Two Old Bitches: Stories from Women who Reimagine, Reinvent and Rebel

Cynthia Madansky, 58, describes herself as a Jewish, queer filmmaker and artist. For TOB,  she embodies what it means to live a creative life. The recognition she has received – a Fulbright, a Guggenheim, the Rome Prize and so much more – has not altered her commitment to a minimalist life where her art always comes first. She follows her curiosity, her politics, her aesthetic voice and her instin...

What gives you joy, a sense of profound pleasure? What tickles your fancy and makes you feel like you're in the midst of a magic moment? The sources and varieties of pleasure for the women we interview never cease to enlighten and inspire us. What we love, especially, is the way the old bitches we talk to describe the deep pleasure they experience from what is easily available: laughing over nothi...

If you've seen Chiemi Karasawa's award-winning film " Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me ," you already know that Chiemi is a great storyteller. (If you haven't, put it at the top of your streaming queue!) Chiemi's story is one filled with magic, mettle and a very healthy dose of hilarity. She landed one amazing job after another upon graduating from college: as script supervisor for lauded directors like S...

TOB listeners probably know that co-host Joanne Sandler worked at the United Nations for nearly 20 years. One of the many UN stories that fascinated her was a famous sexual harassment case.: Catherine Claxton was a fairly junior UN staff member who brought charges against an Under-Secretary General for grabbing her in his office in 1988 and then blocking her career after she rebuffed him. Catherin...

"Stories are the way that we make meaning. And so they're the primary vehicle for all human beings to make meaning of their life and to find their place and relationship with others. All of that is informed through story." Julie Cajune is an educator, cultural historian, artist and activist who believes that the challenges we face today "demand that which story nurtures: imagination, compassion, c...

"La única forma que tienes es transitar de tus sueños a tus deseos a la realidad."   En este, el primer episodio de Two Old Bitches en español, Joanne y idelisse hablan con la fabulosa fotógrafa y activista Lucero Gonzalez. A los 72 años, combina su feminismo, su amor de la libertad y el placer, su arte, su raíces en Oaxaca y su profunda conexión con su familia y amistades en una miríada de proyec...

"Moving from dream to desire to reality." That describes the life of our magical friend, activist and photographer, Lucero Gonzalez. At 72, Lucero's feminism, her love of freedom and pleasure, her artistry, her Oaxacan roots, and her profound connection to family and friends all blend, beautifully, into an extraordinary range of creative and social justice initiatives that enlighten and challenge...

Just because we're older doesn't mean we can't have fun. WE always say we don't want to age gracefully. We want to age disgracefully! Sisters, punk rockers and "accidental entrepreneurs," Snooky and Tish Bellomo agree, "If you had told us back in 1977 that doing what we loved and sharing our unique style would influence music, art fashion and beauty for the next four decades, we would've thought y...

"I couldn't do film without feminism. And, I don't think I want to do the feminism without the film." The world needs much more of Debbie Zimmerman, the long-time Executive Director of Women Make Movies. Since 1983, Debbie has been the leading force in taking it from a grassroots production organization to the world's largest distribution outlet for films by and about women. Now, at 62, Debbie is...

"I am 54. I don't know what that means anymore. In my 20s and 30, when I thought about what 50 would feel like, I thought it was going to be old and cranky. And I'm coming together really nicely in my 50s. It feels wonderful to set boundaries, to know that I prefer banana pancakes." On the other side of 50, journalist, author and filmmaker Sandra Guzman still listens to her elders. Most notably, s...

" Two of my heroes are mother and my grandmother…My mother taught me to be a woman. She was the strongest person I've ever met. And someday I'll be the woman she wants me to be " - Tracy Hyter-Suffern It's complicated. Mothers. They're sometimes cast as heroes and role models, often as victims or villains. In almost 40 conversations with other old bitches, mothers emerge as essential to the fabric...

"I didn't want to brag but I did want to impress on you that I'm probably the biggest bitch you've ever encountered!" Who else but Hrag Vartanian could help us to break through another boundary? Our guest for this episode of TOB is our first self-identified, 'biggest bitch' you've ever encountered' man. We spent nearly two thought-provoking, hilarity-inducing and adoration-filled hours with the 45...

