The word 'inspiration' is bandied about with a bit too much alacrity these days, but Dr Gladys McGarey truly
is one of the most inspirational women you'll ever meet.
At 102 years old, she's still a practising doctor - she trained in conventional medicine but her innate curiosity led her to explore alternative healing therapies and she became the first physician ever to use acupuncture in the United States, where she is now known as the Mother of Holistic Medicine.
She joins me to impart her considerable wisdom about how to pursue a well-lived life. We discuss the importance of gratitude, boundaries and being in alignment with our joy. We also discuss her dyslexia and how, as a child, it was left undiagnosed and made her feel that she was stupid. We chat about the long journey to find her voice - as a woman, as a wife and as a mother. She opens up about how she coped with the end of her marriage after 46 years and the shock she experiencdd when her then-husband asked for a divorce. And, in a particularly moving exchange, Dr McGarey talks about surviving the devastating loss of her daughter to breast cancer.
But this is an interview which, overwhelmingly, gives us hope. As Dr McGarey says, we can all strive to live by her own mantra: BE GLAD.
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The Well-Lived Life: A 102-Year-Old Doctor's Six Secrets to Health and Happiness at Every Age by Dr Gladys McGarey is a fantastic read and available to buy here.
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How To Fail With Elizabeth Day is hosted and produced by Elizabeth Day. To contact us, email
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