Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined

Mindy Greiling, age 73, served in Minnesota’s House of Representatives for 20 years (1993-2013), where she campaigned to bring more women into political office. Mindy’s talents in lawmaking and storytelling are evident in her recent book, Fix What You Can: Schizophrenia and a Lawmaker’s Fight for Her Son. When her 21 year-old son was diagnosed with schizo-affective disorder in 1999, Mindy went pub...

Penny is a multinational PR executive with well-known clients such as Korean Air. She gained her prominence as a crisis management expert, is resilient, forward-looking and irreverent. ‘Curiosity”, she says, “is why I have remained relevant throughout my long and storied career.” “The ability to accept loss has a direct correlation on how well you age.” - Penny Pfaelzer Penny takes life in stride,...

Linda’s story is reminiscent of a roller coaster. Years of upward success and then unwanted retirement, successfully navigating its challenges, finally to rise again as a podcaster. First, she rose to prominence as leader of her father’s scrap metal company. Then she reinvents her life by weaving together her two passions: women and business into a successful new venture. And, after retiring due t...

Known to all as Raven, The Talk Show Maven, this gutsy woman reinvented herself from a $10/hr part-time worker to recipient of the 2016 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award. From feeling like Casper the Ghost throughout her early years, Raven was spurred on by her mother’s illness to “step up, show up and grow up”. At age 55, she began building, what is today, a media and broadcasting empire. "...

“Proudly call me old.” -Wilma Jenkins Experienced MBO facilitator, community health educator, volunteer and self-proclaimed matriarch of her family, Wilma Jenkins is a go-getter. After retiring from the original telephone company, AT&T with a huge buyout at 54, she started her own company, Ms. Friday’s Services, and did odd jobs for individuals and her church. She helped to grow the membership...

105 Get Real: Women’s History Month is Not Enough Social Activism plays a big role in the lives of many guests and listeners of the Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined podcast. In this episode of Get Real, Gail and Catherine celebrate the history-making endeavors of our previous guests, discuss why it is not enough to commemorate women’s history only once a year, and reflect on how social activism has...

As a mother, physician, businesswoman and daughter, who navigated her mother’s 10 year journey with Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Cheryl encourages all adults to take responsibility to age intentionally. Her motto is "Live Out Loud and Age Excellently." In her career as an academic geriatrician, primary care doctor, and public policy expert, Dr. Cheryl has always bridged theory and practice. She is als...

Elaine Mays, age 84, loves her newly created home in the Maroon Village of Accompong, Jamaica. How did an educator who participated in school desegregation in Missouri and taught college in California find her way to paradise? In her early 80s, within one year, a spate of tragedies--deaths of loved ones and her own major surgeries--“shook my tree to the roots.” Upon visiting a friend in Accompong,...

Living in New York City, Betty Rauch became a highly skilled marketer who was sought after by high profile clients. When she retired, nonprofits became her passion, and soon she was marketing for causes she dearly believes in. This dynamic, talented woman is a powerhouse who likes being in charge. From promoting after-care for incarcerated men to fostering positive outcomes for pregnant women in l...

Imagine what it might have been like to be a serious female science student in the early 1960s only to be barred from a doctoral program after receiving a masters. Bebe (Beatrice) Magee, age 81, provides a glimpse into her early history. In 2007, Bebe retired as a Senior Scientist in the College of Biological Sciences at the University of Minnesota. For more than 45 years, she and her husband, Pet...

  Women Over 70 is celebrating its 100th episode by featuring Jean Ketcham, affectionately known as Aging But Dangerous. Jean has a laserlike focus on living life with fun, spirit, and style. She is a former small business owner, talk show host, proud parent, avid skydiver, and cancer survivor, up for any challenge thrown her way. At 81, Jean is convinced that aging can be exciting. From skydiving...

With her background in dance and social work, Sheila K. Collins, Ph. D., brings embodied practices to many forms of self-care, particularly for healing. Sheila’s key tenet is that the body is our center of wisdom and at the root of self-care. Our body holds our stories, tells us what we need, and expresses what’s in our hearts. As a teacher-trainer and award-winning author, Sheila offers ways to f...

