Advocates for Women Aging
Gail and Catherine interview women who are experts on subjects pertinent to women aging. Watch the complete playlist on our YouTube Channel!
390 Abbie Rosner: The Psychedelic Renaissance Among Older Adults
What if aging could become a time of deeper meaning, connection, and personal transformation? Writer and baby boomer Abbie Rosner explores that possibility in her new book, Psychedelics and the Counterculture of Aging. Drawing on hundreds of clinical studies, authentic stories, and an overview of safe practices and the evolving legal landscape, she examines how psychedelics are being used to support the psychospiritual journey of becoming an elder.
389 Road Scholar and Solo Travelers: An Opportunity for Learning & Intergenerational Connection
Lifelong traveler, Barbara Winard, 78, has been exploring the globe since she was in her twenties. She loves traveling independently and has taken 8 trips as a solo traveler with Road Scholar— the not-for-profit world leader in educational travel for...
388 Katina Strauch: Founder and visionary of the Charleston Conference
Visionary. Connector. Builder. Those words describe Katina Strauch, 79. When we spoke with Katina, she was recovering from a broken leg, talking with us from her bed on her smartphone. Despite the setback, she remains what she has always been: an active...
386 Kathy Bresler: The Magic of Intergenerational Connection
Kathy Bresler, founder of ALTAR Community in Chicago, has created a welcoming space where women of all ages come together to be seen, heard, and supported. ALTAR is a third space for women centered around meaningful gatherings, conversation, creativity,...
381 Joan Greene: A Lifelong Advocate for Aging and Mental Health
https://youtu.be/lKqwXIhnhzk Joan Greene, 84, trained to be a teacher but found her true calling as a social worker and innovative advocate for older adults. In New York State, she helped create programs from the ground up—from nutrition services and...
373 Mariann Aalda: Becoming ‘age-full’: Snapping out of internalized ageism
Mariann Aalda—actor, hypnotherapist, and joyful “pro-aging evangelist”—invites us to rethink what it means to grow older. She interrogates ageism, asking“ Why should youth get all the good press?” And declares, “My vibrancy and vitality are due to my...
370 Ilana Landsberg-Lewis: Across cultures, older women bring social change and justice to human family
Ilana Landsberg-Lewis went to law school to understand how power works—so she could help transform it in the service of justice, especially for women. Alongside her father, she co-founded and led a nonprofit funding community-based organization in...
364 Debra Morrison: Money Is Energy—-Move Your Financial Needle to Match your Goals and Soul’s Calling
Debra Morrison invites us to reimagine our lives where money takes on new meaning and purpose. Founder of the We Can Do It Women Movement, Debra works with mature women (50+) who are ready to stop defining themselves by financial missteps and start...
350 Jan Golden: Jokes About Getting Older are Getting Old
Jan Golden is a one-woman force when it comes to changing how the media and greeting card agencies represent aging. For 4 years, Age-Friendly Vibes has featured cards, buttons, stickers and prints that reflect pro-aging sentiments. Active in the American...
348 Nicole Smith: Diagnosing Dementia Across the Miles
Nicole J. Smith, Advocate, Dementia Daughter, Certified Senior Advisor and author of Diagnosis Dementia, was living 3,000 miles from her mother and didn't register the “weird things” she had witnessed her mother say and do over the past couple of years....
346 Christa Rymal: Metabolic Health for Women: From Brain to Toe
Only 12% of U.S. adults are metabolically healthy—a sobering statistic Christa Rymal wants to change. With her background in nursing and holistic health, Christa brings both clinical expertise and a whole-person perspective to women’s wellbeing. In this...
344 Jeannine Bryant: Moving in the 4th Quarter of Life: Keep the Memories, Not the Stuff
Jeannine Bryant is expert at helping seniors move. After you have lived in your home for so many years, you accumulate possessions that seem to identify who you are. Losing a partner or spouse certainly changes our lives. Leaving the place that we called...
