The New Metric for a Life Well Lived: Joy

Joy: it can be elusive OR you can experience joy all around you. The question is: how do you want to live? 

What if the goal isn’t to live longer, but to live more fully inside each and every moment, day, year? That’s the question at the heart of May’s Book of the Month, Joyspan, a concept that reshapes how we think about aging, purpose, and what it actually means to thrive.

We talk about lifespan and longevity, but I fully believe that joy and mindset are two of the most important aspects of aging fully. Joyspan asks us: how much joy are we experiencing over time? It challenges the idea that longevity alone is enough and instead puts emotional well-being, connection, and purpose at the center of a life well lived.

It’s the mind, body, spirit connection that makes aging feel more expansive. Dr. Kerry Burnight gives us a framework around four “non-negotiables”: growing, connecting, adapting, and giving. These are not lofty ideals as much as they are everyday actions. Staying curious. Reaching out. Adjusting when life shifts. Showing up for others.

Joanie living fully and experiencing immense joy hiking the TMB in Switzerland

Small choices, repeated over time, that expand our capacity for joy.

I hope you will join me for this timely conversation with Dr. Kerry as we have an inspiring and meaningful discussion about aging. And ahead of my time with Dr. Kerry, this is the question I keep coming back to: if joy is something we can create and notice, what are we waiting for?

Virtual Author Discussion with Dr. Kerry Burnight

Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Duration: 1 hour

Time: 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM PST

With loads of joy,

Joanie Parsons

Founder/Adventurist of RevelEleven