Renowned broadcaster Kojo Nnamdi joined Steve Gurney of the Positive Aging Community and Margaret Foster of Beacon Newspapers for a candid, inspiring conversation about aging with purpose. The discussion centered on Nnamdi’s brand-new podcast Young at Heart — a series that celebrates retirees who have reinvented themselves in surprising, joyful ways.
Nnamdi, born in 1945 in Georgetown, Guyana, grew up in a world where radio was the only window to the wider world. “Radio was our window, if you will, on the world and on life in general,” he recalled. That early fascination led him from amateur acting in Guyana to a pioneering career in Washington, D.C. radio — first at WHUR (Howard University’s station, which the Washington Post essentially gifted to the university for $1), then as the beloved host of The Kojo Nnamdi Show on WAMU for more than two decades.
After retiring from the daily show in 2021, Nnamdi thought he would finally write his memoir in peace. Instead, station management offered him a part-time role hosting the weekly Politics Hour. That semi-retired structure turned out to be a gift. “I now describe myself as semi-retired,” he said. “It gave me a place to go every day… and that helps a lot.” He contrasted his experience with his father’s Retirement in Guyana, which led to inactivity, a Stroke, and an early death. “I learned a significant lesson… about what not to do in retirement.”
Remarkable Stories of Second Acts
Listeners meet:
A longtime telephone repairman who doodled shoes in high school and later became a professional shoe designer.
Two retired New York air traffic controllers who took usher jobs at Madison Square Garden — trading control towers for hockey crowds and Rangers fandom. “We are essentially doing the same job… telling people where to go,” they joked. The role gave them free games, star-player encounters, and a vibrant new social circle.
A woman who swam under the Golden Gate Bridge nearly 100 times, turning a childhood hobby into a life-extending adventure that keeps her healthy, connected, and full of purpose.
Mary Kay Fleming (interviewed before her passing), who described aging as a “crisis” of shrinking social circles and changing bodies — then showed how contributing to the world and finding what makes you feel alive can transform it.
Nnamdi emphasized a common thread: vulnerability. None of the guests positioned themselves as instant Experts. “They were all very vulnerable in the mistakes that they made and how they accidentally stumbled into something that gave them purpose, passion, and connected them to community,” Gurney noted.
The Power of Curiosity, Community, and Facing Fear
The conversation repeatedly returned to three big ideas that resonate deeply with anyone navigating life after 50 or 60:
Stay curious. “Curiosity is what I think is the key to the future after we have retired,” Nnamdi said. He urged listeners to revisit old hobbies or volunteer — “You will meet people and you will find new environments in which you might become extremely proficient and find that you might actually Love being in those environments.”
Transform fear into excitement. Many guests admitted initial terror (one man hesitated to return to school for shoe design; the swimmer felt visceral panic when the water turned black under the bridge). But pushing through turned fear into energy. Nnamdi linked this to a deeper truth: the fear many retirees feel most is death. Staying engaged crowds out that fear. “If we have something to do that is of interest to us, we don’t think a great deal about the hereafter.”
How to Join the Movement
Young at Heart is available on WAMU.org, NPR, and major podcast platforms. New episodes are in the works.
Want to share your own reinvention story? Visit the official form at wamu.org/young-at-heart As Nnamdi and Kaufman prove, the best stories often come from ordinary people who simply decided to try something new.
“It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over”
In closing, Nnamdi quoted the old saying with a smile: “It ain’t over till it’s over.” Whether you’re sketching shoes on the side, ushering at hockey games, swimming under bridges, or simply showing up curious every day, the message is clear: retirement isn’t an ending — it’s an invitation to a new beginning.
Tune in. Submit your story. And remember — your next chapter might just be the best one yet.
Listen now: wamu.org/show/young-at-heart Share your story: wamu.org/young-at-heart-share
