Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn
This is what the world needs now: two free-thinking “seasoned” Black women speaking their truth and inspiring others to do the same. Shaped by 45 years of friendship that began at the prestigious Brooklyn Technical High School through the Ivy League, medical school, marriages, divorces, triumphs, parenting queer children, life-threatening illness and many many amazing adventures. Each week, besties Leslie Osei-Tutu and Angella Fraser will push against boundaries in love, culture, careers, faith, politics and out-dated assumptions about women of a certain age. Remember, you’re never too old to change your mind…or your hair! (but more on that later :-)All views are our own and do not reflect the views of our institution/company. Information provided is not intended to serve as medical advice.
Episodes
Angella and Leslie wrestle with how to set boundaries with loved ones without guilt, why the concept of “no contact” is gaining language online, and what healing looks like on both sides of estrangement.
As usual, humor lightens the load and remains an invaluable tool to support resilience and repair as The Besties trade stories, therapy wins, and lessons from recent podcasts from Stephanie Perry and Oprah.
The holidays can feel like two different seasons at once: sentimental and sparkly on the surface, heavy and hectic underneath. Besties Angella and Leslie speak honestly about both and offer a way forward that doesn’t require a shopping cart—just attention, time, and a little creativity.
If you’re ready to trade obligation for intention and make celebration feel like care, this conversation will meet you where you are. Press play, bu...
Ever notice how after the prayers and the crescendo of miracles, the next wave of worry comes to snatch it away? Our family just lived through a medical crisis and a hard-won turn for the better, and we’re honest about the whiplash that followed—insurance calls, care decisions, a home being modified, and the ache of meeting a new reality for a once independent son. Gratitude is real. Grief is real. Both want space. In this episode ...
The Besties return this week after taking a much needed “peace pause”. They return to unpack a viral video of a salon arrest and the deeper tensions it exposes between Black Americans and African immigrants. Angella and Leslie weigh boycott power, clear asks, and practical ways to raise standards without giving up on each other.
Owner of African Braiding Salon and Two Employees ARRESTED!!
TabithaSpeaksPolitics
The Besties reflect on a morning of quiet prayer that turned into a cascade of miracles: a son spoke, moved, answered questions, and became eligible for a transfer to acute rehab.
Leslie describes the emotional whiplash of being both a physician and a mom when a loved one is ill. While Besties Angella and Leslie share their relief, they pivot to sharing practical wisdom on the conversations and structures families can have in pl...
The Besties trace Angella’s pivots from a 30 plus year corporate career in IT to becoming an entrepreneur who works in theater, showing how one bold choice can open a chain of unexpected doors. Craft, culture and courage meet in scenes from The Color Purple, Motown design, and a 40+ wig design for Legally Blonde The Musical.
The heart of the episode explores how many of us, especially Boomers, are wired for “surety”—the prescribed p...
The Besties share a candid and honest account of navigating a son’s sudden critical illness while balancing the roles of mother, physician and partner. Joy and grief sit side by side as they lean on community, faith and psychotherapy to move from fear toward steadier ground.
0:00 Welcome And Framing The Conversation
1:31 A Mother And Physician In Crisis
3:00 Transplant Realities And Infection Risk
3:56 Hospitalization And Unspeakable ...
Changes in menopause are more than just mood and temperature swings; it is a rewiring of bone biology. The Besties sit down again with Dr. Toni Otway, a New Jersey Board Certified OB-GYN physician, to unpack how falling estrogen levels accelerate bone loss, why height can shrink over time, and what it truly takes to prevent fractures that derail independence. Instead of chasing a perfect bone density number, they focus on a smarte...
A thirty-year-old sweater sparks a surprising truth: when your clothes outlive trends, milestones and possibly lifespan, maybe the smartest style move is to stop buying and start noticing. The Besties celebrate their three-year mark by replaying a fan-favorite conversation that ages well- filled with stories about closets, boundaries, and the everyday choices that quietly define who they are.
Chapter Markers
0:00 Anniversary Replay ...
