How to be a ‘super ager’

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Post Reports – “How to be a ‘super ager’”

Date: September 20, 2025
Host/Reporter: Maggie Penman
Guest: EJ (Edna Jane), 90-year-old D.C. resident; Dr. Eric Topol, Cardiologist & Author

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Overview

This episode explores the secrets of “superagers,” focusing on the real-life example of EJ, a spirited and active 90-year-old woman living in Washington, D.C. Through interviews with EJ and life span expert Dr. Eric Topol, the podcast reveals what researchers have discovered about thriving in old age—and offers practical, research-backed insights on how anyone can cultivate a longer, more vibrant life.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

EJ: A Portrait of a Superager (00:32–06:54)

• EJ’s Vibrant Life:
  • EJ is known in her neighborhood for her energy: gardening, weightlifting, and driving her green Mini Cooper.
  • Her t-shirt: “You don’t stop lifting when you get old. You get old when you stop lifting.” (00:54)
  • At 90, EJ can bench press 55 pounds, leg press 250 pounds, and attends the gym 4-5 times per week, often with a trainer.
    • Quote: “I can bench press £55 and I can leg press 250.” – EJ (00:57)
  • For her 80th birthday, she attended trapeze school, finding joy and freedom in swinging through the air.
    • Quote: “It was fun, particularly falling. You’re just falling through air and you know you’re not going to get hurt. That’s the beauty of it.” – EJ (01:37)
• Independent Yet Social:
  • Never married (“just lucky,” as she jokes), yet maintains a wide and active social circle.
  • Maggie recalls EJ’s 90th birthday “rager,” packed with friends of all ages.
  • Despite living alone, EJ is never lonely—she’s always engaged in community and neighborly connections.
• A Life of Resilience and Growth:
  • Grew up in poverty outside Pittsburgh during the Depression; father worked in mines, symbolized by his lunch bucket over her stove.
    • Quote: “I was born into abstract poverty. We lived in a little frame house with no central heat and no air conditioning. And the pipes always froze in the winter.” – EJ (04:49)
  • Chose nursing as a practical way to get an education, leading to a diverse career across the country, including helping start Chicago’s first ICU.
  • Post-retirement, continued to volunteer (20 years at the Folger Shakespeare Library), staying intellectually engaged.
    • Quote: “I told them, you know, I like Shakespeare, but… I did it for 20 years. It was great fun.” – EJ (05:49)

The Science of Superaging: Dr. Eric Topol Interview (09:21–12:20)

• Largest Study of Superagers:
  • Dr. Topol studied 1,400 “superagers” (85+, free from chronic age-related diseases): took 7 years to find them, and they constitute less than 1% of people their age.
    • Quote: “They probably comprise well less than 1% of people in their 80s… It wasn’t how long they lived. It was that they lived so elfolate.” – Dr. Topol (09:54)
• Genes Aren’t the Key:
  • Genetics mostly did not explain why these people thrived; the vast majority had no genetic secret to long life.
    • Quote: “Their genes didn’t reveal much. So sometimes it’s the genes, but most of the time, the vast majority of time has nothing to do with their DNA.” – Dr. Topol (10:24)
• The Common Characteristics:
  • Superagers tend to have a sunny, optimistic disposition, remain physically active, and are intellectually and socially engaged.
    • Quote: “They had a very sunny disposition. They’re optimistic people. They were physically active. They tended to be educated more.” – Dr. Topol (10:35)
  • Social connection is vital; isolation is detrimental to health as we age.
    • Quote: “We’ve seen such remarkable data. As people get older, they tend to live in a cave, and humans were social animals...So that’s another thing that people should be working on is…not being so isolated and lonely, but rather striving for, you know, interactions with other people.” – Dr. Topol (11:14)
  • Volunteering, community service, and a sense of purpose are recurring themes.
    • Quote: “They have a purpose. They’re doing all kinds of stuff. A lot of them volunteering, community service stuff…That is a common theme. And you don’t find that in the DNA either…that’s a behavioral trait, which is mutable.” – Dr. Topol (11:58)

