Week 1!

Hello & Welcome

This is our very FIRST 12 WEEK CHALLENGE newsletter, and we’re so happy you’ve got your eyes on it!

This is a HUGE week for us - we’re all set to launch The Aging Project Podcast and share everything we’ve learned so far so that we can all age well, together.

On the podcast this week

"We can be healthy, vital, active and joyful IF we believe we are

worth the DAILY investment in our mobility" – DR. VONDA WRIGHT

We’ve all heard the old saying, ‘move it or lose it’, and according to Dr. Vonda Wright - acclaimed orthopedic surgeon and author of ‘Fitness after 40’ -  it rings especially true as we age.

Join Shelley as she chats to Dr. Vonda about the importance of investing in our mobility in order to age well, and the simple changes we can make to ensure we’re moving and grooving with ease and strength all the way into our old age.

 This week’s truth bombs:

• Only 14% of Australian women move their bodies enough to meet muscle strengthening guidelines (source: AIHW, The Health of Australian Females Report)
• By NOT moving your body enough, you increase your risk of 33 chronic diseases.

The Aging Project Team Challenge!

The Aging Project was never meant to be a casual relationship. Listening and learning is great, but it’s the commitment to DOING that will help us age well and keep us fabulous! So, alongside the weekly podcast, we’ll be setting small weekly challenges for us all to do together – because it’s the little, maintainable changes that will make the biggest difference, and making them together is more fun than going solo!

THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE:

• Listen to Episode #1 of The Aging Project podcast 
• MOVE that body each day this week (and all the weeks after it too!)
• You might dance, go for a walk, do a home-workout or a yoga session – whatever brings you joy!
• Start from where you are, not where you want to be. Keep it doable!
• Are you taking up this week’s challenge? We’d love to see how you’re moving that amazing body of yours! Tag us in your social media posts - @theagingproject -  to inspire and motivate others to join you!

What we’re loving this week:

If you can find seven minutes a day to get that booty moving, we’ve got the app for you!

We’ve been loving Seven: Home Workout & Exercise, a collection of easy seven-minute workouts that you can do pretty much anywhere.

It’s been a great way to get some movement into our days, and we think you’ll love it too!

Check it out at https://invite.seven.app/rEqt, or just look it up in the App Store.

PSST! Spread the word!

We don’t know about you, but we want our girlfriends around for as long as possible, so we’re taking them all along for The Aging Project ride with us!

Tell your friends and encourage them to sign up to the newsletter and tune into the podcast so you can all age well together! They’ll get the FREE recipe book, the newsletters, and a tonne of inspiration from the world’s leading experts in aging well.

Hello ladies!

You’re probably wondering what I’m doing in your inbox so early in the week, but I’m just so excited to tell you this news that I can’t wait for the Sunday newsletter!

It’s competition time!

Hands up if you watched Nine Perfect Strangers and spent half the time swooning over the absolutely INCREDIBLE retreat the characters were staying at. Well, I sure did – so you can imagine how excited I am to tell you that one of YOU is going there for a three-night stay!

And, as they say on daytime TV, that’s not all!

But before I get to the absolutely mind-blowing prize package on offer, let me tell you why we’ve gone to such lengths to reward you for joining us for The Aging Project challenge.

We want to reward someone in our beautiful community whose life and aging journey has been positively impacted by our podcast and challenge series, because that’s why we started this whole thing in the first place – to improve the lives of women.

Perhaps The Aging Project has inspired you to start moving more, make some healthy (and delicious!) changes to your diet, stress less through meditation, or find ways of connecting – whatever it is, we’re so proud to have been a small part of you making your life even more wonderful.

Ok, enough chat, I know you’re dying to see what’s up for grabs! Feast your eyes on this prize ladies!

 One lucky winner will be spoilt rotten with the prizes below worth over $4,350!

Meditation and detox retreat hosted by Mana Yoga Retreats at the breathtaking SOMA Byron, worth $3200. Stay at the incredible retreat featured in Nine Perfect Strangers, and be guided by Patty Perlman, the owner and senior teacher of Mana Yoga Retreats.

https://www.manayogaretreats.com/products/meditation-detox-retreat

2. VITAMIX E310 Explorian Blender worth $649 – the ultimate kitchen tool for making all your fabulous, healthy and delicious meals.

https://www.vitamixaustralia.com.au/collections/allblenders/products/explorian%E2%84%A2-e310

3. LORNA JANE voucher worth $500 - get moving in some stylish new workout gear!

https://www.lornajane.com.au

4. Get Featured on THE AGING PROJECT PODCAST (optional for the WINNER)

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-aging-project-season-1/id1594730065

We know each and every one of you has a story to tell, and we’d love to hear and share it on The Aging Project PODCAST with Shelley!   

SO, WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO BE IN THE RUNNING?

• Be an ACTIVE member in our community by tagging us on Insta or            facebook each week to share how you’re taking up the weekly challenges. 
• At the end of the 12-week challenge, email us at [email protected] with YOUR ‘aging well’ story in 200 words or less. We want to hear about how The Aging Project podcast has helped you, and how the 12-week challenge has positively changed the way you’re approaching aging. Include your Instagram or Facebook handle details in your email so we can find your tags!

WHO CAN ENTER?

• Members of The Aging Project community who have signed up to our newsletter and are undertaking our 12-week challenge
• Australian residents only
• Over 18 years of age 

IMPORTANT DATES AND NOTIFICATIONS

• All email submissions due by midnight, Sunday 27th March
• TOP 5 short-listed entries will be announced on social media on Sunday 3rd April. 
• The lucky winner will be announced by Shelley Craft on Sunday 10th April on SOCIAL MEDIA (and via email)

EXCITED? WE ARE TOO!

To make sure your entry is the best it can be, we recommend journalling your experiences over the course of the challenge so you don’t forget anything when it comes time to write your entry.

Remember that at the end of the day, even though there will only be one prize winner, we’ll all be winners after committing twelve weeks to learning, empowering ourselves, and making small but powerful changes to our lifestyles to ensure that we all age well. Let’s do this. TOGETHER.

GOOD LUCK!

