Never Too Late Academy

11/05/2026

https://www.nevertoolateacademy.com/post/the-yakult-lady-and-the-last-cohort

21/03/2026

Sometimes the wrong words are the path to the right ones.

I was told that George Harrison, for months, used the placeholder lyric “attracts me like a pomegranate” before landing on “attracts me like no other lover.”

The process mattered. And it raises a question for all of us writing in the age of AI: What happens if we stop doing that work ourselves? If you are a writer or a wannabe writer held back by self-doubt, you may find this short piece helpful.

https://www.nevertoolateacademy.com/post/writing-in-the-age-of-ai-what-to-use-what-not-to-lose

19/02/2026

This week I watched something unexpectedly instructive.

After some time moored in the middle of the bay, I moved my boat to a small fishing port and tied her against the wall. On the way in, she felt slower than usual. From the dock, I saw why: a thin layer of marine growth had formed along the hull. Not dramatic. Just enough to create drag.

Then a school of fish appeared. They began feeding off the growth. What slowed the boat sustained them. And in removing it, they improved her efficiency.

No strategy meeting. No contracts. No performance review. Just mutual benefit.

It made me reflect on how often in organizations we treat friction, byproducts, or “inefficiencies” as purely negative. But in resilient systems, whether ecological or corporate, waste often becomes input. Byproducts become value.

Thinking there might be a leadership lesson in that, I expanded on the idea in a short piece on resilient systems and Japan’s longevity communities.

Lessons in interdependence from Japan’s longevity communities and a boat in Buren Bay.This week I watched something unexpectedly instructive.After some time moored in the middle of the bay, I moved my boat to a small fishing port and tied her against the wall. On the way in, she felt slower than u...

27/12/2025

I’m honored to have been invited to moderate a Featured Panel on Longevity, Happiness, and the Art of Community at the upcoming IAFOR conference.

With 800+ people expected from over 60 countries, it promises to be a genuinely global and very human conversation—precisely the kind I love being part of.

I’m especially chuffed that Héctor García, co-author of Ikigai (over 31 million copies sold in 70+ languages), has agreed to join the panel. Héctor has been a great encouragement to me as a fellow writer, and it’s a pleasure to share the stage with someone whose work has helped so many people rethink purpose and longevity.

If these themes resonate with you, I’d encourage you to check out the conference and the wider programme. It’s shaping up to be something special.

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Hector Garcia, author of “Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life”, has also been chosen to discuss this topic.

16/10/2025

In Japan, the art of community isn’t just practiced, it’s spoken.

Words that end with -kai (meaning “a gathering with purpose”) are everyday tools that turn intention into habit.
Here, language doesn’t merely describe community, it creates it.

Over the past months and years as I’ve traveled the length of Japan, I’ve asked elders the same question:
“What’s the secret to a long and happy life?”
From the 90-year-old ‘Granny of the Fields’ in Aichi,
to the 84-year-old café owner on Ama Island (Shimane),
to the elders of Ogimi in Okinawa,
the answer is always the same:
“I don’t worry.”

If stress kills, then belonging heals.
Being part of gatherings with purpose — these kai — instills peace of mind and joy.

In this video, the kai is Undōkai, a Sports Day in the remote inlet of Ukenson, on Amami Island.
Here, children, parents, and grandparents dance together in one big circle — a living expression of what I call “the art of community.”

In Japan, the art of community isn’t just practiced — it’s spoken.Words ending in -kai mean a gathering with purpose — turning intention into habit.From the ...

07/10/2025

In Japan, millions start the day the same way, AND Japan tops the world tables for Longevity. Coincidence?

At dawn in Komazawa Park this weekend, I joined my friend Darren McKellin and a group of seniors, aged 77 to 92, for Radio Taiso, Japan’s national morning exercise.

At first glance, it appears to be light stretching. But this three-minute ritual has been practiced daily for nearly a century, surviving wars, recessions, and generations. Every morning at 6:30 a.m., millions move together in sync, from parks to factories to marinas.

As Darren said, “It’s not just exercise, it’s camaraderie.”

That’s the secret: Radio Taiso is about connection as much as movement. It keeps bodies flexible and spirits connected. Its structure, rhythm, and belonging in motion.

Maybe longevity isn’t only about medicine or technology. Perhaps it’s three minutes every morning, in step with your neighbors, lifting your hands above shoulder height, and your heart a little higher, too.

27/07/2025

Have you ever thought about your daily skincare regime? I hadn’t — until I turned 70 and I was asked point blank: “What’s your skincare regime?”

This question sparked a surprising journey into skin health, not vanity, and how caring for our largest organ is a powerful step toward aging gracefully and actively.

In this video, I speak with Kevin McAuliffe and Ryosuke, a skincare expert from Dermalogica Japan, about sun damage, hydration, exfoliation, and why skin health becomes increasingly important as we age.

