What is delight, really? Not just happiness, not quite joy, but something sparkier and more surprising. In this episode, I talk with writer and yoga therapist Alex Lovell, whose essay “Delight: A Radical Invitation” caught me at just the right time. We explore what makes delight feel different from other emotions, how we can (maybe?) invite more of it into our lives, and why it matters, especially when the world feels heavy. This is a conversation about delight, yes — but also about presence, bu...
May 22, 2025•42 min
Matthew Long, retired Navy officer and writer at Beyond the Bookshelf , joins me in this conversation about planning for a major life change. Too often, we drift into the next thing simply because it’s familiar. In this conversation, Matthew explains how he avoided this drift and planned his post-retirement life after a long career in the Navy. ABOUT MY GUEST: Matthew Long spent 24 years on active duty in the Navy before retiring in 2024. His civilian life is all about being a reader, a writer, ...
Feb 20, 2025•35 min
I am joined by Yvonne Marchese, whose boundless energy and fearless approach to trying new things always inspire me. In this lively conversation, Yvonne shares her secrets to staying energized, curious, and playful in midlife (and beyond). ABOUT MY GUEST: Yvonne Marchese is a former actress turned photographer, podcaster, author, age-agitator, and person who encourages us all to live and age playfully. On Instagram, you will often find her posting clips of her rollerskating or doing fun, playful...
Jan 23, 2025•38 min
I’m back! The podcast has been on hiatus since August, which has given me the time to plan the way forward. In this episode, I talk about rocks versus pebbles (you know that story, right?) and how that analogy has helped me define the future of this podcast. I also discuss how the podcast complements We’re All Getting Older (the main publication) and what you can expect from January onward. • • • • • Subscribe to We're All Getting Older , a newsletter about how to live now so we can die happy la...
Dec 22, 2024•11 min
Some things are changing around here, and I wanted to share the thought process, where I'm coming from and what's next for the podcast. Please be sure to subscribe to We're All Getting Older, to hear about future releases. We're All Getting Older is a weekly publication that explores living a fulfilling and meaningful second half of our lives. FOOTNOTES Slowing Down Time ------------ Connect with Lou Blaser on LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/loublaser/ Subscribe to We're All Getting Older...
Aug 15, 2024•8 min
This episode is brought to you by We're All Getting Older , a publication and a community for midlifers who want to get better as they get older. I am joined by writing coach and bestselling author Jen Louden. In this episode, we chat about the aspirations many midlife individuals have to write a book. Jen emphasizes the importance of recognizing the desire to write, distinguishing it from the desire to master the craft. We discuss the benefits and challenges of writing groups, finding the right...
Aug 01, 2024•48 min
This episode is brought to you by We're All Getting Older , a publication and community for midlifers who want to get better as they get older. Grief is a universal experience, yet it is deeply personal and unique to each individual. In this episode, I continue the conversation about grief and explore the relationship and connection between grieving and liminal spaces, how our behavior about liminality applies to grieving, and the "tasks to be done" during this particular — often painful — limin...
Jul 11, 2024•13 min
This episode is brought to you by We're All Getting Older , a publication and a community for midlifers who want to get better as they get older. I am joined by Charlene Lam, grief coach, speaker, and founder of the Grief Gallery. This is a wide-ranging conversation about "processing" our grief after the death of a loved one. We talked about the common feelings that show up during the grieving process, like guilt and regret. We discussed the topic of "moving on," what that even means, and how to...
Jun 20, 2024•53 min
This episode is brought to you by We're All Getting Older , a publication and a community for midlifers who want to get better as they get older. As a follow-up to the previous episode with Yvonne Marchese (Ep 228: Can we slow down time?), I'm sharing further thoughts about time — why it feels like it's moving too fast, where this sense of time urgency comes from, and the three areas that I'm going to address in an attempt to "slow down time". FOOTNOTES Ep 228: Can we slow down time? A conversat...
Jun 06, 2024•13 min
This episode is brought to you by We're All Getting Older , a publication and a community for midlifers who want to get better as they get older. Do you feel like time's rushing by so fast? Do you wish you could slow it down, just a bit, so you can enjoy the days or even just catch your breath? In this episode, my good friend and author of In Full Bloom, Yvonne Marchese, joins me to explore how we can slow down time — if that's even possible, given our busy lives. Both Yvonne and I have done a g...
