Episode 152 | Oct 16, 2025

Why Community Is the New Medicine, With Sally Duplantier

What if the secret to aging well isn’t found in a pill or a protocol, but in your mindset and your community? This week on Health Coach Talk, Dr. Sandi welcomes Sally Duplantier, gerontologist, public health educator, and founder of Zing. At 70, she’s pursuing her doctorate in public health while helping older adults around the world embrace vitality, connection, and lifelong learning through her organization and Wellness Wednesdays webinar series.

“When we come together collectively, it improves our health and well-being. And I think it’s more missing than the traditional health care system… I think we need to think more broadly about community partnerships to help improve our health and well-being, and then just the role of community.”

Sally Duplantier, MS

Sally’s path to gerontology began later in life after a successful career in leadership and entrepreneurship. When she noticed how differently people were aging, some thriving and others struggling, she made it her mission to understand why. That curiosity led her back to school for a Master of Science in Gerontology at the University of Southern California. Today, she combines research, education, and community engagement to help people live their best lives longer.

In her conversation with Dr. Sandi, Sally shares how Wellness Wednesdays grew from a small online gathering into a global series reaching thousands across 57 countries. She also highlights her collaboration with Open Source Wellness, a nonprofit bringing behavioral health coaching and social connection to underserved populations. Their “Community as Medicine” model shows measurable improvements in diet, movement, and emotional well-being, proving that connection and attitude are at the heart of healthy aging.

Watch The Episode

Listen Now

Transcript

Dr. Sandi: We have a special guest today on “Health Coach Talk” who is a real trailblazer in terms of looking at the components of healthy aging, particularly the very, very important component of community. She is an amazing woman who in her 70s, is starting a doctoral program. It is a pleasure to talk with her because she is a walking, living, breathing example of the fact that you can never be too old. So, I know you’re going to enjoy this conversation.

Let me tell you a little bit about Sally Duplantier. She is a gerontologist and public health educator. She’s dedicated to making healthy aging accessible to all. She founded Zing in 2019 to help older adults live their best lives longer, and was recently named by MSN as one of the top 10 inspiring women to watch in 2025 for changing the way we think about aging. Sally hosts “Wellness Wednesdays”, a free webinar series on healthy aging that has reached thousands in more than 50 countries. She also partners with nonprofits like Open Source Wellness to bring behavioral health coaching and new possibilities for vitality, connection, and empowerment to people in underserved communities. So, without further ado, my conversation with Sally Duplantier. Welcome, Sally.

Sally: I am so delighted to be here, Sandra. Thank you.

Dr. Sandi: You talk about yourself as a gerontologist. So, from people who are listening who might not know exactly what that is and what you do, can you describe that and what led you to become a gerontologist?

Sally: This is such a great question. Most people don’t know what a gerontologist is. So, a gerontologist is someone who looks at aging, including the opportunities and challenges of aging from a more holistic or multidisciplinary perspective. So, in my education to become a gerontologist, which I’ll explain shortly, we looked at the biology of aging, physiology, sociology, psychology, and even policy related to aging. And this is different than a geriatrician. So, we might have heard that term. That’s a medical doctor who actually focuses on aging. But I will tell you, it’s not like when I was a little kid, I grew up wanting to be a gerontologist. Sandra, I wanted to be a Rockette, but I couldn’t sing. I couldn’t dance. And I’m only five feet tall. So, I had to find something else. However, it was quite a journey to get to be a gerontologist.

Dr. Sandi: So, when you say gerontologist, what age range are we speaking of? Because years ago, old age was happening. I look at pictures of my grandmothers, and they were aging in a different way or felt older. But what would you say is the age range where gerontologists would…? What are we looking at here?

Sally: So, I think this is an interesting question. So, we’ve gotten away from the term calling things old age because nobody wants to be old. So, we will tend to refer to people as older adults. I would consider myself an older adult in my 70s. But one of the things that I look at as a gerontologist is I look at healthy aging across the lifespan. So, even though the people who I provide education to may be more 60s and above, healthy aging, which has really been impetus of my work, it starts so much earlier. I mean, you could say 20s to 30s, but I think a lot about people in their 40s to 90s or above. And it’s never too late to improve the way you age. But it’s a little like a 401(k) plan. Like, the earlier you start, the better. So, think of healthy aging more as a continuum.

Dr. Sandi: Absolutely. And of course, we talk about a health span now as opposed to a lifespan. So, we all want to have a longer health span where we are free from chronic illnesses, we have energy, we’re able to do the kinds of things that give us joy, meaning, and purpose in our lives.