342 Ande Lyons: Embrace the Beauty of Your Story
During her tenure as a successful entrepreneur and podcaster, Ande Lyons’ advice to young start-up founders was: “Don’t Be Caged by Your Age.” At age 66, she took her own advice. Ande shifted her focus to older people, especially women, with the mission...
341 Beverley Glazer: Women Empowering Other Women Through Story
Beverley Glazer, MA, is an ICF-Certified Transformational Coach, Psychotherapist, and Strategic Consultant with over 35 years of experience empowering individuals, companies, and communities navigate change. She is the founder of Reinvent Impossible LLC,...
338 Julie Bach PhD: Activist Gerontologist—Making a Better World for Elders
As a young VISTA Volunteer in the mid-1970s, Julie’s experience working with older adults primed her for a career in Gerontology. She earned the credentials: Master of Science in Gerontology, Master’s in Social Work, and PhD in Social Work. Julie is...
333 Maria Cristina Torres: I am Vitality: An Alternative Way to Revitalize Your Life
Maria Cristina Torres, born in Mexico, studied medicine there and has three decades of experience in pharmaceutical-oriented medicine. She continues to work with people in the United States, finding solutions for chronic conditions and assisting...
329 Michelle Kalisz: Neuroscience Asserts: What fires together, wires together
Michelle Kalisz started studying piano at the age of 4. Today she owns a piano studio and delights in teaching older adults. She extensively studied chemistry and psychology, all the while playing music which added depth to her understanding of how we...
327 Gail Straus: The Power of Volunteering
Gail Straus is mostly retired, meaning that in addition to volunteer work, she remains open to the occasional client project. In 2021, Gail joined the Communications Team at AARP Illinois as a volunteer. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Guest...
326 Ginny Maccoll: From Professional Dancer to Ninja Warrior: A Mother-Daughter Team
Ginny Maccoll, 73, has an unusual hobby. She competes in Ninja Warrior competitions. Last year, the Guinness World Book of Records named her the oldest female to compete. Though physically quite active from the time she was born, and a proficient dancer,...
325 Jane Fleishman, PhD: Is it Okay for Grandma to Have Sex?
Jane Fleishman, Phd, a Certified Sexuality Educator, works with people living in senior communities on taboo topics such as intimacy, desire, sexual health, abuse and consent. An accomplished educator, writer, program developer, and researcher, Jane...
321 Judy Collins: Grande Dame of Folk Music Legend
Judy Marjorie Collins, age 85, remains a legendary spokesperson for the American folk music scene and for older adults who still have a song to sing. We were delighted to be in conversation with Judy Collins. Folk singer, song writer, pianist, activist,...
319 Elizabeth White: Co-living Housing Solutions for Older Women on Modest Incomes
Elizabeth White’s mission is advocating for older women to “lead a richly textured, interesting life on a modest income.” She uses multiple platforms--author, entrepreneur, consultant, international board member, and keynote speaker—to expose gendered...
317 Becky Blue: Aging is Life – Appreciate the Magic & Mystery
Thoughtful and compassionate, Becky Blue is a geriatric and faith community nurse. Her compassion grew at an early age as she spent afternoons with Grandma, coincidentally the name of one of her magical poems. In her book, Turning-The Magic and...
316 Jeanette Leardi: Make Friends with Your Aging Process to Become Fully Empowered
Jeanette Leardi is a social gerontologist and aging wellness leader who invites us to “cock your head to the side and ask, Am I think about aging in the right way?” Jeanette’s blog, Ageful Living, inspired her recent book, Aging Sideways: Changing Our...
314 Barbara Thompson: Moving Through Real Estate Market Complexities
Barbara Thompson is passionate about working with seniors. She holds a Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES) certification. When her life turned out differently from what she expected, she learned to rely on friendships to fill a gap. That brought her to...