Week 2!

Welcome to Week two!

Wow – what a first week! Last Monday our first podcast episode aired and the response has been amazing. We’ve loved getting your messages and feedback about Shelley’s great chat with Dr. Vonda Wright, and we’ve especially loved hearing about all the ways you’ve gotten your bodies moving this week!

Episode #2 is ready for you to tune into, and we can’t wait to share it with you.

Each week we’ll be building on our knowledge, and making more small changes to our day-to-day routines to set ourselves up to age well. It’s not about being perfect or making sweeping, unsustainable changes. It’s about being empowered with the knowledge we need to make great choices for ourselves, and creating small, doable shifts in our lifestyles to ensure we have the long, healthy, fulfilled lived we all deserve!

So, spread the word and get your partners and friends on board with us – The Aging Project is for everyone!

On the podcast this week:

‘Genes account for 20% of our health outcome. The environment and how we navigate through life accounts for 80% which means we have far more control than most of us think or have been led to believe’

– SIMON HILL, PLANT PROOF 

Simon Hill is passionate about food, and after hearing his chat with Shelley, we guarantee you’ll be thinking about it long after the podcast is over – we sure were!

In Episode 2 of The Aging Project podcast, Simon talks about the power of our food choices to help us avoid ill-health, to improve our genetic bio-markers for disease, and to age well. And the best bit? Turns out what’s good for us is good for the planet too.

This week’s truth bomb:

• Less than 10% of Australian women are meeting the fruit and vegetable intake guidelines (Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - AIHW)

The Aging Project team challenge!

The Aging Project was never meant to be a casual relationship. Listening and learning is great, but it’s the commitment to DOING that will help us age well and keep us fabulous! So, alongside the weekly podcast, we’ll be setting small weekly challenges for us all to do together – because it’s the little, maintainable changes that will make the biggest difference, and making them together is more fun than going solo!

THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE:

• Listen to Episode #2 of The Aging Project podcast
• Let’s eat! Plan ahead for a plant-based meal or two (or more if you’re into it!) this week.
• Check out The Aging Project recipe book for some inspiration (scroll down for link)
• Start simple, and make something that you think you’ll really love eating. Food is pleasure!
• Are you taking up this week’s challenge? We’d love to see what you’re whipping up in the kitchen! Tag us - @theagingproject – on your socials and share photos of your plant-based meals, and the recipes that have helped you make a small shift towards aging well this week!

What we’re loving this week:

This week (and, let’s face it, every week) we’re loving The Aging Project’s FREE Season 1 Recipe Book which includes a delicious and healthy recipe from each of our Season 1 guests.  

You can access it here: Recipe Book

You Asked, We Listened!

If you missed any of our previous emails, or you just can't find them catch up here:

Let's Age Well Together 12 Week Challenge

A HUGE PRIZE PACKAGE IS COMING..

We are putting together an AMAZING prize package worth $3,000 for our challenge winner. We are finalising the details and plan to launch this later in the week. Stay tuned. All details to be announced via email. 

 PSST! Spread the word!

We don’t know about you, but we want our loved ones and girlfriends around for as long as possible. 

So, please tell your friends and encourage them to sign up to the newsletter and tune into the podcast so you can all age well together! They’ll get the FREE recipe book, the newsletters, and a tonne of inspiration from the world’s leading experts in aging well.

Week 3!

Time flies when you’re having fun

Week three is here already!

Welcome back ladies!  Thank you so much for being part of our growing community. We now have over 2600 women signed up to The Aging Project newsletter and challenge, all with the common goal of learning how to age well together – and we’re pretty proud of that!

We’ve been loving receiving so many comments on our social media since the podcast launched two weeks ago - it really feels like we have the potential to grow into a community that can make a real impact on the way women approach getting older, and that’s something to smile about! 

We hope that last week’s episode with Simon Hill was inspiring for you, and that you’ve been having fun in the kitchen whipping up some healthy and delicious meals to nourish that amazing body of yours. Episode #3 is ready, and we’re so excited to introduce you to the wonderful Marta Zaraska.

On the podcast this week:

‘Social connection is one of the most important things you can do for your health, and science shows that it may be even more important than diet and exercise, or at least important as diet and exercise’

– MARTA ZARASKA, science journalist and author

Marta Zaraska is a science journalist and author of ‘Growing Younger – how friendship, kindness and optimism can help you live to 100.’ 

In Episode 3 of The Aging Project podcast, Marta chats to Shelley about how social connection, kindness and optimism will help us age well.

This week’s truth bomb:

• 1 in 4 Australian adults are lonely, and 1 in 2 Australians say they feel lonely at least 1 day a week (Source: Feros Care)

The Aging Project team challenge!

The Aging Project was never meant to be a casual relationship. Listening and learning is great, but it’s the commitment to DOING that will help us age well and keep us fabulous! So, alongside the weekly podcast, we’ll be setting small weekly challenges for us all to do together – because it’s the little, maintainable changes that will make the biggest difference, and making them together is more fun than going solo!

THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE:

•  Listen to Episode #3 of The Aging Project podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-aging-project-season-1/id1594730065
• Kindness Challenge: Your mission is to commit a random act of kindness! Even the smallest of kind acts can make a huge impact! 
• Optimism Challenge: Optimism is like a muscle we all need to work on building, so every morning when you wake up this week, before you even open your eyes, say something optimistic to yourself. It could be something as simple as ‘this is going to be a great day!’ You’ll be surprised by the difference it makes to your mindset!
• Connection Challenge: Call a friend or family member you haven’t reached out to for a while.
• Remember to put your phone away with your friends and family. Leave it in your handbag!
• Keep moving and making nourishing food choices – let’s keep week’s one and two rolling!

Challenge Competition!

You should have received an email earlier this week telling you all about the incredible prize we have up for grabs for one of our amazing challenge participants. If you haven’t read it yet, let’s just say that the winner will be heading off to SOMA – the same retreat where Nicole Kidman’s Nine Perfect Strangers was filmed! And, believe it or not, that’s only part of the prize. Keep your eyes on our socials for more info in the weeks leading up to the close of competition on March 27th. 

