Stop Dreading Getting Older. This 77-Year-Old Changed Everything I Thought About Aging!
If the thought of getting older fills you with more dread than anything else, this conversation is for you.
I brought back one of my all-time favorite guests, Ally Phillips, for a second visit on The SavvyCast, and if you caught her first episode, you already know why. Ally will be 77 this October, her husband Pop just turned 84, and she will tell you herself that she found her stride in her sixties. She exemplifies what it looks like to age well after 60. Aging can feel like a burden, but Ally is proof that your best years aren’t behind you!
In this episode, Ally shares the mindset that has carried her through some of life’s hardest seasons, her fitness routine, her three simple eating philosophies, what she has learned about how to stay strong as you age when so many people around her are slowing down, and how she stays fully present with her grandchildren while running her business as a Creator.
If you feel like your best years are behind you, this episode will completely change your mindset!
Who is Ally Phillips?
Born and raised in the hollers of West Virginia, Ally (formerly Dr. Alice) is a living testament to resilience, reinvention, and the power of pursuing your passions—no matter the stage of life.
From humble beginnings in a tight-knit Appalachian community, she grew up under the watchful eyes of her strong, resourceful mother and spirited grandmother, who instilled in her a love for cooking, grit, and a belief in the transformative power of education.
After earning her doctorate in Special Education Administration and School Psychology, Ally spent decades as a dedicated educator and school psychologist, eventually founding her own practice. But at 59, she took a bold leap into a new chapter, moving to Boston with her husband, Ben, and following her childhood dream of acting. That unexpected pivot led her to audition for MasterChef, where her signature “Bohemian Bold” cooking style—a blend of global flavors and eclectic combinations—caught the judges’ attention and sparked a new career in the culinary world.
Since then, Ally has earned accolades as one of America’s best home cooks, authored a cookbook (Ally’s Kitchen ~ A Passport for Adventurous Palates), and appeared on shows like Clash of the Grandmas and MasterChef. She’s a passionate advocate for embracing every season of life, proving that dreams truly have no expiration date.
Now in her 70s, Ally continues to inspire as a food influencer, brand ambassador, and storyteller. Through her social media presence, she shares her love for adventurous cooking, vibrant living, and the beauty of reinvention. Her mantra? “Dreams fuel our spirits and souls—keep dreaming, and if it’s meant to be, He will make it happen, because dreams have no expiration date.”
What to Expect in This Episode:
- Why aging well after 60 is not something that just happens to you, and what it actually takes to make it possible
- Her “16 Weeks to 70” challenge series & why she hiked a 14,000-foot mountain at 70
- The mindset that carried Ally through losing a child, the Marshall plane crash, and divorce, and what she wants every woman in a hard season to hear
- What she tells women who feel like their purpose vanished the moment the kids left home
- Her complete weekly workout routine and why doing it early is the only way it gets done
- Her three eating philosophies and how she hits 100-plus grams of protein a day through everyday food
- How she and Pop have kept their spark after decades of marriage and what makes their partnership so easy even now in their seventies and eighties
- How she stops work the moment her grandchildren arrive, and why she believes birth to age ten is your real window with the littles
Recipes Mentioned:
- Meaty Pizza Bolognese recipe
- Easy Meatballs recipe
- Chocolate Protein Cake recipe
- Holiday Mac & Cheese recipe
- Sweet Peas Mac & Cheese recipe
- Jamaican Jerk Mac & Cheese recipe
Links & Resources
- Ally Phillips on Instagram: @allyskitchen
- Ally’s Kitchen website
- Ally’s cookbook
- “16 Weeks to 70” challenge series on Ally’s website
- FlavCity Protein Powder
- Paleo Valley Bone Broth Protein Powder
- Wild Grain subscription
- Mid-Day Squares
- Portrait painting canvas kit on Amazon
Where to Listen
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