Barbara Waxman stands at the forefront of life stage expertise, combining her leadership coach and gerontologist roles with a visionary approach to longevity. Her unique gift lies in uncovering cutting-edge research and our national zeitgeist to create fresh perspectives on new longevity and leverage these insights to enhance personal and professional lives.
Waxman graduated with her master’s of science in gerontology in 1987, making her a pioneering voice in the field. She has been instrumental in popularizing the concept of “middlescence,” reshaping our understanding of midlife and challenging the prevalent American narrative of midlife stagnation. Her work reframes this period not as the onset of an inevitable decline but as a dynamic transition and meaningful rite of passage.
Equally significant are Waxman’s contributions to the fields of longevity and healthy aging. Her work has been pivotal in shifting the focus from merely extending lifespan to enhancing healthspan and quality of life in later years. She champions strategies for vibrant aging, emphasizing the importance of purpose, social connections, and continued personal growth. This holistic approach integrates physical health with mental, emotional, and social well-being, providing a roadmap for thriving in the second half of life.
Waxman’s groundbreaking perspectives on both middlescence and longevity were shaped by her training at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology in the 1980s. She began her master’s degree there in 1985 — just a decade after the school’s formation.
“No one knew what gerontology was at that time,” she reflects. “It felt like we were building something important.” In the years since, both the USC Leonard Davis School and Waxman’s influence in the field have flourished, contributing significantly to our evolving understanding of aging and longevity.
Bridging leadership coaching and gerontology
Waxman’s unique blend of gerontology, leadership coaching, and longevity expertise makes her a vital voice amid a critical demographic shift. As people live longer, healthier lives, leaders are working well beyond traditional retirement age, creating unprecedented opportunities for companies to leverage their experience and wisdom.
Waxman founded her coaching company, Odyssey Group Coaching, in the mid-2000s after a consulting career in program management, strategic planning, and leadership development. Her background as a master’s level gerontologist from the USC Leonard Davis School gave her a distinctive perspective on leadership development.
“From my training at the USC Leonard Davis School, I understood that coaching has a lot to do with life stage,” Waxman explains. “Most executives I worked with were middle-aged — a period often overlooked but rich with potential. I saw an opportunity to bring my knowledge of midlife, aging, and longevity into the coaching realm alongside my expertise in leadership development.”
Waxman’s approach revolutionizes traditional executive coaching by incorporating principles of longevity and its ties to leadership and impact. She emphasizes that effective leadership requires not just skills and experience but also energy, resilience, and overall wellness — aspects deeply connected to healthy aging.
“To be a game-changer, you need energy for the game,” Waxman often says, underscoring the importance of vitality in leadership roles.
Her coaching model, Entrepreneurship Turned Inward™ (ETI), integrates her insights on Middlescence — a term she helped popularize to describe the transformative midlife period. This approach empowers leaders to harness their accumulated wisdom while maintaining the dynamism and adaptability crucial for today’s fast-paced business environment.
Shifting the narrative around midlife
In 2015, Waxman and her husband became empty nesters and decided to take a gap year to reflect on their lives. She calls this practice “repotting,” or intentionally creating conditions for new growth. As she thought about her years of experience and conversations with clients, she started rethinking middle age and aging.
“In 1900, life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years. It now hovers around 80,” Waxman says. “Midlife has expanded into a whole life stage that has unique characteristics. Our bodies, relationships and identities change. It’s a lot like adolescence — hence the term middlescence.”
Waxman popularized middlescence in her 2016 book, The Middlescence Manifesto: Igniting the passion of midlife. In her view, midlife isn’t a period of crisis or demise. It’s a time when people can thrive personally and professionally. She’s even developed her own language to change the narrative. Terms she frequently uses include:
- Age agnostic: Not believing in the traditional definitions and confines of age (a 60-year-old can have a biological age of 70, 50 or even 40)
- Midlife and better: Age 40 and up
- Preferment: An alternative term for retirement, where you can do what you prefer, not what you have to
The Middlescence Manifesto launched Waxman as a thought leader and speaker (check out her 2021 TEDx talk). She also draws upon her coaching skills to help people navigate midlife transitions (reckonings) and find a meaningful next chapter. She is the master faculty for a popular workshop at the Modern Elder Academy, the world’s first midlife wisdom school.
MSG provides the tools to grow
Waxman initially thought she was attending USC to become a nursing home administrator. Her degree is a dual Master of Science of Gerontology (MSG)/Master of Public Administration (MPA).
Training in business and management were an essential part of Waxman’s MPA, but she gravitated toward gerontology and entrepreneurship. Although she didn’t understand them at the time, her MSG gave her the tools to grow with the field.
“I’m able to translate research and complex information into bite-sized pieces people can use,” she says. “I then find new ways to help people conceptualize the information and build positive mindsets when it comes to their aging and longevity.”
Waxman remembers many of her professors at the USC Leonard Davis School, including Jon Pynoos, PhD and Eileen Crimmins, PhD. She’s still in touch with former lecturer Helen Dennis, MA. Dennis is now an author and nationally recognized expert on aging and retirement.
Moving forward with the science
Staying current with the changing field of gerontology is essential for Waxman. She is an advisor for the Stanford Center on Longevity, where scientists are preparing for a 100-year life span. A longer lifespan will be a reality for many people born today and will require many individual, community and societal changes.
Waxman also champions lifestyle medicine, a medical subspecialty that uses lifestyle changes to reverse chronic disease. She’s a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and advises the research-focused Stanford Lifestyle Medicine Program.
After a long, prosperous career, Waxman is excited to keep spreading her messages about aging and longevity. “I’ve consciously curated this life as an advisor, coach and teacher and am optimistic about the future,” she says. “This is a historical time in the field of gerontology. It’s thrilling to see more and more people want to be part of it.”
To learn more about specialized master’s programs, including the dual MSG/MPA degree, at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, call us at (213) 740-5156.
