The Memory Project

More Than Memory: What Dementia Really Looks Like

stories@amazemedialabs.com (Andrew Laffoon, Ty Lewis) — Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:05:27 +0000

What does dementia really look like? Ty Lewis, a Certified Dementia Practitioner, Educator, and Advocate, has cared for her mother, Gertrude, through Alzheimer's for more than a decade. In this episode of The Memory Project, she tells host Andrew Laffoon, CEO and Co-founder of Mixbook, what the early signs looked like, what families often miss, and how she finds joy on the hardest days. In this conversation, you will hear:
- The early signs of dementia, from repeated questions to getting lost on a familiar route, and how they differ from ordinary forgetfulness

- Why dementia is more than memory loss, and why it is not always Alzheimer's - Why it is never too late to get a loved one tested

- How photos and videos help families hold onto memories as dementia progresses - How a caregiver finds joy alongside the hard days

Ty also shares her family's story: the red flags that led to her mother's diagnosis, how family roles shift, the sacrifices her family makes each day, and the decision to care for her mother at home. She explains how she built an online community of more than 120,000 people, and how she uses photos and stories to help her children know the woman their grandmother was.

This episode shares one caregiver's experience and is not medical advice. If you are worried about your own memory or a loved one's, please speak with your healthcare practitioner.

Chapters

01:09 How Ty Became a Certified Dementia Practitioner

03:40 Early Signs Before an Alzheimer's Diagnosis

05:33 Finding Joy in the Final Stages of Alzheimer's

07:39 Caregiver and Educator: Holding Two Roles

09:30 Meeting a Loved One Where They Are

10:29 Aging in Place: What Caregiving Asks of a Family

12:39 The Biggest Surprises of Dementia Caregiving

13:50 Dementia vs. Alzheimer's: More Than Memory Loss

16:12 It Is Never Too Late to Get a Loved One Tested

17:21 Early Signs of Dementia: What Is Not Normal Aging

19:58 Using Photos and Videos to Keep Memories Alive

22:59 Treasured Memories and What Photos Capture

23:07 Keeping a Grandmother's Story Alive for the Next Generation

25:32 Sharing a Dementia Caregiving Journey Online

27:25 Choosing Joy Alongside the Hard Days

29:56 Where to Find Ty Lewis Online

30:48 Closing Reflections from Andrew Laffoon

32:29 Where to Find Ty Lewis Online

33:01 Closing Reflections from Andrew Laffoon

Presented by Mixbook
mixbook.com

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Leave Nothing Unsaid: Keeping Family Memories Alive After Loss

stories@amazemedialabs.com (Andrew Laffoon, Anne Albertson) — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 04:00:00 +0000

When a fire took her home, Anne Albertson learned what a fire takes, and what it can’t.

They were safe, and she is grateful. But the hardest part came after: learning to be grateful and heartbroken at the same time.

In this episode of The Memory Project, Andrew Laffoon, CEO and Co-founder of Mixbook, sits down with Anne for an honest conversation about loss. Anne calls this a hard story to tell but she tells it with humor, grace, and the belief that even after loss, life keeps moving forward. They talk about what survives when the objects are gone, how a family rebuilds one small detail at a time, and why the memory Anne holds closest has no object attached to it at all.

If you are carrying a loss of your own, press play. Then call someone you love, and leave nothing unsaid.

Chapters

0:00 Introduction: What Grief Does to Memory

1:18 The Morning of the Fire

3:24 The Farm, and Four Generations in One House

5:57 What Survived

7:58 What Couldn't Be Replaced

10:40 Why She Photographs Everything Now

12:07 Nine Months Later: Insurance, Inventory, and a Cabin

14:25 Rebuilding on the Same Footprint

14:56 This Wasn't Her First Time Starting Over

17:00 Why the Objects Mattered

19:39 What No One Can Take From You

20:02 Her Advice: Take Pictures, Leave Nothing Unsaid

20:53 "It's Never Too Late"

23:24 Her Most Meaningful Memory

25:25 Closing Reflections

Presented by Mixbook
mixbook.com

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How Memory Shapes You: What a Core Memory Really Is

stories@amazemedialabs.com (Andrew Laffoon, Dr. Christie Chung) — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 04:00:00 +0000

What if memory isn’t just something you have, but the very thing you’re made of?

