Author and activist Ashton Applewhite joins Dori Mintzer to expose how ageism, more than aging itself, undermines health, purpose, and connection across the lifespan. Drawing on her book This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism and her decades of work at the forefront of the anti-ageism movement, Ashton explains how internalized, interpersonal, and structural ageism show up in everyday life and what it takes to challenge them. She also introduces YODA (Youngers and Olders Dismantling Ageism), a new initiative inviting people of different ages to come together, talk about power, and build alliances for a more just, age-inclusive world.
What We Talk About
- How Ashton first “woke up” to aging and discovered how wrong most of our assumptions about later life really are.
- What ageism is, where the term came from, and how it operates alongside racism, sexism, and ableism.
- Internalized ageism and the everyday language and beliefs that limit both “youngers” and “olders”.
- Chrono normativity and why life is not a linear timeline with fixed ages for work, family, and retirement.
- Why the U.S. is highly age-segregated and how mixed-age relationships reduce prejudice and enrich everyone’s lives.
- The origins of Old School: The Anti-Ageism Clearinghouse and its evolution into the Old School Hub.
- YODA: what Youngers and Olders Dismantling Ageism is, why it centers conversations about power, and how anyone can try it in their community, workplace, or family.
- Practical ways to respond to ageist comments, question generational stereotypes, and design more inter-age programs and communities.
About the Guest: Ashton Applewhite
Ashton Applewhite is an internationally recognized expert on ageism and the author of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism. She is the co-founder of Old School, a global hub that curates free, anti-ageism resources and convenes people working to advance age equity around the world.
Ashton speaks widely at venues including the United Nations and the TED main stage, and has been a leading voice in making age a recognized dimension of diversity. In 2022, the United Nations named her one of the “Healthy Aging 50,” honoring 50 leaders transforming the world to be a better place to grow older.
Connect with Ashton Applewhite
- Website: This Chair Rocks
- Book: This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism
- LinkedIn: Ashton Applewhite
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