048: How Relationships Shape Our Well-Being with Joleen Porcaro Duddy: The importance of community in Aging

Relationships and friendships are rooted in my emotional state. They can easily affect how I feel or don’t feel. And because so many of mine have stood the test of time, I take them very seriously.

It was both this article and my new position at OneTable that sparked this week's podcast episode. This quote, in particular, struck a chord with me:

"Countless studies in the last several decades have revealed information about longevity that may surprise you: Social connections don't just improve your life emotionally, but physically and psychologically as well."

There was no better person to have this conversation with than my long-time best friend, Joleen Porcaro Duddy. Joleen and I met at the beginning of middle school (over 50 years ago), and I honestly could not imagine a life without Joleen in it.

This week's episode discusses the value of connection, community, and being a good friend and confidant.

We get under the hood about family, loss, tragedy, and how seeing her mom living in an assisted living environment has inspired her to think about aging in a whole new way.

As someone who has always valued building a strong community centered around loyal friends, I am leaning more and more toward this as I settle into the aging process. When faced with a few health challenges, I got a bird's eye view of who my people were, and no one was more present than Joleen.

Highlights
5:42| The impact of community on aging
6:49 | How strong connections keep your life vibrant and alive
11:22 | It’s not just about building a business relationship, it’s more about building community with intention
19:25 | All friendships are not the same - each one has their meaning and purpose
18:45| The critical building block in a good company is trust
24:59| What tragedy and loss teach and how to move through life with a new normal
34:45| Strong relationships and bonds are built on honesty and finding ways to offer constructive criticism without putting someone on the defensive
41:07| The most outstanding example of friendship was witnessing the one with her mom and dad

Links:
Check out Joleen’s Instagram here.

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