313 Adriane Berg: Ageless Traveler
At the age of 76, Adriane created the podcast Ageless Traveler, a gift for her travel-focused self. She designs the trips she wants to take and, with a supportive team, invites others to join. Adriane advocates ‘voluntourism’—travel with a purpose that involves seeing and doing. She also encourages intergenerational travel—different ages traveling together to the same place, doing the same things.
312 Emilia DiMenco: A Successful Transition: From Commercial Enterprise to a Mission-Driven Organization
After 30 years in banking, Emilia DiMenco joined the Women’s Business Development Organization (WBDC) - first as a board member and then as CEO. WBDC serves all entrepreneurs and particularly women and underserved communities. Emilia understands and...
309 Jane Seskin: The Three A’s of Aging—Acknowledge, Accommodate, Accept
Jane Seskin, a licensed clinical social worker, is a prolific poet who, at age 80, published a collection of 89 poems in the book OLDER WISER SHORTER: The Truth and Humor of Life After 65. With humor and insight, Jane observes how she is learning to...
301 Andrea Gilats: Making the Leap from Older to Old: Transformations, Truths, Pleasures, and Possibilities
Andrea Gilats—writer, educator, artist, yoga instructor—believes that “when one writes a memoir, one has to be oneself.” Andrea’s captivating new memoir, Radical Endurance: Growing Old in an Age of Longevity, reveals her journey of ‘discovery through the...
299 Sharon A. Brangman: The Phenomenon of Normal Cognitive Aging
Sharon A. Brangman, MD, Syracuse NY, is a geriatrician who has been a leader in the field of geriatrics for over two decades. Her focus is directly on the phenomenon of normal cognitive aging, concentrating on prevention. Dr. Brangman serves as Chair of...
295 Ruth Schimel: Adventuresome Accidental Aspects of Life Can Lead to Grand Beneficial Pursuits
Ruth Schimel, 84, has original ways to make the most of life’s possibilities. An author of over 70 published articles and seven books, she was previously a diplomat/foreign service officer at the Department of State. She has also taught at four...
294 Susan Baur: Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage
Susan Baur, 84, has been a writer, historian and psychologist for 50 years. As a child, nothing grabbed her passion like listening to her father’s stories which seemed to describe other worlds that exist inside our own. Pursuing these other worlds ever...
292 Jennifer Prell: The Ups and Downs of Late-Life Housing and How to Get the Help You Need
Elderwerks’ dynamic CEO and Founder, Jennifer Prell, understands older adults. She believes elders deserve respect and loving care. She gets worked up when talking about how difficult it often is for older people, no matter their income level, to find...
288 Sally Fox: My Most Creative Work Is My Life—Yours Can Be Too
Sally Jean Fox’s 2023 book, Meeting the Muse After Midlife: A Journey to Meaning, Creativity, and Joy, tells her story of finding joy in being creative after 50, as she explored gardening, clowning, improv theatre, storytelling, and singing. Always keen...
287 Cheri Boublis: Innovative Hospitality for Older Adults– Living a Vibrant Lifestyle
Cheri Boublis is Senior Director for Hospitality Services at Plymouth Place in LaGrange Park, Illinois, a model for active community living. Cheri collaborates with the leadership, residents, vendors, and the larger community to offer wide-ranging...
284 Annamarie Pluhar: Shared Housing: No One Should be Isolated
Do you want to share housing but find the transition scary? We often live in shared housing when we are single: college, roommates in camp, at conferences, during our early careers. Living with housemates as we age is no different. Annamarie Pluhar, 70,...
281 Susan Gangsei: Tapestries Reveal the Passages of Women Aging
Susan Gangsei, a classically trained tapestry artist from Minneapolis, MN, uses her talent to create images of women aging. Her recent series, The Sacred Journey of Aging, features the “beauty, strength, and wisdom of older women.” Susan treats viewers to...
