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308 Jan Shaw King: Guideposts Pave the Way for Transitions if Your Eyes are Wide Open
Jan Shaw King, 71, is a strong, resilient woman whose courage led her to create illustrative works that live on in all of our memories. Her first mentor was her grandmother who taught her to see colors and shadows and be brave enough to follow her path....
307 B. Rosemary Grant: The Winding and Wondrous Road of a Pioneering Evolutionary Biologist, Research Partner-Wife, and Mother
B. Rosemary Grant, PhD, Research Scholar Emerita at Princeton University, is world-renowned for 40 years of pioneering fieldwork, with her husband, Peter, on two uninhabited islands in the Galapagos archipelago.Their studies of Darwin’s finches in their...
306 Holly Zeinfeld: From Barmaid to Director of Intangibles – a lifelong obsession
Holly Zeinfeld, 79, has moved 22 times and lived in 8 states during her marriage to Steve. They were partners in life and in work until he died a little over a year ago. Holly cared for him in home hospice for 7 years with periodic help from her son....
305 Suzanne Rowen: Climbing Mountains—Living Intensely and Expansively
Gail and Catherine talk with Suzanne Rowen about her love of Climbing Mountains—Living Intensely and Expansively
304 Wendy Cole: Demystifying the Transgender Journey
Wendy Cole, age 76, was 67 when she decided to live out in the world as the female she was born to be. As a young person, Wendy was informed by ‘authorities’ that she was a male with a psychological condition that was untreatable and uncurable; she was “a...
303 Cynthia Bargar: Sleeping in the Dead Girl’s Room: A Poetry Project
Cynthia Bargar, 76 is the author of Sleeping in the Dead Girl’s Room (Lily Poetry Review Books), selected as a Massachusetts Book Awards 2023 Honors Poetry Book. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Sugar House Review, Ocean State Review, Lily...
302 Carol Schaner: A Retail Tale: A Story of Resilience
On the northshore of Chicago, there has existed a magical boutique gift store for 37 years. Its name: The Yellow Bird. Recently the shopping center where it had thrived all those years, was sold to make room for new residential buildings and some...
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...
300 Karen Allen and Sarah T. Schwab: Intergenerational Collaboration on Films About Loss and Love
For 15 years, Karen Allen (age 73), actor and director of stage and film, and Sarah T. Schwab (age 39), writer, director and producer, have enjoyed collaborating on theatre and film productions, notably addressing oft-avoided discussions about dying and...
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...
298 Pamela Rand: Adventures in Feeling Young
From a very young age, Pamela Rand, 81, described herself as a comic, a clown, a funny kid who liked to make people laugh. She continues today to sing, dance, speak in multiple accents and create skits on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTock. Laughing...
297 Marcia Naomi Berger:The Bipolar Therapist
For 50 years, Marcia Naomi Berger, 79, has experienced a journey from madness to love and meaning. Her first manic episode was at 29, when she was already a well-respected licensed clinical social worker - an experienced psychotherapist well-trained in...
296 Anne Burke: Succeeding Together—on the playground and legal bench and in the classroom
Anne Burke, age 80, retired Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, began her career as a physical education teacher, earned her undergraduate degree as an adult student at the School for New Learning/DePaul University, completed a law degree while...
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...
293 Karen Ross: Always Asking (and finding) What is Next?
Karen Ross, 76, is a champion who keeps reinventing herself. Self-confident, curious and proactive, Karen never stops finding new ways to stay involved, support herself and others, and meet interesting people. She thought she would be a musician and...
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...
291 Jackie Greenbaum: The Benefits of Following Your Dreams
The hardest part of getting older is the realization that some dreams are never going to be realized. Some situations are not going to change. Jackie Greenbaum, however realistic she remains, has lived her life as though dreams are meant to be followed....
290 Gail Sussman Miller: We Are Here to Love and Be Loved, to Be Truly Authentic
If we are looking for what we enjoy doing, then, logically, we’re going to be good at it. Joyful thoughts spiral upward. We are on this planet to love and be loved, to be truly authentic. Gail Sussman Miller, Inspired Choice.com, believes how we think,...
289 Wendy Green: Boomer Banter–Real Talk About Aging Well
Wendy Green, founder and host of Hey, Boomer,! knows about personal transformation first-hand and coaches women to “live the meaningful, purposeful life they want to live.” Wendy left the world of corporate training to focus on women’s experiences of...
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...
286 Beverly Pimsleur’s: A Love Affair with Language and Life
Joy has always been a part of Beverly Pimsleur's life. Her extended family in Louisville KY loved to be together, to dance, sing and have fun. She recognized the importance of language from a young age and started learning French in high school. She met...