In semi-retirement, at age 79, Hedy Ratner imparts her prodigious wisdom on women’s issues to high level policy makers. For over 50 years, as an advocate for intersecting civil rights and the second-wave women’s movement, Hedy has confronted inequalities of gender, race and class, e.g.,: working with Jesse Jackson, directing the YWCA-Chicago; founding Women in Film-Chicago; and, co-founding the Wo...

At age 76, Sunny Fischer (Evanston, IL) has advocated for women to be free from violence, exercise reproductive choice, afford their homes and possess financial stability. Sunny’s radicalization for women’s issues began in the 1970s while working directly with victims of rape, “the most dramatic form of sexism.” Over the past 40 years, Sunny has co- founded foundations focused solely on women’s is...

Two years ago, Diana Swezy, age 70, made a dramatic life change.  She left her home in the Midwest and her work as a professional educator to live in a laid-back beach village in Jamaica.  Diana’s professional life centered on students who are challenged, serving as an elementary school principal and as Director of Federal Programs. Having dealt with a long-term chronic illness and major back surg...

Audrey Peeples, age 81, from Chicago’s southwest side, is a history maker--the first Black woman to hold leadership positions in different kinds of organizations. Whether as CEO, board member, or community volunteer, Audrey is committed to raising awareness about racism and sexism and advocating for diversity and inclusion. “When different people are at the table, different decisions get made.” Sh...

Deborah Wood Holton, Ph. D., MFA, and certified transition coach discusses opportunities and realities that are essential to women’s self-preservation as we age. Gender and race inequities are realities in American society. Older women are more likely to be care-givers, live alone, and be limited financially. This is especially true for Black women, who also face a “kin-gap,” as they are often orp...

Nancy Fuhrman: Goals Drive Your Actions in Retirement Nancy has always worked hard to keep everyone in her large blended family connected. As she and her husband, Steve, looked far into the future, she brought the family together to discuss their estate plan and guidelines, ensuring they would all be comfortable with it and on the same page. A lifelong volunteer and learner, Nancy continues to be...

In life there is always another way home. - Ronne Hartfield At age 84, twenty-some years beyond retirement, Ronne Hartfield continues to make a difference as her commitments and curiosities flourish. Ronne honed her executive management talents at Chicago’s Urban Gateways and in two leadership positions at The Art Institute. Post-retirement, she has embarked on a journey of study and consultancy t...

Academy award-winning screenwriter, Pamela Wallace, knew she was going to be a writer when she was a young girl. First, magazine articles and romance novels; then, screenplays and TV movies. Pam fought hard to own her talent and showcase it in Hollywood where women are often second to men and do become invisible as they age. “The point of getting older - having gained wisdom - is to pass it on and...

As 2020 comes to a close, Catherine and Gail “get real” while looking back on a year of growth for both the podcast and their personal lives. This year has been a reminder of the importance of staying connected: zoom gatherings, podcast club, and other creative ways of being together have been a real lifesaver. The Women Over 70 Podcast Club is an opportunity to explore issues that are pertinent t...

The world is just catching up with Joy Loverde, a champion of eldercare and family caregiving for over 30 years. In the second of two widely acclaimed books, Who Will Take Care of Me When I’m Old? (2017), Joy speaks frankly and considerately about planning for the realities of aging and living longer. Women should start planning in their 40s so as older adults they will have enough money and housi...

Julie Percell: Life in Hawaii when You Are Not Hawaiin “Asking for help is a sign of weakness I have to get over.” - Julie Percell After graduation, Julie visited friends in Hawaii and has lived there ever since. She has enjoyed a rich entrepreneurial career in sales, training and teaching. Working closely with local associations and government to provide resources to startups and existing busines...

Life in Ecuador lends itself to mindfulness, meditation and music. However, no matter where we live, the quality of our lives and our health is intimately connected to our diet and lifestyle. That is what determines how balanced our gut microbiome is, which determines how robust our immune system, and ultimately, how well we retain healthy brain functioning. When her mom was diagnosed with dementi...

Kathy Haueisen first moved to Houston with her family in 1982. After a brief return to her home state of Ohio, she again settled in Texas in 1996.  Already a journalist and published writer, she earned a Master of Divinity degree in 1985, intending to teach creative writing. Instead, she took a 35 year detour as an ordained pastor before retiring to write more in 2014. For the past few years Kathy...