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Michael Best Career Reinvention at 80: Complex Research and AI Tools After Five Decades in Medicine

Wisepreneurs | Independent Professionals Building Practice on Their Own Terms

Wisepreneurs | Independent Professionals Building Practice on Their Own Terms
Michael Best Career Reinvention at 80: Complex Research and AI Tools After Five Decades in Medicine
Oct 03, 2025 Season 1 Episode 76
Nigel Rawlins

Career reinvention at 80, mastering AI tools, Obsidian, and Zotero to write a scientific book he never planned. 

Dr Michael Best practised medicine for 50 years before a routine phone call during COVID introduced him to the endocannabinoid system — a biological network in every human body that he'd never learned about in medical school. 

Now he's deep into original research, proving that intellectual challenge sustains cognitive vitality rather than diminishing it. 

  • Michael reveals why mainstream medicine ignores what patients experience 
  • How accumulated expertise transforms technology from threat to strategic advantage, and 
  • Why serendipity combined with professional curiosity creates meaningful work beyond traditional retirement

Wisepreneurs explores how women over 50 monetize expertise and build sustainable solopreneur practice.

Resources Mentioned

Names Mentioned on This Podcast

Hazel Edwards (author, publisher, and Michael's mentor—Michael describes himself as one of her "Hazelnuts") was my guest on episode 43 ,
Luc P. Beaudoin (Canadian cognitive scientist on LinkedIn who discusses "cognitively potent tools")

Connect With Dr Michael Best on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-best-2b588133b/

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Connect with Nigel Rawlins

website https://wisepreneurs.com.au/
Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigelrawlins/
Twitter https://twitter.com/wisepreneurs

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https://wisepreneurs.com.au/free-assessments/

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