Grow old on purpose. This book invites readers to navigate a purposeful path from adulthood to elderhood with choice, curiosity, and courage.

Everyone is getting old; not everyone is growing old. But the path of purposeful aging is accessible to all—and it’s fundamental to health, happiness, and longevity.
 
With a focus on growing whole through developing a sense of purpose in later life, Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Old? celebrates the experience of aging with inspiring stories, real-world practices, and provocative questions. Framed by a long conversation between two old friends, the book reconceives aging as a liberating experience that enables us to become more authentically the person we always meant to be with each passing year.
 
In their bestseller Repacking Your Bags, Richard J. Leider and David A. Shapiro defined the good life as “living in the place you belong, with people you love, doing the right work, on purpose.” This book builds on that definition to offer a purposeful path for living well while aging well.
 

Our later years need not be a time of loss. This book helps readers embrace the positive possibilities of aging and provides guidance on doing so purposefully, with courage, compassion, and curiosity.

None of us know for sure what will happen as we age. What Richard J. Leider and David A. Shapiro do know, however, is that a purposeful mindset is a fundamental component of a life well-lived. Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Old? invites readers into the experience of two lifelong friends taking on the courageous conversation of aging well with honesty and purpose. In the first half of the book, readers are introduced to a framework for looking back over their lives and examining how they've arrived at the place they have. In the second half, readers are invited to look forward to purposeful aging with courage, compassion, and curiosity.

In their bestseller Repacking Your Bags, Leider and Shapiro defined the good life as "living in the place you belong, with people you love, doing the right work, on purpose." This book argues that aging well can be similarly defined as "aging in the place you belong, with people you love, doing the right 'work,' on purpose."

“In this valuable guide, executive coach Leider (Repacking Your Bags) and philosopher Shapiro lay out a plan for finding satisfaction for those entering their later years…The authors’ gentle tone and many helpful suggestions will make readers feel as if they are listening to a close friend. For aging readers inclined to live an examined life, this will provide much food for thought.”
—Publishers Weekly

“In a culture that offers little guidance for growing old, but excels at pushing elders aside, here’s a book that will help us age into the fullness of life. I’ve been reading Richard Leider and Dave Shapiro with gratitude for years, and once again they’ve offered grounded guidance for the fourth quarter of life. Life is always a gift beyond measure, and there’s only one way to keep a gift alive: pass it along in growth and service as long as we have the chance. We who have reached old age are among the lucky ones, and this book will help us turn our good fortune into an asset for the world. I’m still a young man (81), but this book goes into my backpack as I journey on.”
—Parker J. Palmer, author of On the Brink of Everything, Let Your Life Speak, The Courage to Teach, and Healing the Heart of Democracy

“Leider knows of what he speaks. He's been studying the topic for over four decades, is the founder of Inventure: The Purpose Company and has written nine books about purpose, six of which he co-authored with Shapiro.”
—Next Avenue

"If we're lucky, we grow old. If we're wise, we grow whole. This powerful book is a poignant reminder that life is a crescendo. The plot thickens as life quickens toward the end. Richard and David help us make sense of this quickening to assure our life's path is purposeful."
—Chip Conley, bestselling author and founder of the Modern Elder Academy

“The books by Richard Leider and David Shapiro gave me a road map to find my life's passions and purpose. With this book, they lead an exploration into powerful and meaningful aging with fresh perspectives from inspiring people. Enjoy!”
—Cathy Wurzer, author and Emmy award-winning public radio & television journalist

“This excellent book gets to the heart of what I believe is the heart of healthy aging well: purpose matters. It is a manifesto on how to age well. Please read and share.”
—Dan Buettner, National Geographic Explorer, New York Times bestselling author of The Blue Zones