May 23, 2024•51 min
This episode is brought to you by We're All Getting Older , a publication and a community for midlifers who want to get better as they get older. In this episode, we discuss the concept of midlife portals and the importance of liminal spaces during life transitions. Inspired by Jen Berlingo's book "Midlife Emergence," I explore the metaphor of doorways marking the passage into new life phases, particularly focusing on significant transitional periods. I share reflections from my personal journey...
May 09, 2024•16 min
I'm joined by Jen Berlingo, author of Midlife Emergence, to discuss the transformative journey of midlife. We explore the concept of emergence as a positive reframe of the midlife crisis, emphasizing the opportunity to unveil one's authentic self. Jen discusses the second individuation process, the challenges of embracing change while managing life's responsibilities, and the importance of authenticity. Our conversation reveals the complexities of midlife changes, the struggle with societal expe...
Apr 25, 2024•54 min
"A lot of people get old because they think they're supposed to." Former award-winning television journalist and Emmy-Award-winning producer/writer/director Paul Long shares his midlife career transitions and his "new way forward" — one that is ideal for him, that takes advantage of the new realities of longevity and the new phase of life he calls "olderhood." In this episode, Paul and I have a wide-ranging conversation about what it means to get older today, what "olderhood" means (and why he c...
Mar 28, 2024•53 min
How do you prepare to leave a job or career that you love? Merle Saferstein is an educator, speaker, author, and a pioneer in legacy journaling. After twenty-six years as a Holocaust educator, where she worked with hundreds of Holocaust survivors, helping them to leave their legacy, she retired and created Living and Leaving Your Legacy®. In this episode, we talk about her previous role at the Holocaust Center, how she prepared to retire from a job that meant so much to her, and the questions sh...
Mar 14, 2024•34 min
Vivek Chakrabortty, CEO and Founder of The Kavi Group, a crisis management and business continuity consulting firm, "worked on himself" for years, combining influences from Catholicism, Stoicism, Vedanta, Buddhism, and mindfulness, to come up with his own 3-step philosophy for managing and mastering himself. In this episode, he walks us through each step, and we explore various practical applications in our day-to-day lives. This is a mini-masterclass on managing ourselves. Sit back and grab a n...
Feb 29, 2024•1 hr 2 min
A quick episode to share some big news in my world and riff on the topic of change — whether or not we actually hate change. (Spoiler alert: I don't think we do, actually.) FOOTNOTES We're All Getting Older (and why I'm changing names) Hop on the WAGO wagon ------------ Connect with Lou Blaser on LinkedIn Subscribe to We're All Getting Older , a weekly newsletter about growth in the second half of our lives. Work with Lou Blaser Support the Show . Thank you! Get full access to We're All Getting ...
Feb 15, 2024•9 min
Do we stop being ambitious as we get older? What happens to the drive we've always had once we retire? In this episode of Second Breaks, I explore ambition with Kathy Oneto, the founder of Sustainable Ambition and host of The Sustainable Ambition podcast. Kathy shares the results of her research and insights from numerous interviews on this topic. We explore the concept of maintaining ambition over time without self-sacrifice, the negative connotations of ambition, societal pressures, and the tr...
Feb 01, 2024•46 min
In this podcast episode, I am joined by Dr. Kathy Zhang, a physician specializing in hospice and palliative care. I follow Kathy on LinkedIn, where she regularly posts wisdom that she's gained from speaking with thousands of people in the last moments of their lives. One specific post caught my attention , and I thought the points she shared were brilliant reminders for us about what truly matters. The episode delves into the impact of fear on life choices, the illusion of abundant time, and the...
Jan 18, 2024•48 min
Happy New Year, my dear listener friend! I'm more excited than ever to tackle my life and work goals this year. 2023 ended up being about clarifying direction and intentions — although I didn’t know that back in January 2023! As I welcome 2024, I can feel the difference. I have a better understanding of where I want to move toward and a clearer path forward. In this episode, I share my goals and plans for 2024. These are grouped in the following buckets: Health and Well-Being Work, Impact, and R...
Jan 04, 2024•14 min
For the last three years, I've been capturing key takeaways from the year that's about to end. I only regret not starting this practice earlier; it's a powerful way to gain wisdom from our experiences. So, as we wrap up 2023, I'm excited to share with you some personal insights and lessons I've gathered this year. I would love to hear about your key takeaways from 2023. You can leave a comment here. IN THIS EPISODE Importance of reflecting on experiences to gain wisdom Four takeaways from the pa...
