Crow's Feet: Life As We Age

“Part of what I found were cultural norms that view the second half of life as being as important and even more important than the first half of life, in terms of what you can do for yourself and for society,“ said Ken Stern, in conversation with host Jane Trombley.

Ken, author of Healthy to 100: How Strong Ties Lead to Long Lives (link in notes, below) explored the “culture of longevity” in Asia — Singapore, Korea, and Japan — as w...

Crime Reporter Michael Wilson of The New York Times joins us to share how he narrowly avoided losing thousands of dollars to an online scam. Seniors over 60 are targeted more often than any other age group, making his story both timely and essential. In this episode, Michael explains the red flags he spotted, how scams are evolving, and what you can do to protect yourself. A must‑listen for anyone navigating today’s digital world.

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We’re coming upon the season of giving — the period when Americans’ generosity pours forth. According to Charity Engine, about one-third of the $590 billion given to charity each year occurs in December.

In this episode, Crows Feet explores an innovative charitable giving platform, Giving Multiplier. 

It combines heartfelt, personal donations with making it far easier to have an impact on some of the world’s most pressing issues: glo...

Rear Admiral Sandy Adams, USN, Ret., served 34 years in the U.S. Navy, leading both active duty and reserve units across global theaters. She commanded five Navy Reserve units, deployed to Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm, and advised Afghan defense leaders during Operation Enduring Freedom. Her final role was Deputy Commander of the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, overseeing 19,000 personnel. As a reservist, Adams also held var...

Try looking at any familiar object — say, a chair — and then drawing it freehand. Now, turn the chair sideways and draw it again. Chances are the second drawing, once you turn it right side up again, is fresher and more accurate. It's free of the baked-in assumptions you have about the whole concept of "chair."

What if we could do the same thing with aging? That creative exercise is the exact one that prompted the tit...

“Make some plans and live!” say the ‘traveling nanas,’ viral sensations Ellie Hamby, an international documentary photographer, and Dr. Sandy Hazelip, a geriatrician. The two met 25 years ago, becoming fast friends and intrepid travelers. On this edition of the Crow’s Feet: Life As We Age podcast, Hazelip and Hamby discuss their re-creation of  Philieas Fogg’s Around the World in 80 Days journey--in their 80s--while sharing tips on...

In this eye-opening episode of Crow's Feet, journalist and thought leader Carl Honoré explores the complex world of status—how it shapes our lives, changes as we age, and can be reimagined for greater meaning. Drawing from his 5-part BBC series and personal experiences, Carl reveals how status is not just about professional achievements, but about human connection, community, and personal growth. Key insights include: Why stat...

With the rate of divorce happening faster than it is for any other demographic, an increasing number of adults over 50 are navigating the uncharted waters of singlehood. It can be a challenging ride as they adjust after a so-called “Gray Divorce.” For some, it’s a rough journey. Others cruise toward a new era of self-discovery and reinvention. But even under the best and most mutual of arrangements, it can be tough to keep things o...

While overall divorce rates are falling, one group is bucking the trend. For those over 50, divorce rates have doubled or even tripled (depending on what source you consult) since the 1990s. So, when Crow’s Feet wants to know what’s causing the spike in divorces for older adults and how more couples might stay together, who are we gonna call? A divorce-buster, of course.  

Relationship therapist, author, and educator Michele Weiner-...

Jean Anne Feldeisen hosts Dr. Kerry Burnight, a gerontologist, researcher and writer on a mission to “Make Older Better.” After decades of work with aging adults, and studying the things that go wrong in old age, including the ageism that hampers change, Kerry is determined to spend the rest of her career helping “fortify” people for old age. Or in her words, aging need not be “the downhill slide that people believe it is." He...

Employment to age 65 used to be a given. If not a career run at the same company, non-profit, or government agency, a worker armed with a skillset and expertise honed over decades could be reasonably assured that the acquired knowledge remained marketable. 

Recently, that assumption has been turned on its head, especially in the technology sector. But there is also opportunity.

Here are three stories about being laid off at 55+ and f...

At 68, Lee Bentch doesn’t fit the stereotype. He’s still working, and after his day job, he cooks dinner for his five grandchildren and daughter. Lee is one of more than a million grandparents helping to raise their grandkids, and he’s also a Crow’s Feet writer. In this episode he tells us how he manages to plan and cook healthy meals seven days a week. Lee is interviewed by Jean Feldeisen, another Crow’s Feet writer, therapist and...

Join host Jan M. Flynn in conversation with Lenore Guido, Bereavement Coordinator for a New Jersey hospice program, who has a private counseling practice focusing on compassionate grief care. Grief is something we often shy away from thinking about, but it’s also something we’ll all experience. Lenore, who is drawing on more than 45 years’ experience in the field to write a book on healing from loss, shares a perspective both clear...

Award-winning author Melinda Blau talks with Crow’s Feet writer Warren Turner about the women she calls her “old ladies,” people who inspire her to squeeze the most out of life in her own late 70s. Meet Zelda, who played tennis until she was 99 and who still got a kick out of telling dirty jokes. Or Marge, a financial whiz at 104, who laughed as she pushed around her Rollator. Listen in as we learn what matters is not how old you a...

The Living Apart Together (LAT) lifestyle choice is gaining traction among both married and unmarried couples, especially older folks ready for a bond beyond the traditional. 

The LAT framework is predicated on three pillars: 1/The couple agrees that they are a committed romantic couple. 2/ Others view them as a committed romantic couple, and, 3/ they live in separate places.

This episode is a deep dive into LAT featuring two relatio...

Prolific author and lover of “old ladies” Melinda Blau hosts an unprecedented mother/daughter conversation with “America’s gerontologist” Kerry Burnight, her 96-year-old mother Betty, and Melinda’s daughter Jennifer Martin, a hospice nurse. The four discuss complexities of the mother-daughter duo as both age – role shifts, stumbling blocks and challenges, the need to simultaneously stay connected and draw boundaries.

The episode is ...

Meet Susan Rice, a comedian and actress who’s bridging the generation gap through humor. You’ve probably seen her in movies, commercials and maybe your local comedy club. She calls herself “a funny old bag” and continues to do standup for audiences from Gen Z to near 90. Join Nancy Franklin as she and Susan banter about Rice’s 40-plus year career, dish about life on the road in her 70s, and being the “cool” grandmother everyone wis...

Binnie Klein is a Renaissance woman. At 74 she has reinvented her life time and again, from poet to psychotherapist to memoirist to songwriter, with several steps in between. 

She picked up boxing as a sport when she was 55. The red gloves in the corner of the gym caught her eye, and a memoir followed in 2010.   

A surprise phone call in 2016  triggered memories of a long-ago love, heartbreak, and the radical politics of the 1960s. A...