Sally: That is exactly the focus of my work. I’ll tell you how I became a gerontologist. So, the Rockette thing didn’t work out. So, then I started my first company when I was 28, technology training, and business process change. And then I retired, sold that, never been to work again. Then I did, like, 10 more years of work in leadership development. And then, Sandra, I really retired for the last time, except 16 months later, I started my current company, Zing. And I started this company, this was 2019, with a mission to help older adults live their best lives longer.

So, it’s really what you’re talking about. It’s this idea of health span. And I just noticed how differently I was aging compared to people around me, how different we all were in terms of what we could do and what we could enjoy. The funny thing, though, Sandra, is I had no educational background in this newfound company that I launched. So, I had to go back to school and I got a master’s of science in gerontology from the University of Southern California. And I had the distinction of being the only kid in my graduating class who was also on Medicare.

Dr. Sandi: I love that.

Sally: That’s what launched this interest. And then I went on and I got a graduate certificate in qualitative research. And as you and I were talking before the show, I am now a doctoral student getting a DRPH, a doctorate of public health from Indiana University.

Dr. Sandi: I love that. And I started FMCA when I was 65 and everyone around me was retiring. I had been a psychologist for many years and most people said, “Well, what do you need that for at your age? You could travel, you could just retire, maybe see a few clients.” But I had a bigger mission and purpose. And as I was telling you before we started the talk today that we’ve had students come to FMCA. A couple in their 80s, they were retired school teachers, and they chose to come out of retirement to be health coaches. We’ve had a gentleman who is 90. We had a woman who is in a retirement community. And she did the course while she was living there. And her mission was to help people in that community, particularly with cognitive decline. So, it is, we are finding people who are wanting to learn. They want meaning and purpose in their lives. And so, I’m curious about Zing. Can you describe what you do at Zing, and also, “Wellness Wednesdays” that you have started? And what does that look like?

Sally: Yes. So, as I mentioned, I started Zing 2019. So, the timing is important, right before a global pandemic, with this mission to help older adults live their best lives longer. And my focus as a gerontologist, people can do many different things, but I am mostly a health educator. And I have gone the route of educating people on the role that lifestyle choices such as nutrition, movement, sleep, stress, social engagement, and avoiding risky substances like alcohol and drugs, the role that those lifestyle choices play in healthy aging. Because, as you know from the research, those lifestyle choices account for 80% of chronic disease and 90% of health care costs here in the U.S. So, to deliver on my mission, it’s mostly this education.

The challenge was, we had a global pandemic right after I started. I was signed up to do a number of in-person presentations at senior living facilities in early 2020. And of course, that went away. And then you think, well, now what am I going to do? So, I started “Wellness Wednesdays” with the idea of keeping older adults healthy and connected. I knew how to use Zoom from my professional background. Funny thing was nobody else knew how to use it. So, when I launched it, my first program had six people, and then I had nine people, and then I had a few more. And since I started “Wellness Wednesday” in 2019, the programs are still going. They’re monthly programs delivered by experts on topics related to healthy aging. We’ve had more than 15,000 registered participants from 57 countries.

Dr. Sandi: Wow. And I would hope that anyone listening who is a health coach and concerned about, how do I get clients? Well, or it’s never going to happen, or I only have a few. How can it take off? This is a perfect example of having something that is addressing what people need, and they will come. And word of mouth. Then, yeah, how did it grow?

Sally: Word of mouth. It’s been promoting partners. I’m sure that we have amazing promoting partners to YMCAs and JCCs and just different community centers, senior living facilities who get the word out. And the other thing about “Wellness Wednesdays” is they’re free and they’re recorded. So, again, delivering on my mission, I care that people have the information they need to make better choices, but not everybody can afford $10 or $20 or $30 for a webinar. I mean, so I’m really doing this as a public service.

And in addition to topics like nutrition or movement or how to deal with stress, we have some serious talks. We’ve talked about living with loss, living with grief. How do you deal with depression? How do you help a friend who has depression? And yesterday, oh, my gosh, we had such a good program, we had a guest who was an occupational therapist and she’s talking about home design so that we can age in place. So, it’s really it’s evidence based, but it’s also practical.

Dr. Sandi: You can do that. Loving that.

Sally: You can tell I love “Wellness Wednesdays”.

Dr. Sandi: Oh, that’s fantastic. And first of all, I just wanted to backtrack, anyone who might not know JCC means Jewish Community Center.

Sally: Oh, yes.

