Nikki Giovanni has a gift for making the everyday extraordinary. She is an American poet, commentator, activist and educator. She has published multiple poetry anthologies, children’s books and spoken word recordings. In the 1960’s she was dubbed “the poet of the black revolution.” She was an activist in the civil rights movement and an inspiration for the Black Arts movement. She has won 7 NAACP Image awards, the Langston Hughes Medal, and was the first recipient of the Rosa Parks Woman of Cour...
May 18, 2021•58 min
When media industry executive Sally Wolf found herself navigating life with metastatic breast cancer, she had her dance teacher, Erin Pace, as a support. Erin Pace calls herself a conscious embodiment guide. She developed “The Responsive Body Practice” to help women realign mind-body-spirt for self-healing. With Erin’s intuitive guidance, Sally found connection with, and love for her changing body. With Erin as a healing partner, Sally has been able to dance throughout her cancer journey. Since ...
May 11, 2021•1 hr 4 min
It’s not everyone who gets to be 63 and celebrate Mother’s Day with their Mom. For many of us Mother’s Day does not bring this kind of joy. Some of us may have lost our Moms and the day brings sadness. Some may have complicated relationships with our mothers. But Cecilia’s Mom, Nancy Dintino, is going strong and growing still. We interviewed Nancy while Cecilia was home for a visit. A mother of six, grandmother of 13, and babysitter or stand-in mother to countless others, Nancy says it’s all abo...
May 04, 2021•39 min
When we think about personal growth and change, it can feel daunting, even scary. Some will tell you that real change is impossible. But we know otherwise. With our experience as psychotherapists working with women of all ages in many situations, we can say with confidence that change and growth are possible. This week, we decided to pull back the curtain and talk about the work we love with our friend and colleague, Erin Olivo. Erin is an author and clinical psychologist with more than 22 years...
Apr 27, 2021•42 min
Hi all. Hannah and Cecilia of Twisting the Plot here. Like many, we have spent the last year focused on the demands of family, work, health, and safety. We’ve also spent a lot of time gathering the stories of our beloved clients and Plot Twisters. We realize that we seldom make the space to connect with ourselves. And one thing’s for sure, we haven’t made the time to check in with each other. Over 40 years of friendship and there is still more to learn about each other. So, this week we thought ...
Apr 20, 2021•40 min
This April, we have been focused on spring, the season of awakening, growing, and blooming. It is the time of year when animals awake, the sun warms, and the earth seems to come alive. But growing isn’t just for plants. We grow children, relationships, careers, and even therapists. This week we speak with Maria Hodermarska, Clinical Associate Professor at NYU. Maria has been growing drama therapists for over 25 years. Using theater, creativity, psychological theory, literature, and a wealth of e...
Apr 13, 2021•41 min
When the pandemic hit New York City, internationally acclaimed designer Rebecca Moses turned to her art for comfort, imagination, and connection. She put a post on Instagram asking women to write about their pandemic experience, letters from the heart. In return, she would paint their portrait. And the “Stay Home Sisterhood” was born. To date, over 410 women from all over the world have shared their stories and seen themselves through Rebecca’s eyes, a remarkable gift. Rebecca also volunteered t...
Apr 06, 2021•54 min
Over fifty, we often feel the desire for something more, something new. But to get there, we have to clear out the weeds and thorn bushes of old beliefs, expectations, and fears so that we can make space for new possibilities. This week we spoke with Kathy Lockhardt, founder of Flourish Farms, who did just that, both physically and metaphorically. At 59, Kathy had a dream to reclaim a long-overgrown field on the family farm and turn it into a truck garden. Her family was doubtful that it could b...
Mar 30, 2021•53 min
Is there a woman from the past who you admire? What if you spent some time studying her life? What if you became versed in her story, thoughts and beliefs? What if you embodied her? This week, in honor of Women’s History Month, we asked the women in our Plot Twisters Facebook group to share the names and stories of women they admire. We tell you about these women, a remarkable group of artists, activists, scientists, caregivers and visionaries. Then we speak with Maria Dintino, whose new book, A...
Mar 23, 2021•45 min
When we think about women's invisibility over 50, we rarely consider women’s bodies in their purest form, naked. We have been taught to look away with shame, fear, even disgust. This week, we spoke with photographer Jocelyn Lee about her new book Sovereign . Throughout her career, Jocelyn has been photographing women in the nude, documenting how the body and our sense of ourselves changes throughout our lives. Sovereign is a collection of portraits depicting women age 55 and up. These women, cap...
