The Well-Lived Life

A 103-Year-Old Doctor’s Six Secrets to Health and Happiness at Every Age

— a Book Review

When was the last time you read a book by someone who’s 103? I certainly hadn’t—until I discovered Dr. Gladys McGarey’s The Well‑Lived Life: A 103‑Year‑Old Doctor’s Six Secrets to Health and Happiness at Every Age. In it, Dr. McGarey (1920–2024) distills a century’s worth of experience into six timeless principles for thriving at any stage of life.

A Foundation of Compassion

Born in India to two physician parents who treated their village’s poorest inhabitants, Gladys McGarey grew up immersed in service, rigorous study, and unwavering compassion. Those early values propelled her into a medical career at a time when women couldn’t even open their own bank accounts. Together with her husband, Dr. Bill McGarey, she co‑founded the American Holistic Medical Association and established healing centers in Ohio and Scottsdale, Arizona—long before “holistic health” entered the mainstream.

The Six Secrets

Though these principles sound familiar today, remember that Dr. McGarey and Bill were trailblazers back in the 1940s and ’50s.

Secret 1: You Are Here for a Reason

Every one of us has a unique purpose—what Dr. McGarey calls our “juice.” When we pursue it, we feel energized and alive.

Exercise: List three activities that make you feel most alive. How can you weave more of your “juice” into daily life?

Secret 2: All Life Needs to Move

Life itself is in motion. When we tune into its flow, we find guidance and momentum. Notice where your energy feels stuck—and take one small step to restore movement.

Reflection: Which of your routines energize you? Which ones drain you? What shift could create more flow?

Secret 3: Love Is the Most Powerful Medicine

Dr. McGarey equates life force with love. In her practice, she guided patients through loving‑kindness visualizations—wrapping their struggles in universal love. One woman, fearful after multiple miscarriages, used daily affirmations to her unborn child and carried to full term.

Practice: When a problem arises, picture it as an image. Ask, “What do you need?” Then surround that image with unconditional love.

Secret 4: You Are Never Truly Alone

Community is a cornerstone of well‑being. Identify the people, groups, or causes that sustain you. Tend to those connections as you would a garden—watering them with your attention and care.

Secret 5: Everything Is Your Teacher

Challenges are disguised lessons. Instead of resisting, ask: “What can I learn here?” Gratitude for every experience—pleasant or painful—fosters wisdom and resilience. One patient traded chronic fatigue for renewed zest by dropping the news, taking up cycling, and writing his life stories.

Exercise: Bring your hands into “Namaste” (which means I honour you), and bow to life’s lessons. Silently thank them for their gifts.

Secret 6: Spend Your Energy Wildly

Invest your time and passion where they count. At each day’s end, cultivate gratitude for life’s joys and sorrows alike. Dr. McGarey survived cancer twice and a divorce after 46 years of marriage, yet she emerged with a license plate that read BE GLAD—her personal mantra of resilience.

In Conclusion

Dr. Gladys McGarey lived what she taught. Even at 103, she offered consultations, wrote lucidly, and inspired countless others to follow her holistic path. As she declared in a centenarian interview, “103 is awesome.” Her legacy—as the Mother of Holistic Medicine—is a powerful reminder that love, purpose, and community are the bedrock of a life well-lived.

For a glimpse of Dr. McGarey in her own words, explore her interviews on YouTube. 

Warmest wishes,

Brenda