Dr. Sandi: And also, to highlight that those lifestyle factors that you had numerated, that is so critical. And those are the basic components of functional medicine, which is looking at identifying root causes, developing a personalized approach. And based on evidence, based on research, looking at the impact of making diet and lifestyle changes, which are the ones that you just described.

Sally: Very aligned.

Dr. Sandi: Absolutely. So, tell me about Open Source Wellness. You have partnered with them to bring what’s called behavioral health coaching. Of course, our mission is training health coaches. So, talk about this model and how it serves underserved communities.

Sally: I love this question. Open Source Wellness is a nonprofit that’s near and dear to my heart. I work with them as a gerontology and research advisor. So, let me tell you a little bit about what they do, and then I can tell you about my work with them. So, Open Source Wellness serves underserved adults who are adversely affected by social determinants of health. These are people with low income, lack of access to adequate health care, mental and physical health care. They live in places like food deserts or food slums. They don’t have access to the healthy foods, safe places to exercise. They may have grown up in a trauma-infiltrated environment.

And here’s the challenge. So, now, we have a population, I’m going to call them a vulnerable population because they are living with multiple chronic diseases. And now, they go to their doctor and the doctor says, “Hey, you need to eat better. You need to reduce your stress. You need to exercise more.” And it’s like, “This prescription to nowhere.” Because if our physicians tell us that Sandra, we can make some choices. We can go to Whole Foods or we can go to Safeway or we can walk around our neighborhood because it’s safe. But so many people do not have this opportunity.

So, what Open Source Wellness is about is it’s a nonprofit that focuses on providing vulnerable populations a behavioral prescription that includes community-based health coaching combined with social interaction, and then access to free fruits and vegetables. So, there is a food pharmacy component. And we’re delivering this. I say, we, I’m an add-on to Open Source Wellness, but I feel very much a part of it. Oftentimes, we deliver this in conjunction with a federally-qualified health center. So, these FQHCs can write a prescription for behavioral health coaching, and then it’s treated as a group medical visit. So, there’s a reimbursement model as well.

Dr. Sandi: Well, that is absolutely wonderful. And what are some of the positive results that you’ve seen?

Sally: So many positive results. And I’ve had the pleasure of being a researcher working with them, so I’ve actually had the chance to publish paper on the public positive results. So, a recent paper that we co-authored was called “Community as Medicine”. And it looked at five different factors that we measured, and the statistical significance of the program. So, our population for this study was over 720 adults who we’d followed for a number of years. And we saw statistically significant increases in fruit and vegetable consumption and daily minutes of exercise. And then we’re also focused on mental well-being. So, we saw reduced levels of social isolation, reduced levels of anxiety, and reduced levels of depression.

But in addition to those findings, I co-authored the paper, but I also was deeply involved in some of the qualitative research. And people report joy. They report a sense of belonging. Tied to what you said, they report a sense of purpose. Because what we found is that, it’s not just receiving help from a coach or another person, it’s giving help. It’s showing up for someone else. It’s encouraging them. Increased agency. We meet people where they are. This is a joyful experiential process, where we’re moving and they’re eating snacks and they’re cooking. I mean, they’re actively involved. They have a meditation practice. But people start to feel a greater sense of agency. It’s this idea of going from, “I can’t because,” to, “Yes, I can.” I did not help write this one, but another paper actually showed decreases in acute care in ER visits. So, very positive impact.

Dr. Sandi: Absolutely. And I remember learning about your research and just being so excited because it’s such an important piece of work to show the efficacy of coaching, health coaching, and the value also of getting people in community, where community becomes the medicine. There’s a story, it’s a famous story about, imagine that there’s a room and there are sitting around a huge, enormous round table. And at the center of the table, there’s a kettle of soup. And each person has a ladle, and they’re trying to get it into the soup to feed themselves. But of course, they can’t because it’s too far away and the salad so long. So, it’s their spoon, they cannot get they’re starving. They can’t get any.

And then they go to and look at another scene, another room, where everybody is happy, well-fed. And what’s the difference? Because they have figured out that, “I have a long spoon, and I can go across to somebody across from me, feed them, and now, I’m being fed by someone else.” So, it is being fed by others. And that, I always see as a perfect example of the value of being in a group. The first example is trying to do everything one-on-one with a therapist or provider or whatever that might be. And the other is a group model, because many people think that group model is inferior, that they want to see the doctor. They want to see by themselves, one-on-one. But it’s really the opposite. So, I love the emphasis on community.

