In this episode, Joe Jasmon, CEO of American Healthcare Management and co-founder of Elevate Senior Living, joins AgingIN CEO Susan Ryan on the podcast to share the origin story and philosophy behind Elevate, a mid-market senior housing model designed from the ground up around residents—not corporate overhead.

Drawing on a career spanning hospitality, healthcare turnarounds, and senior living operations, Jasmon explains how Elevate was born from a simple question: "What would senior living look like if we designed it entirely around personal needs, dignity, and efficiency?"

From small-scale neighborhood design to technology-enabled safety and a long-term vision that reaches beyond brick-and-mortar communities, this conversation offers a candid look at what it takes to rethink senior living at scale.

As demand grows for affordable, high-quality senior living, Jasmon offers a rare, transparent look at what it takes to challenge entrenched models and design communities that truly serve residents. His insights underscore a powerful theme: when you listen closely to older adults and frontline staff, better systems—and better outcomes—follow.

In this episode, AgingIN CEO Susan Ryan sits down with longtime senior living leader and consultant Michele Holleran for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, resident voices, and why brain health must become a strategic priority in senior living.

A passionate advocate for leadership development, Michele discusses her role in initiatives such as the Larry Minnix Leadership Academy, the LeadingAge Women in Leadership Task Force, and the Senior Living Women's Leadership Retreat, all aimed at cultivating the next generation of mission-driven leaders—especially women.

Michele's latest focus: longevity, well-being, and brain health, are the core of her work through de Arment Consulting. She highlights organizations such as Wesley Willows, Sequoia Living, and Berry Communities as examples of providers that are integrating brain health into their culture, programming, and strategic plans.

Michelle and Susan explore how senior living communities can position themselves as Blue Zone–style hubs of well-being, not just for residents, but for the broader community. From resident assessments and engagement inventories to nutrition, movement, purpose, and social connection, Michele examines the need for holistic, integrated approaches that meet both current residents and future baby boomers where they are.

The episode closes with a clear call to action from Michele: listen to residents, start small if needed, and commit at the leadership and board level to making brain health and well-being core to the future of senior living.

In this episode, AgingIN CEO Susan Ryan sits down with Bob Kramer to explore a career shaped by purpose, perspective, and a deep commitment to improving the lives of older adults. Kramer reflects on his personal and professional journey—from his early work as a pastor, to leadership roles in government, to founding the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC)—and the values that have guided his work across decades in aging services.

Throughout the conversation, Kramer emphasizes the importance of legacy, listening, and being "multilingual" across sectors, disciplines, and viewpoints. He shares how understanding the language of policy, finance, healthcare, and community is essential for leaders seeking to drive meaningful change in senior living and longevity.

The discussion examines the evolving senior living landscape, including the growing gap between lifespan and health span, the increasing demand for housing and care, and the urgent need for innovation beyond traditional private-pay models. Kramer introduces concepts such as "next stage living," lifestyle-driven communities, and the rise of active adult products, along with the integration of primary care, prevention, and chronic disease management to support longer, healthier lives.

Kramer advocates for greater integration of older adults into the workforce and volunteer efforts, noting their potential to address challenges such as loneliness, caregiving shortages, and community resilience. He calls for a cultural shift that values the contributions of older adults and confronts the ageist assumptions that limit participation.

In closing, Kramer offers candid advice for current and emerging leaders: seek out differing perspectives, challenge assumptions, build operational expertise, and remain open to learning across boundaries. While acknowledging the policy, market, and demographic challenges ahead, he remains optimistic—pointing to collaboration, innovation, and perseverance as essential tools for meeting the needs of an aging population.

In our final replay of 2025's most popular conversations, Lisa McCracken, head of research and analytics at the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC), sits down with AgingIN CEO Susan Ryan to discuss her organization's work to demystify the financial side of eldercare with data.

In what was a clear-eyed forecast of the year, McCracken examines how high-quality, third-party information can inform the next generation of services and supports for older adults.

You can't fix what you can't measure, but far too often, leaders from around the eldercare improvement world are forced to do just that when considering changes to the way we fund, regulate, and develop new care settings.


Learn more about NIC and its research: https://www.nic.org/

Learn more about the NIC Academy certification program: https://www.nic.org/professional-education/

And search for "NIC Chats," Lisa's podcast, on the podcast platform of your choice.

This week's replay, one of the most popular episodes of 2025, features a profound conversation between Barry Barkan, visionary eldercare advocate and Pioneer Network co-founder, and AgingIN CEO Susan Ryan. These longtime friends discuss reimagining aging and the transformative potential of community, spirit, and consciousness.

Barkan shares his journey from founding the Live Oak Institute to helping launch the Pioneer Network, driven by a belief that aging is not a problem to solve but a gift to elevate. He recounts his efforts to create a regenerative, inclusive community at the Jewish Home in Oakland—an idea that initially faced rejection but ultimately gained momentum and global influence, including a successful expansion into 15 homes in Israel.

But this conversation goes beyond history. Barkan offers a deeply reflective vision for a paradigm shift—a movement from a worldview rooted in domination and separation to one grounded in interconnection, kindness, and sufficiency. He challenges listeners to see humanity as one living being, where every person and every creature matters.

Together, Ryan and Barkan explore the concept of "Elder Awesome" and moving beyond traditional notions of "elder care." They also discuss the "Tao of Blessings"—a personal path to leave grace in every encounter

Barkan offers his vision for communities and care environments rooted in equity, dignity, and accountability.

As we continue to replay the most popular episodes of 2025, this week's features an insightful interview by AgingIN CEO Susan Ryan as she sits down with senior living innovator Andy Carle, consultant and founder of UniversityRetirementCommunities.com.

Andy shares his personal journey into eldercare and the bold moves he's made to elevate the field, from founding a 70-community company to creating the first university-level curriculum for senior living executives.

Andy also dives into the concept of "nana technology"—his term for tech that supports aging with dignity—and explores the rise of University Retirement Communities (URCs), a model that merges lifelong learning with purposeful aging. He outlines the five essential criteria for certification and shares how URCs foster mutual benefit for both older adults and students through intergenerational connection, shared resources, and collaborative programming.

This episode takes a deep dive into what's possible when we stop settling for outdated models and start designing for a future that values older adults as engaged, capable, and vital members of society.

More information about URCs here: universityretirementcommunities.com

This week's episode is a replay of one of the most popular of 2025. It features a conversation with policy experts Joe Angelelli and Anne Montgomery as they discuss the EINSTEIN Option (which is now known as Connected Communities), a collaborative effort of eldercare changemakers dedicated to advancing a comprehensive plan to reimagine the entire care delivery system.

The late Alex Spanko, who served as AgingIN's director of communications and marketing at the time, moderates a compelling conversation about how this model could create full care continuums in communities around the country, with services and supports that meet elders where they are—instead of forcing them into institutional settings that do not meet their needs.

Learn more about Connected Communities: https://www.theconnectedcommunities.com/

This week marks our first of four encore episodes this month – the most popular of 2025. As we close out the year, we are happy to present @AgingIN CEO Susan Ryan's interview with Village to VillageNetwork national director Barbara Sullivan.

The Village to Village Network works to create durable webs of support in communities all across the country, organizing volunteers to provide the kind of nuts-and-bolts assistance — transportation, home maintenance, tech support — and social experiences that make thriving in place possible.

Sullivan joins Ryan to discuss her journey through eldercare, as well as her vision for making these intentional villages the norm in neighborhoods everywhere.

Learn more about the Village to Village Network: https://www.vtvnetwork.org/