Can relationships actually get better as we get older? Dr. Barry Jacobs and Dr. Julia Mayer have a well-earned opinion. They're both clinical psychologists, they've been married almost 36 years, and they've now co-authored five books together, including AARP Love and Meaning After 50: The 10 Challenges to Great Relationships and How to Overcome Them.

In this conversation with host Andrea Nunez, they get into the challenges that reliably show up after 50, from the empty nest to retirement to shifting health, and why so many of them come down to conversations couples avoid having. They also make a serious case that social isolation is a health issue, not just a sad one, and offer genuinely practical advice for building new friendships later in life.

Along the way: the 20-second hug, the gratitude journal, why introverts do fine at a senior center, why men often have a harder time after leaving work, and what happens when you just show up to the knitting club without knowing how to knit.

Age Against the Machine challenges the narrative of getting older through honest conversations with members, community voices, and local experts.

Learn more about Barry and Julia's work at caregiveranswerbook.com

0:00 Welcome to Age Against the Machine
1:25 Meet Joan: a line dancing class that became so much more
3:03 Meet Steve: finding company after loss
5:28 Meet Eileen: an artist who wandered in and stayed
7:54 What does "acting your age" even mean?
10:53 "Do you act your age?" Three honest answers
13:10 Steve's bike and the freedom it gave a kid from North Philly
16:06 "Motion is lotion": what keeps them moving
17:42 Joan's lifetime of sport, and building family wherever she landed
20:58 Learning new things to keep the brain young
23:04 Eileen: from competitive swimming to ballroom to the Flower Show
24:16 Why staying active is really about staying connected
25:23 "Have you ever heard of an artist who retired?"
26:51 Their advice: don't stop in the middle of your life
27:47 Staying motivated on the hard days
30:36 Should age define what we can and can't do?
32:42 "I'm my own CEO now"
33:28 Disrupting the narrative: you're writing the book
35:00 Come join us