Mission Forward with Carrie Fox

This New Year season, we amplify this conversation between Dan Buettner and Carrie Fox as he shares his exploration of life-nourishing Blue Zones on the release of his book, and a career bringing understanding as a National Geographic Explorer.

Show Notes

Dan Buettner is a National Geographic Fellow and multiple New York Times best-selling author and joins us this week to share his work researching and documenting Blue Zones around the world. 

A Blue Zone is a geographically-defined and confirmed area of extreme longevity. Specifically, Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy, Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California, boast populations that live the longest and are the healthiest people in the world. What makes them live so long? Dan and his team of demographers have spent years researching these Blue Zones, documenting how these populations live and work.

“We're spending $18 trillion a year on largely avoidable diseases. That number just keeps going up,” says Buettner. “We know these populations have a fraction of the heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and dementia. “Why don't we focus on trying to set up our cities and our workplaces so they look more like a Blue Zone?”

That’s precisely what he and his team are doing now, working to create healthy communities across the United States, beginning with Albert Lea, Minnesota, where they built the foundation for the Blue Zones Projects.

The Blue Zones books are inspirational for crafting better, healthier homes and workplaces, and we're thrilled to have Dan Buettner on the show this week to talk about his latest book, The Blue Zones Challenge: A 4-Week Plan for a Longer, Better Life.
  • (00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
  • (01:19) - Introducing Dan Buettner
  • (02:28) - The Blue Zones Journey
  • (07:54) - A Different Approach to Journalism
  • (11:01) - How Does Communications Impacts Public Health?
  • (16:32) - The Barriers to Systems Change
  • (20:40) - Building a Blue Zone in Places of Limitation
  • (26:51) - Ikigai
  • (29:34) - What's Next?

What is Mission Forward with Carrie Fox?

Mission Forward with Carrie Fox

Hosted by social impact expert and B Corp leader Carrie Fox, the Mission Forward podcast explores what it really takes to move a mission forward in today’s society.

With her signature blend of heart and head, Carrie sits down with some of the world’s most-admired purpose driven leaders to dig into issues you’re experiencing right now: from how to navigate difficult issues, how to lead through uncertainty and how to tackle tough conversations with courage and care. With guests ranging from Pulitzer Prize winning journalists, purpose-driven CEOs, storytelling and fundraising experts, and people in the driver’s seat of social change, this show will inspire and activate you as a mission-moving leader, too.

* About the Host (https://www.missionforward.us/about-carrie)
* Listen to Past Episodes (https://www.missionforward.us/episodes)