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Against The Norm: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Norman Calvo
It’s all about creating a thrilling, adventurous and extraordinarily healthy life as we continue to age. Most importantly, it is about living life to the fullest—daring to go against the grain of average and ‘what is expected’. Instead, to bravely go against the norm to lead an incredibly exciting life.
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- Yesterday41 min
Adventure, Courage, and Starting Again with Belinda Corker
What if retirement wasn't about slowing down—but finally becoming the person you've always wanted to be? This week on “Against the Norm” I sit down with adventurer, writer, and long-distance hiker Belinda Corker, whose life changed dramatically after one simple realization: despite a successful corporate career, something essential was missing. Belinda shares how she traded comfort for challenge, rediscovered her adventurous spirit through hiking, and ultimately transformed not only her healt...
- 1 weeks ago33 min
He Lost 190 Pounds and Kept It Off for 17 Years. Here's How.
At age 49, Stanley Bronstein weighed 367 pounds and was headed down a dangerous path. He had tried diets, quick fixes, and temporary solutions for years. Nothing lasted. Then everything changed. Today, more than 17 years later, Stanley has lost nearly 190 pounds and kept it off—without surgery, without weight-loss drugs, and without the shortcuts that so many people rely on today. In this candid conversation, Stanley shares the mindset shifts that finally worked, why most people regain the we...
- 4 weeks ago1h 7m
The Courage to Stay Curious with Richard Sparks
A retired schoolteacher becomes a fantasy hero. A television comedy writer discovers online gaming. A lifelong creator refuses to slow down at 75. Meet Richard Sparks—Oxford graduate, television writer, novelist, and author of the “New Rock” series. Richard shares stories from a remarkable career that includes writing comedy, working alongside some of Britain's most influential creative talents, and eventually finding inspiration in an unexpected place: online gaming. But this conversat...
- Jun 11, 202648 min
Doctors Said “Let Him Go.” Instead, He Built an Extraordinary Life | Ken Kunken
At age 20, Ken Kunken broke his neck making a routine tackle during a Cornell football game. Doctors told his family he probably wouldn’t survive the week — and if he did, he would spend the rest of his life in a nursing home.They even said: “If he were my son, I’d let him go.”But Ken refused to let that prediction define him. In this deeply moving episode of Against the Norm, Ken shares how he returned to Cornell University just months after becoming paralyzed, eventually became a successfu...
- May 16, 20261h 2m
Reinventing a Life in Paris--American Runaway by Audrey Edwards
What happens when you reach retirement age… and realize you’re not ready to simply “settle down”? In this fascinating and deeply personal conversation, journalist and author, Audrey Edwards, shares the emotional story behind her decision to leave America after the 2016 election and begin a completely different life in Paris at nearly 70 years old. But this episode is about far more than politics. Audrey opens up about fear, reinvention, aging, risk-taking, identity, race, retirement, loneline...
- May 13, 202649 min
His Life Fell Apart… So He Walked Away for 14 Years
What would you do if your entire life collapsed all at once? When Ray Martin’s marriage ended, his business unraveled, and his father died within the same period of time, he found himself emotionally shattered and completely lost. What was supposed to be a six-month sabbatical turned into a 14-year journey across Asia, Europe, and deep into himself. In this fascinating conversation, Ray shares how a successful CEO with all the “right” badges of success slowly realized he was living a life bui...
- Apr 20, 202638 min
Cancer Didn’t Break Him—It Forced Him to Ask the Question Most Men Avoid
After surviving cancer twice, he discovered the one question that can wake up any man who feels stuck—and most men never ask it. What would you do if life hit you with cancer… not once, but twice? Most people would shut down. Most would ask, “Why me?” But today’s guest, Savio Clemente, asked a very different—and far more powerful—question: “Did I live the life I was meant to live… and what do I do now?” In this deeply honest and thought-provoking conversation, Savio shares how facing two lif...
- Feb 20, 202644 min
From Princeton to Mount Shasta: Peace, Presence, and Purpose Through Living Inside Out
In this episode of Against the Norm, Norman Calvo sits down with fellow Princeton grad Andrew “Andy” Oser—a man who’s lived an unmistakably “against the norm” life. After founding a nonprofit that served over 50,000 inner-city youth in Washington, D.C. through tennis and wellness programs, Andy has spent the last two decades guiding spiritual retreats at sacred sites on Mount Shasta. This conversation is for anyone—especially men in their 60s and 70s—who has spent a lifetime playing the “oute...
About Against The Norm
It’s all about creating a thrilling, adventurous and extraordinarily healthy life as we continue to age. Most importantly, it is about living life to the fullest—daring to go against the grain of average and ‘what is expected’. Instead, to bravely go against the norm to lead an incredibly exciting life.
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