bottom Line for Bank of America Merrill Lynch. In addition, she has been involved in more than 25 thought leadership research studies worldwide on longevity, aging, retirement, health and wellness, family and social connections, purpose, caregiving, finances, and leisure, which have cumulatively garnered more than twenty billion media impressions. As a blogger and member of The Wall Street Journal’s Expert Panel, Maddy’s posts on leadership, wealth management, and financial planning have topped the most-read lists. Her insights and research have been featured in prominent media outlets, including Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes, Newsweek, Time, Fox Business News, CNBC, and NPR.
Maddy has written four books, including the award-winning Cycles: How We Will Live, Work, and Buy, Influence: How Women’s Soaring Economic Power Will Transform Our World for the Better, and the children’s/young readers’ book Gideon’s Dream: A Tale of New Beginnings. Her newest book, Ageless Aging: A Woman’s Guide to Increasing Healthspan, Brainspan, and Lifespan, was an instant national bestseller and provides an insider’s guide to living better longer, covering everything from fitness and nutrition to hormones and ageism, from sleep to purpose, from navigating the healthcare system to the role of finances.
Over the years, Maddy has herself become part of the age wave and has experimented personally with how to increase her own healthspan, brainspan, and lifespan. She is a co-founder of the non-profit Women Against Alzheimer’s and serves as a board member of the non-profit BrightFocus Foundation, which funds cutting-edge research to cure diseases of the brain and eye. She is also a lead partner for Portfolia in the Active Aging and Longevity 2 Fund.
Maddy and her husband Ken were awarded the prestigious Esalen Prize for their outstanding contributions to advancing the human potential of long-lived men and women worldwide. An empty-nester, she is highly involved with her adult children and her granddog.
Conversation recorded on June 21, 2024.