The Bold Art of Ageing: A Conversation with Carl Honoré

Society often leads us to believe that ageing is a slow drift into irrelevance, but for Carl Honoré, an award-winning writer, broadcaster, and TED speaker, the voice of the global Slow Movement, growing older means leaning in with greater purpose, deeper curiosity, and renewed courage.

Author of two best-sellers, ‘In Praise of Slow’ and ‘Bolder: Making the Most of Our Longer Lives’, at 57, Honoré speaks not like someone clinging to the past, but as someone rooted in the present. His message is clear: ageing boldly is not only possible, it’s vital. “We spend so much time trying to deny the passing years,” he says, “when in fact, every year adds something beautiful and essential.”

Ageing as an Adventure

Carl’s vision of ageing doesn’t come with a checklist for staying young. Instead, he offers thoughtful guidance on how to embrace ageing as a process of renewal.

“The first thing,” he says, “is to seek out novelty constantly. Our brains crave it. Whether it’s trying a new recipe, visiting a website you’ve never seen before, or even picking up a new hobby, keeping things fresh keeps you mentally agile, and that spills over into your physical well-being.”

Novelty, he argues, is a powerful antidote to stagnation. It’s how we stay open, connected, and mentally flexible, even as our bodies change. In a world where ageing often gets cast as a slow dimming of the light, Honoré insists it can be an awakening.

The Power of Connection and Reflection

Of course, novelty isn’t the only fuel for ageing boldly. Connection is equally vital. “We are social animals,” he explains. “Strong social bonds are essential. They don’t just make us happier, they help us live longer and healthier lives.”

And yet, there’s another kind of connection Carl encourages, one that’s far less comfortable, but no less transformative: our relationship with death.

“There’s something ancient and profoundly wise about contemplating our mortality– he says-. Most spiritual traditions have some form of death meditation, not to frighten us, but to sharpen our sense of what truly matters. Our bodies were never meant to last forever. Yes, we can eat well, stay active, and nurture our health, but ultimately, we’re here for a finite time“.

In facing the inevitable, we can learn to live more urgently and more fully.

“Death gives life its edge,” Carl explains. “When you know you’re on a deadline, you stop wasting time. You pour yourself into what matters. It’s a strange gift, but a powerful one.”

Longevity: Living More, Not Just Longer

Discussing the growing obsession with longevity, especially in Silicon Valley’s high-tech circles, Carl speaks with measured scepticism. “This idea that we should live to 150 or never die can actually pull us away from what really matters.”

What matters, he believes, isn’t how many years we live, but how alive we are in those years. “It’s about healthspan, not just lifespan. What good is living to 120 if you spend your last 40 years feeling miserable, isolated, or medicated?”

Besides, he adds, “A fixed timeline sharpens our focus. It gives life its rhythm, its arc. If we were to stretch that out indefinitely, I honestly think we’d lose something essential, something human. I think we need to change the lens when we talk about longevity. The aim here is not to have as many years as possible; it’s to focus on making the most of the years we have”.

Slowness Is a Superpower

If you’re familiar with Carl Honoré’s work, you’ll know he’s made it his mission to challenge our collective addiction to doing everything faster. As one of the strongest voices behind the Slow Movement, he’s long argued that faster isn’t always better, and when it comes to ageing, he sees slowness not as a burden, but as a superpower.

I couldn’t help bringing up something many of us quietly wrestle with, the way ageing tends to slow us down. Physically, mentally, even socially. Isn’t that, deep down, what so many people fear most?

Carl leaned in with a knowing smile. “Of course we slow down,” he said. “I still play competitive sports, but I’m not as quick as I was in my twenties. That’s just how the body works. But when you lose speed, you gain something far more valuable: depth, nuance, perspective“.

It’s a philosophy he’s seen echoed in the world’s so-called “Blue Zones”, places like Sardinia, Okinawa, and Nicoya in Costa Rica, where people don’t just live longer, they live better. “Sure, they eat well and have strong communities,” he said, “but they also live at a different pace. They’re not scrambling to stay relevant. They move with rhythm, not haste.”

It made me think: in a culture that equates worth with productivity, slowing down feels like falling behind. But Carl invites us to flip that script. 

“Our society worships fast,” he says. “So when we get slower, we panic. We mistake it for decline. But that natural deceleration, if we stop resisting it, might just be the key to living more fully. I think part of the problem now is that we’re racing through our lives instead of living them. So this takes a toll on our health, mental and physical, on our happiness. We can’t focus, we can’t be in the moment. We’re just gliding along and skimming along the surface, and slowing down allows you to live your life fully, whatever age you are“.

And there it was, the paradox that sits at the heart of ageing boldly: that the real rewards of later life, wisdom, presence, emotional richness, don’t come from keeping up. They come when we finally give ourselves permission to slow down.

The Joy of Not Going Back

When asked if he’d ever want to rewind the clock and return to his twenties, Carl doesn’t miss a beat.

“Absolutely not,” he says, “my twenties were wild and wonderful, sure full of energy, risk, discovery. But I have no desire to be stuck there. The whole point of life is to evolve.”

He pauses, then adds a quote that’s clearly stayed with him over the years: “Muhammad Ali once said – A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 30 has wasted 20 years of his life – That hit me hard. It still does. It’s a reminder that we’re meant to grow, to change, to learn with time, not resist it.”

For Carl, this philosophy forms the heart of ageing boldly. Rather than clinging to the past or trying to pause the clock, the real beauty lies in welcoming the richness each new chapter brings.

“We need to rethink how we view the arc of life,” he explains. “Too often we treat ageing as something to fear, or fix.We need to move toward a more nuanced understanding of ageing as part of the evolution of living. There’s a real danger in becoming too obsessed with the idea of living forever. In chasing eternal youth, we risk turning ageing into something to fear or reject. The more we glorify staying young at all costs, the more we end up devaluing everything that comes with growing older, wisdom, change, and the natural evolution of a full life.”

And with that, he offers one last reflection: “Ageing is not a problem to be solved,” he concludes. “It’s a story to be lived. Each chapter brings something new. The trick is to live boldly where you are and not wish yourself back to pages you’ve already written.”

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