Why Intergenerational Relationships Matter: Loneliness, Ageism, and Belonging

“I have a voice in my head, and I want you to hear it.”The voice belongs to my Nana—a four-foot-eleven, blue-eyed, raspy-voiced Polish woman who was my soulmate. Her voice is why I wrote Greedy for Life, why I led a TEDWomen workshop on intergenerational relationships and why I started Nana’s Tribe Foundation.In this solo episode, I share Nana’s story, our family’s love of Cleveland Guardians baseball and the lessons my grandparents taught me through the Quick Lunch: feed people, protect their dignity and create places where conversation and connection can happen.We also explore why intergenerational relationships matter. Our brains prefer familiarity and predictability, but that instinct can divide us by age, race, gender, religion and experience. Genuine relationships help us question assumptions, reduce loneliness and ageism, and see people as individuals rather than stereotypes.Nana left me her voice, a passion for Guardians baseball and a belief that human connection can move the needle on bias and isolation.Pull up a chair. Let’s talk about how we carry that legacy forward.Show Notes: https://drloristevic.com/why-intergenerational-relationships-matter/