What we’re loving this week

This week we’re loving ‘Be Someone, For Someone’ – a wonderful program created by Feros Care to solve the growing problem of loneliness. 

The program offers support to those in our community who feel lonely and who don’t have family and friends to reach out to, while also giving people the opportunity to volunteer and support those who feel lonely. 

You can check it out at  https://besomeoneforsomeone.org

You Asked, We Listened!

If you missed any of our previous emails, or you just can't find them catch up here:

Let's Age Well Together 12 Week Challenge

We would LOVE your review of our podcast!

We’re new on the podcast scene, so reviews are important for us to get some exposure and hopefully wind up with a spot on the ‘new and noteworthy’ list! Head over to iTunes to leave a short review. And thank you!

PSST! Spread the word!

We now have more than 2600 women signed up for our 12-week ‘Let’s age well together’ challenge series! We would love to impact even more women, so please keep helping to spread the word and encouraging friends and family to join us.

Week 4!

Welcome to week four! Get comfy, we’re about to slow things right down…

Welcome to week 4 ladies!  If you’ve just joined us – WELCOME, we’re so happy you’re here. If you’ve been with us from the start, welcome back and thank you for helping to make this aging well mission of ours come to fruition! We’re really gaining momentum now and the possibilities for the future seem endless – and very exciting!

We hope that last week’s episode with Marta Zaraska inspired you to spread some kindness, reconnect with those around you, and lean in to optimism! Episode #4 is ready now, and we can’t wait to introduce you to Elise Catchlove, and the incredible power of meditation.

Did you know that stress has a huge negative impact on the way we age? So it makes sense that if we want to age well, we need to find ways to manage our stress and diminish its impact on our minds and bodies as we get older.

Meditation is a proven way to dial down the toxic stress held in our bodies, but research shows that a committed meditation practice can do more than that - it may actually slow down the rate at which our cells age. Yes please!

                            On the podcast this week:

‘We meditate to get good at life, not to get good at meditation’

– ELISE CATCHLOVE, founder of Brisbane’s first Vedic meditation school, By Catchlove

With a background in fashion, Elise Catchlove was once living a life ruled by her anxiety – but learning to meditate changed all that, and today she is a qualified Vedic meditation teacher, and the founder of By Catchlove, a renowned meditation school based in Brisbane.

In episode four of The Aging Project podcast, Elise chats to Shelley about how meditation can change your life, and help you age better.

This week’s truth bomb:

• 2,709,500, or 22.3% of Australian women reported mental or behavioural conditions including depression and anxiety (Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2017-2018)

‘LET’S AGE WELL TOGETHER’ CHALLENGE SERIES

This week’s challenge:

• Listen to Episode #4 of The Aging Project podcast at https://www.theagingproject.com.au/s01e04
• Get meditating! Start with five minutes a day, for the next seven days. Take notice of the way it makes you feel, and the way it changes your mindset. Use an app if it’s helpful, or just find a place and time that works for you each day to connect to your breath and let your mind and body slow down.
• Keep moving your body (when you’re not meditating that is!), making nourishing food choices, and spreading kindness – let’s keep our first three weeks of learning alive and make them lifelong habits!

Challenge Competition!

By now you will have read our email about the incredible prize we have up for grabs at the end of the 12-week Let’s Age Well Together challenge series. If you haven’t gotten to it yet, I can assure you it’s worth a read! The winner will be heading off to Soma Byron – the same breathtaking retreat where Nicole Kidman’s Nine Perfect Strangers was filmed!

And that’s only part of the prize – the winner will also be the proud owner of a brand spanking new Vitamix worth $649, and a Lorna Jane voucher worth $500! They’ll also be invited to chat to Shelley on The Aging Project podcast as a guest of honour, but that’s totally optional.

Keep your eyes on our socials for more information in the weeks leading up to the close of competition on March 27th.

What we’re loving this week

This week we’re absolutely loving anything that helps us get our meditation on! The Meditation Minis podcast is fantastic – tune in for free 10-minute meditations, perfect for those of us new to meditation.

Check it out here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/meditation-minis-podcast/id963597166

We would LOVE your review of our podcast!

We’re still pretty new on the podcast scene, so reviews are important for us to get some exposure and hopefully wind up with a spot on the ‘new and noteworthy’ list! Head over to iTunes to leave a short review. Thank you!

PSST! Spread the word!

We’re thrilled that more and more women are joining us each week - we now have more than 2700 women signed up for our 12-week ‘Let’s age well together’ challenge series! We would love to grow our community even more, so please keep spreading the word and encouraging friends and family to join us. 

g well.

Week 5!

Week five is here! And it’s time to talk all things STYLE (with a whole lot of substance too)

What?! Week five already? These past few weeks have flown, and we’re loving getting to know our amazing community on our socials! What a ride it’s been so far!

We hope that after last week’s episode with Elise Catchlove you’ve been able to find some time and space for meditation. We’d love to hear how you’ve been going with it, so drop us a DM and tell us all about it!

Episode #5 is ready for you to listen to, and we’re so excited to introduce you to the wonderful Wendy Euler, as we turn our minds to the ways fashion and finding our personal style can help us age well.

We think Wendy, who’s the powerhouse behind Goodbye Crop Top, is the perfect person to talk about this. She’s passionate about fashion and what it can do for women as they age, and she’s even more passionate about making sure that 50+ women are positively represented in the media – and we are ALL for that!

On the podcast this week:

‘Fashion has always come so easy so it’s been hard for me to see that it’s such a struggle for people - but now I REALLY see it. It’s very real. Especially as we are aging and our bodies are changing. You have to roll with it and you have to figure out what works for you’

- WENDY EULER, founder of Goodbye Crop Top

 This week, Shelley meets Wendy Euler. Who’s Wendy Euler? Wendy has amassed an enormous social media following through her Instagram account, ‘Goodbye Crop Top’, through which she champions the importance of fashion and style for women as they age.

We chose Wendy because she’s so likeable, cool, and full of advice. She’s a straight shooting, no-BS, strong woman - which we LOVE. 

