What happens when your professional mission and your deepest personal loss become the same thing? Phyllis Barkman Ferrell — former Eli Lilly executive, global health architect, and relentless Alzheimer’s advocate — knows firsthand. Six months after taking over Lilly’s Alzheimer’s disease portfolio in 2011, her father was diagnosed. Eighteen months later, her father-in-law was too. That loss became the fuel for a 30-year career and, ultimately, the reason she walked away from a major drug launch to go fix a broken system.
In this episode, Phyllis breaks down the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia, explains why amyloid plaque builds up 10–20 years before symptoms appear, and shares the science-backed steps — sleep, diet, exercise, social connection — that can prevent up to 42% of dementias. She also talks about building the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative from a blank sheet of paper, launching the StartUp Health Alzheimer’s Moonshot, and why one drug will never be the silver bullet. Plus: does Wordle actually help your brain? She answers that too.