Age Reconsidered is a new podcast that challenges conventional thinking about aging and explores what it means to grow older in today’s world.
Created by the Nova Scotia Centre on Aging at Mount Saint Vincent University, the nine-part series launches September 9, 2026, with new episodes released monthly.
“I think most people think if we’re this age we should be just getting ready to die. But we’re not. We’re ready to live.”
That’s one of the perspectives listeners will hear in the first episode, setting the tone for a series that invites listeners to see aging in a new light.
“Most of what we hear about aging is pretty one-sided,” said Dr. Janice Keefe, Director of the NS Centre on Aging and Professor and Chair of the Department of Aging and Family Science at MSVU. “This podcast broadens that perspective and brings research to life through conversations, stories, lived experiences, and ideas from people who are rethinking what it means to grow older.”
Guests include older adults, researchers, and community innovators from diverse backgrounds. The podcast is hosted by Dr. Kelly O’Neil.
“Discussions about aging often focus on decline,” says Dr. O’Neil. “But what if we asked older adults to tell their own stories? The podcast features conversations that challenge limiting ideas about aging and explore the possibilities of later life.”
The podcast is made possible through a generous grant from the Entente Foundation, supporting innovative projects that improve the lives of older adults. It was created with the support of the Digital Media Zone at MSVU.
Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Learn more at AgeReconsidered.ca.
About the host of Age Reconsidered, Dr. Kelly O’Neil
Dr. Kelly O’Neil holds a doctoral degree in adult education with a focus on older women’s learning, a master’s degree in gerontology and a Bachelor of Social Work degree. She held a CIHR Health Systems Improvement Postdoctoral Fellowship from 2024-2026, and other research professional positions with the Nova Scotia Centre on Aging from 2016 to 2024. Her past professional experience includes community based social work and practice with a range of marginalized groups, and radio news broadcasting and reporting. An older adult herself, Dr. O’Neil is passionate about elevating the voice of older adults in a positive light through this podcast.
Upcoming episodes
Ep. 1: Things Fall Apart/Things Come Together
Launching Sept. 9
What if aging isn’t a story of inevitable decline—or exceptional success—but something far more expansive? In this episode, Dr. Nuala Kenny and a community of older women explore the gifts, challenges, and surprising freedoms of later life, offering a powerful new perspective on what it means to grow older.
Ep. 2: Starting With Strength: Rethinking Rural Aging
Launching Oct. 7
The story of rural aging is often told through the lens of isolation and limited services. In this episode, we travel to Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley to discover a different narrative—one where community, curiosity, generosity, and mutual support reveal what’s possible when we begin with people’s strengths rather than their needs.
Ep. 3: The Stories We Carry
Launching Nov. 4
We all carry stories about who we are, where we’ve come from, and who we believe we can become. Through conversations with narrative gerontologist Dr. Bill Randall and reflections between two lifelong friends, this episode explores how re-examining those stories can open new possibilities for growing older with curiosity, meaning, and hope.
About the Nova Scotia Centre on Aging
The Nova Scotia Centre on Aging is a research centre at Mount Saint Vincent University (Halifax, Canada) that conducts applied research on age-related issues. The centre’s mission is to advance knowledge on aging to inform social policy and practice and enhance the quality of life of older people and their families. The centre works in partnership with the academic community, governments, private sector, seniors, and voluntary/professional organizations – on initiatives which will benefit the aged, their families, and communities. Raising awareness about ageism and its implications is a focus of the centre’s work.