Episode 12 · Loneliness & longevity

Ken Stern

Founder & Chair of the Longevity Project, author of Healthy to 100, and former CEO of NPR

On Retirement Navigator

Being Lonely Is as Deadly as Smoking 15 Cigarettes a Day

About Ken

Founder and Chair of the Longevity Project, an organization exploring how longer lives are reshaping individuals, communities, and society. Host of the award-winning podcast Century Lives, where he explores the opportunities and challenges of living longer lives. Author of the nationally best-selling book Healthy to 100: How Strong Social Ties Lead To Long Lives, which examines the connection between relationships, community, and longevity.

CEO of Palisades Media Ventures, helping organizations shape conversations around important social issues. Former CEO of NPR, where he led major expansions in podcasting, digital media, and global news reach. A lawyer by training and a longtime media leader, Ken brings decades of experience connecting research, storytelling, and public conversations about how we live and thrive.

Credentials

Founder & Chair, The Longevity Project
Author, Healthy to 100: How Strong Social Ties Lead to Long Lives
Host, Century Lives
President, Palisades Media Ventures
Former CEO, NPR

Follow Ken's Work

LinkedIn The Longevity Project Century Lives podcast Healthy to 100 newsletter GrandPeople on Instagram

What you'll learn

Why loneliness belongs in the health conversation — Ken cites research comparing being lonely to smoking 15 cigarettes a day
What one of the poorest counties in Texas, and one of the longest-lived, revealed: the secret wasn't fitness, food or health care, it was social connection
The idea that "social health is public health," and how countries like Japan and Singapore build daily life around it
Why a retirement plan needs more than a money plan: what will keep you active, purposeful and getting out of bed
Why going back to school is worth a look — many states offer free or close-to-free public-university tuition to older residents
Why work and volunteering both build friendships, and what Ken says the data shows about older entrepreneurs
The simple health formula Ken comes back to: social connection, movement, healthy eating and sleep

In this episode

00:00Meet Ken
01:40What the Longevity Project Does
02:45Why We Still Retire at 65
06:51The Story Behind Healthy to 100
08:19Lessons From Presidio County, Texas
09:38What Other Countries Do Better
11:32Social Health Is Public Health
14:32Building Connection on Your Own
16:26Plan Retirement Like a Career
19:59Aging in Place and New Technology
27:49Learning for a New Career
31:24Entrepreneurship and Volunteering
33:47Social Security and Longer Lives
37:23Health Outside the Doctor's Office
40:47What Gives Ken Hope
42:42Where to Find Ken

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