The impact of gratitude, serving others, embracing mortality, and living intentionally | Walter Green (#288 rebroadcast)

The Peter Attia Drive

Peter Attia, MD

Health & Fitness, Medicine, Fitness

4.7 • 7.3K Ratings

🗓️ 24 November 2025

⏱️ 91 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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Walter Green is a remarkable philanthropist, mentor, author of This Is the Moment!, and founder of the impactful "Say It Now" movement. In this episode, Walter delves into the unique insights gained from his challenging upbringing, discusses embracing mortality, and highlights the mindset of "finishing strong." He shares insights on intentionality, thinking in reverse, saying "no," prioritizing relationships, and the essence of focusing on others. The conversation focuses on the "Say It Now" movement, which stresses the importance of expressing sentiments to loved ones well before the end of life.

We discuss:

How Peter and Walter met through Ric Elias [3:30];
The unique perspectives and life lessons provided by Walter's challenging childhood [6:00];
Walter's harrowing experience with a sudden mental breakdown and his subsequent recovery with the help of therapy [12:15];
A diverse professional journey ending in great success [19:15];
The birth of a movement: celebrating friendships through public tributes and expressing gratitude to those who have shaped your life's journey [23:30];
Intentionality, thinking in reverse, saying "no", and other guiding principles for Walter [30:45];
Walter's global journey of gratitude on his 70th birthday, visiting friends, and creating memorable experiences [40:15];
The profound impact of acknowledging and expressing gratitude for the people who contribute to our lives [47:15];
The key elements for creating meaningful connections and cultivating deep, authentic friendships [53:15];
The "Say It Now" movement: the inspiration behind the remarkably impactful initiative [59:15];
What "finishing strong" means to Walter [1:08:15];
Finding peace at the end of life through expressing gratitude and finding purpose in serving others [1:16:45];
Resources to learn about "Say It Now" [1:27:00]; and
More.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey everyone. Welcome to the Drive podcast. I'm your host, Peter Attia. This podcast, my website, and my weekly newsletter all focus on the goal of translating the science of longevity
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1:04.2	Welcome to a special episode of The Drive.
1:06.9	For this week's episode, and in light of Thanksgiving approaching, I wanted to rebroadcast my
1:11.7	conversation with Walter Green on the impact of gratitude, serving others, and living intentionally.
1:18.1	Walter's a philanthropist, a mentor, and he's an author of This Is the Moment and founder of the
1:24.3	Say It Now movement. In this episode, we discuss the unlikely path that shaped Walter's worldview,
1:31.3	embracing mortality and the mindset of finishing strong as a compass for how to live life now,
1:37.3	the power of intentionality, thinking in reverse, setting outcomes first, and learning to say no to protect what matters, prioritizing relationships
1:46.1	over achievements and the small habits that build deep, authentic friendships, the origin story
1:51.8	of Say It Now and why expressing gratitude publicly can change both giver and receiver.
1:59.2	Walter's years-long journey at 70, visiting the 44 people who
2:04.1	shaped his life and what he learned about meaning, memory, and legacy, finding peace at the
2:09.5	end of life through service, gratitude, and purpose beyond oneself, and practicing ways to start,
2:15.9	simple prompts, living tributes, and resources for bringing
	...

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