 Wendy and Shelley chat about comparison, bravery, friendship, tragedy, reinvention, style, fashion, wellness, getting back to basics, and life. 

 This is a conversation you won’t want to miss.  

This week’s truth bomb:

• The way we shop matters, and today's purchases impact climate change tomorrow. On its current trajectory, the fashion industry could be responsible for more than 26% of the world’s carbon emissions by 2050 (Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation)

‘LET’S AGE WELL TOGETHER’ CHALLENGE SERIES

This week’s challenge:

• Listen to Episode #5 of The Aging Project podcast at EPISODE LINK HERE
• It’s time to go all Marie Condo on your wardrobe! Ditch the things that don’t make you feel amazing. Ask yourself which pieces bring you joy, and what you really love to wear. If you cull your wardrobe, donate the quality items to a charity, or sell them through a consignment store like LABEL PIG and use the proceeds to buy yourself something that really makes your heart sing! 
• Keep finding five minutes a day to meditate, moving your body in a way that makes you feel amazing, nourishing your body with nutritious foods, and spreading optimism and kindness – we’ve learned so much already, so let’s keep our new habits rolling!

Challenge Competition!

We are SO excited about our Let’s Age Well Together challenge competition! The winner will be heading off to Soma Byron with Mana Yoga Retreats for a three-day retreat, and will also win a Vitamix worth $649, and a Lorna Jane voucher worth $500!

Keep your eyes on our socials for more information in the weeks leading up to the close of competition on March 27th.

What we’re loving this week

This week we’re loving responsible fashion, and the Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Guide, which helps consumers make better choices about who to spend their money with. https://baptistworldaid.org.au/resources/ethical-fashion-guide/

Did you know that the global fashion industry employs 50 million people worldwide? And sadly, for many people employed to make the clothes we wear, working in the industry means being subjected to indignity and abuse, low-wages and modern slavery. This injustice has been fuelled by consumerism, mass production, and the constant demand for more - and the fashion industry has also largely chosen to ignore its negative impact on the environment and carbon emissions.

The good news is that there are brands that are doing a great job of fairly supporting everyone involved in making the clothes they sell. And what’s more, we consumers can use our influence to affect change in the industry.

Use the Ethical Fashion Guide to search for your favourite fashion brands next time you shop. Find out which companies are doing the most to protect workers and the environment , and spend your money with them!

Look what’s coming in week 6!

In Week 6 we’ll be talking about manifesting and the power of vision boards with the divine Gorgi Coghlan. It's a fun episode you won’t want to miss, and Shelley and I are both planning to create our own vision boards – Gorgi swears by hers and we want to give it a go for ourselves!

If you want to join us, grab a cork or felt board so we can all do it together! Let’s get excited about this stage of our life – after all, getting older doesn’t mean we get boring or stop pushing ourselves forward and out of our comfort zone, and creating a vision board can really help us make our dreams and aspirations a reality. 

One of our future guest speakers, Shannah Kennedy, has produced some fab vision board kits. These are available from CATCH.com.au or Kmart

Alternatively, drag out those old piles of magazines and a pair of scissors and prepare to get snipping!  

We would LOVE your review of our podcast!

We’re still pretty new on the podcast scene, so reviews are important for us to get some exposure and hopefully wind up with a spot on the ‘new and noteworthy’ list! Head over to iTunes to leave a short review. Thank you!

Week 6!

We’ve hit the halfway mark! 

Get your scissors and tape out ladies - it’s time to make our vision boards!

It’s week six of The Aging Project podcast and challenge series, which means we’re officially half way!

Episode #6 is ready and raring to go, and it’s one we’ve been dying to bring you. This week Shelley interviews the wonderful Gorgi Coghlan, a multi-talented woman who’s done everything from teaching to television presenting to equestrian (and more!), but who you might know best from her former position as co-host of The Project.

We hope that after last week’s episode with the fabulous Wendy Euler you’ve felt free and  empowered to wear exactly what you want! Next time you throw together an outfit that makes you feel incredible, take a photo and tag us on Instagram. You never know, you might just inspire someone else to start dressing for themselves too! 

On the podcast this week:

‘I’ve always been a manifester. I’ve always been someone who has been able to see, feel, smell, touch, where I want to go. I use it in pretty much every element of my life -  my friendships, my relationships, my work, and my career. Everything on this farm that I’ve created, I’ve visualised. It’s a really important tool in my life.’

- GORGI COGHLAN

 This week, Shelley chats to the incomparable Gorgi Coghlan about the power of dreaming, manifestation and growing as we get older. We absolutely love Gorgi – she’s a breath of fresh air, and her honesty and openness is so engaging. With personal mantras like ‘I get better with age,’ and ‘everything I desire is within me,’ you can bet that Gorgi isn’t afraid of getting older – on the contrary, she’s excited for what her future holds, and takes daily action to make her dreams come true.

Gorgi has done SO much in her 46 years, and in her candid chat with Shelley she shares the tools she uses to make positive change happen. We’ve been so inspired that we’re all ready to create our own vision boards for the future, and we hope you’ll join us by making your own!

This is another episode of the podcast that you’ll be so glad you listened to – don’t miss it!

‘LET’S AGE WELL TOGETHER’ CHALLENGE SERIES

This week’s challenge:

• Listen to Episode #6 of The Aging Project podcast at EPISODE LINK HERE
• Take a leaf out of Gorgi’s book and make your own VISION BOARD! Positive images can pull us forward and fuel us with hope, and when you group them together on a vision board they can give you purpose, clarity, direction and confidence. So have fun, get creative, and start manifesting the amazing future you deserve! You might break your vision board into categories, like health, relationships, happiness, or career – anything you want to focus on. Take a photo of your finished board and send it to us in a DM so we can share it with our community – don’t worry, it’ll be totally confidential! Sharing can inspire others to follow suit, and that’s what we’re all about here at The Aging Project – aging well, together.

• Keep dressing to please YOURSELF, meditating, moving your body in a way that makes you feel alive, nourishing yourself with nutritious foods, and spreading optimism and kindness – all these small shifts are making huge changes, so let’s keep them up!