Dec 21, 2023•15 min
One of the things I’ve been reflecting on more and more is my personal growth in midlife and this stage in my life. In the book that I’m writing, there’s an entire chapter on what it means to continue to grow as we get older. So, of course, I wanted to have a chat about this topic with my good friend and frequent collaborator, Yvonne Marchese, who has grown in leaps and bounds since I met her roughly 4 years ago. We sat down and chatted about growth — what growth in midlife means for us, how we ...
Dec 07, 2023•48 min
I'm excited to introduce a new format for this episode, "Dear Lou", where I'll be sharing questions from listeners or readers of Midlife Cues, as well as my responses. Our first 'Dear Lou' episode takes us into a story about the complexities of transitioning from a demanding career to retirement. I recently received an email from a listener about her sister, who recently retired and has started to become deeply involved in her grown children's lives, causing some family tension. In this episode,...
Nov 16, 2023•10 min
"An unexamined life is not worth living." The famous quote has been attributed to Socrates, the person that many believe valued the pursuit of wisdom more than anyone else in history. With this quote, Socrates implied that examining and understanding our lives is of utmost importance — essentially, for us to have the wisdom about ourselves and the life we choose to lead. Otherwise, we’re merely existing, acting in ways the reasons for which are unknown to us. And yet, to examine our lives is to ...
Nov 02, 2023•44 min
"My entire profession changed drastically from one day to the other. And I started feeling like I didn't know where I fit anymore. I didn't know what I'm good at anymore." Roberto Seif is a former innovation strategist who experienced forced retirement from his corporate career. Roberto's story is not uncommon in today's world, where companies frequently reorganize, cut positions, or even go under, often leaving employees without warning. This reality is particularly challenging as we get older,...
Oct 12, 2023•23 min
In my younger years, I used to measure success based on external and quantifiable metrics. Job promotions, titles, salary, and material possessions were the yardsticks I used to gauge my achievements. However, as I've grown older and retired from my corporate career, my perspective on success has shifted. In this episode, I discuss the six common examples of how our definition of success changes in retirement and as we get older. As you listen, I encourage you to reflect on how and in what ways ...
Sep 21, 2023•11 min
If you ever thought that if you were set financially and money was no issue, you would retire immediately and just enjoy life, you might want to listen to this episode. I had the pleasure of chatting with Luke Mathers, a two-time retiree and successful entrepreneur. Luke shares his experience of retiring at a young age, after selling his lucrative practice, and initially enjoying the freedom it afforded him. Despite being able to do whatever he wanted, Luke soon realized he was missing something...
Sep 07, 2023•17 min
In this episode, we discuss the key themes and characteristics of modern retirement, as well as the changing attitudes towards work and purpose in midlife. We explore the desire to continue working after retirement, the need for additional income due to longevity, and the shift toward making a difference and leaving a legacy. Friends of the pod and readers of Midlife Cues contributed to this conversation. They highlighted, among others, the importance of finding fulfilling work in retirement and...
Aug 24, 2023•19 min
This week, we're wrapping up the special series on Modern Retirement. In previous episodes, we've talked about why reframing retirement is a necessary must-do. I've shared my messy retirement journey. And we've discussed the 7 skills we need to navigate retirement in the 21st century. Today, I want to walk you through a framework that I've been working on. The Modern Retirement framework is not a rigid methodology but a loose guide that provides direction on what to consider and do while allowin...
Aug 10, 2023•14 min
EPISODE SUMMARY This is the third episode in our series on Modern Retirement in the 21st century. The traditional idea of retirement as a life of rest and leisure is no longer appealing to many people, and slogans like "Never Retire" have gained popularity. In previous episodes, we've discussed why we need to reframe retirement and actively reshape its definition and expectations to make it work for us. In this episode, I introduce the seven essential skills for navigating retirement successfull...
Jul 27, 2023•26 min
EPISODE SUMMARY It's difficult to talk about the mess when you're in the middle of the mess. This is the "true" story behind my retirement story - i.e., what happened when (and why) I left my corporate career. It's recorded with the benefit of hindsight, of course, and only with some distance that enabled some reflection and connecting of dots. My personal experience is the reason why I'm so driven to talk about retirement and why I urge corporate folks to think holistic, and not focus only on f...
Jul 13, 2023•15 min