Mar 02, 2021•45 min
Life is filled with many twists and turns, but eventually, if you follow your heart, you find yourself exactly where you are meant to be. This week we spoke with someone who is exactly where she is meant to be; Rebecca Dudley, Children’s Book Author, Architect, and Activist. When Rebecca and her husband moved to Chicago from Seattle, they missed going to see the North West Ballet production of The Nutcracker with costumes by the late Maurice Sendak. As a gift for her husband, Rebecca decided to ...
Feb 23, 2021•40 min
The soul is not something outside of us. We carry it within and it is ours to interact with and shape and dance with. - Theresa C. Dintino in Membranes of Hope Theresa Dintino has made several plot twists throughout her adult years. A writer, she studied goddess culture and wrote books about matriarchal societies. Eventually she was drawn to study her own ancestral lineage and wrote a book about her great-grandmother who was an Italian strega. Her journey to connect with her Strega ancestry led ...
Feb 16, 2021•55 min
Valerie Albarda suggests we enjoy the midlife and skip the crisis. She has a podcast she calls Midlife-A-Go-Go, filled with interviews, stories and testaments of mid-lifers exploring their worlds, enjoying their lives and making changes that matter to us all. Valerie recently gave a TEDxCharlotte talk titled The Invisibility Trifecta: Coming Out of the Shadows . In this talk, she discusses midlife invisibility and the intersection with aging, sexism and racism. She asks us to consider how the ex...
Feb 09, 2021•44 min
How do you bloom? Are you an annual or a perennial? Do you bloom late? Are you still sprouting? Or are you waiting, held inside some bulb that is planted deep within the earth, for your time? Today we talk to Yvonne Marchese, host of Late Bloomer Living Podcast. Yvonne believes midlife can be a time to step into a new experience, learn new things and, well, bloom again. She calls herself a “serial pivoter.” She is an actress, storyteller, photographer, wife and mother. We are so happy to connect...
Feb 02, 2021•36 min
Sometimes, it’s important to seek the bigger picture in order to understand ourselves. In times like these, we need to go beyond our noses to find solace and wisdom in larger patterns. But how do we do this? One way is to start by looking at life from a decidedly different perspective. Today, we talk with Dianna Mahiques, a Western Astrologer and certified BTB Feng Shui Master. She offers us some alternative ways to know and experience ourselves in this multidimensional world. Since she was a ch...
Jan 26, 2021•43 min
Who we are and what we know about ourselves can turn on a dime. On today’s Twisting the Plot Podcast, we talk to Kathleen Shea Kirstein who shares a personal plot twist. At the age of 49, Kathleen makes a startling discovery. She learns, in accidental and unexpected fashion, that she was not actually born to her beloved parents. She was adopted. This changes everything. Now, at 63, Kathleen continues to discover more of who she really is, and was, all along. What is it like to realize the story ...
Jan 12, 2021•55 min
Cecilia loves a good New Year’s resolution or twenty. She starts her new year off with several notebooks and charts, making vows and setting plans. Hannah’s given up resolutions since most of hers have historically been linked to self-improvement with a negative underlying theme of “not good enough.” But she still expects to grow, and she does have goals. What’s the difference between a resolution and a goal? Resolution has a firmness, an all or nothing, do or don’t do, a command. A goal suggest...
Jan 05, 2021•24 min
Hannah and Cecilia discuss the year and the feelings they shared in this twisting 2020.
Dec 29, 2020•17 min
If you want to be inspired and get some clarity about what it can mean to age wisely, this is a must-listen podcast. Chip Conley, the strategic inspiration behind Airbnb, is also a best-selling author with a new and compelling message. According to Chip, the first half of our lives is all about accumulating. We accumulate identities, knowledge and experience. But in order to move fully into our next passage, we have to stop accumulating, and instead, edit. We must let go of baggage and make room...
Dec 22, 2020•47 min
In these closing comments from three group members, Robin Snow shares her metaphors and reminds us that change is an art. Jane Emmer is making paper plate awards that speak to each participant’s role in supporting the group. Laura Preiser describes the Stone Soup ritual where everyone brings their own ingredients to the pot. It’s been a year to remember, so much silliness, so many heartaches, lots of outrage and lasting creativity and growth. We are beyond grateful. Three more days for you to ap...
