Restart at Any Age!

Robin Leah on Restart at Any Age You first met Robin Leah on my former podcast Go Ahead and Tell Me, as the former professional dancer who turned her life’s work into The Manifestor Effect. She’s back with the follow-up you’ve been waiting for: The Daily Makeover. In this episode she shares the real, practical advice that makes manifestation stick—daily care rituals, journaling, and simple practic...

At last. Sally Bookman is live on Restart at Any Age, and she was ready long before I was. A well known realtor and artist, with more stories than you would have ever known! The edit would not behave. Every clever fix made it worse. Then life took the wrong turn I already wrote about in The 831. So here it is, late, finished, and worth the wait. Kick back. Pour something. Press play. Let Sally do...

What happens when a lifelong library manager walks away from everything she knows… and into prison? After 33 years in academic libraries, Juju of the TuTu Tribe retired, changed her name, and began a completely different life. She started walking into jails and prisons — first as a volunteer, then as a steady presence in Empathy in Action at CTF Soledad. Along the way she walked the Camino de Sant...

Gitta was born Brigitta Spindel in Vienna in 1932. She was six when the Anschluss shattered her world, and nearly seven when she was put on a train with her sister and sent into the care of the OSE, the French Jewish organization that hid and rescued two thousand Jewish children. She spent six years in children’s homes, a convent, and farming families, losing her father, her grandparents, and much...

Chelsea George fell in love with Santa Cruz in 1980 and still calls it home. Forty years after hopping freights to the National Hobo Convention, she’s heading back to Britt, Iowa — this time by Amtrak — hoping at last to be crowned Hobo Queen. She’s also a former pro racquetball player, longtime UCSC instructor, photographer and filmmaker, traveler of 112 countries, and the mother who was present...

Years ago, Hilary Gates stood frozen as a young athlete collapsed from sudden cardiac arrest right in front of her. She didn’t know what to do. That moment changed everything. Today, Hilary is a paramedic, educator, and co-founder of Six Minutes to Live — a movement dedicated to ensuring no one else feels that same helplessness. Through community CPR training, AED access, and a powerful “Care. Mea...

 I’m excited to welcome Damaris Devito — a woman whose creative journey has taken many inspiring turns. Born in New York, she attended the renowned Fame School (Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts), earned a master’s in speech-language pathology, and built a life that includes Bay Area theater, speech therapy, and now a joyful return to singing. After a sudden...

This is the inspiring second half of my conversation with Jeanette Bent. Right after losing her position at KION News Channel (where she earned an Emmy nomination for her powerful coverage of the Moss Landing Fire), she turned that shock into action — creating The 831 Substack within a week. If you haven’t heard Part 1 yet, please listen to it first. It sets the perfect foundation for where this e...

Really enjoyed this conversation with Michelle. Her knowledge of the Monterey Bay coast and its wildlife — particularly the elephant seals at Año Nuevo — is impressive. We talk conservation successes, current challenges, and how getting outside can lead to wonderful new paths (including possible art safaris in South Africa or Kenya!). Great listen for anyone who loves the coast or is thinking abou...

Join me for a fascinating conversation with Santa Cruz powerhouse Jeanette Bent — performer, journalist, publisher, choreographer, and creative visionary with over 30 years of blending worlds most people keep separate. From anchoring news at KION and leading editorial teams at Good Times Santa Cruz to choreographing aerial arts and immersive performances on cruise ships, theme parks, and stages ac...

In this powerful new episode of Restart at Any Age, I sat down with celebrated photographer and activist Michelle Magdalena Maddox. From being duped by the Brooks Institute’s misleading promises that left her with heavy student debt, to the heartbreaking loss of her father to cancer that sparked a profound pivot into activism for planetary healing, inclusive beauty, and community change — Michelle...

Jill Schontag grew up in Oakland. In high school she was told she wasn’t smart enough. She believed it and chose a different path — a degree in Outdoor Recreation that she truly enjoyed. But the inner flame never died. She eventually became the Career Counselor she was always meant to be. In this episode we explore the psychology of restarts: overcoming fear, imposter syndrome, and discouraging ad...