280 Jacynth Bassett: Ageism is Never in Style – 31 year old Activist
Visionary and disrupter, Jacynth Bassett, is an award-winning, highly sought after consultant and expert in the anti-ageism/ age-inclusive & positive movement. At only 31, she is widely recognized as a leading pioneer and voice, awarded...
278 Pamela Meyer: Staying Innovative in the Game of Life
Dr. Pamela Meyer is a prolific author, international consultant and keynote speaker, and college teacher whose areas of focus are leadership agility, organizational change, and adult learning. In her most recent book, Staying in the Game: Leading and...
276 David Stewart: A Leading Authority on the Mindset and Aspirations that Drive the Over 50 Demographic.
As the founder of AGEIST Magazine and Super Ager podcast, David Stewart is a passionate champion of the modern 50+ lifestyle. While interviewing David is a departure from interviewing women 70-110+, we feel that what he has to say contributes to our...
274:Coleen T. Murphy, Ph.D: Cognitive Aging: The Science of Longevity
Coleen T. Murphy, Ph.D is Director, Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, James A. Elkins, Jr. Professor in the Life Sciences, Department of Molecular Biology, and LSI Genomics, Princeton University. She is also Director, Paul F. Glenn Center...
273 Dr. Tracey Gendron: Ageism Unmasked: Exploring Bias and How to End It
Dr. Tracey Gendron is an internationally recognized gerontologist with almost 30 years of experience as a grant-funded researcher. She speaks to audiences globally about the real world impact of age bias. She is determined to change people’s negative...
266 Joan Price: Talking Out Loud About Ageless Sexuality
Sex educator, Joan Price, is the voice for ‘ageless sexuality.’ In her books, webinars, presentations, newsletter, and blog, Joan talks frankly about spicy and satisfying sex for seniors, whether partnered or solo. She is the first to address sex and...
264 Patti Temple Rocks: Ageism in the Workplace
Patti Temple Rocks has had a long, successful, and immensely rewarding career in marketing and communications and still she is not done. Her work and her articles and books have been written about in major publications such as Fast Company, Forbes, The...
263 Susan Mazer: Creator of an 1,100 Hospital Patient Relaxation Channel and Full-time Jazz Harpist
Dr. Susan Mazer is a full-time performing jazz harpist and former President, Co-founder, and CEO of Healing HealthCare Systems, producers of The C.A.R.E. Channel, the only evidence-based, 24-hour relaxation channel for patient television. Now in its 30th...
261: Helen Hirsh Spence: Valuing the Expertise and Ingenuity of Older Adults
Through Top Sixty Over Sixty, Helen writes articles and speaks at conferences to encourage a reframed narrative of aging, one that reflects the age realities of the 21st century. She emphasizes the need for a longevity focus, encourages an entrepreneurial...
260 Janis Clark Johnston: Aging – So Cool Everyone is Doing It
Janis Clark Johnston is a family psychologist, speaker, and author of several books, most recently Transforming Retirement: Rewire and Grow Your Legacy. When she experienced 9/11, Janis says, she became more sensitive to other’s pain and loss. Planning...
259 Emily and Mitchell Clionsky: Dementia Prevention: Using Your Head to Save Your Brain
Emily Clionsky, MD, and Mitchell Clionsky, PhD, are a physician and neuropsychologist couple who have cared for their own parents with dementia, created a test used by doctors to measure cognitive function, and treated more than 25,000 patients with...
258 Diane Slezak: Expanding Options, Resources, and Services for Older Adults
Diane Slezak is CEO of Age Options, a nonprofit advocacy organization she has been involved with since 1976. Age Options caters to older adults and those who care for them with resources and service options so older adults can live their lives to the...
257 Darcy Evon: Building a More Age-Inclusive Society
Since becoming CEO of The Village Chicago in 2019, Darcy has overseen the growth and vitality of The Village—including over 500 comprehensive programs that focus on social, emotional, and physical well-being. She promotes improved quality of life for...
111 Joanne Schwartzberg, MD: To Help Others, You Must Listen and Understand
