🏠 Small home fixes can bring big peace of mind. Dan DiClerico, Home Improvement and Outdoor Director at the Good Housekeeping Institute, returns to The Not Old Better Show with practical advice for making home life safer, brighter, and easier. We talk no-electrician kitchen lighting, including under-cabinet upgrades, simple mosquito protection without a science lecture, indoor air quality basics, and smart water leak detectors that can warn you before a small leak becomes a costly mess. For adults 60+, this is about comfort, confidence, and staying ahead of problems at home. 🎙️ Listen to the full conversation on The Not Old Better Show.

Still in the Groove: Martha Reeves Keeps Searching 🎙️ What does a life of creative longevity sound like? In Martha Reeves' case, it still has plenty of rhythm, purpose and joy. 💃🏾🎶 Martha Reeves has spent more than six decades giving people reasons to dance. Her voice powered Motown landmarks like "Dancing in the Street," "Heat Wave," "Jimmy Mack," and "Nowhere to Run," songs that still spill from radios and playlists with enough spark to lift a room. Now, as she approaches her 85th birthday, Reeves isn't interested in nostalgia. She's still chasing the next song. "The word retirement doesn't mean a thing to me," she says with a laugh. That outlook fuels Searching, her first new album in 22 years. Recorded in New Orleans and co-produced by acclaimed trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis and her longtime manager Chris Roe, the project blends Motown soul with jazz, blues, gospel, and rhythm and blues. Rather than revisiting old triumphs, Reeves sounds energized by fresh collaborators and a new musical setting. Ask her about the recording sessions and she laughs before finishing the first sentence, as if she's still standing in the middle of them. "It was a magic carpet ride," she says. "The collection of musicians, the place, the studio—it was just beautiful." Players arrived from Cuba, New York, Alabama, Georgia, and beyond, gathering in New Orleans to build a sound that lets Motown shake hands with the Big Easy. Horns rise in bright bursts, the rhythm section settles deep into the beat, and Reeves' unmistakable voice ties it all together with warmth that hasn't faded. She lights up when talking about Marsalis, recalling the quiet authority he brought to the sessions. "He was very, very serious," she says. "Anything he said he was going to do, he did it." Having watched legendary producers at work during her Motown years, Reeves knows disciplined musicianship when she sees it. She remembers watching Marsalis conduct the horn section and seeing the respect he commanded from every player in the room. "To see Delfeayo work with those horns and the magic that happened with these arrangements—I can't wait for people to hear it." The experience also gave Reeves something she deeply appreciated: a genuine creative voice.
"I was asked my opinion. I was asked to add lyrics or add songs that I had written," she says. "It's like I've graduated."

Right now, inside your body, cells are dividing. Each time they divide, they must copy an enormous instruction manual: your DNA. Most copies are remarkably accurate. Some acquire changes. We tend to think of DNA as fixed. You receive it from your parents, carry it through life, and perhaps pass part of it to your children. But scientists are finding that inheritance is only the opening chapter. As we grow older, our cells collect mutations. Sunlight can leave its mark on skin cells. Tobacco smoke can alter cells in the lungs. Inflammation, infection, copying errors, environmental exposures, and simple chance can all play a part. Most of those changes may never matter. Some help our immune system recognize new threats. A few give one population of cells an advantage over its neighbors. And some are associated with cancer, cardiovascular disease, or other health risks. That means the cells in your body do not all carry precisely the same genetic story. For those of us in our 60s, 70s, 80s, and beyond, this raises a fascinating question: How much of our health is inherited, and how much continues to be written as we live? Our guest is award-winning science journalist and Smithsonian Associate Roxanne Khamsi. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, WIRED, The Economist, and other leading publications. Her new book is Beyond Inheritance: Our Ever-Mutating Cells and a New Understanding of Health. Roxanne Khamsi, welcome to The Not Old Better Show.

