On the Surprising Pleasures of Living in an Aging Body
Presented by CIIS Public Programs
On the Surprising Pleasures of Living in an Aging Body: A Live Online Conversation with Susan Sands and Meg Jordan
About this event
This event will be streamed live online with an interactive Q&A. Instructions on how to join will be emailed to registrants shortly before the event. This event will be recorded and will be available to watch on our YouTube channel and portions of the audio will be released on our podcast.
If you need to request accessibility accommodations, please email publicprograms@ciis.edu at least one week prior to the event. For more information, explore our Frequently Asked Questions.
Do you fear that growing old means being trapped in a body filled with aches, pains, and losses? Many of us do—especially women. Though our youth-obsessed society is partly to blame, psychologist Susan Sands explains there is a deeper and unrecognized factor—we have never really gotten to know our bodies, to sense and feel our bodies from the inside out. In Dr. Sands’ latest book, The Inside Story, she offers a much-needed guide for helping us understand, befriend, and support our bodies as we grow older.
Without downplaying the challenges we face as we age, Dr. Sands offers a wealth of case studies, interviews, and scientific findings to rewrite the common cultural beliefs that put us at odds with our own bodies. Through her work and writing, she shares a wealth of powerful embodiment tools—including traditional practices like meditation and yoga, as well as breathing methods, neural feedback techniques, guidance on diet and exercise, and more.
Most of us have never been taught how to truly connect with our bodies and growing older can provide us with a golden opportunity to heal this inner divide. Join Dr. Sands in a conversation with CIIS Chair of Integrative Health Studies Meg Jordan and learn how the powerful tools of embodiment can help you experience aging as a vital, optimistic, and transformative journey.
Susan Sands, PhD, is a clinical psychologist known for her trailblazing work in female development and body-based disorders. She incorporates Buddhist thought and meditative practices in her work with patients. A former journalist, she publishes and presents widely on the topic of eating disorders and body image, and she is a core faculty member at the Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern California in San Francisco. Learn more at Dr. Sand’s website.
Meg Jordan, PhD, RN, NBC-HWC is Chair of Integrative Health Studies master's program at the California Institute of Integral Studies for the past 13 years. Dr. Jordan is a clinical medical anthropologist, national board-certified health and wellness coach, award-winning international health journalist, behavioral health specialist, RN, author, and President of Global Medicine Enterprises. She was founding editor in chief of American Fitness Magazine and is emeritus board member of the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching. Her peer-reviewed journal articles on education and training of health coaches, coaching for diversity, and the difference between coaching and psychotherapy rank in the top tier of cited publications for coaching psychology.
Dr. Jordan also served as Co-President of the National Wellness Institute board, the first woman leader in the Institute’s 40-year history and received its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. She was among the first to receive Certified Wellness Professional credential from NWI. She serves as guest faculty for the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, University of Arizona, and the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy. Her innovative model for teaching coaching to health care professionals has been adopted in India and China.
As a medical anthropologist, she specializes in collaborative models for integrative medicine and the emergence of health coaches as novel agents in health behavior change. She received a grant from the Aetna Foundation to bring Integrative Wellness Coaching to public housing residents and street-dwelling adults. She is the author of several journal articles, five books including The Fitness Instinct, and How to be a Health Coach: An Integrative Wellness Approach, and Integrative Health Coaching, and the forthcoming Adventures of a Global Medicine Hunter.
She has a clinical practice as a behavioral health specialist, advanced practice RN, and board-certified health coach, and is the former director of Integrative Practice at the Health Medicine Center. She serves on numerous editorial and advisory boards. She is a recipient of various awards including Circle and Leadership Service Award, the Healthy American Fitness Leader Award from the White House and Jaycees, and AHA awards as a cardiac rehabilitation supervisor, contributing to the nation’s first hospital-based wellness center in Los Angeles. Dr. Jordan is former health commentator for NBC Today, West Coast CNN, KTVU-TV’s “Mornings on Two,” and acclaimed host of Global Medicine Hunter® radio and Global TV broadcast, "Healthy Living with Dr Meg Jordan.” She was on the first California Governor’s Council for Physical Fitness and Sports, and has written and produced over 22 platinum-selling health and wellness videos and TV shows. Her hobbies include racing sailboats, hiking and kayaking in San Francisco Bay, and living a wellness lifestyle with family, her adult children and grandchildren, friends and animal companions.
We are grateful to our Bookstore Partner:
Marcus Books is the nation’s oldest Black-owned independent bookstore celebrating its 60th year. Marcus Books’ mission is to provide opportunities for Black folks and their allies to celebrate and learn about Black people everywhere.