This isn’t about beauty. It’s about well-being, dignity, and feeling good in your skin — at any age. https://youtu.be/f7wPpeu8mhc?si=u_UxdOM-kHlgnucL

27/07/2025

Have you ever thought about your daily skincare regime? I hadn’t, until I was turning 70 and I was asked point blank: "What’s your skincare regime?"

This question sparked a surprising journey into skin health, not vanity, and how caring for our largest organ is a powerful step toward aging gracefully and actively.

In this video, I speak with Kevin McAuliffe and Ryosuke, a skincare expert from Dermalogica Japan, about sun damage, hydration, exfoliation, and why skin health becomes increasingly important as we age.

This isn’t about beauty. It’s about well-being, dignity, and feeling good in your skin — at any age. And yes, there's a discount link for you too.

If you want to check out the Dermalogica products I am using, go to https://dermalogica.jp...
If you choose to order anything, type in 'lowell-dermalogica' and you will receive a 10% discount.

https://youtu.be/f7wPpeu8mhc?si=u_UxdOM-kHlgnucL

Lowell recounts a meaningful encounter with Kevin McAuliffe, who posed a thought-provoking question that sparked reflection and led to adopting a skin care r...

15/06/2025

Leaders often talk about vision, strategy, and ex*****on. But sometimes, what shapes us most are the things we never planned for.

Twenty-five years ago, on Day One of cycling the length of Japan, I faced a flat tire, extreme fatigue, and the realization that I had packed too much.

Those three simple experiences taught me what many boardrooms don’t:
1. Face fear early—it loses power.
2. The right kind of exhaustion is a sign of growth.
3. Sometimes you’ll go further when you carry less.

This week, I returned to the volcanic island where that journey began: Sakurajima.

I wrote about what it taught me then, what I remembered now, and included a short reflection exercise you may find helpful in your own leadership or life transitions.

Read the post and use the worksheet

How a Volcano and a Flat Tire Helped Prep Me for the Biggest Challenge of My Life, and How It May Help You Too!Twenty-five years ago, I stepped off a ferry from Osaka, having arrived in Shibushi Bay in southern Kyushu. From there, I cycled 125 kilometers to one of Japan’s most active volcanoes, Sa...

02/06/2025

I did it. First draft finished.
41,827 words.
10,000 in the last 24 hours.

Deadline met. But more than that, the purpose deepened.

After months traveling the length of Japan, visiting longevity hotspots, diving into data, interviewing elders… I’ve now returned to where I’ll complete the journey: a tiny coastal village with 29 residents, my new home, my life laboratory.

Here, surrounded by active elders who are defying expectations and statistics, I’ll write the next several drafts.

This is my 10th book.
But I want it to be my most significant.
A legacy book, not just a study on aging, but a hopeful guide to facing what we all fear most: Losing our independence and our clarity of mind

The surge came partly from a self-imposed June 1st deadline… but even more from a kind of initiation yesterday—joining 17 locals in a remote Japanese hamlet (29 people, 23 households) for a community workday.

I’m likely the youngest in the village, and what a longevity laboratory it is.
After 3 months of travel and research, and now this deep immersion in rural Japan, I’m more charged than ever about this book:

A Journey Beyond the Blue Zone: Why the Japanese Live Long, Healthy Lives, And How You Can Too.

Now on to the second and multiple more drafts, as I retrace the writing trail I’ve blazed, refining, expanding, and tightening as I go.
The first draft was for my eyes only. From here, I’ll begin inviting input from a few trusted readers.

If you are writing a book too, good luck on your journey. Let the story unfold and enjoy the twists and turns, the slowdowns and the surges.

30/05/2025

TIP #20: Watch for the Word or Sentence That Shapes the Story

Not all breakthroughs come with fireworks. Some arrive quietly, spoken over dinner, with city lights glowing in the background.

At the IAFOR AGen2025 Conference in Tokyo, I asked a question to Kathryn Lavender from NACDA, the largest archive of aging research in the world:
“What’s the one trait most common in those who live long and live well?”
She didn’t hesitate. “Curiosity,” she said.

That single word didn’t just answer my question; it reframed the book I’m writing.
It became a lens for the lives I’ve encountered: the 80-year-old barber, the 83-year-old kickboxer, the 85-year-old farmer, and many others, including my mother.

It wasn’t the product of endless research or deep soul-searching. It was the right question, asked at the right time, by the right person, and met with a clarifying answer.

So, today’s tip?
Watch for the word or sentence that rearranges your thinking. It’s more than insight, it’s a framework arriving. Write it down. And let it guide what comes next.

Late in the day today, the words gushed as I recalled my conversation with Katheryn, data I had read, and stories I gathered.

Today’s Word Count: 3136
Total to Date: 29,413