"I'm either the world's greatest storyteller or the world's greatest secret keeper." At 60, Tracy Hyter-Suffern, can proudly say,  "I am coming into my own. I'm the woman my mother kept trying to raise." That woman is a glorious storyteller, joyful and wise, a salsa dancer, and a fierce and fearless cultural and social justice activist. She is the Executive Director of the National Jazz Museum of...

"The only thing I could do in high school was make art," Sharon Louden shares with us early in our conversation. She remembers that, in her secretarial shorthand classes, she simply could not stay within the lines. As an artist, educator, advocate and editor who "injects creative culture into the cracks of society," Sharon continues to challenge the lines that constrain generosity and inclusion. S...

Michaela Walsh - The Next Adventure "The one thing I wanted in life was not to be cynical when I get old and, I've discovered that by looking at life as an adventure, there's no way you can be cynical." Sitting in Michaela Walsh's New York City apartment and watching her eyes sparkle with mischief and delight every time she talked about the possibility of an adventure was an extraordinary privileg...

" When I am open and accepting about all of the things about myself, things happen. …It wasn't until I decided that one of the things that was to my advantage was my age that things took off."   When  Renata Joy was barely 11 years old, her older brother predicted that she was "the key" to her family's "fame and fortune." How right he was! Renata left her Midwest home to become an Emmy-nominated T...

More than 90% of travelers who cross time zones suffer from jet lag. Are you one of them? No more! Take 3 minutes of your time now to hear the Old Bitches reveal – for the first time ever -- the 5 steps to never suffering jet lag again.  Yes, Bitches Know. And we hope you'll let us know if this works for you (or if you have different sure-fire tips). E-mail us at 2OBPodcast@gmail.com!

Is it possible that you're losing thousands of dollars a year because you don't know the in's and out's of the U.S. Social Security system? Did you know that there might be some sure-fire ways to never ever get jet lag again?  We know. We've learned. That's why we're launching our new feature, Bitches Know. Take 3 to 4 minutes to tap into the life lessons and accumulated bitchy wisdom that only de...

"I was a little nervous. Two Old Bitches? And I thought, 'Ou-oh. What if they're cute. If they're cute, I'm going to throw up.'"  - Ashton Applewhite What do you think when you hear us say Two Old Bitches? Since we started this podcast, we've been asking the women we interview and lots of others too. In this episode, we've compiled some of the thoughtful, funny, horrified and encouraging responses...

"Bold and brave. Dancing on the edge. Living each day as if it's my first or last." At 55 years, Geeta has perfected the practice of joyful disruption. She moves seamlessly between her lives in New York and Delhi, pursuing intersecting passions: gender and sexuality, film and other creative arts, and a wide web of friendships. Our conversation with Geeta ranged from exploring how she co-founded CR...

"I'm so happy. That's what surprises me. I never thought I'd survive 50. I've been suicidal a lot of the time. I was so poor and such a mess. And my life is beautiful now. Beautiful. " Joy Kane can make anything swing: an interview, a piano lesson, a song. At 91, she remains a musical enchantress, guided through life by her motto: If they're buying it, I'm teaching it. She turned her early trainin...

"I lived the first 15 years of our life without any reflection. No questioning about who am I? What do I want? That is my fight in life right now. Not just for myself but for every single girl out there. You cannot take a girl's voice away.  You cannot take a girl's education away. And I will fight for that." Meet "the original" Houry! At 56, she brings unstoppable positive energy to  advocacy for...

"I'm still the same person that was my mother's disciple. Women have to have their own resources. That's what my mother was saying when she said, 'Your husband is your degree'. You need your own resources. I also need to ask for help. I cannot be superwoman." Hendrica Okondo, 62, credits much of her wisdom and courage to women: her mother and grandmother, Nobel-prize-winner Wangari Maathai, and co...

"To me, it's not about age, it's not about race, it's not about ideology...I don't know that we have ever confronted such a dangerous time to democracy in our country. What it does say to me is that we fundamentally have to fight for democracy. And that means many different things." Maya is a nationally renowned racial justice and equity activist and advocate. And she is no longer an optimist. But...

"I'd be struggling to make the fabric do what I wanted and she'd say, 'no, you have to listen to the fabric, the fabric will tell you where it wants to go.'" Idelisse's mom -- Emma Delfina Carattini Padro de Malavé – died at 99 on December 10, 2017. And we wanted to record this podcast as a tribute to her life, a life that spanned nearly a century. She grew up in the hills of Puerto Rico, thwartin...