What we’re loving this week

This week we’re loving Shannah Kennedy’s vision board kits! Shannah is one of Australia’s most sought-after life and business coaches, and she’s also our podcast guest for week 8! If you need a little help to get started on your vision board, Shannah’s kits could be exactly what you need to get the ball rolling. They’re affordable, gorgeous, and available from major retailers.

We’re also really loving all the DMs and tags we’ve been getting from you ladies on our socials! It’s so great to see the ripple effect The Aging Project is having, and we love connecting with you all. Keep them coming ladies!

 A little reminder about our HUGE Challenge Competition!

We can’t stop raving about our Let’s Age Well Together challenge competition, because the prize is an absolute dream! Our winner will be heading off to Soma Byron for a three-day retreat, and will also win a Vitamix worth $649, and a Lorna Jane voucher worth $500!

Keep your eyes on our socials for more information in the weeks leading up to the close of competition on March 27th, and keep journaling your experiences so your entry will be super easy to put together when the time comes! Journaling also creates a record for you to look back on and see just how far you’ve come on this journey we’re all on together.

  Missed a podcast episode?

We get it – life’s busy! If you’ve missed an episode of the podcast, don’t worry! They’re all still there waiting for you when you’re ready – just search for The Aging Project wherever you get your podcasts.

Week 7!

Week Seven is here!

It’s time to talk all things gut health.

It’s week seven of The Aging Project podcast and challenge series! 

Episode #7 has just dropped, and it’s an interview that I think is going to blow a few minds. This week Shelley interviews renowned clinical naturopath Katherine Maslen about the profound impact of the gut on our overall health and wellbeing as we age.

Did you know….

• Your gut is forty times larger than the surface area of your skin
• It averages 7-8 metres in length
• It produces 20 different type of hormones and 100 TRILLION bacteria 

Safe to say gut health is something we need to be talking about, and Shelley’s interview with Katherine is an absolute eye-opener!

Hopefully after last week’s interview with the fabulous Gorgi Coghlan you’ve found some time to sit and visualise what you want your future to look like, and maybe you’ve even started on your vision board! I’ve had SO much fun making mine, and it’s been really nice to take the time to think about what I want for my future self, and how I can start working towards it now.

On the podcast this week:

‘I do believe a big portion of why we’re all so unwell, in general, is because of our gut health’

- KATHERINE MASLEN

Research suggests the health of our gut microbiome largely determines how we will age, and even the diseases we will either acquire or avoid - so this week on the podcast we’re investigating a big question: is good gut health the key to aging well?

Our guest, Katherine Maslen, is a clinical naturopath, founder of the Shift clinic, author of ‘Get Well, Stay Well’, and host of The Shift podcast. She has a special interest in women’s health, and the ways our gut health affects our aging journey – for better or worse!

This is another episode of the podcast that you’ll be so glad you listened to – don’t miss it!

This week’s truth bomb:

• 90% of your happy hormone, Serotonin, is produced in the gut, so if your gut isn’t healthy, you’ll be less happy 

‘LET’S AGE WELL TOGETHER’ CHALLENGE SERIES

This week’s challenge:

• Listen to Episode #7 of The Aging Project podcast NOW 
• Give your amazing gut some love this week! Aim to eat a broader selection of fruit and vegetables and feed your microbiome what it needs - diversity! If you’re feeling extra committed this week, try eliminating wheat and dairy for the next seven days too – you might be surprised at how different you feel!
• Keep adding to your vision boards, choosing joyful outfits, meditating, moving your body, preparing nutritious foods, and spreading optimism and kindness – all these little things are making huge changes, so let’s keep them up!

What we’re loving this week

This week we’re LOVING The Shift Podcast hosted by Katherine Maslen. We’ve learned SO much about gut health from listening to this amazing podcast, and we highly recommend that you find some time to have a listen too. It’s honestly amazing the impact our gut has on our health and wellbeing, and we think it’s high time we all started understanding the power of this often-ignored part of our bodies!

Listen at https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-shift-with-katherine-maslen/id1461918751

Only five more weeks until we select the winner of the Challenge Competition!

We’re so excited that one of you lovely ladies will soon be the lucky winner of our amazing challenge prize! Imagine – escaping for a 3-day MANA YOGA RETREAT, whizzing up healthy treats in your new Vitamix worth $649, and working out in style thanks to your $500 Lorna Jane voucher!

We’ll be chatting about the competition on our socials in the weeks leading up to the close of competition on March 27th – keep an eye out.  

 Thank you for the reviews!

We can’t thank you enough for the amazing reviews you’ve written for The Aging Project podcast. They’re helping us get extra exposure, which means more traction for this healthy-aging mission of ours! If you’d like to leave us a review too, just head over to iTunes here to let others know what you’ve been enjoying about The Aging Project podcast so far. Thank you!

Week 8!

It’s week eight!

Let’s have a chat about ‘life planning’

It’s week eight of The Aging Project podcast and challenge series!

Episode #8 is now ready for you to listen to. This week Shelley interviews strategic life coach and author, Shannah Kennedy, about the power of ‘life planning’ and how it can help us age well.

I hope after last week’s episode with the wonderful Katherine Maslen you’ve learned how amazing (and important!) your gut is, and how profoundly its health impacts the way we age. I know I’ve been extra conscious of piling lots of different veggies onto my plate this week in the name of gut-friendly diversity!

Oh, and we have some EXCITING news - The Aging Project is getting ready to launch masterclasses! Keep reading for more information. 

On the podcast this week:

‘I like to think of my ten-year older, wiser self on a regular basis. Where do you want to be in ten years’ time? How old will you be? What do you want to happen with your body? I want to be strong. I want to be flexible. I want to tie my own shoelaces. So, I’m going to do yoga today.’

-SHANNAH KENNEDY

Our guest for episode eight, Shannah Kennedy, is a strategic life and business coach, and the author of ‘The Life Plan – Simple Strategies for a Meaningful Life’, and ‘Plan B – a Guide to Navigating and Embracing Change’.

Shannah’s approach to helping her clients and readers build their best lives is practical and inspirational – and most importantly, very realistic and doable!

