Gen Seasoned

Anuradha Varma
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Conversations on longevity, reframing retirement and creating multigenenerational connections. Co-founders Anuradha Varma and Jahnavi Sarma are seasoned journalists as well as a Mindset Coach and Energy Healer respectively. To get in touch, email genseasoned@gmail.com  

  1. 3d ago

    Ep 21: From wrinkles to longevity: Dominik Thor, President, Geneva College of Longevity Science

    The visit to a clinic may start with a wrinkle, but a longevity doctor can turn that into a larger conversation around what’s happening inside the body, says Dr. Dominik Thor, a Swiss pharmacist and doctoral economist, and President, Geneva College of Longevity Science (GCLS). He talks to Gen Seasoned’s Anuradha Varma about the need for a dedicated higher education centre in the field of longevity, while decoding buzzwords like “peptides”, the growing trend of longevity clinics and the stress-ageing loop. He also believes Eastern medicine and Indian ayurveda can contribute to the next wave of preventive medicine. Listen in! Timestamps: 00:51 – About the Geneva College of Longevity Science (GCLS) — the world's first academic institute dedicated to longevity science 02:16 – Who GCLS trains: doctors, physiotherapists, nutritionists, entrepreneurs 03:48 – Why longevity is such a broad, hard-to-pin-down field 06:33 – Why the beauty industry is embracing longevity and objective measurement 07:10 – New diagnostics, wearables, and the quantified-self trend 08:02 – Preventive healthcare and rebuilding trust after COVID 09:49 – Inside longevity clinics: from solo doctors to hospital-scale setups 13:44 – Exposome, genetics, and the need for retesting over time 16:18 – What to ask before choosing a longevity doctor 17:04 – Which medical specialties feed into longevity medicine 19:23 – How regulation (e.g. peptides) differs country to country 20:19 – GCLS's academic partnerships (Gulf Medical University, UAE and more) 22:15 – GCLS's new Medical PhD in Longevity Science 23:29 – Dominik's own path into longevity science 26:48 – Starting with a master's — and who GCLS's students really are 28:15 – Why India is a natural market for longevity (Ayurveda, integrative medicine) 31:13 – The "stress-aging loop" and the rise of peptide therapeutics 34:31 – What peptides actually are, explained simply 37:01 – GLP-1s vs. gray-market peptides — legality varies by country 38:49 – What longevity medicine could look like in a few years 39:32 – Body positivity, GLP-1s, and the health-vs-aesthetics debate 43:22 – Why dermatology and beauty are a "gateway" into longevity 46:02 – The risk of brands slapping "longevity" on old products 46:45 – Senescent cells and the biology behind wrinkles 48:15 – Mayo Clinic and Stanford's longevity-aesthetics research 51:17 – What excites Dominik most about the field's growth To get in touch, email genseasoned@gmail.com  Disclaimer: Views are personal. Listener discretion is advised.

  2. Jul 23

    Ep 20: Rohini Rana: From palace kitchens to fusion plates

    Rohini Rana, born into the royal family of Awagarh, Uttar Pradesh, was all of 20 when she married into Nepal’s distinguished Rana family in 1977. Looking up through her bridal veil, staring back at her was a wild boar's head, a red handkerchief tied around its neck. She froze, she says with a laugh, recalling the ancient Vedic wedding ritual called "Chaurasi Vyanjan". Having recently published her third cookbook Memories on a Platter: My Fusion Cookbook (Penguin Random House), Rohini goes down memory lane with Gen Seasoned in her signature warm and witty style.  She talks about growing up in Nainital, her “rice trauma” that started in boarding school and followed her all the way to Nepal, when she woke up to a breakfast of rice on her first morning as a new bride. It’s another story of how she grew to love the Nepali staple and was reduced to tears when she craved a meal of “dal bhat” during one of her many travels around the world with her husband, Gen. Gaurav S.J.B. Rana (former Chief of Army Staff, Nepal Army). She also talks about preserving heirloom recipes, her farm-to-table kitchen, and much more! Listen in!  Follow Rohini: Instagram | Books Timestamps 02:07 Family, acknowledgments, and food as inheritance 03:09 Born in Agra; the Nainital palace turned hotel 05:01 Learning menus at her mother's side 06:24 Convent school and moral science; boarding school food trauma 09:33 Engaged two days before her final exam; learning to cook before the wedding 13:34 Marriage and army postings 15:42 The cake that impressed her father-in-law 17:22 Rice for breakfast — the culture shock 22:08 Learning to love rice 23:07 Missing dal bhaat in Lebanon 25:30 The Chaurasi Vyanjan — 84 dishes, Vedic roots 30:07 Face to face with the wedding wild boar 31:29 Cooking wild boar with timur 33:07 Building the book from 30 countries of travel 36:48 Samosas around the world 38:06 Pakoras vs. tempura 40:31 Saving the Kancho Bari recipe from extinction 45:30 Life today — grandmother, garden, farm-to-table 50:01 Favorite spices — India vs. Nepal 53:25 What she wants readers to take away 57:01 What's next — temple food and royal cuisine To get in touch, email genseasoned@gmail.com  Disclaimer: Views are personal. Listener discretion is advised.

