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-eyed and hopeful. There is, she says, life after loss — and even...
Jun 25, 2025•34 min•Season 2Ep. 13
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 are, but how you are old. Support the show...
Jun 11, 2025•25 min•Season 2Ep. 1
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 relationship experts: Vicki Larson and Melinda Blau, award-winning jour...
May 28, 2025•29 min
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 dotted with clips of Betty sharing her strategies for living exu...
May 14, 2025•31 min
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 wishes they had. Website: susanricecomedy.com Support the show...
Apr 23, 2025•29 min
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 six-part audio memoir ensued. In this episode, she talks with host ...
Apr 09, 2025•30 min•Season 4Ep. 7
In this episode, Jean Anne Feldeisen talks with Connie Zuckerman, Managing Editor of the weekly newsletter agebuzz . In her late fifties, Connie started a small online newsletter for her circle of friends and family. Eight years later, agebuzz has grown to 50,000 subscribers. Before agebuzz, Connie spent years as a lawyer, bioethics consultant, and writer. Her career includes studying and making decisions about issues related to aging in settings like nursing homes, care facilities, and hospital...
Mar 26, 2025•26 min
An interview with leading Orthopedic Surgeon and Sports Medicine Expert, Alan Beyer, M.D. As we age, our risk of falls rises, leading to the specter of serious and debilitating injury. But we can minimize those risks with some knowledge and common-sense precautions. Join host Jan M. Flynn in conversation with Dr. Alan Beyer, the Executive Medical Director of Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Newport Beach CA and host of radio show "Doctors in the Dugout" as he talks about falls and falls prevention i...
Mar 12, 2025•25 min
"Skilled nursing facility." "Post-acute care facility." "Rehabilitation hospital." Whatever they're called, they all mean the same thing: what most of us think of as a nursing home. The time may come when you or someone you love needs that level of care — and that need can be sudden, like after a fall or accident. When that happens, you can end up in a whole new world that operates by different rules — rules that may not be explained to you. That's why you'll want to listen as host Jan M Flynn c...
Feb 26, 2025•41 min
Whether you’ve been with your significant other for one year or 50, you know that successful relationships aren’t always a bed of roses—both people have to work at it! How do we keep love alive and thriving, especially as we age, when our bodies, our work, our family situations, and our personal needs are changing? In this special Valentine’s episode, you’ll hear from a veritable Whitman’s Sampler of Crow’s Feet writers, listeners, and relationship experts—all sharing advice about how not to los...
Feb 12, 2025•28 min
Beauty fads come and go. Today, you can choose from Derma-planing, CO2 laser resurfacing, Mesotherapy injections, Exosomes and.....BOVINE COLOSTRUM? Do any of these work or are we just f-ing up our faces? Meet Valerie Monroe, former Beauty Director of “O”, “The Oprah Magazine” and author of the popular “ Don’t F*ck Up Your Face” on Substack . In this episode, Monroe talks about what works, what doesn’t, and what it really means to age “beautifully,” including the most important, and affordable, ...
Jan 22, 2025•29 min
That’s what psychologist and “dating anthropologist” Patricia Thornton, Ph.D., considered when she re-entered the dating scene after a divorce. In this episode, hosted by Nancy Franklin, we learn about Thornton’s experiences dating more than 150 men and whether or not she eventually hired a male escort. Thornton offers great advice for elders reentering the dating scene, including dating outside the lines, and even embracing unconventional relationships. NPR video on how to record and send your ...
Jan 08, 2025•31 min
In this episode, Dr. Dale Atkins talks with Jan M Flynn about something many of us would love to see more of in our communities, nation, and world: Kindness. More specifically, what authentic kindness means, and how it can show up in deeper and richer ways as we age — and how that can contribute to a kinder world for us all. Based in New York City, Dale Atkins is a licensed psychologist with more than 40 years experience as a relationship expert focusing on families, wellness, managing stress, a...
