The Aging Games

  From Science to Soul: Rewilding the Body, the Heart, and the Feminine After 50 In this week’s episode of The Aging Games Podcast, I sit down with Holly Erin Copeland, whose journey is both fascinating and deeply inspiring. A former conservation biologist, Holly began her career rooted in data, ecology, and the scientific method. But over time, something began to shift. What started as a structured, analytical path slowly opened into something far more intuitive and expansive. Holly stepped out of the traditional scientific world and into the realm of energy medicine, biofield tuning, and deep inner healing. Her work today is centered around helping others reconnect with themselves, their bodies, and the natural intelligence that so many of us have learned to ignore. One of the most powerful themes we explore in this conversation is the idea of “inner rewilding.” Holly speaks about how modern life often disconnects us from our own rhythms, our intuition, and the subtle signals ...

 In today’s episode, I sit down with my good friend Phil Escott, and his story is one that really makes you stop and think. Back in 2012, Phil was dealing with severe autoimmune arthritis. The pain was so intense he could barely move, and like so many people, he was told there were no real solutions. Things were only getting worse, not better. What makes his journey so powerful is what he discovered along the way. The vegan diet he believed was helping him was actually contributing to his decline. Everything changed when he shifted to a carnivore approach. That, combined with reducing exposure to EMFs and artificial light, adding cold exposure, and returning to more ancestral lifestyle practices, started to turn things around in a very real way. Phil has now been carnivore since 2015 and has helped countless people understand how modern lifestyles can drive inflammation and disease, and how the body can recover when you remove those stressors. In 2019, we organized the first carniv...

  Body Image, Self Confidence, and Learning to Be at Home in Your Body Today I’m speaking with Ellen Albertson , also known as @the_midlife_whisperer , about one of the most common struggles women face at every stage of life: body image and self confidence . For many women, the relationship with their body becomes a constant battle. We grow up surrounded by messages about how we are supposed to look, how we should age, and what is considered “acceptable” or “beautiful.” Over time, these messages can turn into an inner voice that is critical, harsh, and never satisfied. In this conversation, Dr. Ellen and I explore why so many women feel disconnected from their bodies and what we can do to change that. Why So Many Women Struggle with Body Image One of the most important things we discuss is how early these beliefs begin. Many women start comparing themselves to others at a very young age. Social pressure, family dynamics, media images, and cultural expectations can create the b...

  The Matilda Effect: When Men Got Credit for Women’s Discoveries History often celebrates great discoveries. But it does not always celebrate the right people. For centuries, brilliant women made groundbreaking contributions to science, medicine, astronomy, and technology. Yet many of these discoveries were credited to their male colleagues instead. This phenomenon has a name: The Matilda Effect . The term was coined by historian Margaret W. Rossiter in 1993, inspired by the work of Matilda Joslyn Gage , a 19th century suffragist who noticed a troubling pattern. Women were doing remarkable work in science, yet their contributions were frequently ignored, minimized, or credited to men. What Is the Matilda Effect? The Matilda Effect describes the systematic tendency to deny recognition to women scientists for their achievements, often giving that credit to male colleagues instead. This was not always intentional. In many cases, women simply could not hold official academic positions...

  When a Routine Prescription Changes Everything: Talia Smith’s Story Today I sat down with Talia Smith, a young woman whose life was permanently altered after taking Cipro, a commonly prescribed antibiotic often given for urinary tract infections. At the time, Talia was caring for her quadriplegic husband. She was strong, capable, and managing an already demanding life. Then she was prescribed ciprofloxacin. What happened next was catastrophic. Within a short period of time, Talia experienced a severe adverse reaction. Her body began to shut down. She lost the ability to eat or drink. She could not walk. She could not care for herself. She went four weeks without food. Eventually, she was placed in hospice and given just three weeks to live. Imagine being told your life is ending because of a medication you trusted. But Talia survived. She came back from the brink of death in what can only be described as extraordinary resilience. However, survival did not mean recovery. Today she...

  Walking Across a Continent: What 6,000 Kilometers Taught Franck Benhamou About Life In this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Franck Benhamou, a man who did something most of us would never even dare to imagine. He walked nearly 6,000 kilometers across Europe. Not by bike. Not by car. Not with a support team. Step by step. On foot. His journey began in Tallinn, Estonia, in the far north of Europe. From there, he crossed country after country, experiencing landscapes, cultures, and people in a way that only walking can allow. He eventually made his way through Portugal, traveling from the very north all the way down to the south, before finishing his incredible adventure in Tarifa, Spain, the southernmost point of Europe. What struck me most during our conversation was not just the physical feat, although that alone is extraordinary, but the deeper reasons behind it. Why would someone choose to walk across an entire continent? For Franck, this journey was not...

  Can You Expand Your Palate Over 50? My Assisted Mewing Experiment I’ve always believed that the body is more adaptable than we’re told. We accept so many limitations as “just aging.” Your jaw is set. Your bones are fixed. Your face is done developing. But what if that’s not entirely true? Lately, I’ve started a new experiment. I’m testing whether palate expansion is possible over 50 using an assisted mewing device. And I’m documenting the entire experience. Why I Even Care About Palate Expansion This isn’t about chasing perfection. It’s about function. The width of your palate affects your airway. A narrow palate often means a narrow nasal passage. That can contribute to mouth breathing, snoring, poor sleep, and even sleep apnea. It also influences tongue posture, jaw alignment, and the overall structure of the face. When the palate is wider: Nasal breathing can improve Tongue posture becomes more natural Snoring and mild sleep apnea may decrease Facial st...