At some point, many of us start believing there are things we’re simply too old to do. Maybe it’s starting a business, changing careers, learning a new skill or chasing a dream that’s been sitting on the shelf for years. We tell ourselves we’ve had our turn, and now it’s time to slow down. It’s an easy story to believe because it’s the one we’ve heard most of our lives. Mitchell Davis believed it too. But we don’t have to conform to beliefs created centuries ago, getting older means quitting life! 

After spending more than four decades building ExpertCLICK, Mitchell decided it was time to retire. He planned to close the company, eventually move into a continuing care retirement community and settle into the rhythm of senior activities. He also wasn’t convinced anyone else could carry on ExpertCLICK’s mission, so closing the business felt like the right decision. “I figured I’d drift into the pattern of senior activities,” he says.

In December 2025, ExpertCLICK was hit by a major cyberattack. The company recovered, but shortly afterward Mitchell suffered a serious fall that left him with a herniated disc. He spent 12 days in the hospital followed by 30 days in rehabilitation. For someone who had spent a lifetime solving problems, being forced to stop became an unexpected opportunity to reflect.

As he lay in that hospital bed, Mitchell kept thinking about the company he had built and the people it had served. ExpertCLICK had spent decades connecting journalists with experts, opening doors and creating opportunities for thousands of people. Closing the company suddenly felt very different than it had just weeks before. 

His health concerns and conformity pressures led to the initial decision. But upon reflection, purpose and meaning in life, as well as relationships he could continue having with people he cared about re-emerged as the primary values.

“I realized my legacy should be more than simply being the caretaker who closed the doors of ExpertCLICK,” he says. “I could not let barriers stop me,” he says. “I made it through 9/11 and COVID, but this time it was internal to me. It was just me blocking me.”I decided it was time to rebuild, improve and prepare the organization for the future.”

That decision wasn’t really about keeping a business alive. It was about rediscovering purpose. Mitchell realized that what had changed wasn’t his ability to contribute. It was the story he had been telling himself about what retirement was supposed to mean.

“I knew my mission was not done,” he says. “Too many people benefited.” He realized he traded long-term meaningfulness for short term health concerns. But with a little time to reconsider – something Age Brilliantly advocates all people do with members of the community, close friends and coaches – he rediscovered his “life-path”.  He is now back on the road to a happy and fulfilling potential 100-year life. 

How many of us do the same thing? We assume we’re too old to begin again, too old to learn something new or too old to make a meaningful difference. Often, the biggest barrier isn’t age at all. It’s the belief that we’ve already done everything we’re supposed to do.

Instead of closing ExpertCLICK, Mitchell chose to strengthen it for the future. Today, the company is expanding with improved news release distribution, enhanced search capabilities and new technology, ensuring its mission continues for years to come. His experience also reshaped the way he thinks about retirement. “There is no retirement,” he says. “One has to get up every day and keep going.”

That doesn’t mean everyone needs to keep running a business. For some people, purpose might mean mentoring a young professional, volunteering in the community, learning to paint, writing a book, starting a nonprofit or finally taking the trip they’ve been putting off for years. The point isn’t to stay busy. The point is to stay curious, keep growing and never let age decide what you’re capable of.

Mitchell’s story reminds us that within a 100-year, there’s always an opportunity to keep contributing. Just this weekend Mel Brooks celebrated his 100^th birthday – and he continues to find ways to bring laughter to audiences.

Have you started something new later in life, rediscovered a passion or overcome a challenge that changed your perspective on aging? Or do you know someone whose story deserves to be shared? We’d love to hear it. Share your story, or nominate a fellow pathfinder, and you could be featured in a future edition of Pathfinders. Join the conversation in the Age Brilliantly Forum, where we encourage one another to embrace every phase of life with curiosity, purpose and the confidence that it’s never too late to keep contributing to our growth and a better world.