Shannah is all about getting back to basics, and asking ourselves what we really need to create a life of fulfilment, fun and purpose so that we can use every day to actively work towards the futures we want.  She encourages us to build a life and energy plan for ourselves so we can enjoy our life journey, and shares tips and questions that’ll definitely get you thinking! Oh, and be sure to listen out for her 4M’s tip – you’ll love it!

I enjoyed this episode so much, and I know you will too - don’t miss it!

‘LET’S AGE WELL TOGETHER’ CHALLENGE SERIES

This week’s challenge:

• Listen to Episode #8 here
• Try Shannah’s suggestion of writing two things you’re grateful for in your diary every night before bed. I’ve been trying it and it’s a lovely way to finish the day – and it really gets you thinking about the good stuff.
• Start thinking about your ideal self in ten years’ time. Maybe you could even start a conversation with a friend or loved one about it to get them thinking about it too. What do you want your life to look like in ten years’ time? What can you do today to start ensuring it does? 
• Keep caring for your gut with a diverse range of plant-based foods, manifesting your desires, dressing with joy, meditating, exercising in ways that feel like a treat, and committing random acts of kindness. We’ve learned so much already about how to age well, so let’s keep it up!

 What we’re loving this week

This week we’re LOVING Shannah Kennedy’s books, ‘The Life Plan’, and ‘Plan B’, which are available on Audible, at Kmart, and at good book stores. We discovered Shannah through her books, and after reading (and LOVING) them both I knew I had to get her on board for The Aging Project podcast. 

Masterclasses are coming!

We are looking forward to creating a more interactive forum and more in-depth learning experience, for those wanting more – and that’s where our masterclasses will step in.

You’ll be able to learn from leading experts about how to age well, in a manner that will allow and encourage you to dig deep.

This week’s podcast guest, Shannah Kennedy, is working with me on the first two masterclasses right now.  So stay tuned - more information will be coming soon!

Thank you for the reviews!

We can’t thank you enough for the amazing reviews you’ve written for The Aging Project podcast. They’re helping us  get extra exposure, which means more traction for this healthy-aging mission of ours!

If you’d like to leave us a review too, just head over to iTunes here to let others know what you’ve been enjoying about The Aging Project podcast so far. Thank you!

Week 9!

Ok ladies, let’s talk hormones…

Week nine already! 

Only a few more episodes to go now, but don’t worry – that won’t be the end of The Aging Project! I have lots of exciting pots on the boil, including the masterclasses I mentioned in the last newsletter, that’ll ensure The Aging Project continues to grow and evolve. I can’t wait to share them all with you!

Episode #9 of the podcast is ready to go, and it’s a must-listen for all of us. Whether you’re approaching peri-menopause, in the midst of it, or you’re out the other side, this is an interview that might just change the way you think about this time of huge transition.

Shelley’s interview with gynaecologist Dr. Peta Wright digs deep into the powerful changes our bodies go through during peri-menopause, and how we can give ourselves an easier passage through this time of our lives by listening to our bodies, and reframing our thinking a little.

Hopefully after last week’s episode with the inspirational Shannah Kennedy you’ve spent some time thinking about your ideal future self! I’ve been thinking a lot about how the things I do today can shape who I am in ten or twenty years’ time, and I’m so grateful to Shannah for shining a light on that for us.

On the podcast this week:

‘I have the privilege of listening to women’s stories day in, day out and the common thing, I see amongst women, particularly women of our generation, is that we were never taught how to listen to what’s going on in our bodies’

- PETA WRIGHT

This week, we’re talking all things hormones – because when it comes to aging well, they play a pretty major role!

Our guest is the wonderful Dr. Peta Wright. She’s a gynaecologist, a fertility specialist, and the founder of Vera Women’s Wellness Centre. Dr. Wright is passionate about women’s health, and empowering women to understand what’s happening in their bodies during peri-menopause and menopause.   

Peta chats to Shelley about the power of hormones, and how nutrition, alcohol, stress and lifestyle can affect their balance as we age.

This week’s truth bomb:

• Around 40-60% of women have mild to moderate peri-menopause symptoms for around 4 to 5 years (Reference: Dr Peta Wright) 

‘LET’S AGE WELL TOGETHER’ CHALLENGE SERIES

This week’s challenge:

• Listen to Episode #9 of The Aging Project podcast at (Episode Link)
• Start listening to your body – it might be trying to tell you something you need to hear! Start making a note of concerns: perhaps mood changes like anger or anxiety, weight gain, hot flashes, disturbed sleep, shortened or irregular periods. We only get one body, so let’s make this week the week we start really acknowledging and honouring it for everything it does for us.
• Slow the heck down lady! Find five minutes every morning and evening for yourself to just stop and breathe. You’ll be amazed by how powerful it is!
• Our generation has a role to play changing the narrative around peri-menopause and menopause, so that future generations can approach it empowered with knowledge, and without fear or misunderstanding. With that in mind, please share this episode with someone who could benefit from Dr. Wright’s insight, or start a conversation with a friend on the topic – we really don’t talk about this enough!
• Book an appointment with your GP if your body is telling you that something isn’t quite right.
• Keep doing little things each day to work towards your ideal future self, eating a diverse range of plant-based foods, manifesting your hopes and dreams, dressing for YOU, meditating, moving your body for strength and fitness, and committing random acts of kindness. Aging well is do-able if we make the little shifts we’ve been learning about together into habits that stick!

What we’re loving this week

We’re loving the Vera Women’s Wellness Centre’s website. It includes a list of reading material, podcasts that Dr. Peta Wright recommends, as well as tonnes of useful information. Check it out here -  https://www.verawomenswellness.com.au/resources

That’s it for this week ladies - wishing you all a wonderful week nine!

Week 10!

Welcome to week ten of The Aging Project Podcast!

It only feels like yesterday that I first had the idea of creating The Aging Project, and now look where we are! I’m so proud of everything we’ve achieved so far, and I’m so excited about where The Aging Project is going.