👔 The most powerful costume may be the one we stopped noticing. In Suitable: The Sartorial Revolution and the Fashioning of Modern Men, fashion historian and former Broadway costume designer Chloe Chapin follows an extraordinary transformation. Men moved from colorful coats, patterned waistcoats, and elaborate display to the plain, dark suit. That change carried political meaning. During the early American republic, restrained clothing came to represent democracy, rationality, masculinity, seriousness, and public authority. Plainness became a choice that looked increasingly natural. Chapin also asks us to consider the cost. As men presented themselves as standing outside fashion, fashion became more closely associated with women, frivolity, and cultural unseriousness. Around the world, the Western suit also displaced traditional forms of male dress. Our Smithsonian Associates Interview Series conversation ranges from George Washington's badly fitting trousers to cotton technology, domestic manufacturing, race, gender, and the visual signals we still use to decide who looks credible. 🎙️ Listen to The Not Old Better Show and ask yourself: Why does power still dress in dark wool? #TheNotOldBetterShow #SmithsonianAssociates #ChloeChapin #Suitable #FashionHistory #AmericanHistory #Democracy #Menswear #CulturalHistory

🦬 Before highways, subdivisions and shopping centers, the American East belonged to giants. Bison moved through Indiana and Illinois. Elk ranged across Appalachia. Wolves and cougars lived in forests we now consider entirely human territory. Then they disappeared. Now, some are returning. 🌲 But recovery gets complicated when an elk crosses a highway, a bison needs a fence or a wolf appears near someone's home. Environmental writer Andrew Moore joins me to discuss his fascinating new book, The Beasts of the East: The Fall and Rise of America's Eastern Wilderness. 🎙️ How much land, control and comfort are we willing to give up to make room for something truly wild? Listen to The Not Old Better Show.

🌲🧭 Some lives begin again at the trailhead. On this episode of The Not Old Better Show, I speak with Melanie Radzicki McManus, author of Thousand-Miler: Adventures Hiking the Ice Age Trail. Melanie hiked 1,100 miles across Wisconsin in 36 days, moving through forests 🌲, prairies 🌾, wetlands 💧, farms 🚜, glacial landscapes 🪨🧊, and small-town gathering places 🤝. The mileage is impressive. The message is even better: there is no one way to hike. You can section hike. Use a shuttle. Stay in a motel. Walk with friends. Start small. Begin safely. 👣 For adults 60+, that is a powerful model for healthy aging: adapt without apology, stay curious, keep moving, and let the outdoors reconnect you to people, place, and purpose. 💪🌅✨ We talk about women in the outdoors, trail community, ambition after midlife, and the adventure still ahead. 🎙️📚 🎧 Listen now at notold-better.com
#NotOldBetter #ThousandMiler #IceAgeTrail #HealthyAging #ActiveAging #WomenOutdoors #PurposefulLiving #Hiking #OutdoorLife