  3. Jul 14

    Ep 19: Re-purpose with BK Bhayana: A second career at 60

    What do you actually do when four decades of "get up, go to work, come back" suddenly stops? In this episode of Gen Seasoned, Anuradha Varma talks to BK Bhayana — engineer, and now a first-time entrepreneur in his 60s (launching the Elevate cervical pillow) — for a wonderfully honest chat about what retirement really feels like. He talks about those early days of feeling like he had nowhere to go, why he never bought into the "just take up gardening" advice, and how he eventually found his footing again — by simply asking what he was already good at. Listen in to the refreshingly honest conversation about starting over, staying curious, and figuring out what "busy" means beyond a job description. Follow on: LinkedIn | Instagram | Website Timestamps: 1:33 Meet BK Bhayana: engineer, MBA, patent holder 2:19 The big question: how was the day after retirement? 3:57 The "India Gate" metaphor 6:11 The LinkedIn message that led to his first NGO connection 7:13 You don't need a "passion" — just find what you like doing 8:26 From personal cervical pain to a product idea 10:47 Designing the cervical pillow 12:29 Filing for a patent 14:26 "I'm not a doctor, but I'm an engineer" 15:00 A day in the life running the business 16:07 Learning Instagram, reels & video editing from his daughters 17:20 Taking the product to stalls in Bangalore, Mumbai & Gurgaon 18:09 Building a website and learning social media from scratch 19:10 Before vs. after: no targets, no hurry, more creative freedom 20:14 Still looking for the right mentor 21:37 The advantages of post-retirement life 22:39 Feeling low — and how community helps 26:19 Reframing it: not "grieving," but a "missing link" 27:41 The rejected-by-daughters list of retirement ideas 29:07 What's next: a temperature-sensitive fan regulator 30:41 Advice to his past self 31:08 Does all this free time actually feel good? To get in touch, email genseasoned@gmail.com Disclaimer: Views are personal. Listener discretion is advised.

  4. Jun 30

    Ep 18: Corinne Auman, gerontologist: Sparkly shoes, ageism and second acts

    What does it really mean to grow older, and are we using the right language to talk about it? For instance, you may be an older adult, but you could be a “young old” (aged 60-70) or a “middle old” (aged 75-85) person. In this episode, Dr. Corinne Auman, an American gerontologist with over 20 years of experience working with older adults, and the author of Keenagers: Telling a New Story About Aging, unpacks the word "keenager", how society sees older adults and how we talk to ourselves in our own heads.  She shares her “sparkly shoes” moment that sparked a conversation about internalised ageism — and why even the most aware among us aren't immune to it. She also touches upon practical aspects of how to plan for life after 50, laying out what a retirement reframing playbook might look like. Listen in! Get to know Corinne: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Book Timestamps: 00:36 — Introduction: Anu welcomes Dr. Corinne Auman, gerontologist and author of Keenagers: Telling a New Story About Aging 01:21 — The word "keenager" — where it came from and why it matters 03:07 — Internalised ageism: the sparkly shoes story 05:06 — Even anti-ageism advocates carry the script — and that's okay 08:19 — Everyday ageist language we don't notice: "still working," "you look great for your age," and more 10:44 — Preparing for life after 50: why acknowledging change is step one 11:36 — What Corinne sees in her care management practice — and the danger of denial 13:57 — Breaking it down: what to plan for beyond finances (intellectual, social, and spiritual life) 17:28 — The retirement honeymoon — and what happens six months later 18:30 — Why we're living longer but nobody gave us a new playbook 19:22 — Two or three decades of retirement: the math nobody thinks about 21:53 — Relationships and marriage in retirement: the renegotiation nobody warns you about 25:34 — Semi-retirement as a preview — and why hobbies matter more than you think 27:35 — "A new continent rising out of the sea" — the longevity economy and the billion consumers being ignored by marketers 32:25 — Moving beyond the three-stage life model: multiple careers, elder care, and intentional breaks 33:06 — The surprising reality of who needs care coordination — 65-year-olds caring for 90-year-olds 35:28 — Five generations in the workplace: stereotypes, benefits, and what actually works 37:47 — A message for people in their 30s and 40s: how to fight ageism now 39:49 — Young old, middle old, old old — how researchers are trying (and struggling) to categorise aging 41:05 — An AI course story: catching your own ageism mid-sentence 42:24 — Corinne's upcoming second book: How to Be a Keenager To get in touch, email genseasoned@gmail.com Disclaimer: Views are personal. Listener discretion is advised.

