269 The Healing Power of Play: Rebuiling Life After Loss at Any Age

What if one of the most powerful tools for aging youthfully isn't found in a supplement, a diet, or even an exercise routine—but in how you think, play, and respond to life's most difficult moments? In this deeply moving and insightful conversation, Dr. Gillian Lockitch speaks with Kym Coco, who shares how profound loss became the catalyst for transformation, resilience, and renewed purpose. Drawing on her background in sports kinesiology, emotional awareness, and performance coaching, Kym reveals how mindset, movement, and intentional play can help rewire emotional responses and restore vitality. Listeners will discover how grief can become a gateway to growth, how simple shifts in self-talk can transform your inner critic into a supportive coach, and how engaging fully in the present moment—through activities like golf or dance—can restore joy, clarity, and resilience at any age. This episode offers both science-informed insight and practical tools to help you take control of how you age—mentally, emotionally, and physically.      Episode Timeline  00:00 – Welcome and introduction  Overview of the episode theme: healing through play, mindset, and emotional resilience  02:30 – Kym Coco's story and the origin of Miracle on the Mountainside  A powerful journey through trauma, recovery, and conscious healing  05:00 – Life-changing accident and mindset transformation  How surrender, belief, and active participation in healing shaped a new path  08:30 – Mind, body, and emotions as interconnected systems  How sensory input, beliefs, and emotional states influence physiology and decision-making  11:30 – Golf as a tool for healing and rebuilding life  Using structure, presence, and play to move through grief and uncertainty  14:30 – Dr. Gillian's personal story of dance and renewal  From loss to ballroom dancing and rediscovering joy and purpose  20:00 – Creating new pathways: the "100 golf courses" vision  Using challenge, novelty, and environment to rebuild identity and resilience  23:00 – The power of symbolic reminders: the "rock ritual"  Simple daily practices to reinforce agency, intention, and emotional choice  25:00 – Communication, emotional triggers, and conscious response  Tools to create space between reaction and response for better relationships  27:00 – Transforming the inner critic into a supportive coach  Practical strategies to shift self-talk and build resilience  29:00 – Daily practice for emotional resilience and vitality  Morning awareness, reframing thoughts, and integrating body and mind  30:50 – Key takeaways and closing reflections  Choosing joy, presence, and purposeful aging    Connect with Kym Coco https://swagtail.com/  Book: Miracle on the Mountainside  https://swagtail.com/podcastbonus/    Call to Action  Connect with Dr. Gillian Lockitch at https://www.askdrgill.com/ or email: [email protected]      Download  Holistic Strategies to Build Back a Better Body  2026  Subscribe to Growing Older Living Younger on your favorite podcast platform and leave a review to help others discover the show. Join the Growing Older Living Younger Community      Download  Holistic Strategies to Build Back a Better Body  2026