Growing Bolder

For Women’s History Month 2025, and in celebration of International Women’s Day, we continue Generations of Impact: Matriarchs Who Shaped a Profession, an ongoing series celebrating the women who have shaped the global Virtuoso network and the travel industry. These trailblazers overcame barriers, built thriving businesses, and paved the way for future generations with resilience, vision, and entrepreneurial spirit. In these videos, we honor true matriarchs whose impact continues to be felt across the industry. Here’s to the women who lead, mentor, and inspire a better future for us all. Learn more and find the full series: https://lnkd.in/gX9H9yc6 #VirtuosoTravel #SoVirtuoso #InternationalWomensDay #WomensDay

I've been asked why we put so much effort into supporting masters sports and why we're the Official Media Partner of the National Senior Games Association. Growing Bolder

What are we doing? We're changing the narrative in an effort to change the culture of aging from loss and limitation to passion, purpose and possibility. We all know the research about what's possible but most aren't motivated by research or the opinion of experts. They're motivated by the examples of ordinary people that they can relate to. Men and women who despite the challenges of aging continue to love life and find joy in every day. They're the ones, not the the experts, who are proving that growing older is is not something to be feared and regretted but celebrated and grateful for. Growing Bolder

Refuse to accept the negative stereotypes of aging. If your mind believes them – so will your body. Multiple research studies have proven that subconscious “age stereotypes” formed in our youth and reinforced daily for decades by the media and by our culture determine, to a large extent, how we age. Those with positive age stereotypes live longer, happier, healthier lives and recover more quickly and fully from injury, disease and disability. There is nothing more important that you can do for yourself and for your loved ones than to change the way you think about aging because inside that basic belief system lies the success or failure of nearly every dream and desire you might have. Growing Bolder is not about denying aging or pretending that we don’t all go through significant changes as we age. Growing Bolder is not about defeating aging and becoming ageless. We are all mortal beings. Aging, decline and ultimately death are inescapable facts of life. Just because we can’t defeat aging doesn’t mean that we have to run from it. Growing old is a good thing with the potential to be a great thing. We should all aspire to be old and to make that stage of our life as positive, meaningful, and joyful as possible. The truth and the magic is this: if you can change your attitude about age, you can change how you age. What the mind believes the body embraces. Ageism, like racism and sexism, is rooted in fear and ignorance and it threatens the future of everyone, because age is a fate only the unfortunate escape. Growing Bolder

There’s a growing fascination with longevity and with good reason. Most of us are going to be “old”, whatever that means, for a lot longer than our ancestors. While the opportunity exists to live longer than ever, there is a large and growing disconnect between lifespan and healthspan. While investment in health maintenance and disease prevention is limited, billions of research dollars are flowing into the science of longevity, or “geroscience” in an effort to “cure” aging and open the door to human immortality. These efforts include novel genetic therapies, designer drug cocktails, chemotherapeutics, cryotherapy, nanobot injections, cellular reprogramming, and young donor plasma infusions. The promise of a pill or procedure that delivers active longevity is an intoxicating thought -- especially to a mostly sedentary, overweight population suffering from multiple chronic conditions. While it’s probable that life-lengthening genetic therapies will one day be available to those who can afford them, they will not, on their own, deliver active, healthy, and adventurous lives. These advances will simply provide the opportunity to live longer. These is no pill for human connection. No one will ever age with purpose and vitality without their own active participation. Science might be the key to increasing our lifespan, but social connection and positive lifestyle modification are the keys to increasing our healthspan. What if we can live longer and die shorter? ?What if we can add 20 years to our life and dramatically reduce the period of decline at the end of it? The truth is that we already can. And we can do it without any scientific breakthroughs or genetic interventions. We’ve seen it in the dozens of active centenarians we’ve featured over the years. Men and women who were still living alone, competing in masters sports, traveling with family and friends, painting, dancing, laughing and loving. How have they done it? Lifestyle and mindset. Having a positive view of aging is a challenge in an ageist culture. We’ve been told a story of loss and limitation. We've been conditioned to believe that aging is something to be feared and regretted -- not something to be celebrated and grateful for. What the mind believes, the body embraces. Positive lifestyle modification is the key to reducing our reliance on the U.S. “sickcare system” and the key to leveraging whatever developments geroscience might produce. The potential for science and technology-based life extension is exciting but it is still decades away at best and will be outrageously expensive if and when it does arrive.?The dramatic results of positive lifestyle modification are here today and are available to all. Who is your primary care provider? You are. Who holds the key to active longevity? You do. Who should engage in positive lifestyle modification? You should.?When should you begin? Today. Growing Bolder

Saddened to learn that Harris Rosen has passed away at the age of 85. Harris was a friend and an inspiration whose bold vision and generosity transformed the lives of thousands, if not millions. His legacy is immense. If you don't know the Harris Rosen story, here it is. Growing Bolder Harris Rosen Rosen Hotels & Resorts University of Central Florida – Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Get Ready to Launch the?Growing Bolder?Club at Your Community! We’ve got everything you need to hit the ground running so you can launch this exciting life enrichment program with all of your residents. Click Here to Read the Press Release:?https://lnkd.in/eZqVUvS4

The Grand Ole Opry just celebrated its 99th birthday and, during a sold-out birthday concert, I was honored to introduce 99-year-old WWII Veteran Bill Allen to the sold out crowd who came to see performances by Katharine McPhee, Crystal Gayle, Rhett Akins, Riley Green, and Jeannie Seeley. Allen was 19 years old on D-Day and part of the Allied Forces that liberated Europe and led to the end of the war. For his example and continued service to his country, Opry presenting sponsor Humana along with Growing Bolder shared Allen’s story as part of The New 65+, a stereotype-smashing campaign that celebrates older adults who have found their own way to experience joy and live with passion and enthusiasm for life. #New65 #ActiveAging #HealthyAging #Veterans #WWII #GrowingBolder #Humana

Last week, Humana co-sponsored an inspiring event with our friends at Growing Bolder at the Grand Ole Opry, to celebrate older adults and challenge the misconceptions around aging. The New 65+ Selfie Display and Portrait Experience featured photos and stories from people across the country in their 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and beyond—who have passion, purpose, and are aging with enthusiasm. The winner of The New 65+ Selfie Photography Contest, 70-year-old Doreen Ratigan, was also announced and featured throughout the Opry’s 99th birthday-weekend events. “If I can help somebody be a better version of themselves, then I’m their biggest cheerleader,” Ratigan says. “What a gift we have to be on earth. Every day I’m grateful to be a part of this world.” #TheNew65 #ActiveAging