Older Women & Friends: Stories of Aging Well

  Jane sits down with Diane Heiler to talk about her memoir, A Widow's Fire . Diane shares the remarkable story of losing her beloved husband of 25 years to lung cancer and the emotional reality of becoming his caregiver during the final years of his life. She speaks openly about anticipatory grief, caregiver burnout, and the overwhelming loneliness that followed his passing, while revealing...

In this episode of Older Women & Friends, Jane Leder welcomes bestselling author, leadership expert, and aging well advocate Erika Andersen for a thought-provoking conversation about what it truly means to create your best life after 60. Drawing from her acclaimed book, The New Old: Crafting Your Best Later Life, Erika shares a practical roadmap for aging well, finding purpose, embracing chang...

Jane Leder sits down with legendary fashion designer, entrepreneur, breast cancer survivor, and pro-aging advocate Diane Gilman for an unforgettable conversation about women over 50, aging well, reinvention, purpose, confidence, and creating a meaningful life at every age. Known worldwide as the “Queen of Jeans,” Diane Gilman transformed the fashion industry after age 60 by designing jeans specifi...

This episode explores how our earliest family experiences—especially the complex bond between mothers and daughters—shape our mental health, emotional patterns, self-worth, and relationships across the lifespan . From childhood attachment and unmet emotional needs to adulthood independence and identity, this discussion uncovers the hidden layers that influence how women navigate life after 50, ret...

What happens when women over 50 are forced to take control of their finances after divorce, retirement, caregiving, or the loss of a partner? Or what about women who want to be financially savvy at any time in their lives? In this episode of Older Women & Friends: Stories of Aging Well, host Jane Leder sits down with wealth management expert and Super Woman Wealth author Regina McCann Hess to...

Oh, boy, this is an episode that a ton of older women need to hear, and that includes yours truly! In this episode, my guest is Deb Benfield , registered dietitian, nutritionist, and author . Our focus: how older women can break free from decades of body shame, ageism , and diet culture—and begin rewriting their relationship with their bodies with compassion, dignity, and truth. For many women ove...

In this compelling episode of Older Women and Friends , host Jane Leder | Aging Well Advocate for Older Women sits down with licensed marriage and family therapist Dr. Becky Whetstone to explore one of the fastest-growing social trends today: gray divorce —and why more older women are choosing to redefine love, relationships, and personal fulfillment after 50. With over two decades of clinical exp...

What does it really mean to age well ? In this thought-provoking episode of Older Women and Friends , host Jane Leder sits down with renowned gerontologist Tracey Gendron, author of Aging Unmasked: Exploring Ageism and How to End It. We cover a lot of ground: • Why aging is about growth, development, and lifelong learning • How older women can embrace their age with confidence and authenticit...

In this thought-provoking and uplifting episode of “Older Women and Friends,” host Jane Leder | Aging Well Advocate for Older Women, sits down with singer, writer, and vintage fashion enthusiast Mollie Kaye for a powerful conversation about loneliness, visibility, personal expression, and the surprising ways older women can create meaningful connections in everyday life. As many women move through...

"Without IMPERNANCE There Is No Expansion" - Kat Miller Welcome to Older Women and Friends , where host Jane Leder | Aging Well Advocate for Older Women, meets fascinating women who are redefining what it means to grow older with wisdom, independence, and purpose. In this powerful episode, Jane talks with psychotherapist Kat Miller, who challenges everything that we think we know about aging. Whil...

Join me and guest Sara Zeph Geber, an expert on solo aging, as we discuss the growing number of adults 50+ choosing to live independently. This episode explores the opportunities and challenges of aging without immediate family support, offering insights into financial planning, healthcare, social connections, and building intentional communities. Sara and I highlight the positives of solo aging,...

#aging #older women #wisdom #resilience #self-care #determination #purpose #courage If you watch the Winter Olympics, you have seen and heard about luge, a sport where athletes race down an icy track on a small sled, lying on their backs with their feet pointing forward, reaching speeds over 90 mph.   At age 34, today’s guest, Anne Abernathy, set the record as the oldest female to compete in...

