Dating While Gray™

Shared mission, different game plan: Laura chats with Caitlin Pierce, creator of the reality dating show Hang Up from Radiotopia/PRX. 

Since the first modern dating website was created in the mid-’90s, millions of people have spent a lot of time, energy and dollars. So why is the jury still out on whether technology actually leads to lasting love connections?

Laura gets insights from Ryan Frederick, author of “Right Place, Right Time: The Ultimate Guide for Choosing a Home for the Second Half of Life.” 

Laura talks with Carson, whose change in relationship status sparks a cross-country move. Then, Laura hears from unlucky-in-love Albert, who wonders if it makes sense to re-establish himself somewhere other than his longtime hometown to find what he’s looking for, relationship-wise. For advice, Laura taps Bill Chopik, associate psychology professor and director of Michigan State University's C...

Laura chats with Stephanie, who’s living around the globe on a budget after divorce and retirement.

Remember the PSA that aired on TV for years, with the egg and the frying pan: This is your brain, this is drugs, this is your brain on drugs? It seems like love can be a lot like that, too, even when we’re older. Why? For answers, we turn to perhaps the premier expert on the brain and love: Helen Fisher.

Laura chats with one of Dating While Gray’s role models: Meredith Goldstein, Boston Globe advice columnist and host of the Love Letters podcast. 

Medicare is more complicated, and expensive, than many people realize. Also, it’s not too early to start thinking about this benefit. An Arm and a Leg host Dan Weissmann gets the scoop from Sarah Jane Tribble, who’s been covering the story for KFF Health News and the Washington Post.

A growing number of older couples are not sharing space 24/7. It’s called living apart together, or LAT. Anthropologist Helen Fisher reveals her LAT arrangement with husband John. Then Laura chats with Vicki Larson, author of the forthcoming “LATitude: How to Make a Live Apart Together Relationship Work.” Finally,  an LAT arrangement involving a duplex sparks a courtroom battle.

Ahead of the international get-high holiday of 4/20, Laura chats with cannabis researcher Dr. Peter Grinspoon. He also has thoughts about dating. Plus, the Golden Bachelor couple announced they’re getting divorced. Did you see it coming? Listeners – and Laura – have thoughts. 

Crystal and Dave clicked! First online, and then in real life. Are they moving too fast? Have the red flags been flying all along? Laura talks with each of them about their relationship journey.

Sydney helps mom Jennifer navigate the dating apps. Widower Herb offers daughter Jen tips for a successful long-term relationship, even as bad timing keeps him apart from his longtime love. Both stories prove that the ties that bind us need not be restrictive. They can provide just the right amount of support, at just the right time.

In the first episode of our new microcast, Speed Dating While Gray, a matchmaker makes a provocative, off-topic comment about Laura’s gray hair.

Does the number 1 rule in real estate value also apply to finding new love? Hometown dating field reports are filed by listeners including Marina, in Denmark’s capital city; and relational coach Diana Lockett, in a ruggedly scenic part of Canada.

Listener Stacy is mulling over a marriage proposal. History and tradition suggest that’s the ultimate romantic commitment expression. But at our age, does it make financial sense? For help answering that question, Laura calls on two experts: a financial planner, and a prenup attorney.

Maybe we’re doing it, maybe we’re not. Maybe we want to, maybe we don’t. We might be thinking about it … intimacy coach Anna Marti offers insights for all of us, plus Cate and other listeners share their concerns.

When it comes to finding love or making a commitment, is there ever an expiration date? Laura talks with Julie, who’s been on the dating market for almost a quarter-century. Then she checks in with Clyde and Trish, who’ve chosen the slow road despite instant chemistry.

What happens when a journalist covering the older-dating beat tries to get real about a TV show? Listeners weigh in with their opinions – about The Golden Bachelor and also, everything Laura said about it for Slate’s recap podcast.

Longtime dating coach Damona Hoffman offers practical and optimistic insights from her book, “F the Fairy Tale: Rewrite the Dating Myths and Live Your Own Love Story.” Plus, listeners share their true stories about the search for love.

With true stories and expert insights, host Laura Stassi continues her journalistic mission to uncover and share what it takes to make and keep new love connections in the later years of life.

An online encounter has Laura wondering: When it comes to older heterosexual dating, are women trying to school men? Weighing in are widower Steve, a feminist who bristles at traditional advice; and Kevin, who’s still feeling the sting of the gray divorce his wife initiated. 

When couples mix business and pleasure, can both their romantic and work partnerships survive and thrive? Laura talks with “accidental CEO” Allison, and home-building entrepreneur Karen. This episode sponsored by Edgespace. 

With five committed relationships in 20 years, the apps are panning out for listener Jean. Plus, two former Dating While Gray guests randomly connect online and make a dinner date. Laura tags along and then uncovers what happened afterward. Was it a love hit … or a miss?

After counting up the romantic encounters she’s had this year, Laura asks older singles for their numbers. Tea spillers include Vinnie and Rachel; Kevin, who discovers three times is not the charm; and Allison, who widens her Zip code parameters.

A dating site profile question leads Laura to explore cannabis use among older daters. Dosages, smoking vs. ingesting, medical and bedroom benefits … listeners weigh in with their cautionary tales, tips, and true stories.