Grandma Magic: A podcast from the Grandmother Collective

Lynne Iser is a seasoned teacher, facilitator, activist and President of the Elders Action Network who shares her insights on the transformative power of growing older. In this episode, she shares the personal rituals and traditions that hold deep meaning for her and shares her journey from public health and family studies to elder activism. She highlights the significance of facing mortality and...

Janet Carroll was trained as a nurse and has spent a lifetime in service to the public. After a long career working to bring hospice programs to the region of South Central Pennsylvania, Janet was then encouraged to run for, and subsequently win, her local school board election. In this episode, we learn about the history of hospice, her national service in the field and the ups and downs of publi...

Have you ever found yourself wondering if you could adopt a grandmother? Or maybe you felt that you were missing the opportunity to grandmother young children? In Southern Oregon, Linda Otto recognized an urgent gap in the programming that was being developed for families in need and decided to recruit older women to serve as surrogate grandmothers, or coaches, for new families that needed a littl...

One of the qualities of our female elders that we find unique is the almost universal desire to pass down and protect culture. For Makeda “Dread” Cheatom, cultural media like music, dance and food have been tools she has used to ensure that her community in San Diego has a deepened understanding of history and cultures not taught in mainstream society . She has spent a lifetime researching, connec...

In an era before we used the term social entrepreneur, Linda Rosier followed her conscience in business. With her two partners, she create a Toronto-based advertising firm that focused on developing ideas and messaging that did good for the world. Those values also translated into the development of the World Council, a methodology for bringing together people to have conversations about a better...

In this episode we talk to Rochelle Jackson, a community organizer in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Rochelle has spent the last 30 years working with the Juvenile Protective Association, or JPA, a Chicago-based non-profit focused on developing the wellbeing of all children in the city. For the last year, Rochelle has been working with JPA to pilot their grandmother’s projec...

On this episode of the Grandma Magic podcast, we are joined by Joan Holliday, a retired public health nurse. For over three decades, Joan has been dedicated to building an inclusive and welcoming community in her town. She generously shares her insights and secrets to fostering unity through an event called Bridging the Community, and other community building ideas. Get ready to be inspired as Joa...

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Rana Dajani, who tells about her changemaking journey to found the award winning, Jordanian-based non-profit, We Love Reading. Tune in to hear how Rana started her organization and what she's discovered about the process of deciding how to make change. Inspired by matriarchal figures, Rana hopes to impart the same values and wisdom as she embarks on a new grandmot...

In our first Grandma Magic podcast episode, we talk to Paola Gianturco, a photojournalist and author. She started in business, addressing the glass ceiling, and has since dedicated 25 years to publishing untold stories of women leaders. Her books cover topics like empowering traditional handicrafts for economic development and showcasing women's leadership in climate change. One of her notable wor...

Launching in May 2023, the Grandma Magic podcast will bring inspiring stories from grandmothers and older women around the world who are driving change and teaching us about the perseverance and endurance that comes with wisdom, time and experience.