Dec 25, 2024•34 min
It’s a gift to let your family and other loved ones know what to do when you’re gone and what you want done with everything from pets to possessions. But where to start – and how to make that happen? One answer: Rusty Rosman’s “Two Envelopes” – a way to preserve “your voice” and let others know your wishes. In this anecdote-packed episodes, Rusty Rosman tells all-too-familiar stories about how we tend to avoid the difficult topic of dying and the chaos that comes of not-planning. After all, we a...
Dec 11, 2024•25 min•Season 3Ep. 25
In these weeks before the holidays, Mother Nature, the daily news, sometimes our own families, can seem to conspire to drive us all batty. In this podcast, we serve up a feast of useful suggestions for keeping it together in these turbulent times. Join host Jean Feldeisen and a Bakers Dozen Crows Feet Readers and Writers as they share their secrets for resilience and taking care of themselves. Show Notes & Links: Melinda Blau talked with Ellen Langer, Psychologist and Harvard Professor in th...
Nov 27, 2024•26 min•Season 3Ep. 24
How do we remember our past? What stories do we tell ourselves that become ingrained as memories even though the stories might not be real? Author, memoirist, and septuagenarian Jonathan Lerner sits down with Jane Trombley to reveal discoveries about his teen years outside Washington DC as he researched for his latest memoir, Performance Anxiety . Some of the stories he recalled didn’t quite line up with reality, a discovery that caught him by surprise. Jonathan also talks about his earlier memo...
Nov 13, 2024•26 min•Season 3Ep. 23
Pull up a seat! It’s time to get in the Halloween spirit with some campfire stories. In this special episode, Crow’s Feet writers and editors share some dark tales and memories of lore and legend just right for the season. Ever had an eerie experience you couldn’t explain? We’ve got a strange feeling you’re going to love “Cowbells and Ouija Boards” by Jan M. Flynn and “The Guardians of Dark Places” by C.M. Barrett (read by Jane Trombley). If ghost tales are more your thing, feel the goosebumps a...
Oct 23, 2024•30 min•Season 3Ep. 22
Neil Offen doesn't necessarily believe that aging "sucks." He just believes there are things you can do to make it less "sucky." Like spending more time on the floor so if you fall, you're falling from less high up. Or exercising by lifting two glasses of wine, one in each hand, for several repetitions. Or challenging yourself by taking up a new hobby, like neurosurgery. After all, a man's reach must exceed his grasp or what's a step stool for? Join Neil and host, Nancy Franklin, for other helpf...
Oct 09, 2024•30 min•Season 3Ep. 21
What if we're not stuck living with weakening bones and painful knees or hips as we age? Join host Jan M. Flynn in conversation with Dr. Alan Beyer, the Executive Medical Director of Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Newport Beach CA and host of radio show "Doctors in the Dugout" as he talks about heading off osteoporosis, what to do if joint pain starts limiting your life, and his journey through his own hip replacement. Show links: Dr. Alan Beyer “On the Other Side of the Scalpel” video blog Or wat...
Sep 25, 2024•29 min•Season 3Ep. 20
Fear of anger can ultimately be as destructive as expressed rage. However, Amanda Barusch argues that it's time for older adults to turn toward anger rather than denying or avoiding it. By taking it seriously, people can neutralize its destructive potential and harness its energy for personal and social change. Join host Lee Bentch with Amanda Barusch for this entertaining and informative dive into harnessing the energy of anger for the better good. Amanda has done an extraordinary amount of res...
Sep 11, 2024•26 min•Season 3Ep. 19
The Generation X folks are no longer kids. They were born between 1965 and 2000, are now 44-59, and the oldest will soon enter their sixties. They have stepped into leadership roles across sectors, bringing their life experiences and perspectives to shape the future. Sari Botton is on the leading edge of that age cohort; she'll turn 60 next year. Besides publishing the engaging Oldster Magazine on Substack, she’s an established essayist, editor of best-selling anthologies, and educator. In this ...