Sally: And we believe it’s really scalable. So, we look at that is, how can we partner with health care providers? But how can we extend their reach? Because when we’re talking about helping people adopt healthy behaviors, especially people who are underserved, these vulnerable populations, the health care system isn’t designed for that. And it really can’t do it all. And one of the things that we’re working on at Open Source Wellness, I’m so proud of, is the Learning Collaborative, where we are taking the knowledge that our coaches are nationally certified. And so, there’s a process of certifying people to do this work. But then taking it to YMCAs and other community organizations to help them expand their ability to coach and provide this kind of behavioral health coaching within the context of community.

Dr. Sandi: Absolutely. And that is as we train more and more people to become health coaches connecting with organizations like yours to do such important work. So, can you describe a little bit about the coaches who are doing the work?

Sally: Then I’ve gotten to know them. So, first of all, Sandi, I will tell you that they come from all walks of life. In fact, some of our health coaches are people who were prior participants. So, think about that as a model. I would say, a common denominator is they care deeply about health equity. So, they care about health coaching, but more importantly, they care about making a difference in the lives of others. And they go through a program. It’s all virtual now. We’ve designed it to be all virtual. They become nationally board certified, and it’s a 12 to 16-week program. Some programs are delivered in English, but about 30% of what we do now is delivered in Spanish. And we’re beginning to deliver programs in Cantonese. And it’s really focused. The training that they get is trauma-informed. So, looking at how past trauma may, in fact, affect their experience. It’s about building trust. It’s about creating safety. It’s about creating a collaborative environment.

You know this from coaching. Coaches don’t tell people what to do, they help identify what is important to you. And meeting people where they are at with their own physical abilities, for example, but also, helping them potentially do more. And I share this, again, some of the key aspects of the Open Source Wellness community as medicine model are nourish, move, be, connect. And so, the move part, I’ve had so much fun in the coaching sessions because we dance. And some people can dance in a chair. And some people can get up. And some people can clap their hands. It’s what can you do? But it’s also, what is possible. Because I think when we look at positive change, when it comes to behavior, there probably is more we can do. And that’s what’s exciting. And I think that’s what gets the coaches excited, because they see the impact that this program, behavioral health coaching, delivered in the context of community, can that help, how it can help the people we serve.

Dr. Sandi: Well, absolutely. Well, we have all a slew of people who have graduated FMCA and would really jump at the chance to be of service and partner with you and help in this way, because, again, it is mission driven. And I wanted to go back because I love when you talked about dance, because I’ve always taken ballet. Never really good. I still can’t do a pirouette after 60 years. But there are programs, and I’m involved in one, where it is for dance for people over 50. And I go to one class, a fitness center. It is ballet. And there’s a woman in her 90s who still she drives, she comes to every class, and she participates fully. So, this dance is, there’s been major studies on dance and how powerful it is for community, for brain health, for memory combinations, and also, of course, there’s physical movement. And the community part, though, I think is absolutely the most critical. And that’s why I love your emphasis on community.

Sally: I do, too. I’ll tell you briefly, Psychology Today wrote a feature article about Open Source Wellness. And it was just this whole idea about, “Hey, guess what? Community is medicine.” And it just really focused on how when we come together collectively, it improves our health and well-being. And I think it’s more missing than the traditional health care system. Like you said, we have one patient, sees one physician for a rushed 15 minutes. Bless their hearts, the physician’s hearts. They’re under so much pressure to see as many people as possible. And I think we need to think more broadly about community partnerships to help improve our health and well-being, and then just the role of community.

Dr. Sandi: Oh, absolutely, because loneliness is really such a strong risk factor and such a big problem, particularly with older adults who are isolated, lonely. And if we can get them to be part of a community… I ran a group for many years back when I was a psychologist. And people came to the group. And if they couldn’t drive or get there, they have caretakers take them. And it was a group for older adults. But the main thing, it doesn’t matter what we talked about in the group, it was that they got together. They looked forward. Many, it was their only social outing for the week. And they wouldn’t miss it. So…

Sally: Yeah, it’s interesting. I’ll just add on to that, something I’m doing now with “Wellness Wednesdays”. I have subscribers. So, I do have people who help underwrite the costs, even though it’s free to anybody who wants to attend. And we’re starting something called community conversations. And it’s just this purpose. It’s like, wow, we do all these webinars, but they see me, they see a speaker, they don’t see each other. And let’s come together and talk about something that’s important to older adults. So, we’re starting that in October.

