Learning Lately: Recommended Reads

📚 Update from my bookshelf!

Over the past few months I’ve been reading 2 books written by physicians: Being Mortal by Atul Gawande and Outlive by Peter Attia.

• ✅ Being Mortal reframed how I think about the medicalization of aging + end of life care in America—how even well-intentioned care can sometimes work against dignity and autonomy in our later years.
• ✅ Outlive drove home the shift from focusing only on lifespan to optimizing healthspan—adding not just years to life, but life to our years.

The 1–2 punch of these books pushed me to rethink long-term strategies and make immediate changes in my own health behaviors & mindset—for example, shifting my cholesterol numbers to decrease my cardiovascular disease risk.

Together, they nudged me to ask myself: What do I want my future years to look like—not just in quantity, but in quality? 🤔 And, what can I do now to improve my chances?

What’s Next on My List

Now, I’m eager to explore similar questions from pioneering women:

• 👉 Joyspan by Dr. Kerry Burnight
• 👉 The Telomere Effect by Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn (Nobel Prize-winning scientist who discovered telomerase) and Dr. Elissa Epel (health psychologist researching how habits protect telomeres—tiny DNA 'clocks' tied to aging).

I was lucky enough to hear Dr. Epel speak at Stanford’s Healthy Aging Conference earlier this year, and can’t wait to dive into her work!

These books carry the conversation further—down to DNA and cellular health, and beyond the blueprint of longevity and healthspan towards the bigger picture of joyspan: the pursuit of a long, healthy life that’s also deeply fulfilling.

Stay tuned for what are sure to be many more lessons and takeaways in the weeks + months ahead—what are you reading and loving lately? 🤓