Photo of Mark Neese, owner of True North Counseling, on a hiking trip.

10 Habits for the Apocalypse | Healthy Aging Series: S12 E1

I wake up. Check my phone. Weather. E-mails. Amazon Prime deliveries. My wife gets up and makes coffee for us. I sit up on the edge of the bed. My wife is delivering coffee, and I get a good hug. I walk to the bathroom and take care of business. After taking care of business,…

Mark Neese poses with a copy of the 2025 Harvard Health Annual for the Season 12 teaser of the Healthy Aging Series on the True North Counseling blog.

Taking Care of Yourself Boot Camp | Healthy Aging Series: S12 Teaser

Have you ever been to a Tent Revival or Crusade? I think they still have them. They can be frightening. I mean, after all, weren’t they designed to scare you? Kind of? Billy Graham is the evangelist that I remember watching on TV back in the 70s and 80s. He warned his audience that we…

Vintage photo of Mark Neese's mother and her dog. True North Counseling.

How to Talk with the Dead | Healthy Aging Series: S11 E29

The Exorcist Jeff Wilson, my high-school best friend, and I decided to go to the theater and watch The Exorcist. The movie had just come out in December of 1973. We were both seniors about to graduate. I was headed to the Air Force, he was headed to college. Both tough guys, but 45 minutes…

Photo of Mark Neese from True North Counseling in Louisville, KY.

Stop Trying To Be a Better Version of Yourself | Healthy Aging Series: S11 E28

The Failed Campaign I ran for Office once. It wasn’t what you think, or maybe it was what you think. About 20 years ago I was asked if I would run for the position of the President of the National Association of Social Workers-Kentucky Chapter. The moment that I said, yes, I regretted it. It…

Collage of photos of Mark Neese of True North Counseling and his family members.

Home Economics and the Temple of Doom Pt. 2 | Healthy Aging Series: S11 E27

It’s the 4th of July weekend and of course that means the Twilight Zone Marathon. I don’t advise watching it for 72 hours straight. It’s like having CNN or Fox News constantly playing in the background. The main characters of each of these episodes finds themself in a completely helpless situation. Think about it. Hours…

Photo collage of Mark Neese of True North Counseling and his family, alongside a photo of his father and mother.

Home Economics and the Temple of Doom Pt. 1 | Healthy Aging Series: S11 E26

Warning: This episode is about my Money Complex, or rather our Money Complex and is very personal. Your Money Complex is made up of all your experiences, images, and memories that you have about money, and it influences your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors about money. Your Money Complex is mostly unconscious, operating independently and sometimes…

A photo of Mark Neese as a young boy next to a current photo of him.

If It Looks and Sounds Like a Duck | Healthy Aging Series: S11 E25

My name is Kimberly. I could have started with, “I am legend,” but that would have been a little presumptuous. Maybe, “I am a legend?” But no, we’ll have to stay with the first proclamation. My name is Kimberly. You’re like, “So what?” Try to imagine or be empathetic with an elementary or middle-school boy…

Photo of Mark Neese of True North Counseling with some friends during his high school days.

Sometimes It’s Hard to Tell the Living from the Dead | Healthy Aging Series: S11 E24

Basement Stories A lot of memorable things have happened in basements. One of my favorite movies is “Signs.” The basement scene is great! The world is being invaded by aliens. Mel Gibson’s character, Graham, is holding his basement doorknob to prevent the aliens from getting into the basement. Kind of funny. The aliens can’t get…

Young Mark Neese in high school posing with a hawk from when he was involved in Falconry.

The Food Fight of the Century | Healthy Aging Series: S11 E23

I’ve had three behavior jobs. One with hawks, one with dogs, and one with people. I loved them all. I’m a Behavior Analyst First, my job with people. Since 2003, I’ve been working with people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Really, I work with their caregivers. The Behavior Plans that I write are not written…

Mark Neese's wife of True North Counseling celebrating attending her 100th jazzercise class.

It’s Time to Give Women a Crack at it! | Healthy Aging Series: S11 E22

I am A Social Worker I moved to Louisville 30 years ago to attend Social Work School. It seemed like a good decision considering I had spent the previous 15 years becoming disenchanted with being a Baptist Minister. I was still going to help people, but this time with an emphasis on social justice-social policy….