Your Creative Midlife

There are many reasons to write a memoir.  You may find it cathartic to “get it all out there” or maybe you have a life story that you think readers will find entertaining.  Either way, says memoirist and writing workshop leader Sarah Saffian, there is a difference between therapeutic writing for its own sake and writing for publication. Working through these distinctions in a workshop setting wit...

In this episode, I reflect on my trip to The Art Students League and how it influenced my friend and podcast guest John Kneapler’s journey as an artist.  The Art Students League has been making art education and studio space accessible in New York City. This kind of community is important for making art and also for improving our health. In her book Art Cure, Daisy Fancourt says social prescribing...

I’ve explored collage a lot this past year. In fact, my collage roommate has become an exceptional collage artist after retiring from her career in corporate communications. Her creative pivot has been a huge inspiration. This episode is a compilation of my interview with Lela and my own journey into the world of collage.  Links: Watch the full interview with Lela: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...

I met Dr. Daisy Fancourt in May, when she was a featured speaker at a longevity conference. If you’ve heard of her, it’s because her latest book Art Cure, has taken over the art world on social media.  In this special solo episode, I share my thoughts on this revelatory book, the questions it asks, and what I think needs to happen next.  Resources: Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Save Lives:...

You can have a whole new identity if you want. You can pick up something new or pursue that creative impulse that has been in the back of your mind.  This week on Your Creative Midlife, I am in the hot seat! I sat down with my friend and fellow podcaster, Flora White, who is the CEO of Evolution Content.  We talk about the inspiration behind Your Creative Midlife, what it was like to go back to sc...

Do you want to write a book, either now or in retirement? Rather than put off his writing dreams until retirement, Chris embraced the challenges through courses, mentorship, community, and self-education. He went on to write a debut novel and is working on his third book.  Chris’s story offers inspiration, empathy, and encouragement for anyone who dreams of writing but doesn’t know where to start....

This week on Your Creative Midlife, I talk with Brooke Berman about her latest film, "Ramona at Midlife," which explores the central challenge of reconciling one's youthful aspirations with the reality of how life actually unfolds.  The film follows Ramona, a former essayist turned animal shelter worker, as she grapples with the gap between her 25-year-old self, the person she expec...

What do doctors and scientists do in retirement? In this week’s episode, Betsy speaks with Bob Veselis, a former anesthesiologist, about his art practice and how he transitioned from medicine to becoming an artist. About the guest: Bob Veselis, a retired anesthesiologist from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, has returned to painting, collage, and piano playing in his retirement. His artisti...

I am thrilled to share my conversation with John-Morgan Bush, Dean of Juilliard Extension. We talk about creative aging, Juilliard Extension, and how music and the performing arts can help us live more enriched lives. John-Morgan advocates for the importance of lifelong engagement with the arts, explaining that older adults bring a unique depth of emotional experience to their creative pursuits. H...

When you watch a movie, do you ever wonder about the people in the background? What would it be like to work as an extra in the movie business and how do you get that work anyway?  In this episode, I talk with Deidre Michael, a former lawyer, about how she became a model and movie extra. It took Deidre following her curiosity to start this new phase of her life. What is something you are curious a...

While you're learning to be creative, I'm learning how to do a podcast. In this episode, I reflect on the fantastic first year of the show, podcasting as an older woman, what AI means for our creativity, the connection between creativity and brain health, and what I’ll be exploring on the show in 2026.  What is a creative project you are either working on or afraid to start? Write on the...

Few of us would dare attempt to become a filmmaker at 65, but that is exactly what Melissa Davey did when she retired from corporate life.  Her second documentary, "Climbing Into Life" profiles Dierdre Wolownick, the oldest woman to climb Yosemite’s El Capitan.  Wolownick was guided through the climbing process by her son, Alex Honnold, famous for his free solo climb up El Capitan.  Meli...

We've been following the journey that my guest, Graham Broyd, has taken as a first time author from developing a personal story into a manuscript that was published by Forbes imprint Advantage Press. In August, I was honored to be asked by Graham to help him launch Backpack, Jacket, Surfboard on its publication. Here we are at the Scarsdale Golf Club talking to a packed house about his journe...