Advice for Aging Well: Lessons From EJ (and Science) (06:14–06:54 & 12:25–12:54)

• Physical Activity: Exercise is non-negotiable for EJ, who believes it’s a universal cure.
  • Quote: “You think diet and exercise will cure anything? Well, I do.” – EJ (06:14)
  • Advice: “Be active.” – EJ (06:53)
• Stay Socially Engaged: Hanging out at the gym, volunteering, staying curious, and building community ties are central to health and happiness.
• Purpose and Modesty: Finding joy in everyday goals (gardening, being kind) is important.
  • Quote: “What’s extraordinary about is nothing. It’s just the way someone lives their life. People who sit around and don’t do anything, I don’t think they live that long.” – EJ (12:25)
  • Quote: “Just to take good care of my gardens and to be nice to people.” – EJ (12:47)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Bravery and Living Fully:
  “I am 35 years old and I am not half as brave or as extroverted or as adventurous as EJ is at 90.” – Maggie Penman (02:07)

• On Genetic Fate:
  “I have terrible family history. It was liberating. You know, maybe I won’t follow in my parents and my aunt uncle’s footsteps.” – Dr. Topol (10:57)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:32–01:37 – Introduction to EJ and her lifestyle
• 03:31–04:41 – EJ’s upbringing and early life
• 06:14–06:54 – EJ’s advice: Be active; value of gym community
• 09:21–12:20 – Interview with Dr. Eric Topol: scientific findings on superagers
• 12:25–12:54 – EJ’s reflections on what makes a meaningful, long life

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Final Insights

The “superager” secret isn’t an unattainable genetic lottery, nor is it about feats of extreme athleticism. Instead, it’s about simple, consistent habits: activity, optimism, intellectual curiosity, social engagement, and a sense of purpose.
EJ’s example—lifting weights, learning trapeze at 80, volunteering, and tending her garden—mirrors what science reveals about longevity. As Dr. Topol emphasizes, these behaviors are under our control: you can cultivate them at any age, and the benefits go far beyond living longer—they mean thriving.

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For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In

This episode delivers a hopeful, science-backed message: anyone can take actionable steps now to improve their odds of joyful aging. Whether it’s taking up a new hobby, hitting the gym, building relationships, or volunteering, the keys to “superaging” are within reach—and exemplified every day by people like EJ.

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Transcript

[Dr. Eric Topol]

With my job, I can't drink during the week. Weekends are a different story.

[EJ (Edna Jane)]

Ugh. After eight hours of this, I have earned my wine.

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You know what I'm saying?

[Maggie Penman]

My family is a lot.

[Dr. Eric Topol]

It takes me four beers just to hang out with them. Binge drinking isn't all college kids doing keg stands. Oregonians in their 30s and 40s binge drink at close to the same rates as younger people, raising our risk for long term health problems. [e-mail] an OHA initiative.

[Maggie Penman]

If you walked down my block in Washington, D.C. right across from a school, you would definitely notice EJ. She's 90 years old. She drives a green Mini Cooper. She has a beautiful garden full of flowers. You can often see her outside working in her yard. Sometimes she's wearing this T shirt that says, you don't stop lifting when you get old. You get old when you stop lifting.

[EJ (Edna Jane)]

I can bench press £55 and I can leg press 250.

[Maggie Penman]

She never married, and sometimes I get.

[EJ (Edna Jane)]

Smartass and say, just lucky.

[Maggie Penman]

But even though she lives alone, she never seems to be lonely. Last year I went to EJ's 90th birthday party. It was at her house and it was kind of a rager. Like, the first floor was so packed with people. You were standing shoulder to shoulder with everyone. She was sitting in her kitchen surrounded by friends, telling stories, talking about how for her 80th birthday, 10 years earlier, she went to trapeze school.