  5. Jun 17

    Ep 17: Hari Baskaran, 77, active ageing ambassador: ‘You have to invite joy’

    When Hari Baskaran chose to formally retire at 64, he hit the “ground running”, taking up cycling and trekking. At 70, he cycled 3000 km from Chennai to Delhi in 58 days. However, it was at 75 that the active ageing ambassador was asked to slow down by his doctor, which put him on a fresh path of self-discovery, which he calls an “inflexion in the mid-70s”.  Listen in as the author of Battling On to Vibrancy@80 talks to Gen Seasoned’s Anuradha Varma, touching upon thoughts of mortality; taking inspiration from his happy-go-lucky teenage grandson, who has cerebral palsy; the power of community; his love for Chat GPT and, of course, his excitement as he prepares for the upcoming Bengaluru 10K running challenge. Follow Hari Baskaran on: LinkedIn  His book: Battling On To Vibrancy@80 Timestamps: 04:10 On turning 60, getting into cycling and trekking 11:25 Life changes at 75, dealing with death of loved ones 17:23 Battling health issues and facing mortality 19:30 An inflexion at 75; the frailty index 23:00 Staying mentally strong; internal triggers 27:50 How grief changes as you age 32:20 Finding purpose again - the three stages 36:20 It’s about participation, not performance 40:27 The power of community 43:34 On his spiritual practice 47:40 Overcoming his bad phase 51:25 Having fun in senior groups; pre-retirement life 58:20 Balancing family time post-retirement 01:03:27 On his grandson, a happy child with cerebral palsy 01:6:15 Inviting joy into our lives 01:09:06 Journalling, writing a blog and then his book 01:12:30 A fan of Chat GPT 01:18:20 The Bangalore 10K Challenge To get in touch, email genseasoned@gmail.com Disclaimer: Views are personal. Listener discretion is advised.

  6. Jun 11

    Ep 16: Longevity scientist Dr Sophia Pathai: India has ‘Blue Zones’ too

    In this episode, Dr. Sophia Pathai, British-Indian physician scientist and co-author of The Longevity Code, decodes biological ageing, from epigenetic clocks that can predict your health trajectory, to organs that age at different speeds.  She talks to Gen Seasoned’s Anuradha Varma on the gut-muscle-mind connection, why walking and fidgeting matter as much as the gym, the truth about GLP-1 drugs, and what the Blue Zones can teach us — including what India is getting right. Listen in to understand longevity science without the jargon! About Dr Sophia Pathai:Dr Sophia Pathai is a British-Indian medical doctor with a PhD in the biology of ageing. Trained at University College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, her research was among the first to identify biological markers of accelerated ageing in diverse populations. She has led global medical teams at companies including AbbVie and Johnson & Johnson, and most recently helped advance longevity innovation in the Gulf. The Longevity Code is her first book—blending cutting-edge science with real-world insight to show how we can build resilience, improve healthspan, and live not just longer, but better. Follow Dr Sophia Pathai on: LinkedIn | Instagram  The book: The Longevity Code: Science, Strategies and Secrets to Living Better and Longer, by Sophia Pathai with Olympic coach Pullela Gopichand: https://www.amazon.in/Longevity-Code-Science-Strategies-Secrets/dp/0143478621  Timestamps: 02:00 About the book04:45 Biological age vs chronological age 10:10 Ageing clocks; don’t use Indian data 13:45 Need Indian context to data 16:37 The Blue Zone, living a longer and healthier life 18:10 India’s blue zones – Karnataka and Kerala 21:10 The hallmarks of ageing are dynamic 23:27 Vivek Oberoi endorsing autophagy; gut-mind connection 28:26 Why joy is important, owning the moment 36:07 Hormesis, good stress, and NEAT (nonexercise activity thermogenesis - walking, standing, fidgeting) 42:16 GLP-1RAs for longevity , the drug of the decade 46:24 Approach GLP with caution and context 49:00 The future of longevity science To get in touch, email genseasoned@gmail.com Disclaimer: Views are personal. Listener discretion is advised.

