We’re kicking off a new series of discussions on The Takeaway called "In My Experience." We'll be talking with older Americans who are long past retirement age, yet are nonetheless still looking to change how we live and work in this country. Philosopher and civil rights reformer Grace Lee Boggs joins us for the inaugural edition.

How can we live longer, healthier lives? It’s a question that for centuries has enticed explorers to travel the globe and many others to suffer through everything from chemical peels to bizarre diets. Is the secret in a good attitude? A lasting marriage? Strenuous exercise? Can we control it at all? Leslie Martin, along with Howard Friedman, is the author of a new book called “The Longevity Project: Surprising Discoveries for health and Long Life from the Landmark Eight-Decade Study.” Leslie Martin talks about the book, and dispels some long-held myths about longevity.

Researchers at the University of Michigan looked at whether people really get wiser with age. We'll be talking about whether you think this holds true in your life and we want your input. Do you think you're wiser now than you were when you were young? And what is wisdom anyway?

Older Americans—those over 45—have been hit especially hard by the recession. They make up 32 percent of the unemployed, and they constitute a whopping 38 percent of those who are out of work for 27 weeks or longer, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In a world where older people are still discriminated against when it comes to hiring, how can you make sure the “you” that employers encounter first is accurate and professional representation of your best self? Here’s what you need to know.