What does it really mean to age well ? In this thought-provoking episode of Older Women and Friends , host Jane Leder sits down with renowned gerontologist Tracey Gendron, author of Aging Unmasked: Exploring Ageism and How to End It. We cover a lot of ground: • Why aging is about growth, development, and lifelong learning • How older women can embrace their age with confidence and authenticity • The surprising psychological benefits of growing older, including the “positivity effect.” • Why mean...
Apr 02, 2026•28 min•Ep. 88
In this thought-provoking and uplifting episode of “Older Women and Friends,” host Jane Leder | Aging Well Advocate for Older Women, sits down with singer, writer, and vintage fashion enthusiast Mollie Kaye for a powerful conversation about loneliness, visibility, personal expression, and the surprising ways older women can create meaningful connections in everyday life. As many women move through midlife and beyond, they often face new challenges, including social isolation, changing identities...
Mar 19, 2026•42 min•Ep. 87
"Without IMPERNANCE There Is No Expansion" - Kat Miller Welcome to Older Women and Friends , where host Jane Leder | Aging Well Advocate for Older Women, meets fascinating women who are redefining what it means to grow older with wisdom, independence, and purpose. In this powerful episode, Jane talks with psychotherapist Kat Miller, who challenges everything that we think we know about aging. While many believe aging means decline and loss, Kat offers a radical and refreshing perspective: aging ...
Mar 05, 2026•34 min•Ep. 86
Join me and guest Sara Zeph Geber, an expert on solo aging, as we discuss the growing number of adults 50+ choosing to live independently. This episode explores the opportunities and challenges of aging without immediate family support, offering insights into financial planning, healthcare, social connections, and building intentional communities. Sara and I highlight the positives of solo aging, including independence, flexibility, and emotional well-being, while providing practical advice for ...
Feb 19, 2026•34 min•Ep. 85
#aging #older women #wisdom #resilience #self-care #determination #purpose #courage If you watch the Winter Olympics, you have seen and heard about luge, a sport where athletes race down an icy track on a small sled, lying on their backs with their feet pointing forward, reaching speeds over 90 mph. At age 34, today’s guest, Anne Abernathy, set the record as the oldest female to compete in luge at the Winter Olympic Games. But that wasn’t the ending of her career. She made the US Virgin Islands’...
Feb 05, 2026•32 min•Ep. 84
I've been asked a zillion times to do an episode about me and to answer many of the same questions I ask guests. Listeners (now viewers, too) are curious about who I am, how I started a podcast, the books I've written, the experience of losing a brother to suicide, and life as an 80-year-old. It's taken me three years to get to this solo episode, not because I underestimated the value, but because of all the stellar guests I've been privileged to interview. It is so exciting to share the stories...
Jan 22, 2026•27 min•Ep. 83
When I think about moving from a home that my husband and I have shared for 32 years, I break out in a cold sweat. There's the kitchen with its overabundance of antique bowls and gadgets, my great-grandmother's china, my office with decades worth of my books, research materials, and file folders. And then there's my husband's studio with . . . Well, don't get me started. So this is where Jeannine Bryant can help save the day. She's a senior move manager who owns her own company and knows all abo...
Jan 08, 2026•36 min•Ep. 82
Kelly Jackson, 73, and Sally, 75, are sisters who have lived together without husbands or children for almost 20 years. They reconnected as live-in caregivers for their mother, and during the four years they cared for her, they turned to blogging and short videos to keep their spirits up. They used the handle, "Midlife Gal's Gone Gray," and their mission was to ensure that women in their 60s, 70s, 80s, and beyond never stop laughing. After a decade living in Honolulu, the sisters are back on the...
Dec 18, 2025•32 min•Ep. 81
In this conversation, Patricia Madson, a drama professor emeritus and author, shares her journey from a curious and adventurous child to a seasoned educator in improvisation. She discusses the importance of embracing mistakes, the transformative power of improvisation in personal and professional life, and the significance of finding purpose and gratitude in everyday experiences. Patricia also introduces Eastern philosophies that emphasize self-reflection and proactive living, encouraging listen...
Dec 04, 2025•30 min•Ep. 80
Haven't made a trip to your local cannabis dispensary? Haven't talked to your physician about a medical marijuana card? Don't have a clue how cannabis may help with all kinds of health issues, from insomnia to anxiety, from certain serious diseases to focus/concentration? Or, what the hell? Maybe for relaxation and fun. How did cannabis get a bad rep in so many circles? What role has racism played? Greed? And why the heck is alcohol seen as somehow okay when cannabis is not? My guest today is Ke...
