Media personality – and doctor – Michael Mol knows the value of a good story and of quality of life
Did you have an influence in your youth that shaped your career path?
Michael Mol: Some of my earliest memories are of sitting in a pew listening to my dad preach the gospel and watching people hanging on his words. He was more of a teacher than a preacher – and told lots of stories that resonated with his listeners and, to this day, when I speak to audiences around the world – it’s always with stories. And then there’s my mom – who also taught the gospel, but with pictures and flannel graphs and visual objects that captured children’s imaginations with the kind of creativity that made it unforgettable. Try as I may to emulate that, I’m not convinced that PowerPoint can quite do the same. As for becoming a doctor, that was born out of parents who loved people, cared for them, counselled them and always opened their door to them… which is a great description of what a doctor is – or at least, should be!
You kicked off your presenting career with the lifestyle show Top Billing in 1999 and worked there for over a decade. What are your fondest memories?
Favourite interview of all time? Elton John! The secret to a great interview with big stars is the first question – it has to be intriguing, insightful and never asked before. We’d flown all the way to Vienna to attend an AIDS benefit concert Elton was hosting and had 15 minutes max – no pressure! We crushed it – spent almost 45 minutes with him in a soul-searching interview that ended with a big kiss and a personal invitation to his legendary White Tie & Tiara Ball.
Please explain your motto: ‘life is better when you’re healthy’.
Health isn’t just the absence of illness: it’s the ability to live with energy and enthusiasm and to fully show up for the people you love and the passions that matter to you. When your body is strong, your mind is clear and your energy is charged. You’re more creative, more present and more alive. That’s why life doesn’t just feel better when you’re healthy – it is way better!
Did things change for you when you turned 50?
Yes, profoundly. Aside from my eyesight going blurry, I started thinking less about how many years I had left and more about what kind of life I wanted to live in those years. I became obsessed, in a good way, with healthspan – not just living longer but living better for longer.
You, together with your family, regularly exercise and intermittently fast. How has that improved your lifestyle?
It’s been a game-changer. Intermittent fasting helps regulate my metabolism, it burns fat, reduces inflammation, slows down my pace of ageing and promotes a process called autophagy – our bodies’ natural detox and repair system. Time-restricted eating isn’t about starving. It’s about syncing your biology with your meals, about letting your body do what it was designed to do: eat well, store wisely and burn beautifully.
As for exercise, if exercise were a pill, it would be the most powerful drug ever created. But better than a pill, it’s free and doesn’t need a prescription. You just have to take it consistently. And unlike most other drugs, it comes with side effects like joy, confidence and energy.
Talk to us about healthy ageing.
Healthy ageing is about staying functional and vibrant as the years go by. It’s not about looking younger – it’s about feeling younger. We want to preserve strength, sharpness and purpose well into our seventies, eighties and beyond. That means making intentional choices now to support the version of yourself you want to be decades from today.
What is the best way to achieve longevity?
Imagine you’re building a house. A beautiful, strong, long-lasting one. The foundation, walls and roof are nutrition, sleep, exercise and connection. They’re the essential structure. Without them, the house collapses. It doesn’t matter how fancy the interior is. Here’s the truth: the boring stuff works, and it works stupidly well. Prioritising whole foods, lifting heavy things, holding hands and getting 7-9 hours of sleep? That’s the cheat code. The rest? Might give you an ever-so-slight edge. But the big wins? They’re free. They’re simple. They’re just not sexy.
Can people reverse the age clock?
Yes, but it’s nuanced. The number on your driver’s license – that’s your chronological age. It tells us how many times you’ve orbited the sun. Useful, sure, but not the whole story.
There’s another number and it might matter even more. It’s called biological age. That’s how old your body actually is – your cells, your tissues, your brain, your cardiovascular system. And here’s the exciting part: biological age isn’t fixed. It can go up or down. It can even be reversed.
Think of it this way: two people can both be 60, but one is running marathons and the other can barely walk up the stairs. Chronologically the same. Biologically, worlds apart.
I hear people say that living to 100 means giving up everything that makes life worth living, but the belief that health and longevity demand joyless self-denial is a myth. Science increasingly shows that pleasure, purpose and play are essential ingredients in a long, healthy life.
Exciting projects on the horizon?
We’re in the process of upgrading corporate wellness in South Africa and abroad with an offering that moves beyond outdated checkboxes and annual assessments.
This new screening programme will focus on metrics that actually matter for your healthspan, from early markers of chronic disease to biological age testing and metabolic resilience.
Text | Heléne Ramackers
Photography | Karin Schermbrucker
Follow Michael Mol at linkedin.com/in/michaelmol and instagram.com/dr.michaelmol.