“If I can jump out of a plane, I can do anything.” From skydiving legend to airline pilot to author — this week’s guest proves it’s never too late to rewrite your story. Tune in for raw resilience, grief, joy, and why she still believes life is Pure F’ing Magic #Surviving#Sky Diving # Never too old # Monterey Bay# Flying#Women pilots#Another Empty Kitchen# Author

She gave up a thriving business to save whales — and never looked back. At 41, Peggy Stap had one life-changing encounter with a humpback and let that passion take over everything. Today she runs Marine Life Studies and leads the Whale Entanglement Team, rescuing whales off California. Her story of total life pivot and unwavering dedication is here to listen to! #LifePivot #SecondAct #WhaleRescue...

What if your life could explode with adventure at any age? Meet Alesa Lightbourne — the real-life Badass Grandma! In 1976 she escaped Jamaica with many of the middle class as civil war loomed, sailing the Caribbean as a political refugee with a newborn baby. She lived with Bedouins in Saudi Arabia, moved to Kurdish Iraq at 58 on a dare from her son, reconnected with a college flame on Facebook 40...

From neuroscience student and college soccer player to founder of Temptations Bazaar and curator of the beautiful redwood sanctuary Chez Serendip, Will’s journey of courage, pivots, and deep community healing is exactly what so many of us need right now. In this episode he shares:How COVID cracked him open and led himto choose community over a traditional sales path The magic of saying “yes” to la...

Today we’re taking a different tack , apart from the wonderful programs coming up with the Shakespeare company, we are also exploring the unexpected, behind-the-scenes side of outdoor theatre — all the creative and surprising ways non-actors can help bring Shakespeare to life under the Cedars.

My longest podcast yet — and it was worth every minute! We recorded at the beautiful Chez Serendip in Scotts Valley, our new sponsor and a stunning estate that supports artists and community. I sat down with founder Alisa Sieber-Johnson — former Marine C-130 pilot and Sexual Assault Response Coordinator — who had her life mapped out for the airlines until the pandemic changed everything.  This is...

Have you ever gone through a big life change… and quietly wondered: “Where do I belong now?” A move. A retirement. A loss. And suddenly, everything feels different. In this episode, two women share what happened when they found themselves in that exact place—after moving to the mountains of Bonny Doon. What they found next changed everything. Not just a group…  Not just social gatherings…  But rea...

What does it take to save a species? 🐆 In this powerful episode, I speak with Dr. Laurie Marker, founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, about her groundbreaking work protecting cheetahs—through innovation, community, and an unexpected hero: livestock guarding dogs. It’s a story of courage, reinvention, and what’s possible when passion meets purpose.  Listen now to “Restart at Any Age” #Cheetah...

When I first interviewed today’s guest, we explored her many lives — barrel racing, triathlons, international nursing with the Indian Health Service, professional theatre in Kenya, coaching basketball in Pakistan, writing about Third Culture Kids in Boston, and even winning national basketball titles at the Senior Games. But this time, she’s back for something entirely different. Now, she’s steppe...

Today we’re joined by Marcia Sivek, a passionate advocate for cheetah conservation with the Cheetah Conservation Fund. Pivoting from her experience at the time. the journey began in 2017 when she met Dr. Laurie Marker at the Wildlife Conservation Network Expo — a meeting that led her all the way to Namibia as a working guest at CCF’s conservation center. Retired — or thinking about what’s next? In...

Go Ahead and Tell Me! Join us for an inspiring conversation with Tenzin Chogkyi — meditation teacher, compassion trainer, and longtime community educator — as we explore how it’s never too late to live with purpose, get involved, and make a meaningful difference. Drawing from decades of Buddhist practice, modern psychology, and hands-on service work — from international teaching to prison programs...

On Go Ahead and Tell Me, host Susan Douglas explores how later chapters of life can become a time of reinvention, creativity, and purpose. This week, she talks with Dr. Deborah Bronstein and Lesley Harris of the Santa Cruz Symphony about leadership, inspiration, and the Symphony’s exciting upcoming season — including Amadeus with Charles Pasternak — and their decades-long commitment to music educa...

What happens when two artists are shaped by Africa—and connected by a coastal town in California? On this episode of Go Ahead and Tell ME!, host Susan Douglas brings together Mary Collis, a Kenyan abstract painter and child of Africa, and Michelle McClune, a Santa Cruz local whose journey from veterinary science to wildlife art was deeply shaped by Kenya. They talk about art as expression and advo...