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    [B]OLD AGE With Debbie Weil

    A podcast about (b)oldly moving from midlife to old age in a society that devalues and/or misunderstands what (b)old age is *really* like. Debbie, who is 72, explores that question in frank 30-minute conversations with a best-selling author, expert, or exceptional individual. With her guests she delves into the unretired (non-retired) life, slowing down, ageism, physical deterioration, grandparenting, intergenerational collaboration, grief and widowhood, and more. As well as other stuff that piques her interest: for example, the craft of writing. She invites her husband, Sam Harrington, on as a frequent guest. He’s a retired physician with a dry sense of humor and he makes her laugh. Debbie and Sam took a grownup gap year at age 61, leaving behind a professional life in Washington D.C. Now in their early 70s, they live a very busy "unretired" life on an island off the coast of Maine. Over 100 previous episodes at https://debbieweil.com/podcast MEDIA PARTNERS: Encore.org Modern Elder Academy (Formerly) Next For Me
    enDebbie Weil116 Episodes

    Episodes (116)

    Debbie & Julie-Roxane on Different Styles of Decision-Making No Matter Your Age

    Debbie & Julie-Roxane on Different Styles of Decision-Making No Matter Your Age

    Today, Debbie brings her producer and friend Julie-Roxane back on the podcast to talk about decision-making.

    When you plan ahead 10, 15 or 20 years how do you make the right decisions knowing the future is always uncertain?

    Julie-Roxane, 30, and Debbie, 71, discuss the challenges of decision-making, whether it’s deciding to have children or planning for old age.

    They talk about the concept of maximiser vs. satisficer, two different approaches to decision-making. (Can you guess which is more effective?) They end by reversing roles and giving each other advice about big upcoming decisions. 

    Tune in for a rich intergenerational conversation.

     

    Mentioned in this episode or useful:

     

     

    Previous episodes with Debbie and Julie-Roxane:

     

    Get the inside skinny on every episode of [B]OLDER:

    Subscribe to Debbie’s newsletter for the inside story about every episode. You will also get her 34-page writing guide: https://bitly.com/debbie-free-guide.

     

    Request from Debbie:

    If you've been enjoying the podcast, please take a moment to leave a short review on Apple Podcasts. It really makes a difference in attracting new listeners. 

     

    Connect with Debbie:

     

    Our Media Partners:

     

    How to Support this podcast:

     

    Credits:

    [B]OLD AGE With Debbie Weil
    enFebruary 17, 2023
    money
    decision making
    aging
    gig economy
    elderly
    planning
    happiness
    expert
    personal growth
    personal development

    Debbie & Sam on 50 Years of Marriage: Gratitude, Celebration... and Grief

    Debbie & Sam on 50 Years of Marriage: Gratitude, Celebration... and Grief

    Debbie brings her favorite recurring guest, husband Sam Harrington, back onto the show. This is a special episode because they are celebrating 50 years of marriage today, Feb. 3, 2023.

    They were married a half century ago, in 1973. It was truly another age,  pre-Internet and so much more. They were both 21. That's an astonishing fact: they were obviously too young to get married. But they did and the marriage has lasted. 

    They acknowledge how lucky they are and how much they have to be grateful for.  They have six grandchildren, they like hanging out together, and Sam is still teasing Debbie and making her laugh.

    They talk about the trivial and the existential and how it's okay to feel grief when they look back at their youthful passion and how young and beautiful they were. And how now is a time to think about their mortality and to try and enjoy each present moment.

    Things do change in a long marriage, as you’ll hear. 

    One thing doesn’t, however.  As always, Debbie and Sam disagree about a lot of things. "But that's all good..." A phrase they've adopted after watching W1A, a very funny British TV series starring Hugh Bonneville.
     

    Mentioned in this episode or useful:


    Previous episodes featuring Debbie Weil and her husband Sam Harrington:

     

    Get the inside skinny on every episode of [B]OLDER:

    Subscribe to Debbie’s newsletter for the inside story about every episode. You will also get her 34-page writing guide: https://bitly.com/debbie-free-guide.