Nov 20, 2025•32 min•Ep. 79
This episode, "Likeable Badass" with author/PhD Alison Fagale, covers so many bases that I've chosen more of a summary or an outline. As I wrote on another site, Alison is a Dynamo who knows her stuff inside and out because she's lived it, taught it, and written about it. What is it? It is a woman who studies people, the science of people. It is a toolbox that women (and men) can use to hone their communication skills and succeed at what's most important to them. What does that mean? Well, here ...
Nov 06, 2025•38 min•Ep. 78
At 60, Denise Taylor began again: downsized, got a divorce, embraced single living, and set off on a journey that included a vision quest, game ranger training, and time living with a Maasai tribe. At 64, she completed her doctorate exploring how people find meaning after full-time work. That research became the seed for ThriveSpan, one of nine books , a model, a philosophy, and a way of living more consciously in later life. "I could see the future," Denise said. "If I were going to make any ch...
Oct 23, 2025•32 min•Ep. 77
"We don't want to be younger versions of ourselves: We've worked too hard to get where we are today." "Aging is a process of living." Guest Tracey Gendron, professor, author, and activist, reminds listeners that we don't want to be younger versions of ourselves: We've worked too hard to get where we are today. However, the way we learn about aging is filled with misconceptions. We've never learned the truth; instead, we think of aging as a process of physical decline and don't look at the "growt...
Oct 13, 2025•28 min•Ep. 48
It's a new trend, well, maybe not that new. Couples in committed relationships are choosing to live apart. Interesting, eh? The couple might be married, maybe not. Perhaps they are divorced; maybe a partner/spouse has passed away. Whatever the circumstances, these couples agree that they don't have to share the same space to have a happy, healthy relationship. Vicki Larson, today's guest, has written LATitude: How You Can Make A Live Apart Together Relationship Work. "It seems as if women 50-plu...
Oct 09, 2025•29 min•Ep. 76
Maria Leonard Olsen is a civil litigation lawyer, a journalist, and an author. When she turned 50, she got divorced, got sober, and became an empty nester. For the first time in her life, she was living alone. And for the first time after 15 years as a full-time mom, she had to find a law firm that would hire her. Many women would have folded under the pressure, the loneliness, the Herculean task of putting a life back together. Not Maria. On the suggestion of a friend, Maria decided to try 50 n...
Sep 25, 2025•30 min•Ep. 75
Join me in this enlightening episode as I sit down with Gina Vild, author of The Two Most Important Days: How to Find Your Purpose and Live a Happier and Healthier Life. I don't know about you, but I've been in a constant state of fight or flight. It feels as if the United States and the rest of the world are upside down and that there is very little we can do to find joy and awe. Enter Gina Vild and the wisdom she brings to the table, essential wisdom if we are to survive and thrive. Gina share...
Sep 11, 2025•30 min•Ep. 74
Join me as I delve into the world of classical music with Roit Feldenkreis, a trailblazing conductor and consultant. Discover Roit's journey from a small village in Israel to conducting orchestras worldwide, and how she integrates her musical expertise into corporate leadership. This episode explores the challenges and triumphs of being a female conductor in a male-dominated field, and the innovative ways Roit is bridging the gap between music and business. https://roitfeldenkreis.com/bio/ https...
Aug 28, 2025•27 min•Ep. 73
Three of the past guests on "Older Women & Friends" talk about what they've been up to since we last spoke. All three of their stories represent the exciting escapades of older women who continue to smash stereotypes to simitherenes. Melissa Davey: At age 65, she left the corporate world to follow a dream of becoming a filmmaker. And, boy, her story is one of determination, creativity, and success. Melissa and I first talked back at the end of 2022. She was one of my first guests on "Older W...
Aug 14, 2025•39 min•Ep. 72
Dian Griesel, Ph.D ., a renowned perception analyst and hypnotherapist, has dedicated her career to understanding how our conscious and unconscious beliefs shape our perceptions and influence every decision we make, both personally and professionally. The middle of five siblings, Dian grew up doing her best to balance the "uppers" and the "lowers." She tried to be non-disruptive, not to cause any dissention among the ranks. She was the unofficial "peace maker" in the family. And it was her exper...
Jul 31, 2025•32 min•Ep. 71
The Woman Behind The Mother Poet, novelist, essayist, and editor Jill Bialosky had wanted to write about her mother for some time, but she was busy with other projects, and the timing was not right. But then her mother passed away from Alzheimer's during COVID, and Jill, unable to attend the burial in another city, watched the abbreviated burial on FaceTime. "It was," she said, "very difficult to process her death." As many authors do, she turned to writing to process her grief. Her essay about ...
