Twisting the Plot

In her early twenties, Maureen Carey was called to the religious life. Her interest in the anti-war movement and civil disobedience led her to the sisterhood and years of service to others. During this time she also got her Ph. D. in social work, taught at Molloy College, and co-authored books. Twenty-five years later, Dr. Carey twisted her plot and left the religious life. More recently, she reti...

A little improv… What is creativity?   Go.   (frozen pause) Ummm. It's green? Yes, and…It crawls. Yes, and… it morphs like a caterpillar into a butterfly. Yes, and… it can be venomous, like a snake. On this week's podcast, guest Nina Hart challenges our notions about what is art and who gets to do it. She tells us about her journey to heal what she calls her "heartbroken artist." Nina shares how s...

It often feels like time is a conveyer belt, ushering us forward year after year. It moves faster and faster, sometimes at a pace that makes it hard to glance back and savor what's been. Sometimes a lifetime moves too quickly for us to be intentional about where we are going.   We just keep moving. On this week's Twisting the Plot Podcast, Hannah and Cecilia take a pause and consider time from a d...

In 1988 Laura Davis coauthored The Courage to Heal , a global phenomenon. It is the go-to, permission giving, truth telling, and healing guide for victims of sexual abuse.   Her most recent book, The Burning Light of Two stars: A Mother Daughter Story is a prequel and a sequel to The Courage to Heal . It chronicles the estrangement, reconciliation and care-giving relationship between Laura and her...

All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today . -  Chinese Proverb Una Betti has worked as a nurse and project manager for many years. At the same time, she's nurtured a passion for gardening, and grew a deep appreciation for the value of intentional spaces. Now, at 62, Una has decided it's time to twist the hobby into aprofession. Her new business, Mindful Garden Designs , was cr...

Here it is, another year.   Are you ready? We are. We look forward to our new group of twelve women, and the collaboration for the next twelve months. We want this to be a year when we embrace our lives even more fully, feel our feelings, and navigate with grace the twists.   Another year to celebrate our aging, honor our past, and look to the future with curiosity and wonder. How do we start? We...

What is a creatrix, you might ask? According to Stephanie Raffelock the word creatrix is defined as "a woman who makes or creates things." Stephanie suggests that creatrix may be a good replacement for crone when it comes to selecting an archetype for women to age into. We love the idea of a woman continuing to "make things" beyond the biological clock of fertility. Stephanie Raffelock herself is...

Here's a question to ponder. "Can you love yourself in a hostile world?" This is the question Dr. Thema asks on this week's podcast. "We have to shift the individual, but we also have to shift the world in which the individual is living, so that we're not constantly having to push back against these messages but that we can change the larger story, that we're all worthy and deserving." Dr. Thema B...

Who knew getting older could be so funny? In the 1960's gerontologist Robert Butler told us that thinking back over our lives is therapeutic. He termed his method of reminiscence, "Life Review". Through a life review, experiences from the past, particularly the unresolved conflicts, can be resolved and reintegrated into our life experience. There is also substantial research pointing to the benefi...

Dr. Ellen Albertson calls herself the Midlife Whisperer.   But on this week's Twisting the Plot Podcast, she speaks up loud and clear.   Dr. Albertson has "more degrees than a thermometer" and she's confronted major plot twists in life. For years she followed all the rules and roadmaps. She had a successful career, got married, raised children, worked hard to stay thin and attractive and did a lot...

Kwavi Agbeyegbe has a mission.   She wants to make women over 50 aware of their potential and value.   As a life coach, she started by asking 50 women who were over 50, from all over the world, to describe themselves.   Over 80% of the women she talked to reported feeling invisible.   The women don't see themselves represented in the media. They feel erased, insignificant, and not a vital to the c...

At 75 years of age, with life of plot twists that include physical, emotional and relational challenges, Ronda Tamerlane has decided it's time to tell her story.   Ronda's 12 in 12 2021 project is to write her personal memoir.   Listen to this week's Twisting the Plot Podcast as Ronda talks with us about how writing her memoir is giving the opportunity to take on new perspectives, let go of resent...

