Self reinvention not retirement – Living to 120 / ABC Far North and Austereo
The reality is we will soon be capable of living to 100, our kids to 120 and our grand kids to 150, the world that this will happen in is literally at our doorsteps and in this new era of human longevity, we are going to have re imagine and re purpose who we are and what we do.
In this week’s segment we explore this new human era of longevity, the notion of working to 80 years and beyond, the retirement dilemma which will see us need to work longer both for income and for mental stimulation and all of this on a global back drop of another 3 billions more people on the planet by 2050, 15 million more in Australia, a worldwide change in work practices away from 9-5 to project and task and a growing middle class of consumers all placing new strains, issues and possibilities on our planet and on our lives.
How will we cope? How will we work? How will we live? These are just some of the issues we look at in this weeks segments.
Have a listen now and then share your thoughts on this brave new frontier.
Kier Shorey, ABC Far North (7 minutes 20 seconds)
Anthony Tilli, Austereo, (2 minutes 26 seconds)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What does living to 120 mean for society?
It means the life stages we built our institutions around — education, work, retirement — no longer fit. We need new models for learning, working, resting, and contributing across a much longer lifespan.
Q: Is retirement still a useful concept?
Less so. For most people, a 40-year retirement is neither financially viable nor personally fulfilling. The more useful frame is self-reinvention — deliberately building new skills, roles, and purposes across multiple decades.
Q: How should organisations respond to an ageing workforce?
By redesigning roles for experience and wisdom rather than just speed. Older workers bring judgment that younger workers haven’t had time to develop. The HUMAND™ framework helps organisations decide which roles need human depth — and experienced humans in particular.
Q: Can Morris Misel speak about longevity, the future of ageing, and workforce change?
Yes. For keynotes on demographics, longevity, and the future of work, visit morrismisel.com/event-organisers.
The reality is we will soon be capable of living to 100, our kids to 120 and our grand kids to 150, the world that this will happen in is literally at our doorsteps and in this new era of human longevity, we are going to have re imagine and re purpose who we are [].
When signals like Self reinvention not retirement Living to 120 / ABC emerge, organisations that engage early have the advantage of choosing their response rather than reacting to events. That gap between those who prepared and those who did not is where competitive positioning is actually made or lost.
The most important question is not whether Self reinvention not retirement Living to 120 / ABC will matter, but how quickly it will matter in your specific context. Leaders benefit most from mapping the ripple effects early — not just the direct impact but the second and third-order consequences that arrive later and hit harder. That is the practical work of foresight.