285 Helen Benjamin: Education Changes the Life Trajectory of Every Person
As an educational leader and mentor, Dr. Helen Benjamin tells stories about growing up in the segregated South, living and working in two worlds—Black and White, and helping younger Black professionals navigate their CEO roles in community colleges. In...
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,...
283 Mary Mitchell: Giving a Voice to the Voiceless
Mary Mitchell, age 74, sheds light on aging and ageism in her occasional column for the Chicago Sun Times, Starting Over. Mary ‘started over’ five years ago when she switched her journalistic authority on race relations in Chicago to concentrate on...
282 Ann Anderson Evans: A Wife’s Unanswered Questions About Transgender and Suicide
Ann Anderson Evans, age 82, lives in Vermont. She is a writer, linguist, and former professor. Her first memoir, Daring to Date Again (2014), which tells the story of what happened after she started dating at 62, won multiple prizes. Her sequel The Sweet...
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...
279 Michele Kurlander: Obsessions for Art and Music Icons Fuel Her Life
LIfe is a constant adventure for Michele Kurlander, 79. She lives in Chicago, yet her heart is in France. A fluent francophile, Michelle spends much of her life traveling between Chicago and Paris. There she has met dear friends who live all across the...
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...
277 Shelia Solomon: Helping Your Neighbor Understand About Your Neighbor: The Role of Civic Journalism
Sheila Solomon’s career in mass media arts spans 50 years. She was among the first African American women to work in the newsrooms of regional and national newspapers. Sheila became a dedicated advocate for affirmative action—bringing people of color into...
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...
275 Sandy Gordon: A True Advocate Lives for the Causes She Believes In
When Sandy Gordon retired at 70, from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Rosemont, Illinois as Director of Public Relations, a colleague gave her a toast. It said in part: “Sandy has the kind of talent that startles people. Really. Her...
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...
272 Carol Stitzer: Art is the Tapestry of Her Life – Zippers and Bees Abound
Carol Stitzer, 80, lives life in the moment. All you have to do is listen to her and you immediately understand that she is positive, talented, energetic and happy. From early childhood education to development professional, fundraiser, artist and...
271 Nancy Hanson: Following in My Mother’s Footsteps: Fighting for Systemic Change
A life of social service requires a deep commitment to reaching out, helping out and finding those paths that have meaning to you. Throughout Nancy Hanson’s entire life, she has been doing just that. Following in the footsteps of her mother, Nancy knows...
270 Kate Saccany: Battling Long Covid while Running Marathons
Catherine (Kate) Saccany was born to run. She took up jogging and ran barefoot for her first 30 months because there were no running shoes for women. A career banker, Kate joined LaSalle Bank. Coincidentally, LaSalle sponsored the Chicago marathon. She...
269 Eme McAnam: Senior Romance – People Live Who They Are Until Their Last Breath
Joy, love, compassion - the foundation of Eme’s life and her stories. Eme McAnam was a singer-songwriter who charted in the top 100 in Country Music. Her career has taken many turns: Singer/songwriter, novelist, art photographer. Her newest novel,...
268 Gretchen Wilbur: Living with the Maroons: Learning ‘Who I Am, Who I Have Been, and Who I Be Now’
Educational equity, intercultural communication, and teacher education are the threads of Dr. Gretchen Wilbur’s 30+-year career as an educational leader. Upon retiring from DePaul University in 2019, Gretchen traded an urban lifestyle in Chicago for the...
267 Carol Marin: Helping the World Know Someone Else’s Truths
Carol Marin, age 75, is an award-winning television and print journalist renowned for her nearly 50 years of investigative stories on politics, public corruption, and organized crime. In 2016, Carol co-founded and directs DePaul University’s Center for...
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...
265: Elizabeth “Betty” Werrenrath: A Life-long Progressive, still Advocating for Change at 110
We love all our interviews. However, meeting Betty Werrenrath in person, and interviewing her in her apartment at the Presbyterian Homes in Evanston, IL was a unique experience that we would not have traded. Betty is inspiring, positive, upbeat 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...
262 Judy Reeves: Traveling Solo to Find My Way
When nearing 50 years of age and recently widowed, Judy sold everything, bought an around-the-world airline ticket, and set off alone on a year-long journey without a planned itinerary. “The outer journey serves as a container” for Judy’s inner “struggle...
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...
256 Susan Cartland-Bode: Born to Share the Gift of Music
For much of her life, Susan Cartland-Bode has shared her gift of music-- as a soloist and choral singer, voice teacher, player of piano and violin and, most recently, fiddle. A resident of Plymouth Place in LaGrange Park, IL, Susan performs solos, sings...
255 Rhea Zakich: The Art of Touching the Human Heart
Rhea Zakich, age 88, touches human hearts as an author, speaker, workshop and seminar leader, and creator of the world’s popular communication game the UNGAME (1973)—5 million sold and still selling. Her dramatic story of the UNGAME has been told on TV...
