Older Women & Friends

Kelly Jackson, 73, and Sally, 75, are sisters who have lived together without husbands or children for almost 20 years. They reconnected as live-in caregivers for their mother, and during the four years they cared for her, they turned to blogging and short videos to keep their spirits up. They used the handle, "Midlife Gal's Gone Gray," and their mission was to ensure that women in their 60s, 70s, 80s, and beyond never stop laughin...

In this conversation, Patricia Madson, a drama professor emeritus and author, shares her journey from a curious and adventurous child to a seasoned educator in improvisation.

She discusses the importance of embracing mistakes, the transformative power of improvisation in personal and professional life, and the significance of finding

purpose and gratitude in everyday experiences. Patricia also introduces Eastern philosophies that...

Haven't made a trip to your local cannabis dispensary? Haven't talked to your physician about a medical marijuana card? Don't have a clue how cannabis may help with all kinds of health issues, from insomnia to anxiety, from certain serious diseases to focus/concentration? Or, what the hell? Maybe for relaxation and fun.

How did cannabis get a bad rep in so many circles? What role has racism played? Greed? And why the heck...

This episode, "Likeable Badass" with author/PhD Alison Fagale, covers so many bases that I've chosen more of a summary or an outline.

As I wrote on another site, Alison is a Dynamo who knows her stuff inside and out because she's lived it, taught it, and written about it.

What is it? It is a woman who studies people, the science of people. It is a toolbox that women (and men) can use to hone their communication skills and succeed at...

At 60, Denise Taylor began again: downsized, got a divorce, embraced single living, and set off on a journey that included a vision quest, game ranger training, and time living with a Maasai tribe. At 64, she completed her doctorate exploring how people find meaning after full-time work. That research became the seed for ThriveSpan, one of nine books, a model, a philosophy, and a way of living more consciously in later life.

"I ...

"We don't want to be younger versions of ourselves: We've worked too hard to get where we are today."

"Aging is a process of living." Guest Tracey Gendron, professor, author, and activist, reminds listeners that we don't want to be younger versions of ourselves: We've worked too hard to get where we are today. However, the way we learn about aging is filled with misconceptions. We've never learned the truth; instead, we think of...

It's a new trend, well, maybe not that new. Couples in committed relationships are choosing to live apart. Interesting, eh? The couple might be married, maybe not. Perhaps they are divorced; maybe a partner/spouse has passed away. Whatever the circumstances, these couples agree that they don't have to share the same space to have a happy, healthy relationship.

Vicki Larson, today's guest, has written LATitude: How You Can Make...

Maria Leonard Olsen is a civil litigation lawyer, a journalist, and an author. When she turned 50, she got divorced, got sober, and became an empty nester. For the first time in her life, she was living alone. And for the first time after 15 years as a full-time mom, she had to find a law firm that would hire her.

Many women would have folded under the pressure, the loneliness, the Herculean task of putting a life back togethe...

Join me in this enlightening episode as I sit down with Gina Vild, author of The Two Most Important Days: How to Find Your Purpose and Live a Happier and Healthier Life.

I don't know about you, but I've been in a constant state of fight or flight. It feels as if the United States and the rest of the world are upside down and that there is very little we can do to find joy and awe.

Enter Gina Vild and the wisdom she ...

Join me as I delve into the world of classical music with Roit Feldenkreis, a trailblazing conductor and consultant.

Discover Roit's journey from a small village in Israel to conducting orchestras worldwide, and how she integrates her musical expertise into corporate leadership.

This episode explores the challenges and triumphs of being a female conductor in a male-dominated field, and the innovative ways Roit is bridgi...

Three of the past guests on "Older Women & Friends" talk about what they've been up to since we last spoke. All three of their stories represent the exciting escapades of older women who continue to smash stereotypes to simitherenes.

Melissa Davey: At age 65, she left the corporate world to follow a dream of becoming a filmmaker. And, boy, her story is one of determination, creativity, and success. Melissa and I first talked...

Dian Griesel, Ph.D., a renowned perception analyst and hypnotherapist, has dedicated her career to understanding how our conscious and unconscious beliefs shape our perceptions and influence every decision we make, both personally and professionally.

The middle of five siblings, Dian grew up doing her best to balance the "uppers" and the "lowers." She tried to be non-disruptive, not to cause any dissention among the r...

The Woman Behind The Mother

Poet, novelist, essayist, and editor Jill Bialosky had wanted to write about her mother for some time, but she was busy with other projects, and the timing was not right. But then her mother passed away from Alzheimer's during COVID, and Jill, unable to attend the burial in another city, watched the abbreviated burial on FaceTime. "It was," she said, "very difficult to process her death."

As many a...

"I tell women all the time that embracing one's authentic self in life takes time.

It is like peeling multiple layers of an onion," said Clare. "You want to be the same person, no matter where you are."

Clare Beckton grew up "very poor." Her family lived in a three-room shack with no running water. What she understood early on was how power was wielded by her father, her brothers, and the men in the small farming community ...

"Anorexia of aging" may affect up to 18% of individuals 65+, more women than men.

Contrary to popular opinion, eating disorders (EDs) are not just a serious health condition for adolescents. Nope, older women, often during menopause, can develop an ED. If you struggled with an ED as a teen or earlier, your chances of sliding back increase.

Today's guest, Michele Mason (60), is ...

Melinda Blau is 81, but many of her dear friends are much older. These women populate her new book, The Wisdom Whisperers, and provide younger women (at 80, I must be a spring chicken!) with a playbook to draw from and relate to our own lives.

When Melinda wrote her sixteenth book, she wanted to title it, "I want what she has!" She was deeply moved and impressed by the older women, most of whom were in their 90s and 100s.

...

Maybe you've seen the Showtime special, "Funny Women of A Certain Age" or "More Funny Women of A Certain Age," or -- you guessed it--even "More Women of A Certain Age." Today's guest, comedian Carole Montgomery, is the mover and shaker behind the shows and continues to tour with a stellar cast. Women show up in carloads, busloads, campers, and hoot and holler at the uninhibited, outrageous comedy about aging. No subject is off limi...

Wendy Alexander grew up under apartheid in South Africa. Until she was seven, she felt like most other kids. That changed the day the police insisted that she and her family get off a whites-only beach. "I was no longer a child," Wendy said. "Once you know racism and segregation, you know it."

Wendy's dream was to leave South Africa; while the dream was deferred, she and her family immigrated to Australia when Wendy was twenty. ...

"So the light went off in my five-year-old head, and I said there must be something in stories that we need. Stories are like air or water. So, I decided right then and there that I wanted to be a storyteller, a writer." _______ Shelley Fraser Mickle

While her route was circuitous, as most journeys are, Shelley became an award-winning author and the storyteller incarnate for six ...