We are so often bombarded with negative messages about aging that it makes us not want to do it.   We don't want to get older.   But what if aging could be a process that's creative, intuitive and deepening?   What if getting older was a creative act? On this week's Twisting the Plot Podcast, we speak with three 12 in 12 group members about how their experience in the year-long program has given t...

Here's a question to ponder. "Can you love yourself in a hostile world?" This is the question Dr. Thema asks on this week's podcast. "We have to shift the individual, but we also have to shift the world in which the individual is living, so that we're not constantly having to push back against these messages but that we can change the larger story, that we're all worthy and deserving." Dr. Thema B...

Who am I anyway? Twisting the Plot's Twelve in Twelve Program asks each participant to bring all of herself to the year-long experience. Together as a group, we invite the shadow self, the wise ones, role models, inner guides, mentors, avatars, nemeses …. all are welcome. By the time one gets to our age there are a multitude of selves to encounter. Somedays our virtual 12-member group feels like a...

What does it mean to be resilient?  How does one overcome tough challenges and yet continue to inspire? On today's podcast, we hear from Aleka Artemis Munroe, who lives with serious physical disabilites.   A member of Twelve in Twelve 2021, Aleka discusses her struggles with her body, and shares the tools she uses to get through that include mindfulness, acceptance, creativity, and an incredible s...

What is a creatrix, you might ask?   According to Stephanie Raffelock the word creatrix is defined as "a woman who makes or creates things." Stephanie suggests that creatrix may be a good replacement for crone when it comes to selecting an archetype for women to age into.   We love the idea of a woman continuing to "make things" beyond the biological clock of fertility. Stephanie Raffelock herself...

Picture this: you've come to a crossroads. It's time for a change. But, which way do you go? Where do you start? How do you start? In our 12 in 12 program, twelve women meet for twelve months, with each woman starting out in a new direction. Each creates a project of her own design and begins work on it, supported by the group.   They decide where to start, and what comes next.   How? By construct...

Lori McAndrew has been waiting for a long time.   But now she waits no more.   At 57 she is pursuing her doctoral degree which she plans to finish when she is 60. Listen as Lori shares her journey to this point, the struggles, the obstacles, the triumphs and… the waiting… Lori, a Twisting the Plot 12 in 12 group member, discusses her project: a dissertation on ageism.   There's a lot to talk about...

Last week we talked.   This week we act. After last week's episode, we asked ourselves, could we do this thing called psychodrama over Zoom for a podcast?   We decided to give it a try.   Listen as Cecilia participates in a psychodrama facilitated by Heidi Landis and supported by Greta Schnee, Marianne Franzese and Cara Connors.   Together we explore the technique called future projection.   Yes,...

Psychodrama, "the psyche in action," is an experiential form of psychotherapy where our inner and outer impulses can be explored through enactment. Heidi Landis is a trainer, educator, and practitioner of psychodrama. On this Twisting the Plot Podcast she explains that psychodrama is a kind of group therapy utilizing dramatic techniques and helps individuals understand themselves, communicate bett...

We are entering the last third of our 12 in 12 2021 year. Twelve women, working together for twelve months, each woman creating a project of their own choice and design.   With each other, we are learning, growing, sharing and creating. Together, we are facing our pasts, embracing obstacles and envisioning new futures. We are supporting each other. We are challenging each other. We are doing more...

Life is filled with many twists and turns, but eventually, if you follow your heart, you find yourself exactly where you are meant to be. This week we spoke with someone who is exactly where she is meant to be; Rebecca Dudley, Children's Book Author, Architect, and Activist.  When Rebecca and her husband moved to Chicago from Seattle, they missed going to see the North West Ballet production of Th...

Every now and then, Cecilia and Hannah wonder, "are we there, have we made it, can we finally call ourselves adults?" It just seems like we've been waiting for decades for that certificate of achievement, or that special feeling that lets us know we've made the grade. Yes, we are in our sixties and still asking ourselves, What does it mean to be an adult? So this week on our Twisting the Plot Podc...

How do you bloom? Are you an annual or a perennial? Do you bloom late? Are you still sprouting? Or are you waiting, held inside some bulb that is planted deep within the earth, for your time? Today we talk to Yvonne Marchese, host of Late Bloomer Living Podcast. Yvonne believes midlife can be a time to step into a new experience, learn new things and, well, bloom again. She calls herself a "serial...