What does it take to be a stand-up comedian in midlife?  Jane Condon has been at it for several decades and gives us the inside scoop of what it really takes to get in front of audiences, develop material, and even recover when a routine bombs.   Jane Condon shares insights into her comedic style, drawing from her life as a wife, mother, and resident of Greenwich, Connecticut, and her persona as a...

Graham Broyd was a popular guest when I interviewed him back in February, as his book, Backpack, Jacket, Surfboard was in the final editing stages.  Now his book has launched and is selling very well.  Graham, a former banker, shares the surprising amount of work involved in selling a book after publication.  His personal promotion efforts include leveraging his network, hosting book launch events...

For the last Nantucket edition of the year, I’m sharing a personal story that kind of fits with the spooky season of Halloween.  It’s the story of my first visit to Nantucket, only five years ago during COVID, when the island was shut down.   During those months when the town was almost deserted, it was very easy to imagine Nantucket as the setting for ghost stories told at night on the beach arou...

Enjoy this Replay with Astrologer and Tarot Reader Suzanne Keating! Summer can offer us time to contemplate the future and imagine life changes. If you are on Nantucket, you might consider consulting Suzanne Keating. She's an astrologer with a longstanding practice on the island.  With interest in astrology and tarot growing, it's a great time to learn more about this ancient practice. ...

Is there a connection between the relaxed vibe of Nantucket Island School of Design and Art (NISDA) and its way of inspiring creativity in midlife?  This farm-turned-art workshop, with its silos and outbuildings on Wauwinet Road, feels like a true throwback to Nantucket in the ‘70’s, which is when it was founded.  Laura Herhold, NISDA’s program director, talks with host Betsy Bush about NISDA&apos...

Why is Nantucket such a powerful setting for novels about renewal and reinvention? The island seems to be a place where life can change in the course of a summer, especially for those in midlife facing an empty nest or a change in a relationship.   As author Nancy Thayer explains, Nantucket is for many people a magical place that changed her own life and now provides a setting where her characters...

Charley Walters proves that you don’t have to create art to be immersed in it.  Over the 50 years he has lived on Nantucket, Charley has become a guiding presence in the island’s evolving arts scene. In this episode, he recounts his early career writing album reviews for Rolling Stone magazine and the Boston Phoenix while owning Nantucket’s only record store.  As the music industry shifted, he lev...

How many of you out there have dreams of forming a rock group with your pals playing the music you love? In this episode, members of the Nantucket-based Beatles cover band, Cranberry Alarm Clock, discuss their recent experience traveling to Liverpool to perform at the International Beatle Week Festival. Band members Phil Proch, Tom Proch, Frankie Hunter, Skip Curtin share their origin story, how t...

“What an interesting life you’ve led.  You should write a book.”  Has anyone ever told you that?  Or maybe you’ve thought this about your own life?   There are many reasons to write a memoir.  You may find it cathartic to “get it all out there” or maybe you have a life story that you think readers will find entertaining.  Either way, says memoirist and writing workshop leader Sarah Saffian, there...

Stella Fosse retired from her biotech career ten years ago and started writing.  Her work encompasses a surprising range, from blogs to novels to non-fiction guides for midlife women who want to write their own stories filled with love and romance.  Her new book is “Rock On: Power, Sex & Money After 60”.  As she says, “Nobody told me how great life after 60 could be.”   This episode covers: Ho...

Discovering your creative outlet can be beneficial on many levels.  Just ask John Kneapler, who found that painting helped him through the death of both parents.  Then the impact of COVID on his graphic design business led him to move into painting full-time. John describes the profound importance of finding a creative passion and a supportive community, which he discovered at the Art Students Lea...

Summer can offer us time to contemplate the future and imagine life changes. If you are on Nantucket, you might consider consulting Suzanne Keating. She's an astrologer with a longstanding practice on the island.  With interest in astrology and tarot growing, it's a great time to learn more about this ancient practice.  Our talk also covered the historical roots of astrology and its conn...