Aug 28, 2024•23 min•Season 3Ep. 18
Elaine LaLanne, widow of "Father of Fitness," Jack LaLanne, leads an audience of hundreds in breaking a Guinness World Record at the age of 98. After catching her breath, Elaine shares her new thoughts on aging. Support the show
Aug 21, 2024•6 min•Season 3Ep. 17
With a new book about the women who inspire her to live a full life, NY Times best-selling author Melinda Blau talks with host Nancy Peckenham about unique women who come to life on the pages of The Wisdom Whisperers . She also introduces us to two of these women by reading passages from her newly-released book. Author Kathleen Murphy, an essay writer from Utah, then reads her story about how she overcame fear of aging by making a list of her fears, then poking holes in each of them. The episode...
Aug 14, 2024•30 min•Season 3Ep. 16
Low mood is a common symptom for older adults, often a response to pain, loss, or changes in their lives. But Dr. Lee Penn, a Geropsychologist, college prof, and author, brings a hopeful message. That because of decades of experience, refined self-knowledge, and carefully honed problem solving skills, older adults can learn to manage their moods and greatly improve their quality of life. In this episode, host Jean Feldeisen, also a psychotherapist, talks with Dr. Penn about his work with older p...
Jul 24, 2024•28 min•Season 3Ep. 15
Here's a companion piece to our latest episode featuring a kidney donor in her fifties and a two-time kidney recipient. Crow's Feet writer Ann Litts had a long career as a nurse taking care of transplant patients, and saw her own daughter through a transplant. Nobody knows better the marvel of giving and getting the gift of life. Support the show
Jul 19, 2024•7 min•Season 3Ep. 14
Kidney disease is a silent killer that affects more people than breast and prostate cancer. While fatal for many, others turn to kidney dialysis, offering a means to sustain life but with a few risks. Beyond dialysis, the best hope is a kidney transplant, which restores life without the burden of dialysis. In this episode, host Lee Bentch sits down with Carol Offen, a kidney donor in her fifties, and Betsy Crais, a multi-organ transplant recipient. Their book, The Insider’s Guide to Living Kidne...
Jul 10, 2024•27 min•Season 3Ep. 13
A fitting quest for Pride Month, Esther Newton's personal and professional struggles mirror sixty years of LGBTQ+ history. In the mid-1950s, catapulted out of a liberal household in New York to a rigidly-gendered southern California high school where girls were frilly and feminine, Esther was, in her own words, “a failure as a girl.” She knew she was different—a “homosexual,” as such deviants were then called. Alone as a teenager, fearing she had no chance at a normal life, Esther found comfort ...
Jun 26, 2024•28 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Forget the necktie and the tool box. Our gift to you this Father’s Day is a book… The Book of Dads , to be exact. Here you’ll find a collection of stories from Crow’s Feet writers that pays tribute to the men who played vitally important roles in their lives. In the “chapters” of this book, there’s a wealth of vivid memories. Some of these are happy. Some are sad. Others serve to remind us that while a parent might have loomed larger than life in one’s childhood, they might also have exhibited s...
Jun 12, 2024•31 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Memorial Day is a solemn day of remembrance dedicated to honoring and mourning the military personnel who have died in the service of our country. It is a time for all of us to reflect on the sacrifices made by these brave individuals and to show gratitude for their unwavering commitment to protecting our freedoms. Join Lee Bentch as he speaks with Barbara Kautz, a Vietnam War veteran who served with the 24th Evacuation Hospital at the Long Binh Army Post in 1969. Barbara’s thoughts, concerns, a...
May 22, 2024•19 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Each of us has a unique narrative about our mothers. They can be positive, negative, and everything in between. In this episode, we delve into a diverse collection of these stories. From tale of profound love to stories of absence, we explore the complex tapestry of relationships with mothers. Jean Feldeisen will speak about the deepening love between her and her mom, while Ann Litts tells us about the mother who was taken too soon. Soosie Campbell shares why she wanted to be very different from...
May 08, 2024•26 min•Season 3Ep. 9
