Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Old?: The Path of Purposeful Aging

Richard J. Leider · Richard J Leider · David A Shapiro

Jul 2021 · Berrett-Koehler Publishers

About this ebook

“[A] valuable guide . . . The authors’ gentle tone and many helpful suggestions will make readers feel as if they are listening to a close friend.” —Publishers Weekly
 
This is a book about how to grow old—with the emphasis on “grow.” The path of purposeful aging is accessible to all—and it’s fundamental to health, happiness, and longevity.
 
In their bestseller Repacking Your Bags, Richard J. Leider and David A. Shapiro defined the good life as living in the place you belong, with people you love, doing the right work, on purpose. This book builds on that definition to offer a purposeful path for living well while aging well.
 
With a focus on developing and deepening a sense of purpose in later life, Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Old? celebrates the experience of aging with inspiring stories, real-world practices, and provocative questions. Framed by a long conversation between two old friends, the book reconceives aging as a liberating experience that enables us to become more authentically the person we always meant to be with each passing year.
 
“In a culture that offers little guidance for growing old, but excels at pushing elders aside, here’s a book that will help us age into the fullness of life.” —Parker J. Palmer, author of On the Brink of Everything

About the author

Richard Leider is founder and chairman of Inventure: The Purpose Company, a coaching and consulting firm. Leider has created a wide array of programs and experiences for clients, such as AARP, Caterpillar, Ericsson, Habitat for Humanity, and MetLife. He is ranked by Forbes as one of the top five most respected executive coaches, by Linkage as one of the top fifty executive coaches, and by the Conference Board as a "legend in coaching." He is an executive fellow at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management, a guest lecturer at Harvard Business School and Duke Corporate Education, and the author or coauthor of nine books. He was named a 2020-21 nonresident public fellow at the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study. David Shapiro is education director of the Center for Philosophy for Children, an organization that brings philosophy and philosophers into schools and community centers throughout the Puget Sound area. His scholarly interests include applied ethics, philosophy of human rights, and philosophy with children.