[EJ (Edna Jane)]

I kind of always wanted to do it. I thought it would be a very freedom of grabbing hold of that thing and swinging through the air. And I just think for birthdays like 80 and 90 are special. So I took lessons for about two, maybe two and a half months. It was fun, particularly falling. You're just falling through air and you know you're not going to get hurt. That's the beauty of it.

[Maggie Penman]

You can't interact with someone like EJ and not just want to know how. I am 35 years old and I am not half as brave or as extroverted or as adventurous as EJ is at 90. What is it that lets her keep thriving at 90 years old? How is it that she has so many friends? She's so involved in the community. She always remembers my dog's name and my daughter's name. Like, who is this woman? So I asked EJ if she would sit down for an interview to reveal some of her secrets about the ingredients for a good life, especially as we get older. I'm Maggie Penman. This is Post Reports weekend. It's Saturday, September 20th. I used to work on this show, but now I'm a reporter for the Optimist, a section here at the Post where I write about the best of humanity and things that are going right in the world today. I'm taking you inside my reporting on superagers like my neighbor EJ and what research tells us about how we can all age better. I was really drawn to EJ's story because she's not one of those one in a million super athletes who is running marathons at 90. She's just a regular person who also happens to be thriving into her old age. Okay, well, could I have you start by just introducing yourself, telling us who you are?

[EJ (Edna Jane)]

I'm a 90 year old woman who is enjoying her life. My name is Edna Jane, but I always introduce myself as ej. I worked at Georgetown and we had. There were three of us on the floor that went by signatures dj, BJ and ej. And we were all on at the same time. It drove us and everyone crazy.

[Maggie Penman]

Before EJ retired, she was a nurse.

[EJ (Edna Jane)]

I was all over the place. I was in San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Kentucky. My mother used to say she was going to get an address booked just for me. I like to go around, but when I moved here, I moved to stay. I was tired of moving around and so. And I've never been sorry.

[Maggie Penman]

So eventually she bought the house she now lives in, which she renovated herself.

[EJ (Edna Jane)]

It was a total wreck, plaster hanging off. And someone had put brown paint over the entire house, including the floors. And I lived in it while I did it. I couldn't afford to live anyplace else.

[Maggie Penman]

EJ didn't grow up with money. And there's a reminder of that right over her antique gas stove, this old metal pail.

[EJ (Edna Jane)]

The aluminum bucket was my father's lunch bucket. He worked in the mines outside of Pittsburgh. My father went into the mines after he lost his business during the Depression. And with six children, he never got out. I was born into abstract poverty. We lived in a little frame house with no central heat and no air conditioning. And the pipes always froze in the winter.

[Maggie Penman]

EJ wanted to go to college and.

[EJ (Edna Jane)]

I knew my family couldn't afford to send me. So I went to nursing school and I got a good education.

[Maggie Penman]

EJ worked as a nurse for decades. She helped start an ICU in Chicago and trained nurses in Washington D.C. and she retired 25 years ago, but she never slowed down.

[EJ (Edna Jane)]

When I retired, I knew I wanted to do something other than just sit here.

[Maggie Penman]

So EJ applied to volunteer at the Folger Shakespeare library here in D.C. and.

[EJ (Edna Jane)]

I told them, you know, I like Shakespeare, but I'm not above. There are two or three plays I really like. I don't like the comedies. I like the histories and the tragedies. They let me in and I did it for 20 years. It was great fun.

[Maggie Penman]

EJ has always stayed intellectually engaged, but as you might have guessed from her weightlifting T shirt, she's also a big believer in exercise.

[EJ (Edna Jane)]

I can quote my brother who said, you think diet and exercise will cure anything? Well, I do. I go to the gym four or five times a week. I have a trainer twice a week. I like to exercise no matter what I feel like. I come out of the gym feeling better and I like being there with all the people. I go places where there are a lot of people.

[Maggie Penman]

EJ says that's a big part of what keeps her healthy. Not just working out, but being at the gym around people. When I asked her for her advice for staying healthy and engaged, she said it's simple.

[EJ (Edna Jane)]

Be active.