The moment someone says you’re “too much,” you face a fork in the road: get smaller or get clearer. We chose clarity. To mark three years of Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn, the Besties rebroadcast a past episode where a relationship that ended: not because love was absent, but because the container couldn’t hold who Angie was becoming. What followed was a surprising kind of closure, the kind your body recognizes before your bra...
A FaceTime that wouldn’t connect, a birthday ice cream run, and a red box hidden under a saucer—then four words that change everything: will you marry me? We’re celebrating a surprise engagement that’s decades in the making and unpacking what it means to choose love, with clarity, later in life.
We retrace the moment—how he kept a three-month secret, returned the first ring, and enlisted his sister to find the one that felt right. F...
Two best friends trade wildcard questions about possibility, mortality, love, and “enough,” mixing belly laughs with clear-eyed truth. We unpack being overlooked, parenting triggers, belonging in medicine, and building a good life rooted in self-agency and joy.
Thank you for listening. We really appreciate you. And we appreciate our Patreon subscribers too. You can join our Patreon Besties Squad Squad for a five or ten dollar monthl...
Besties Angella and Leslie, two 60-something year old Black women, reveal their concerns over artificial intelligence and explore how AI can enhance rather than threaten their lives.
They reference an episode of John Hope Bryant’s Money and Wealth podcast entitled “How Black America Can Win with AI” where Bryant and his guests Van Jones and Sheldon Gilbert illustrate how AI can serve as a “survival guide, a playbook and a warning la...
The Besties explore their fears about moving to Panama while choosing to let joy shine through instead of letting fear take control. This candid conversation reveals their concerns about relocating abroad and how they're working through them to embrace this life-changing adventure.
Chapter Markers:
0:00 Reconnecting and Introduction
2:39 Fears About Language Barriers
15:20 Missing Family and Leaving Children
20:05 Career Identity a...
Dr. Dianah Lake shares her journey from personal crisis to fitness transformation, creating a holistic wellness program specifically designed for high-achieving women who prioritize everyone else's needs above their own. Her approach addresses not just physical fitness but mental health, hormonal balance, and the unique challenges women face during perimenopause and menopause.
0:00
Meet Dr. Dianah...
Angella and Leslie explore how choosing joy over fear transformed their lives, particularly in relationships. They share personal stories about leaving marriages that weren't serving them, despite the comfort of familiarity and fear of the unknown.
Chapter Markers:
0:00 Welcome to Black Boomer Besties
5:02 Choosing Joy Over Fear
13:17 Angella's Marriage Journey
22:00 Leslie's Decades-Long Marriage
33:10 The Beautiful Home ...
Michelle Malawer is a money coach for women. She joins The Besties to explore how unresolved financial issues may create barriers to joy and fulfillment in our lives.
She explains that money struggles affect people at all income levels. Her coaching focuses on understanding the stories and mindsets behind money behaviors, not just numerical solutions. Michelle recognizes that financial shame often prevents us from seeking help or ...
Black Girls Go Global is changing the world through their one-week STEAM educational program where young Black women travel internationally to learn about sustainable development. Board members Rolanda Goodwin and Lisa Randolph share how this organization is creating pathways for Black girls in STEAM fields where only 2% of the workforce is African American women.
Visit blackgirlsgoglobal.org (IG: https://www.instagram.com/black_gir...
When Emory University professor and scholar Dr. Karida L. Brown began researching America's segregated education system, she didn't expect to uncover a radical history of resistance, innovation, and profound courage. Yet after eight years of meticulous archival work across America and South Africa, that's exactly what she found.
Dr Brown’s latest book, "The Battle for the Black Mind" reveals extraordinary st...
This week Besties Angella and Leslie explore how to invest now to create a future that their older selves will thank them for. They were inspired by an 82-year-old patient who's maintained friendships since high school and lives vibrantly in her ninth decade.
0:00
Welcome to Black Boomer Besties
2:05
An 82-Year-Old Inspiration
6:20
Future Self Letters and Financial Preparedness
15:40
Health 2.0: Physical Fitness fo...
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