254 Catherine Hiller: Award-winning Novelist Tackles Taboo Topics
Catherine Hiller is inspired to write against the grain. In her current novel, Cybil Unbound, (her 10th book and 6th novel), she delicately characterizes an older woman and her new-found sexuality. Catherine believes the capacity to fall in love can...
253 Taru Fisher: Helping Women Transform Aging
Taru Fisher coaches women to make aging fearless, fulfilling, and fun. She encourages women to fully respect their own aging process and be vibrantly visible. Taru is a certified NLP Health Practitioner and NLP Coach specializing in aging. She also is a...
252 Julie Iverson: Death Doula—An End-of-Life Ally
In her role as a certified Death Doula (also known as an End-of-Life Doula or Death Midwife), Julie Iverson is passionate about providing non-medical, non-judgmental, holistic care and support to individuals and their loved ones as they navigate the...
251 Sara Gilfert: Hand Paper-Making Artist Makes Waves in Her Community
Sara Gilfert, 94, lives in Ohio. She comes from a family that was populated with teachers and preachers. While she began her college education in journalism, a chance workshop on fiber art caused her to change her major and she became a fiber artist and...
250 Ashton Applewhite: Ageism Harms Us and Obstructs Equity
Ashton Applewhite has been speaking out about aging and ageism for over 15 years. Her 2016 book, This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism, radicalized the present anti-ageism movement. Since then, Ashton has continued her blog, Yo, is This Ageist?,...
249 Connie Zweig: Bringing Your Inner Ageist into the Light of Awareness
Connie Zweig, PhD, is a retired Jungian-oriented therapist and coauthor of Meeting the Shadow and Romancing the Shadow. Her award-winning book, The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul, extends her work on the Shadow into midlife and beyond and...
248 Beth Truett: An Ambassador for Positive Aging
Beth Truett, MDiv, BS, believes in serving. It comes naturally to her and has guided her career path over the years. Her earliest memories are of lunches with the Ladies’ Aid Society. After a lengthy corporate career where she was committed to mentoring...
247 Diane Valletta: Everything Begins As A Thought
Diane Valletta has moved from passion to passion throughout her life. Her mother, who died at 93, was her role model. She had a passion for activism and service. The same is true for Diane, whose desire for service has spanned her entire life. From Women...
246 Aggie Jordan: A Journey from Nun to Feminist
A former nun, teacher, relationship author of The Marriage Plan: How To Marry Your Soul Mate In One Year Or Less, owner of Jordan De-Laurenti, Inc., a training and contract management company and a small business columnist for the Dallas Times-Herald,...
245 Mary Ann Cooper: Saving Lives through Lightning Injury Prevention & Safety
When lightning strikes, where do you go to avoid injury? If you live in the United States, you likely have easy access to a safe building or car. In fact, fewer than 20 people die annually from being struck by lightning. But for people who live in the...
244 Sheree Clark: Navigating the Continuum of Midlife with Courage
Sheree Clark is a Midlife Courage Coach whose varied forks-in-the-road include: university administrator in student personnel; owner of an advertising agency; TV show host; author; health coach; raw vegan chef and more. Through her Talk Series for Midlife...
243 E. Beverly Young: Speak My Name in the Room
E. Beverly Young speaks her truths about gender and race prejudices in the workplace and larger society. She entered professional policing 50 years ago, one of few women in a male-dominated field. During her 26 years in uniform, Beverly achieved the rank...
242 KC Henry: Family Ties and Personal Freedom
KC Henry’s roots are in eleven generations of Ohioans including her five siblings, four adult children and spouses, and 10 grandchildren. “Forgiveness and enjoyment of each other is what makes a family this size work.” KC creates room for consulting with...
241 Berry Dilley: Who Will Be My 24/7? A Concern that Grows with Age
Berry Dilley’s areas of interest cover movement, dance and mindfulness, teaching, creativity, as well as health, disability services, and quality of life for elders. She has degrees in dance, sociology and counseling and more recently trained in Somatic...
240 Ingrid Roze: Public Service: A Tapestry Woven Throughout Her Life
Ingrid Roze is a multi-faceted woman with many interests. Her parents came from Bulgaria and Latvia. Each found their way to Venezuela in 1948 where they met and married. It was there that Ingrid was born and remained until she was 12 when the family...
239 Connie Goddard: Writer and Independent Scholar: Intertwining Labor, Learning, and History
Connie Goddard has reimagined who she is for her entire life. One thing remains constant: her love for writing and for history. Connie lived in Chicago for most of her life; she writes about the city's history, that of the Dakotas where her family is...
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