Dec 15, 2020•38 min
Emilie Ward and Deb Yeager joined 12 in 12 2020 with specific missions and intentions. Then, 2020 had its way with them. Emilie suffered for weeks with severe symptoms of the coronavirus. Deb, a disaster expert, left her cozy home in New Hampshire to work in Brooklyn at the height of the coronavirus crisis in New York City. Next, both women faced job loss and financial challenges. And eventually, both women became caretakers of their mothers. It’s a lot. A lot of obstacles. A lot of pain. Nevert...
Dec 08, 2020•51 min
A couple of years ago Therese Shechter posted a survey on Facebook that started with the sentence: Tell me about your experience not having children . It went viral. Women wanted their stories to be heard. On today’s podcast, we talk to Therese Shechter, award winning filmmaker and founder of the feminist production company, Trixie Films. Therese, 58 years-old, knew about her preference to live childfree since she was a young girl. It wasn’t easy to follow her heart. In fact, for years she assum...
Dec 01, 2020•48 min
Join us for another conversation with two of our 12 in 12 members. Lauri Landry and Stephanie Omens talk about finding their voice and speaking their truth. They discuss the cost of holding secrets and share the shame and confusion that secrets breed. Lauri shares tells us how her 12 in 12 project transformed over the course of the year, starting as a verbatim theatre project about resilience and turning into a performance piece giving voice to stories that included her own. Stephanie discusses ...
Nov 24, 2020•46 min
We were thrilled to sit down virtually with David Stewart, founder of AGEIST. AGEIST is a platform that offers research, advise and inspiration for an over-50 lifestyle that is cutting edge and emerging. David Stewart likes to say that AGEIST offers options. We loved this conversation with David. He's smart, fun and engaging. And yes, he’s a man. He has something to say about that too. Take a listen to this stimulating discussion and learn what David Stewart has to say about aging in today’s cul...
Nov 17, 2020•46 min
Dr. Leslie M. Faerstein and La-Verna Fountain didn’t get the memo that it’s time to go invisible. Instead, they decided that being a woman in her 60’s and 70’s means it’s time to speak up, have influence and inspire change. They call themselves thought leaders. And we would agree. Leslie works intergenerationally to help women take charge of their body image and regain embodied power. La-Verna listens deeply to our social woes and provides a much-needed bridge between what we each know and what ...
Nov 10, 2020•46 min
We are, like you, struggling with anticipation, fear and uncertainty today. We are also psychotherapists and have some tips to help us all get through. Take a listen to today’s podcast. We hope it helps. And then join our Facebook group, Plot Twisters, and share with us how you will survive this twister day.
Nov 03, 2020•23 min
A couple of years ago we attended a Next Tribe Event in NYC. The title for the evening was “Screw Invisibility,” and it was a gathering for women over 40. When we entered the loft space we were blown away. The room was packed. Filled. Brimming with women in their 40’s, 50’s 60’s and 70’s. The energy was electric. The messages from the speakers were inspiring and motivating. It was then that we realized Jeannie Ralston was on to something. Jeannie co-founded Next Tribe as a digital magazine. As a...
Oct 27, 2020•41 min
Marianne Franzese and Maria Dintino, members of Twisting the Plot’s 12 in 12 2020, believe in the magic of transformation. They also know that change is hard work. Despite plot twists that have come their way, both Marianne and Maria are committed to the evolution of their future selves. Now they are ready to guide the rest of us along our way. Maria will be teaching us how to reawaken our creativity. Marianne will invite us to speak from the heart. They have each elevated our 12 in 12 group all...
Oct 20, 2020•41 min
We invited Noreen Sumpter to join our Facebook group, Plot Twisters , a gathering for women over 50 to share, discuss and diversify the trajectory for all of us. Before she joined, Noreen reached out with a question about plot twisters. Are there black, brown and women of color represented in this group? Reflexively, our response was, “of course.” But then, we stepped back and got curious. How many of our members in Twisting the Plot are women of color? Have we done enough to ensure that all wom...
Oct 13, 2020•42 min
Sydney Price and Laura Dintino joined our 12 in 12 program in January 2020 with one major thing in common: they were both still in the middle of big time plot twists. Each of them was navigating a messy divorce. Both were trying to find ways to work and support themselves and their children on their own. Laura needed to sell her house and move. Sydney was closing down her business and trying to figure out her next career pursuit. Mostly, they were both struggling with the big identity question: ...
Oct 06, 2020•33 min