In this episode of The Memory Project, host Andrew Laffoon sits down with cognitive psychologist and Palo Alto University provost Dr. Christie Chung to explore how memories don’t just record your life — they shape who you become.

Memory isn’t a filing cabinet. It’s an ongoing personal narrative, and every time you revisit it, you rewrite it. Dr. Chung breaks down the science behind why emotional moments stick, what “core memories” actually are (and why the concept is more complicated than it sounds), and how nostalgia can be less about the past and more about building your future.

You’ll also learn why family traditions matter more than you think, how storytelling is hardwired into the brain, and how to use your memories — painful ones included — to give your life more meaning and direction.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction: What If Memory Is What You're Made Of

0:43 Is "Core Memory" Real? What Inside Out Invented

3:27 How Memory Builds Your Sense of Self

5:22 Trauma, Crucible Moments, and Redemptive Stories

7:11 Why Photo Books Change What You Remember

10:14 Rose and Thorn: A Family Memory Ritual

12:01 Is Nostalgia Bad for You?

13:19 The Positivity Effect in Aging, and What It Misses

15:51 How Nostalgia Helps You Imagine the Future

18:11 Dr. Chung's Most Meaningful Memory

21:47 Memory as Storytelling

25:09 Core Memories and Neural Networks

26:25 How to Keep Your Memory Sharp as You Age

29:20 Closing Takeaways

Presented by Mixbook
mixbook.com

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How Memory Actually Works

stories@amazemedialabs.com (Andrew Laffoon, Dr. Christie Chung) — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 04:00:00 +0000

You remember it perfectly. The problem is that you rewrote it the last time you told the story.

Cognitive psychologist Dr. Christie Chung, provost at Palo Alto University, joins Mixbook CEO and co-founder Andrew Laffoon to explain what your brain actually does when you remember. Memories aren't recordings. You reconstruct them every time you bring them up, which means they change, and that turns out to be a feature, not a flaw.

In this episode:

- Why long-term memory has no limit, and what does hold you back

- Why photos, music and smells unlock memories nothing else can reach

- Flashbulb memories, and why even 9/11 memories shift over time

- What Alzheimer's takes first, and why older memories hold on longest

- The memory palace, and a two-second habit change that builds new connections

Memory isn't a perfect record of your life. It's the story you keep telling, and you get a say in how it's told.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction: The Memory You'd Bet Money On

0:57 Is Memory a Recording? Why Memories Are Reconstructed

2:20 How Rehearsal Strengthens Memory

4:53 Nostalgia and Imagining the Future

7:09 Why We Forget, and Which Cues Bring Memories Back

9:31 Flashbulb Memories: Are They Really Photographs?

12:05 Memory as Story: Why Our Past Gets Reframed

14:48 Is Memory Limitless? How Neural Connections Grow It

23:12 The Memory Palace Technique

24:47 The File Drawer Analogy

26:26 Is Technology Changing How We Remember?

28:38 Alzheimer's and Memory: What Goes First

32:18 Why Older Adults Retell the Same Stories

33:59 How a Memory Scientist Handles Her Own Memories

37:03 Key Takeaways and What's Next

Presented by Mixbook
mixbook.com

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Welcome to The Memory Project

stories@amazemedialabs.com (Mixbook) — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 17:18:01 +0000

On The Memory Project, Mixbook CEO and co-founder Andrew Laffoon talks with psychologists, researchers, and storytellers who study how memory works and the role it plays in our lives. Each episode pairs research with real stories, exploring how memory shapes identity, how families hold onto what matters, and how we navigate loss, milestones, and everything in between.

You'll leave each episode with something you can use: a new way to think about memory, ideas for capturing and remembering important moments, or a reason to call someone today. The Memory Project is part of Mixbook's ongoing work to understand, preserve, and celebrate the memories that make us who we are. Subscribe to The Memory Project so you never miss an episode.

Presented by Mixbook
mixbook.com

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