Crow's Feet: Life As We Age

Send us Fan Mail Villains and victims, evil witches and vengeful scourges—at the movies, getting old is scary business. It also generates big business at the box office. But what do these frightening depictions actually have to say about aging? Host Betsy Allen talks with Cynthia Miller, writer, cultural anthropologist, and college professor, about what Hollywood finds so scary about getting older...

Send us Fan Mail It wasn't 'love at first sight' for Elaine LaLanne, when she met Jack LaLanne, the "Godfather of Fitness." In fact, Elaine was eating a donut when Jack quipped "The only thing good about a donut is the hole in the middle." Now 97, Elaine is fit, active and effervescent. Listen in for her secrets to living a longer, healthier life and how she&apos...

Send us Fan Mail Professor Ellen Langer, better known as "the mother of mindfulness,” spent the better part of her 45-year career challenging widely-held assumptions about the power of our minds. Her famous "Counterclockwise" study, first conducted in 1979, showed it's possible to reverse the affects of aging in one week . In her latest book, The Mindful Body: Thinking Our Way...

Send us Fan Mail Thinking about returning to work, “working in retirement,” or launching an encore career? Ever experienced ageism in the workplace, felt pressured to leave a job before you’re ready, or overwhelmed at the thought of trying to rejoin the workforce? The last week of September is National Employ Older Workers Week. Join Jan M. Flynn in conversation with Janine Vanderburg, founder of...

Send us Fan Mail You know her as Granny from Space Jam 2, Dexter from Dexter’s Laboratory and memorable characters from decades of TV and movie roles. Nearing retirement age she can still sound like a 9-year old boy. Maybe growing up in a halfway house for the emotionally disturbed and developmentally disabled had something to do with it? Join voiceover artist, comedian, and author, Candi Milo as...

Send us Fan Mail A spiritual alignment coach, motivational speaker, and global ritual expert, Barbara Biziou believes rituals can help us connect with one another, expand our levels of success, and create meaningful visions for our lives. As she puts it, ritual is where neuroscience meets old world tradition. In this episode, Barbara reveals how to bring rituals into daily life with Crow’s Feet wr...

Send us Fan Mail A child prodigy on the piano, music gave Patricia Ross refuge from a chaotic home. In this episode, Ross tells host Melinda Blau how resilience, curiosity, and making good choices were key to her life — achieving what Blau calls “exuberant geezerhood.” Becoming sober in her 40s was one turning point for Ross, along with learning photography from the great Ansel Adams, which led to...

Send us Fan Mail Her famous husband thinks he's signing autographs when being admitted to the ER. He runs from airport security as if he's scoring a Super Bowl touchdown. Famous for bulldozing would-be tacklers, he's blindsided by brain trauma. Meanwhile, his remarkable wife not only coped, she launched a new career and became a fierce activist for other football families dealing wi...

Send us Fan Mail What if there were a way to get your teen grandkids to put down their phones and talk to you? Join host Jan M Flynn in conversation with Elly Katz, who left a successful career as a graphic designer to found Sages & Seekers — an innovative, immersive, and award-winning program that brings older adults (Sages) together with Seekers (teens). Over eight weekly sessions, the Sages...

Send us Fan Mail The New Florida Follies Proves That People Of All Ages Can Put on a Show . Artistic director and choreographer Cheryl Steinthal has been dancing most of her life, from Radio City Music Hall to a career in choreography and retiring to Florida where she joined the dancers of The New Florida Follies. Host Jean Feldeisen talks with Cheryl about the troupe of dancers who put on an annu...

Send us Fan Mail Host Betsy Allen talks with Bobbi Carducci, Certified Caregiving Consultant, author, educator, and caregiver advocate, about caring for Rodger, her father-in-law, who suffered from Lewy Body Dementia, COPD, and schizophrenia. It was a challenging, life-altering experience for Bobbi: navigating the healthcare system, weathering her own health issues, and dealing with the stress it...

Send us Fan Mail “I never planned on doing this in my 50s,” says humor writer Amy Sea about Breast Stories , her online publication on the Medium.com platform. It’s dedicated to all things related to breasts, from cancer to breastfeeding. On the podcast, she talks with host Warren Turner about her publication and how she uses humor to figure herself out. When you hear Amy Sea read her work, you’ll...

Send us Fan Mail Listen to the riveting story of how a passionate cyclist, at 70 years old, tackled the grueling challenge of riding his bicycle from coast-to-coast — even setting an uphill record for his age. Eric Jeppesen shares his experience with Crow’s Feet Podcaster Lee Bentch, explaining his training and motivation to make the trip, along with the ups and downs of tackling multiple mountain...