I hope you loved last week’s interview with Dr. Peta Wright as much as I did. Peri-menopause is such a powerful period of transition –  wouldn’t it be amazing if it was something we could feel empowered by? I think Dr. Wright’s message is such an important one, and it definitely gave me a few ‘aha’ moments!

Episode #10 of the podcast is now live and ready to listen to, and it’s one that I know you’ll love. Shelley’s interview with Briony Benjamin really gave me a new perspective  – it’s so easy to forget that life is a short and precious gift, but Briony’s message is loud and clear.

After surviving cancer, she wants us all to know that getting older is a privilege! Her amazing book, ‘Life is tough, but so are you,’ talks a lot about how to approach the tough times, which feels especially pertinent at the moment. We’ve all been through the wringer over the last two years, and know that many of you will be dealing with tough things right now, so we hope that this conversation might offer some strategies to help you through.

A special note:

We know that so many of you will have been affected by the floods in Queensland and New South Wales. If you’re not affected, chances are you know someone who is. Many of us have been feeling helpless as we watch on, but there is a way to help if you’re able. Head to https://www.givit.org.au to see what you can do to make a difference. 

On the podcast this week:

I think ultimately one of my biggest learnings out of this whole experience…is that aging is actually a GIFT. To be able to get more time here - I mean, what a gift is that? Not everyone is afforded that.  

-  Briony Benjamin 

This week, Shelley talks to Briony Benjamin, author of the life-changing book, ‘Life is tough, but so are you.’ A few years ago, Briony was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of just 31. When she finally received the incredible news that she was officially in remission, she made a short film called ‘You Only Get One Life’ that quickly went viral. It was raw, honest and hopeful – and gave a lot of people pause for thought. Her chat with Shelley is just the same, and I can’t wait to hear what you think of it. 

‘LET’S AGE WELL TOGETHER’ CHALLENGE SERIES 

This week’s challenge: 

• Listen to Episode #10 of The Aging Project podcast at  (episode link here) 
• Most of us really don’t know how to rest, and it’s something we need to get better at! This week, commit to RESTING for five minutes a day - no phones, no Netflix, just rest. We need to aim for ZERO cognitive load, so pour a cuppa and look out the window, or sit in a garden and just take a pause. 
• Ask yourself 2 questions each day:
   1.      What am I doing to strengthen my body today? 
   2.      What am I doing to calm my mind today? 
• Consciously find one moment of JOY each day - a moment in your day to be fully present and thankful. 
• If you have ANY concerns about your health, listen to your intuition and take action. Like Briony suggested, take notes and videos, and don’t go to the doctor with a full face of make-up that may mask how you’re really feeling! 
• Keep tuning in to your body and listening to what it’s trying to tell you, working towards your ideal future self, eating a diverse range of plant-based foods, manifesting your hopes and dreams, dressing for YOU, meditating, moving your body for strength and fitness, and committing random acts of kindness. We’ve all been doing such an amazing job of making this little tweaks to our lifestyles – let’s keep building!  

What we’re loving this week

This week we’re LOVING Briony’s book, ‘Life is tough, but so are you’. You can have a sneak peak of the book on her website. 

While you’re visiting her website, sign up for her free resources page, where she shares some of her favourite podcasts, Ted talks and books. 

And finally… 

Don’t forget about our amazing Let’s Age Well Together challenge competition!  Our winner will be heading off to Soma Byron for a three-day retreat, and will also win a Vitamix worth $649, and a Lorna Jane voucher worth $500!

We’ll be posting about it on our socials over the next few weeks, so keep an eye out for more details as the close of competition on March 27th draws nearer.

That’s all from me for this week! Sending strength to those who need it most. 

Week 11!

It’s week eleven of The Aging Project Podcast

Let’s talk about the power of PURPOSE

What do you consider as being your purpose? The thing the drives you, that inspires and energises you, and that makes you feel alive? It’s something I’ve been pondering a bit lately. I’ve noticed that those with a strong sense of personal purpose seem to age well with energy and happiness, while those who don’t often seem to start feeling a bit lost as they get older.

So, with that in mind, I’m happy to let you know that episode #11 of the podcast is ready and raring to go - and you’re going to fall in love with the incredibly inspiring (and very purposeful) woman you’re about to meet. Ronni Khan, among other things, is the founder of OzHarvest, and is an absolute powerhouse. She talks to Shelley about her mission, and how having a strong sense of purpose is helping her to age well.

I hope last week’s interview with the wonderful Briony Benjamin gave you as much pause for thought as it did for me. She’s such an inspiring young woman, and I think we can all learn something from her story and perspective on life and aging. 

On the podcast this week:

‘A little clue for people who are looking for purpose: when we solve a problem for ourselves, many others have the same problem. And in my case, it turned out 195 million meals later, that it wasn’t such a bad idea.’

- RONNI KHAN

This week, Shelley talks to the incomparable Ronni Khan – activist, social entrepreneur, author, and founder of OzHarvest, an organisation that fights food waste and feeds hungry people all over Australia.

Ronni is making a big difference on multiple levels, and it all started with one little idea in her forties, that’s turned into a nation-wide movement combatting hunger and the huge environmental issue of food waste.

Ronni is an incredible example of aging well, and in this interview she shares how her strong sense of purpose drives her to be the best version of herself.

 This week’s truth bomb:

Do you know that food waste is connected to climate change and that it’s more environmentally damaging than the plastic industry? It’s even worse for our environment than the extraction of coal and the impact of the aviation industry. 

In short, wasting food is a big problem, and things have to change.

Our national goal is to halve food waste by the year 2030.

That’s only eight years away. We’ve got work to do ladies.

‘LET’S AGE WELL TOGETHER’ CHALLENGE SERIES

This week’s challenge:

• Listen to Episode #11 of The Aging Project podcast at (episode link here)
• Think about someone you know who has a strong sense of purpose. What do you notice or admire about them? Maybe it’s their energy, passion, pride, or confidence.
• Get thinking about your own purpose and passions. If you’re drawing blanks, list two or three topics that you love to chat about. They might give you a clue as to where your passions lie.
• Start a conversation with a trusted friend or loved one. Ask them what having purpose means to them – it’s something we need to talk about more, because life is short and finding one’s purpose is crucial for a happy life as we get older.
• Keep committing to REST, listening to your body, working towards your ideal future, eating a diverse range of plant-based foods, manifesting your hopes and dreams, dressing joyfully, meditating, moving your body, and committing random acts of kindness. These little changes are making a HUGE difference to how we age – keep it up ladies!