Jul 17, 2025•28 min•Ep. 70
"I tell women all the time that embracing one's authentic self in life takes time. It is like peeling multiple layers of an onion," said Clare. "You want to be the same person, no matter where you are." Clare Beckton grew up "very poor." Her family lived in a three-room shack with no running water. What she understood early on was how power was wielded by her father, her brothers, and the men in the small farming community where she lived and how women got the short shaft. "I was a feminist at a...
Jul 03, 2025•34 min•Ep. 69
"Anorexia of aging" may affect up to 18% of individuals 65+, more women than men. Contrary to popular opinion, eating disorders (EDs) are not just a serious health condition for adolescents. Nope, older women, often during menopause, can develop an ED. If you struggled with an ED as a teen or earlier, your chances of sliding back increase. Today's guest, Michele Mason (60), is a 44-year survivor of anorexia nervosa. She was sixteen when, at 5'11" and weighing 150 pounds, she shrank to 100 pounds...
Jun 19, 2025•32 min•Ep. 68
Melinda Blau is 81, but many of her dear friends are much older. These women populate her new book, The Wisdom Whisperers, and provide younger women (at 80, I must be a spring chicken!) with a playbook to draw from and relate to our own lives. When Melinda wrote her sixteenth book, she wanted to title it, "I want what she has!" She was deeply moved and impressed by the older women, most of whom were in their 90s and 100s. I asked Melinda what characteristics the wisdom whisperers had in common: ...
Jun 05, 2025•35 min•Ep. 67
Maybe you've seen the Showtime special, "Funny Women of A Certain Age" or "More Funny Women of A Certain Age," or -- you guessed it--even "More Women of A Certain Age." Today's guest, comedian Carole Montgomery, is the mover and shaker behind the shows and continues to tour with a stellar cast. Women show up in carloads, busloads, campers, and hoot and holler at the uninhibited, outrageous comedy about aging. No subject is off limits. In this episode of "Older Women & Friends," Carole talks ...
May 22, 2025•29 min•Ep. 66
Wendy Alexander grew up under apartheid in South Africa. Until she was seven, she felt like most other kids. That changed the day the police insisted that she and her family get off a whites-only beach. "I was no longer a child," Wendy said. "Once you know racism and segregation, you know it." Wendy's dream was to leave South Africa; while the dream was deferred, she and her family immigrated to Australia when Wendy was twenty. But it wasn't easy to acclimate to the newfound freedoms. It took ov...
May 08, 2025•35 min•Ep. 65
"So the light went off in my five-year-old head, and I said there must be something in stories that we need. Stories are like air or water. So, I decided right then and there that I wanted to be a storyteller, a writer." _______ Shelley Fraser Mickle While her route was circuitous, as most journeys are, Shelley became an award-winning author and the storyteller incarnate for six years on NPR's "Morning Edition." The story she didn't tell often, though, was how, at age six, she was diagnosed with...
Apr 24, 2025•33 min•Ep. 64
“No Way Out of This: Living with a Partner with Alzheimer’s.” Sue Lick’s husband was fourteen years older, but that didn’t seem to matter. Yes, she loved the Beatles; he listened to crooners. But they sang together, played music together, and shared a love of reading, travel, and so much more. “I thought he’d live forever,” Sue said. It was her husband Fred who first mentioned that his memory was slipping. Sue shrugged it off and blamed the trauma of his mother dying and the chore of cleaning ou...
Apr 09, 2025•30 min•Ep. 63
“You inherit your genetic blueprint from your parents. But you construct the person that you become. Just because you have a birthday every year, your body need not age yearly.” _________ Dr. Gillian Lockitch, medical specialist, professor, and international speaker In her new book, Growing Older, Living Younger: The Science of Aging Gracefully and Retiring (Comfortably), Gillian cites New research that reveals that what you think, how you move, what you eat, how you interact with others, stimul...
Mar 27, 2025•33 min•Ep. 62
Judith Horn was a geriatric physical therapist with decades of experience behind her, plus years as a specialist. The specialty is relatively new, but Judith saw the need to work with older patients whose needs differ greatly from others. What is the value of seeing a geriatric physical therapist? Like any health issue, we choose to see a physician who specializes. Someone with a heart problem sees a cardiologist. Someone who has pulmonary issues sees a pulmonologist. Someone with migraines sees...
Mar 13, 2025•30 min•Ep. 61
What kinds of changes do you make after a serious health crisis? For Leonie-Ruth Acland the changes after suffering a stroke and taking a year to recover resulted in a recommitment to the mentoring and coaching of women and to her connection with nature on so many levels. Then at age 67, Leonie-Ruth was diagnosed with ADHD. Until then, she'd always wondered why she didn't fit the mold, why staying focused was so hard, and why when she was younger she suffered from anxiety, particularly as a stud...
Feb 26, 2025•32 min•Ep. 60