Send us Fan Mail Host Jan M Flynn talks with Sky Bergman, a filmmaker raised in an intergenerational household where she developed a lifelong fascination with the magic that can happen when elders and young people have the chance to interact. Best known for her feature-length film “Lives Well Lived”— which has won awards, garnered rave reviews, and has the rare and coveted “100% fresh” rating from...

Send us Fan Mail In this rollicking episode, physical therapist Brittany Denis joins host Melinda Blau, a self-confessed exercise avoider. Denis, who admits she doesn’t like the gym either, discusses lifestyle changes she teaches her older clients in order to stay agile as they age. Sit on the floor every day, she suggests, or put dishes on a higher shelf where you have to stretch to reach them. D...

Send us Fan Mail Orrin Onken is an author of mystery novels, a collection of essays, and a regular contributor to Crow’s Feet on Medium.com. He’s also a retired elder law attorney, who talks with host Jan M. Flynn about some of his more memorable cases. He offers sage and witty advice about what to watch out for when your kids or relatives want to help you manage your affairs, why leaving someone...

Send us Fan Mail “The group most satisfied with sex are women in their 80’s,” says Katharine Esty, PhD and author of ‘Eighty-Somethings: A Practical Guide to Letting Go, Aging Well, and Finding Unexpected Happiness. Join host Jean Feldeisen as she talks with Dr. Esty about relationships, sex and aging in your eighties. Learn more about Dr. Esty at www.katharineesty.com Support the show

Send us Fan Mail “Conventional wisdom is that when you get old, you get old and lonely, old and sad, old and isolated, old and depressed. Even happy elders — which as it turns out, is most elders — believe other elders are lonely, sad, isolated, and depressed. The conventional wisdom is wrong,” writes Priscilla Long in her new book Dancing With the Muse in Old Age. In this episode, host Jan M Flyn...

Send us Fan Mail Mary Louisa Cappelli was already in great shape, hiking five miles a day regularly. When she decided to walk the Camino at age 67, her main fear was getting lost.  Mary Louisa had already achieved so much – recognition as an ethnographer, a teacher, a surfer, and a mother of five daughters. What drove her to walk the fabled Spanish holy trail, the Camino de Santiago de Compostela?...

Send us Fan Mail When he was younger, Judah Leblang formed a special bond with his Uncle Jerry through a shared struggle—striving to be something they weren’t in an unaccommodating world. Jerry was a deaf man trying to pass as hearing. Judah was a gay youth trying to pass as straight. As he’s aged, he’s embraced writing and performing as a way to talk about his family and engage with others. Join...

Send us Fan Mail Meet Rand Bishop. He's a singer, songwriter, author, actor, music producer, and activist. A man with many accomplishments, including a Grammy nomination and a No. 1 hit song he co-wrote that was recorded by Toby Keith. At age 67 Rand Bishop did something remarkable. He walked 900 miles up the Pacific coast in 90 days. His intention was to listen to what people had to say. Joi...

Send us Fan Mail Twenty-two years ago, Roz Warren decided that fun was a higher priority than money. So she retired from the practice of law and became a librarian — providing rich material for the essays she began writing. She’s the author of two essay collections, “Our Bodies, Our Shelves” and “Just Another Day at Your Public Library.” She’s written for a host of publications, from the New York...

Send us Fan Mail Meet Melanie Chartoff, an actor and comedian famous as the voice of Didi Pickles and Minka in “Rugrats,” and for her starring role in the ABC late night comedy show “Fridays,” alongside “Seinfeld” creator Larry David and star Michael Richards. You may also know her from roles on “The Bob Newhart Show,” “Seinfeld,” and “Allie McBeal,” among many others. Chartoff, a Crow’s Feet cont...

Send us Fan Mail From circus performer to podcaster, Jan M. Flynn talks about aging while experiencing it all. Host Warren Turner interviews Jan M. Flynn — who reveals how her meandering work history helps to inform her writing. From teaching middle school English, to running her husband's specialty lumber business after he died, to riding exotic animals in a circus act, she's living pro...

Send us Fan Mail At 68, Lee Bentch doesn’t fit the stereotype. He’s still working, and after his day job, he cooks dinner for his five grandchildren and daughter. Lee is one of more than a million grandparents who are helping to raise their grandchildren and he’s also a Crow’s Feet writer. In this episode he tells us how he manages to plan and cook healthy meals seven days a week.  Lee is intervie...