About

Eldershine: A Wild Encore of Unmapped Adventure

Welcome to Eldershine.
This is a space for those of us in our legacy years—facing the challenges of aging, navigating life’s changes, and seeking new ways to thrive.

If you’re here, you might be exploring the fundamentals of healthy longevity, recovering from a joint replacement, preparing for major surgery, or simply asking, What’s next for me? You’re not alone. This chapter of life can be daunting, but it’s also an extraordinary opportunity—a chance to embrace the adventures you’ve yet to live.

Here at Eldershine, we believe in embarking on bold—perhaps even audacious—journeys. Whether it’s pursuing long-dormant dreams, enhancing your physical condition, or deepening your spirituality, this is your time to flourish.

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The Mantra: Adapt, but Don’t Surrender

Let’s be real: aging bodies bring challenges. But a simple mantra has helped me focus when I falter: Adapt, but don’t surrender.

While physical decline is inevitable, it can most certainly be forestalled, and it doesn’t have to define us. With curiosity, intention, resilience, and a healthy dose of acceptance, we can adapt to new realities and live a life of courageous authenticity and usefulness—even in the face of the most difficult setbacks.

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Who I Am

I’m John Williams—a 68-year-old father, grandfather, and lifelong adventurer based in southern Missouri. No stranger to life’s challenges, I’ve battled addictions to alcohol, cocaine, benzodiazepines, opiates, and nearly every other substance that alters the human condition.

In 2017, stuck in what I call “familiar misery”—a state of (barely) tolerable discontent and self-defeating patterns—I set out to reclaim the authenticity I had sacrificed in exchange for acceptance, validation, and financial security. With the help of numerous books, plant medicines and trusted, compassionate allies, I began the hard work of disrupting the detrimental behaviors and beliefs that had become part of my identity.

Progress was slow but steady. In 2022, I retired to pursue a lifelong vision of independence, travel, outdoor adventure, and writing. While recovering from the second  replacement of my left hip in February of 2023, I took up cycling—a perfect fit for my goals and a powerful tool to rebuild strength and vitality. I set an audacious goal: competing in the cycling time trials at the 2025 National Senior Games.

In June 2024, I qualified for Nationals. Just four months later, I underwent a total knee replacement, confident I could train my way back in time for the race. But in early 2025, I was diagnosed with an aortic root aneurysm and underwent open-heart surgery on Valentine’s Day, 2025.

Now, as winter yields to spring, I’m commencing the long climb back—physically, mentally, and emotionally. Progress isn’t linear, but it’s happening. I’m training for balance, not just performance. Strength, mobility, presence, and purpose are the new pillars. Whether I cross that finish line in Des Moines at full speed or simply participate, I’ll be doing it as a testament to resilience—and as a beacon for anyone wondering if it’s too late to begin again.

It’s not.

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Why Eldershine?

I created Eldershine to share my ongoing story—not as an end in itself, but as a way to  empower and inspire others navigating the unmapped territory of their own aging experience.

This is the threshold. Beyond it lies vibrant longevity, robust vitality, peaceful presence, and the realization of long-dormant dreams

Lest there be any doubt, the “Elder” in Eldershine is meant as a title of respect—a powerful acknowledgment of our earned place in the community and the deep value we bring through decades of lived experience. It is not to be confused with “elderly,” a term too often laced with ageist assumptions - a term used to dismiss, patronize, or marginalize. There is nothing meek or frail about the Elders of Eldershine. We’re not winding down—we’re revving up. And we are here to live the absolute, enthusiastic fuck out of our remaining years.

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Join Me on the Journey

Eldershine is my journey, and it can be yours too. My hope is that sharing my experiences—honestly, with all the beauty, doubt, and struggle—will encourage you to embrace your own wild encore.

But I don’t want to do this alone. I invite you to share your stories, insights, and reflections as we build a community of thriving elders living extraordinary lives—by staying active, connecting with nature, eating well, deepening our purpose, and embracing the challenge of becoming more fully ourselves. Reach out with your thoughts via the Contact page, or post your comments on the blog posts. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

Together, we’ll redefine what it means to truly flourish in our legacy years.

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