  7. May 28

    Ep 15: Navneet Gupta, Service GTD: Solving the eldercare challenge for NRIs

    As a former NRI, Navneet Gupta, Founder CEO, Service GTD knows only too well the stress of managing eldercare back home in India, negotiating across continents and time zones. Here, he talks to Gen Seasoned founder Anuradha Varma on providing eldercare services for NRIs by onboarding trusted supply partners, and handholding families through the process long after the booking happens, much as a relationship manager would at a banking institution. Navneet also touches upon evolving care needs, including the need for care at home services such as dialysis and dental care, besides “elderproofing” homes to prevent falls, etc. Listen in! About Service GTD: Service GTD was started in 2025 as a service marketplace platform designed to simplify the experience for the global NRI community to discover and access high-quality services and lifestyle solutions. The team interviewed over 120 NRI families before finalising eldercare as their focus/GTM category. They now offer care services across 45+ cities in India. Follow on: LinkedIn | Website Support: +91 90357 54090 (India)  Timestamps: 03:06 Starting Service GTD; challenges of NRIs taking care of family in India 06:24 Addressing the trust deficit between service providers and families in eldercare 08:00 His experience of caregiving as an ex-NRI 11:22 His research in eldercare 14:15 Focussing on trusted supply partners 17:05 What people need; the booking process 21:55 Taking on an advisory role as in the finance industry 23:25 What NRI families need 28:27 Tech as a differentiator in agetech 30:10 Some challenges faced by clients 34:00 Taking time to research partnerships 36:23 Learnings for the eldercare industry 39:12 Plans for other services 41:34 Elders are looking for social engagement To get in touch, email genseasoned@gmail.com Disclaimer: Views are personal. Listener discretion is advised.

  8. May 15

    Ep 14: Siddharth Kothari: At 19, he runs the Happy Folks Club for seniors

    After his 12th Boards, Siddharth Kothari decided to put together an event for senior citizens. That has now grown into the Happy Folks Club, a youth-led social enterprise with over 1400 active members in Bengaluru, and soon to launch in Chennai. The team, the 19-year-old founder & MD tells Gen Seasoned’s Anuradha Varma, comprises youngsters aged 16 to 22 years, with over 650 internships and 220 events organised since its inception in May 2024.  Listen in as he talks about bridging the generation gap, familiarising seniors with Gen Z lingo, running the Suvidha helpline and the Dosti service, where seniors can book a walking buddy, companion for teatime, tech coach, and more. The young entrepreneur and BBA student, who believes in the power of delegation and having systems in place, also talks about plans for his future and the aim to impact one lakh senior citizens. Call the Happy Folks Suvidha helpline: +91 80504 54886 Follow: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram Timestamps: 01:12 About Happy Folks Club, run entirely by the youth 02:50 The Swatantra School – seven Sundays, seven skills 04:56 Team ranges from 16 to 22 06:58 How Happy Folks Club started 09:10 Age group of seniors involved 11:43 What the generation gap looks like 13:00 Teaching seniors Gen Z lingo 14:30 “Hamaare zamane mein”; then and now 17:08 Organisational structure of Happy Folks Club; quality assurance 19:00 Started as a group of 10 friends 21:50 The Suvidha helpline 25:00 The Dosti service - walking buddies, teatime companions, etc 29:00 Profile of seniors, what they’re looking for 30:00 Siddharth’s aim to be portfolio entrepreneur; time for hobbies 32:50 Services for brands 34:43 Scope for agetech 36:25 Aim to impact one lakh senior citizens through Happy Folks Club  To get in touch, email genseasoned@gmail.com Disclaimer: Views are personal. Listener discretion is advised.

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About

Conversations on longevity, reframing retirement and creating multigenenerational connections. Co-founders Anuradha Varma and Jahnavi Sarma are seasoned journalists as well as a Mindset Coach and Energy Healer respectively. To get in touch, email genseasoned@gmail.com  

Information

  • Creator
    Anuradha Varma
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Anuradha Varma
  • Show Website
    Gen Seasoned