Dr. Sandi: I love it. And I think it’s also special for… And what I tell many of our graduate coaches, groups can be organized around interests that bring people together and promote wellness. But they could be… I’m in a crafts group. When people come and they bring their knitting or crochet or needlepoint. And book clubs are wonderful for bringing people together. And so, there’s just many different ways. And card games. The younger generation now is discovering what they call granny hobbies. And they’re learning to play mahjong and they’re learning to crochet and knit and finding the value.

Sally: I still love on a Friday night. My favorite Friday night activity is my husband comes home and we play board games. I don’t really need to go out to the movies or dinner. I just want to put my pajamas on and play board games with him.

Dr. Sandi: I love it. So, if think about it, we’re taking one small step. People who are listening or are listening as health coaches and have clients, what is one small step that people can take towards a healthy aging perspective or healthy aging? What’s your perspective?

Sally: This is such a good question. And I’m going to give you one answer, one word answer. I’m going to call it attitude.

Dr. Sandi: Oh, yes.

Sally: I believe that healthy behaviors start with attitude. And that attitude is this idea of, what else is possible? What might I do? This idea that I’m not done, yet. I think too often, there’s so many ageist beliefs out there. And then we start buying into them. And we think, “Oh, I can’t because I’m this or that.” And ageism, it’s not just older adults, it could be the younger coaches who have taken part in your program, and they think, “Oh, I couldn’t do that because I’m 20,” or 25 or whatever. And let’s just start to recognize our self-limiting beliefs, and then shift that attitude. We were talking about this idea of never too old. And I really believe that. I believe we’re never too old to learn and grow and change and make a positive impact on the world.

Dr. Sandi: Oh, absolutely. I could not agree more. And both of us are in our 70s. And I marvel, I mean, at what is possible. And when I hear my contemporaries talk about, “Well, this is just aging and nothing. This is all downhill from here. And it sucks to get old.” And talking about an ache and pain, a condition they may have. And, well, that’s just aging. And they are not curious about meeting new people often. They are stuck in their same routines. And just have a dismal view.

Somebody said the other day to me, she’s entering her 80s, and she said, “Well, what I’ve heard is that you enter your 80s good, but most people don’t leave their 80s.” And I didn’t say anything, but I thought, I don’t have the perspective. And I can think of the number of people who are vibrant well beyond their late 80s. And look at those people as shining examples. I think it relates back to lifestyle, as well as, many people point out, the importance of movement. And when they studied blue zones and looked at people who were, like, in Sardinia, and they’d walk out of their door and there’s a hill to climb. And they’re walking and climbing all day long. They don’t stop moving. And I see all too frequently, people stop moving and lose muscle, lose strength, and…

Sally: And I also recognize and appreciate how challenging it can be to shift attitudes. So, I appreciate everyone who is going through those aches and pains or chronic disease or cancer. I mean, I appreciate that. My message is there can be more, there can be more. And it starts with what we believe. So…

Dr. Sandi: Oh, absolutely. Yeah. And I think neither of us want to really have people think that we’re ignoring those serious issues that come up with aging, but the huge potential for a mindset and focusing. I remember my mother, they wake up every day and say, “Today’s going to be a good day.” And the noted professor who at Stanford, B. J. Fogg, who wrote “Tiny Habits”, well, he gets up and he says this. And when I heard that, “Oh, you do that, too. That’s what my mother used to say.” And now, I started doing that now for many years, so…

Sally: You know what? You’ve probably heard my dog barking in the background. Her name’s Bella. I sing to her in the morning. I think it’s… I’m not going to sing here because as we know, I can’t sing, but she likes it. But I think it’s going to be a good day to do that. And Rob, my husband thinks it’s so funny. He said, “You’re singing to the dog.” Yes, I sing to the dog every morning. But then how we start our day. Isn’t that so?

Dr. Sandi: Wonderful?

Sally: I know.

Dr. Sandi: And singing is wonderful. And it’s never too late to learn how to sing.

Sally: No, that’s so true.

Dr. Sandi: Well, this has been an absolutely fascinating conversation. I’m just such an admirer of your work and all of your initiatives. Where can people find you, Sally?

Sally: Sure. Go to myzinglife.com and you’ll find out information about “Wellness Wednesdays” and our new community conversations. I would love for people to come visit our website.

Dr. Sandi: Oh, absolutely. Check out her website. And we will talk again in a time in the future for our future selves where I will be calling you doctor.

Sally: Doctor. Just three more years. Thank you, Sandra.

Dr. Sandi: It’s a pledge.

Sally: It was a pleasure.

Dr. Sandi: Same.

Sally: I thoroughly enjoyed it.