A Certain Age

Mother’s Day is a holiday impossible to escape or ignore. But not every woman is buying what Hallmark is selling. Many women have complicated relationships with their mothers. Others mourn lost or absent moms, and many women are not mothers at all, either by choice or by chance.  This week’s show explores being a childless woman in a culture that fetishizes motherhood. Meet Jody Day, a global thou...

May’s graduation season means those nests are emptying. Are you ready? Today’s show features a woman with ideas for reinventing your life after the kids leave. Writer Melissa Shultz, author of From Mom to Me Again, chronicles how to survive that first dislocating empty-nest year and shares ideas for transforming your marriage, friendships, career, and life as you once again take center stage in yo...

Thinking of ditching the dye and embracing your grey? Ready to save oodles of time (and money) but worried about navigating the awkward transition? Worried your boss, friends,  the world will think grey hair makes you...old? Meet silver hair evangelist Katie Emery, creator of the popular blog, Katie Goes Platinum. After 29 years of coloring her hair, she ditched the dye and has ideas for helping y...

Meet Carole Montgomery—stand-up comic, writer, actress, and producer of two Showtime comedy specials, Funny Women of A Certain Age. After a 40+ year standup career on stages from Vegas to small clubs, often as the only female comic, Carole shares how she got an all-women comedy special greenlit in an ageist entertainment industry. Plus, what’s making her LOL, and the female comics to put on your r...

Got bladder leaks, UTIs, or a fear of being seated in the middle row of an airplane or movie theater? Meet Dr. Angelish Kumar, a urologist and certified menopause practitioner who has ideas for combatting all your irksome bladder issues. We dive into the top 4 common bladder complaints (and why NO ONE talks about them) and the impacts of menopause and aging on bladder and vaginal health. Bottom li...

As editor-in-chief of Real Simple, Kristin van Ogtrop grew the magazine into the #1 women’s lifestyle title with a finger-on-the-pulse insight into the psyche and wants of the American woman. Now, she is back with a hilarious new book, Did I Say That Out Loud? Midlife Indignities and How to Survive Them, a memoir-cum-exploration of the phases, stages, and outrages of midlife. We cover aging parent...

How are you? No, really. How are you? Today’s show features a woman who answers that question honestly. Entertainment lawyer Terri Cheney ripped the covers off her secret battle with bipolar disorder in her New York Times bestselling memoir, Manic. Now she is back with a new book, Modern Madness: An Owner’s Manual. We explore the struggle, stigma, and treatments for mental illness and her practica...

Meet Michelle Fishburne. After losing her job and home during the pandemic, Michelle packed up an RV to crisscross the US, filming ordinary Americans sharing their pandemic stories for a one-of-a-kind oral history project called Who We Are Now. At age 57, the former lawyer and non-profit communications pro found herself "on the edge of a cliff" after her life dramatically changed during our COVID...

Meet Leslie Gray Streeter – veteran journalist and author of “Black Widow: A Sad-Funny Journey Through Grief for People Who Normally Avoid Books With Words Like ‘Journey’ in the Title.”  Named a Glamour Magazine  “Top-20 Books to Read in 2020,” Leslie's memoir chronicles the unexpected loss of her young husband and how she was left to raise their baby on her own.  Leslie mixes heartbreak and laugh...

Falling in love is easy. Getting divorced is hard. Today’s show features a guest who helps answer the question – should I stay or should I go?  Kate Anthony is a certified divorce coach and host of the New York Times recommended podcast, “The Divorce Survival Guide.” She walks us through how to know when it’s time to call it quits--and how to survive with your sanity and bank account intact. SHOW...

Is there a woman alive who hasn't thought deeply about her relationship with her mother? Today's guest, the author, and essayist, Rachel Levey Lesser explores motherhood from every angle: as a daughter coming of age, a parent to teens, and through the lens of her mother's devastating early death. Her most recent book, "Life's Accessories: A Memoir (and Fashion Guide)" explores the totemic power of...

Do we age out of love? Has the pandemic derailed dating and mating? Not according to Dr. Helen Fisher, chief science adviser to Match.com. An anthropologist, human behavior researcher, and expert on love and the biology of why we mate, stay, and stray, Dr. Fisher joins me to drop optimistic truth bombs on love in the time of COVID. Bonus, she shares snippets of her own love story and marriage at a...