Working for the Common Good: The People Behind America's Smithsonian The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series 🏛️ What if one of America's greatest career opportunities is hiding inside a museum? 🤔 Discover the people, purpose, and passion behind the Smithsonian with Fredie Adelman. 🎙️ Listen now! 🇺🇸✨ #Smithsonian #America250 🏛️ What if museums are some of the most innovative workplaces in America? Most of us think of museums as places to visit. But they're also places where scientists, engineers, educators, conservators, veterinarians, cybersecurity experts, communicators, and researchers work every day to improve our understanding of the world. 🌎🔬 🎙️ In this fascinating episode of The Not Old Better Show, Fredie Adelman of Smithsonian Associates takes us behind the scenes of America's Smithsonian as our nation marks its 250th anniversary. ✨ Discover hidden careers. 🤖 Learn how AI is changing museum work. 🦖 Explore groundbreaking research. ❤️ Hear how thousands of people work for the common good. This conversation may change forever the way you think about museums. 🎧 Listen today at notold-better.com Important links and resources from Fredie Adelman: For people who are interested in the work of museums around the world: International Council of Museums (ICOM) and in the US, the American Alliance of Museums – they're responsible for an annual survey of museum-goers and learned that 60% of visitors believe that all museums support emotional well-being; 69% of museum-goers think museums provide intellectual stimulation and support cognitive health,  and 9 out of 10 visitors think that museums help them feel more connected to others, half of those responded that they feel stronger connections to other cultures and half feel more connected to nature. These results are from surveys conducted by Wilkening Consulting. We've also learned that museums rank among the top 3 most trusted institutions in a survey with ten options and 1 out of 3 US adults think that museums are non-partisan / neutral sources of information. As for Smithsonian specific info; here are a few links: Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Smithsonian Affiliations, Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) , and Museum on Main Street and of course Smithsonian Associates. Here too are some resources about the Lincoln watch story and the Sutter's Mill gold nugget. As for beekeeping, I should have fact-checked b/c it seems that the 'Insect Zoo' at the Natural History Museum is undergoing transformation and will re-open in the spring, so here's an article about bee collections. Finally, should anyone be interested in following up about internships, there's here's a link to the Office of Academic Appointments and Internships and for fun, here's the link to tiger nutritionist and an article about the current veterinary nutritionist.  #Smithsonian #America250 #Museums #Curiosity #LifelongLearning #Innovation #HealthyAging #Podcast

👂🫀 Is your body trying to tell you something? 🤔 Bestselling author, Smithsonian Associate & physician Dr. Giulia Enders reveals what science says about listening to your body for better health, strength, and longevity. 🎧✨ Your Body Is Talking. Are You Listening? The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series 🫀 We spend a lot of time asking what's new in health. 🤔 Maybe the better question is… what has our body been trying to tell us all along? That question became the foundation of one of my favorite recent conversations on The Not Old Better Show with physician and bestselling author, Smithsonian Associate Dr. Giulia Enders, author of the new book, Organ Speak, Available from Apple Books. 📚 We talked about muscles as an active organ, why recovery is part of exercise rather than a break from it, how the immune system responds to stress, and why the strongest evidence for healthy aging still points toward remarkably simple habits. 💪😴🥗 Walk more. Sleep well. Preserve muscle. Recover. Stay socially connected. These ideas aren't trendy. They're supported by decades of research, and scientists continue learning more about why they matter. If you're interested in practical, evidence-based conversations about healthy aging, resilience, and living well after 60, I hope you'll join us. 🎧 I'd enjoy hearing your thoughts after you listen. #HealthyAging #Longevity #Science #Leadership #PreventiveHealth #Podcast #Wellness #AgingWell #SmithsonianAssociates For more information, please check out:  https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/listening-to-our-bodies

Fitness Freedom: Exercising While Traveling or On the Go, Episode 2 The Not Old Better, American Council on Exercise (ACE) Live Long Better Interview Series Travel is an obstacle course with coffee. ☕✈️ Dr. Sabrena Jo shares how adults 60+ can stay mobile in airports, hotels, cars, and real life. #FitnessFreedom   Travel has a way of telling the truth about our bodies. ✈️ The airport is not just an airport. It is an obstacle course with coffee: long corridors, heavy bags, tiny seats, rental cars, hotel beds, unfamiliar chairs, and the occasional gate change that feels suspiciously like interval training. In this upcoming American Council on Exercise Live Long Better conversation, I'll talk with Dr. Sabrena Jo about fitness freedom while traveling or on the go. This is not about turning vacation into boot camp. It is about staying connected to movement when routine disappears. We'll cover hotel-room workouts, bodyweight exercises, travel-friendly tools, and smart strategies for adults 60+ who want to keep moving through airports, road trips, family visits, conferences, and everyday life away from home. The best fitness plan is not the one that only works when everything is convenient. The best one travels. 🧳💪 🎧 Coming July 2026 on The Not Old Better Show. #TravelFitness #HealthyAging #LiveLongBetter #FitnessOver60 #NotOldBetter #MovementMatters