[Maggie Penman]

And it turns out there's research that backs her up. After the break, I talked to a cardiologist who has been trying to identify what helps us thrive as we get older. We'll be right back.

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[Maggie Penman]

I start by having you introduce yourself and say your title? How we should introduce you.

[Dr. Eric Topol]

Okay. I'm Dr. Eric Topol. I'm a cardiologist and scientist at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California.

[Maggie Penman]

Dr. Topol just published a book about superagers. He spent years researching why and how some people can age better than others. Into their 80s and 90s. He identified 1,400 people like EJ who were thriving well into old age to try and figure out what they had in common.

[Dr. Eric Topol]

Yes, they had to be 85 plus with no prior chronic diseases, age related diseases, so it was really hard to find them. It took seven years to find 1400 people. They probably comprise well less than 1% of people in their 80s. And it wasn't of course, how long they lived. It was that they lived so elfolate.

[Maggie Penman]

One of the first surprises was it didn't seem like their longevity had anything to do with their genes.

[Dr. Eric Topol]

Their genes didn't reveal much. So sometimes it's the genes, but most of the time, the vast majority of time has nothing to do with their DNA.

[Maggie Penman]

They did have other things in common though.

[Dr. Eric Topol]

They had a very sunny disposition. They're optimistic people. They were physically active. They tended to be educated more.

[Maggie Penman]

But I think that's actually probably very hopeful information to a lot of people because I think what can be discouraging sometimes is thinking like, oh no, like whatever my genes are, I'm stuck with it and there's no getting out of it for me.

[Dr. Eric Topol]

I have terrible family history. It was liberating. You know, maybe I won't follow in my parents and my aunt uncle's footsteps.

[Maggie Penman]

I asked Dr. Topol to explain what he meant by sunny dispositions because that seems like a surprising data point.

[Dr. Eric Topol]

There's a chapter in the Book about mental health and how that tightly intertwined with physical health. The social isolation or social interaction thing is really important. We've seen such remarkable data. As people get older, they tend to live in a cave, and humans were social animals. And we get a lot out of that interaction. So that's another thing that people should be working on is, you know, not being so isolated and lonely, but rather striving for, you know, interactions with other people.

[Maggie Penman]

And I told him this sounded a lot like my neighbor E.J. she's active. She has tons of friends. She volunteers. She tries new things. She's involved in her community.

[Dr. Eric Topol]

They have a purpose. They're doing all kinds of stuff. A lot of them volunteering, community service stuff. They're very active people. That is a common theme. And you don't find that in the DNA either. You know, that's a behavioral trait, which is mutable. You can certainly, you know, be more like that.

[Maggie Penman]

EJ doesn't think the story of her life is really all that interesting or unique.

[EJ (Edna Jane)]

What's extraordinary about is nothing. It's just the way someone lives their life. People who sit around and don't do anything, I don't think they live that long.

[Maggie Penman]

I asked EJ if there was another trapeze school in store for her. So are there any other things on your bucket list? Are there things you still want to do?

[EJ (Edna Jane)]

Ah, just to take good care of my gardens and to be nice to people.

[Maggie Penman]

What I love about these goals, taking care of her garden and being nice to people, is that they sound modest, but they totally speak back to the research about how we can all thrive as we age by staying involved, having a sense of purpose, and having a community. And I don't know if I will ever be brave enough to make it to trapeze school, but EJ has inspired me to start a garden. I'm Maggie Penman, and I'm going to be bringing you more stories like this one on the weekend along with other members of the Optimist team. So please send us an email and let us know what you think. You can reach [e-mail] you can find more hopeful and inspiring stories online and in our newsletter. We'll put a couple of links in our show notes, and as you heard Dr. Topol say, having a sunny disposition could make you live longer and stay healthier. So the Optimist is good for you. According to Science, Today's episode was reported and produced by me with help from Ted Muldoon, who also mixed the show. Thank you to my editor, Allison Klein. Have a great rest of your weekend.

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