Women friends rock. None of us would have made it to our fifties without our girlfriends. None. Of. Us. You can love your spouse, adore your kids, appreciate your family, but your female friends get it. On today’s show, we dive into female friendships, friend breakups, and the health benefits of having a girl gang with Jacqueline Mroz, an NYT science writer and author of Girl Talk. Bonus, we talk...

Ready to treat your body with more reverence and love? Meet Christine Marie Mason, the founder of Rosebud Woman, a line of luxury, plant-based intimate wellness products. A former software CEO and six-time tech founder, Christine is also a yogi, tantric, co-founder of a mediation center, and a student of plant medicine and intentional living. We uncover the genesis of Rosebud Woman and how Christi...

Want to maintain tip-top sexual health, vibrant intimacy, and self-care for down there as you age? Of course, you do. You’re fifty, not dead. We welcome back Dr. Anita Sadaty, an expert on gynecology and women’s hormonal health, who coaches us on how to care for our lady parts, libido, and pelvic floor. Plus, we dive into biggies like bladder health (spoiler – you SHOULD be able to sneeze without...

Amy Schmidt is a podcaster, author, and TEDx speaker, and she did it all on the cusp of 50 and after years as a stay-at-home mom. With the mantra “you’re never too old, and it’s never too late,” Amy shares how to “cannonball” into midlife with confidence, grace, and humor. Plus, we talk about overcoming self-doubt, the fear of failure, and how to be your own best friend. SHOW NOTES + TRANSCRIPT:ac...

January check-in: How are your fitness resolutions holding up? Today’s show keeps you on track (and boosts your grit) as wellness expert Renata Joy coaches us on how to be young, strong, and sexy for life. Renata shares ideas for COVID-friendly workouts, strategies for squeezing exercise into a busy schedule, and offers practical, supportive ideas for fine-tuning your fitness habits. Plus, she tal...

Thinking about upping your fitness game? Today’s guest, Dr. Vonda Wright, an elite sports doctor and leading authority on active aging, shares a simple framework that can dramatically transform your health at any age and any fitness level. Learn more about the five pillars for a healthy, fit, joyful, and vibrant life. Plus, the fascinating science behind the body’s wondrous ability to regenerate a...

Tear up those New Year’s resolutions. An extraordinary life requires new tools. In today’s show, Lisa McCarthy, CEO of the Fast Forward Group, shares a simple, science-backed exercise to play big, take risks, and laser focus you on what’s important – in every area of your life. Now, you can join the 50,0000 leaders of global companies like Facebook, Google, and Nike who use Fast Forward to elevate...

We have had a year. A Certain Age is closing out 2020 with a guest who offers up the tools of improv comedy to help us handle absolutely anything and be more creative, courageous, and confident. The exact recipe we need for 2021. Katie Goodman is an award-winning improv comedian, actor, author, and social activist. Now, she shares how the tools of improv can make us more resilient, joyful, and bol...

Haven’t you always wanted a second act? Meet Marci Alboher—a woman who blew right past second acts, to create multiple encore careers—and who has ideas for helping you do the same. A lawyer turned New York Times columnist turned executive at a social impact nonprofit, Marci is one of the nation’s leading voices on careers and aging with purpose. Her book "The Encore Career Handbook: How to Make a...

Serious question. Is age a number or a mindset?  In 2016, Gina Pell, a creative director and tech entrepreneur, rejected the strictures of our dated age-label-boxes,  coining the term Perennials to describe ever-blooming people of ALL ages who continue to push up against their growing edge, always relevant, and not defined by their generation.  Gina is the Content Chief of The What, a social commu...

If your life were a movie, what ending would you write? Emerging screenwriter Barbara Ward Thall hit her late-fifties and decided she wanted a wildly different ending for her third act, after decades in senior ad and marketing roles at buzzy companies like Amazon's Audible. Now at 60, she writes highly personal, female-led stories that won her a coveted spot in a writer's program for women over 40...

Want to inject more happiness into your life? Think about writing someone in your life a thank-you note. Writer and GenX podcaster Nancy Davis Kho, author of the feel-good read “The Thank-You Project,” walks us through the science-backed benefits of gratitude and how you can rewire your neural pathways and cultivate more happiness with a thank-you project of your own. Audiophile bonus, we talk mus...

Do you want the peace of mind that comes from being a financial grownup? Personal finance pro Bobbi Rebell, author of “How to Be a Financial Grownup,” walks us through why it’s never too late to get your financial house in order. Plus, she offers tips for helping us help our kids become financial grownups too. Bonus, Bobbi shares why she shook up her successful TV career in her mid-forties and how...