What we’re loving this week

This week we’re loving ‘A Repurposed Life,’ – Ronni Khan’s inspiring book. Check it out here:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/a-repurposed-life-ronni-kahn/book/9781760525903.html

We’re also loving OzHarvest’s FREE ‘Use It Up’ tape, which will help us all tackle food waste in our own kitchens. Get yours here and join the fight today!

https://events.ozharvest.org/shop/viewitem/use-it-up-tape

And finally - THE COMPETITION! Keep an eye on your inbox

Don’t forget about our amazing Let’s Age Well Together challenge competition!  We’ll be sending out a separate email to you all THIS week, with details on how to prepare your entry. You have to be in it to win it ladies – and this prize is absolutely fantastic. We can’t wait to make the call to our lucky winner!

That’s it for this week! Hope week eleven is inspiring, happy and PURPOSEFUL for you all.

Week 12!

It’s the last week of Season One but we're only just beginning!

Well, here we are ladies! It’s been one hell of an amazing ride, and now we’re at the end of the very first (but definitely not last!) season of The Aging Project Podcast. We have some AMAZING guests coming your way for Season 2. 

The Aging Project started out as just me, wanting to know how to age well. Then, as my conversations with friends and family made me see that actually, this information I was finding was not only needed, but wanted, by many more women than just me, I realised I had an opportunity to do something useful and purposeful to help us all age with great health, style and longevity. Lots of learning and a tonne of hard work later, we’re at the end of our first season, and we have thousands of women just like you and me on this journey with us, empowering themselves with knowledge and inspiration every week. How great is that?

So, without further ado, I’m proud to announce that episode #12 of the podcast is now live. We really have covered some incredible ground and met some amazing people this season so far, but we’ve deliberately saved this interview for last, because it ties all of our learning together really well, and Dr. Frank Lipman pulls no punches when he talks about the responsibility we have to ourselves when it comes to our health as we get older. Widely recognised as one of the world’s leading authorities on how to age well, Dr. Lipman believes good health is about much more than the absence of disease – it’s a holistic state of physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social wellbeing. It’s a great interview, and I know you’re going to love it.

On the podcast this week:

‘If you’re achy,  tired, gaining weight, not sleeping well - pay attention! These are warning signs: signals from your body to get your sh!t together while you still can. This is not a drill. If you want your body to run well as you age, you can’t be cavalier anymore about how you treat it’

- FRANK LIPMAN

This week, Shelley interviews the indomitable Dr. Frank Lipman – a world leader in the field of aging well. This guy really knows his stuff! For more than thirty years he’s been practicing what he likes to call ‘good medicine’, focusing on increasing health rather than waiting to treat disease. Author of several best-selling books, including ‘The New Rules to Aging Well’, he’s also the founder of New York’s Eleven Eleven Wellness centre, and the Chief Medical Officer at The Well, also in New York.

Shelley chats to Dr Lipman about fasting, strength training, high intensity training, meditation, kindness, longevity genes, supplements, community, sleep, purpose, and much more!

This week’s truth bomb:

‘As we get older, we can’t mess around with our bodies anymore’  - Dr Frank Lipman

‘LET’S AGE WELL TOGETHER’ CHALLENGE SERIES

This week’s challenge:

• Listen to Episode #12 of The Aging Project podcast at episode link here)
• SHARE this weeks episode with 5 people you care about and help us share the aging well message. 
• If you haven’t already done it, THIS is the week to draw a line in the sand and decide that aging well MATTERS. For YOU. Every day, from right now.
• Write a list of your non-negotiables. What will you do each day, week or month to support yourself? It might be a two-minute meditation, thirty-minute walk, creating a meal plan, or booking a doctors appointment for example. 
• Remember and revisit the learning we’ve done together over the past twelve weeks. There’s been a lot to take in – but every single thing we’ve learned will help YOU become the very best version of yourself, today and every day after! And you deserve that!

What we’re loving this week

This week (and every week!) we’re loving Dr Lipman’s amazing book, ‘The New Rules for Aging Well’.

This is the book that sparked the idea for The Aging Project! I honestly can’t recommend it enough.

We need to pick your brain!

Your feedback matters - it really does.  Like any good podcast or business, we exist to serve a need. The Aging Project exists to help you age well.

Now that we’re at the end of Season One, we’re keen to understand how you think we went and how else we can help. We’ve got so many ideas about what to do next, but we need to hear from you so we can make sure that our next move is one that will benefit you. 

So, this week I’m going to email you with a link to our very first survey. It won’t take long I promise!  Only ten short questions and you’ll be on your way.

I know you’re busy, so I really appreciate your help. Your feedback will help us understand the best ways to continue serving this incredible community we’ve created together. We want to know your greatest challenges, and how we can help you age well.

Thank you in advance! 

Get your winning competition entry in!!

We’ve already received some wonderful entries from our Challenge participants, and entries close at 11pm on Sunday April 3rd. Send your entry to [email protected]. 

Remember, this is not a competition to see who has done the most over the twelve weeks - it’s simply an opportunity for you to reflect and feel proud of the changes YOU have made for yourself. As we always say, we are about progress, not perfection. Any and every positive change is something to celebrate!

And finally…

Even though this is the last ‘official’ week of Season One, I hope you’ll join us again next week for a very special episode!  Shelley will be sharing her own personal journey and chatting about everything she’s learned from The Aging Project. It’s been a LOT – and she’s excited to share it all with you next week.

Going forward I look forward to emailing you each Sunday, so you can stay up to date with our next podcast episode and how The Aging Project is evolving. As you know we've got Season 2, MasterClasses and a few other exciting things in the works. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed the last twelve weeks as much as I have, and I can’t wait for us all to move forward together as The Aging Project grows and evolves.