News & Events

Wisdom Group

Intentional Living, Lifelong Learning

Please join Purposeful-Aging.org and the Knoebel Institute for Healthy Aging for our free monthly Wisdom Group meeting, dedicated to helping individuals embrace aging with intention and vitality. Each month brings a new topic to explore.

Click on the titles below to read more and register.

• Register: Those that Came Before – Ancestry Research

  Date: Thursday September 24, 2026

  Time: 1:00PM-3:00PM

  Location: Knoebel Institute for Healthy Aging, DU

   

  Sylvia Tracy Doolos, speaking on the topic of “Those Who Came Before” has been working as a professional genealogist for 15 years and is actively involved as a genealogical volunteer with the Denver Public Library and other family history organizations.  Her research focus is on the impact of language changes on records. Tracy says she has been interested in genealogy for nearly 45 years, and her interest began while searching for family names for her first child.  Born into a family that seldom talked about their family history, she discovered she had relatives with very intriguing names via great-great-aunt’s research.  Discovering ancestry going back to the Mayflower was what finally “hooked her” on the profession.

   

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• Register: Workouts for the Young at Heart

  Date: Thursday October 22, 2026

  Time: 1:00PM-3:00PM

  Location: Knoebel Institute for Healthy Aging, DU

   

  Parkinson’s Pointe is a non-profit health promotion and wellness center in the Denver metro area that supports people affected by Parkinson’s Disease (PD) through community connection, peer mentorship programs and PD specific exercise and education classes.  Parkinson’s Point’s programs help people to navigate the challenges associated with the diagnosis of Parkinson’s and via r peer-to-peer mentorship programs help to increase resiliency and sustain healthy habits.  Parkinson’s Point offers exercise classes such as boxing, yoga and spinning which can help maintain or improve mobility to slow disease progression. Beyond that, their community helps ease loneliness, which has been shown to be the #1 cause of disease progression.  Dr. Meredith Robers is co-founder at Parkinson’s Point in Aurora, is a business owner and physical therapist.  She has been working as a neuro rehabilitative physical therapist since 2005. 
   

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• Register: Family Systems - Aging Relationships

  Date: Thursday November 19, 2026

  Time: 1:00PM-3:00PM

  Location: Knoebel Institute for Healthy Aging, DU

   

  Dr. Shelly Smith-Acuna is a family therapist in private practice and also a faculty member in the University of Denver Graduate School of Professional Psychology. She earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Loyola University in Chicago.  She is the author of “Systems Theory in Action:  Application to Individual, Couple and Family Therapy”.  She will discuss how relationships evolve and change over time—and other caveats related to “aging relationships”.  Her areas of specialty include couple and family therapy, with a particular emphasis on gender, culture, and multigenerational issues. Shelly is the former Dean of the Graduate School of Psychology at DU during which time she received external funding for specialties in Latino, military, oncology, substance use disorder and infant/early childhood mental health psychology.  She is also credited with helping to launch DU’s MA in Sport Coaching.

   

  REGISTER HERE

• Register: Holiday Celebration - Life Balance Workshop

  Date: Thursday December 17, 2026

  Time: 1:00PM-3:00PM

  Location: Knoebel Institute for Healthy Aging, DU

   

  Many of us have heard of the Modern Elder Academy, but what is it and where is it located?  Leslie Bartlett was among the first employees of MEA and is now VP of Corazon Alum Relations, serving over 9,000 alumni from 60 countries with 60 regional chapters around the world. These individuals have attended MEA’s destination workshops and online programs to reimagine aging and create exciting and meaningful next chapters in midlife and beyond.  MEA has two campuses, one in Santa Fe, NM and the other in Baja, Mexico.  Launched by noted author and entrepreneur Chip Conley as the world’s first midlife wisdom school, MEA programs, which Leslie will share, are designed to give participants the tools, practices and support to navigate midlife challenges and thrive in the second half of life. Leslie is an experienced facilitator, certified death doula, and owner/founder at Allegria Coaching. 

   

  REGISTER HERE