I've been asked a zillion times to do an episode about me and to answer many of the same questions I ask guests. Listeners (now viewers, too) are curious about who I am, how I started a podcast, the books I've written, the experience of losing a brother to suicide, and life as an 80-year-old. It's taken me three years to get to this solo episode, not because I underestimated the value, but because...

When I think about moving from a home that my husband and I have shared for 32 years, I break out in a cold sweat. There's the kitchen with its overabundance of antique bowls and gadgets, my great-grandmother's china, my office with decades worth of my books, research materials, and file folders. And then there's my husband's studio with . . . Well, don't get me started. So this is where Jeannine...

Kelly Jackson, 73, and Sally, 75, are sisters who have lived together without husbands or children for almost 20 years. They reconnected as live-in caregivers for their mother, and during the four years they cared for her, they turned to blogging and short videos to keep their spirits up. They used the handle, "Midlife Gal's Gone Gray," and their mission was to ensure that women in their 60s, 70s,...

In this conversation, Patricia Madson, a drama professor emeritus and author, shares her journey from a curious and adventurous child to a seasoned educator in improvisation. She discusses the importance of embracing mistakes, the transformative power of improvisation in personal and professional life, and the significance of finding purpose and gratitude in everyday experiences. Patricia also int...

Haven't made a trip to your local cannabis dispensary? Haven't talked to your physician about a medical marijuana card? Don't have a clue how cannabis may help with all kinds of health issues, from insomnia to anxiety, from certain serious diseases to focus/concentration? Or, what the hell? Maybe for relaxation and fun. How did cannabis get a bad rep in so many circles? What role has racism played...

This episode, "Likeable Badass" with author/PhD Alison Fagale, covers so many bases that I've chosen more of a summary or an outline. As I wrote on another site, Alison is a Dynamo who knows her stuff inside and out because she's lived it, taught it, and written about it. What is it? It is a woman who studies people, the science of people. It is a toolbox that women (and men) can use to hone their...

At 60, Denise Taylor began again: downsized, got a divorce, embraced single living, and set off on a journey that included a vision quest, game ranger training, and time living with a Maasai tribe. At 64, she completed her doctorate exploring how people find meaning after full-time work. That research became the seed for ThriveSpan, one of nine books , a model, a philosophy, and a way of living mo...

"We don't want to be younger versions of ourselves: We've worked too hard to get where we are today." "Aging is a process of living." Guest Tracey Gendron, professor, author, and activist, reminds listeners that we don't want to be younger versions of ourselves: We've worked too hard to get where we are today. However, the way we learn about aging is filled with misconceptions. We've never learned...

It's a new trend, well, maybe not that new. Couples in committed relationships are choosing to live apart. Interesting, eh? The couple might be married, maybe not. Perhaps they are divorced; maybe a partner/spouse has passed away. Whatever the circumstances, these couples agree that they don't have to share the same space to have a happy, healthy relationship. Vicki Larson, today's guest, has writ...

Maria Leonard Olsen is a civil litigation lawyer, a journalist, and an author. When she turned 50, she got divorced, got sober, and became an empty nester. For the first time in her life, she was living alone. And for the first time after 15 years as a full-time mom, she had to find a law firm that would hire her.   Many women would have folded under the pressure, the loneliness, the Herculea...

Join me in this enlightening episode as I sit down with Gina Vild, author of The Two Most Important Days: How to Find Your Purpose and Live a Happier and Healthier Life. I don't know about you, but I've been in a constant state of fight or flight. It feels as if the United States and the rest of the world are upside down and that there is very little we can do to find joy and awe. Enter Gina Vild...

Join me as I delve into the world of classical music with Roit Feldenkreis, a trailblazing conductor and consultant. Discover Roit's journey from a small village in Israel to conducting orchestras worldwide, and how she integrates her musical expertise into corporate leadership. This episode explores the challenges and triumphs of being a female conductor in a male-dominated field, and the innovat...

Three of the past guests on "Older Women & Friends" talk about what they've been up to since we last spoke. All three of their stories represent the exciting escapades of older women who continue to smash stereotypes to simitherenes. Melissa Davey: At age 65, she left the corporate world to follow a dream of becoming a filmmaker. And, boy, her story is one of determination, creativity, and suc...