Active Grandparenting
The essential handbook for modern grandparents and active agers.
This article first appeared in the October issue of Potomac River Living.
When I gave my TEDx talk, "Wired for Purpose: The Case for Active Grandparenting," I was speaking from the intersection of two of the most energized movements happening right now: active aging and modern grandparenting.
As a grandmother of three, with a fourth on the way, and a longtime voice in the active aging and wellness spaces, I have watched both movements rewrite old assumptions about what aging looks like.
In my work across multiple media platforms, I saw an entire support system built around parents — research-backed books, expert-led courses, communities for every parenting philosophy and concern imaginable — while grandparents were still expected to instinctively know how to show up and fit into a contemporary family dynamic that looked nothing like the one they'd raised their own kids in.
Missing was physical readiness, and that's where my wellness background comes in. I wanted to hand grandparents the fuel and tools for a bigger goal: the strength and stamina to build a robust health span for the grandparenting years. To be able to get down on the floor and back up again without a second thought. To take the hike, host the sleepover, chase the toddler through the yard.
Active Grandparenting isn't just a book — it's a movement toolkit for a generation of grandparents excited about this role. It hands them the family-dynamics fluency parents expect, the physical vitality to match their enthusiasm, and even the recipes to bring everyone together at the table. That's why I gave the TEDx talk and wrote the book, to give grandparents the guidance and resources that allow them to skip the learning curve and show up ready for these very good years.