     

    Request from Debbie:

    If you've been enjoying the podcast, please take a moment to leave a short review on Apple Podcasts. It really makes a difference in attracting new listeners. 

     

    Connect with Debbie:

     

    Our Media Partners:

    • CoGenerate (formerly Encore.org)
    • MEA and with thanks to Chip Conley
    • Next For Me (former media partner and in memory of Jeff Tidwell)

     

    How to Support this podcast:

     

    Credits:

    [B]OLD AGE With Debbie Weil
    enFebruary 03, 2023
    money
    aging
    home
    gig economy
    parenting
    happiness
    expert
    success
    personal growth
    personal development

    Andrew Steele on Research at the Cellular Level That Could Slow Aging

    Andrew Steele on Research at the Cellular Level That Could Slow Aging

    Today Debbie tackles the topic of aging (better? longer??) with Andrew Steele, an ebullient British scientist, writer and author of Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old.

    After earning a PhD in physics from Oxford, Andrew decided that aging -  not cancer or other diseases - was the single most important scientific challenge of our time. Why? Because of the suffering that goes along with old age.

    So he switched fields to biogerontology, the study of the processes of aging at the cellular level.

    Andrew, 37, doesn’t advocate for immortality. As he puts it: “It’s not about extending lifespan, but rather healthspan." His interest, he maintains, is in helping humans stay healthier longer. 

    Debbie asks Andrew what the most important biological aging processes are. He responds with a clear explanation of cell biology as it relates to aging: from senescent cells and cellular exhaustion to your epigenetic age, and more.

    And he explains that some of these genes and processes can be manipulated to slow or possibly reverse aging - at least, so far, in worms and mice.

    Andrew is exuberant and makes everything understandable.


    They talk about:

    • The 10 hallmarks of the aging process
    • Specifically, how research on worms and mice translates to humans
    • Why 65 - 70 could be the ideal age to take an anti-aging pill (no, it doesn't exist yet)


    They also discuss:

    • Dietary restriction (a topic of aging research since the 1950s)
    • Why the mega-wealthy are so interested in biohacking to improve health and extend life
    • Moral and ethical implications of humans living much longer


    This is an important conversation and we hope you will find it as thought provoking as we did.  

     

    Mentioned in this episode or useful:


    Andrew's book and bonus chapter


    Articles and references

     

    Get the inside skinny on every episode of [B]OLDER:

    Subscribe to Debbie’s newsletter for the inside story about every episode. You will also get her 34-page writing guide: https://bitly.com/debbie-free-guide.

     

    Request from Debbie:

    If you've been enjoying the podcast, please take a moment to leave a short review on Apple Podcasts. It really makes a difference in attracting new listeners. 

     

    Connect with Debbie:

     

    Our Media Partners:

    • CoGenerate (formerly Encore.org)
    • MEA and with thanks to Chip Conley
    • Next For Me (former media partner and in memory of Jeff Tidwell)

     

    How to Support this podcast:

     

    Credits:

    [B]OLD AGE With Debbie Weil
    enJanuary 20, 2023
    money
    climate change
    research
    aging
    gig economy
    happiness
    expert
    personal growth
    personal development
    biohacking

    Jane Brody on Life and Lessons from a Half Century at The New York Times

    Jane Brody on Life and Lessons from a Half Century at The New York Times

    Today, Debbie talks to Jane Brody, the renowned New York Times columnist who until last year wrote the popular weekly Personal Health column. 

    In this episode, she reflects on her 57-year career at the Times. They talk about how she moved from biochemistry to journalism and how she got hired by the Times at age 24.

    Instead of wilting under discouraging words from the editor who was interviewing her for a job, she responded, "Mr. Rosenthal, if I didn't think I could do this job, I wouldn't be here." Abe Rosenthal was the managing editor and later the legendary executive editor of The New York Times. 

    Jane applied her no-nonsense style to reporting, writing with a distinctive mix of personal anecdotes, interviews with experts and scientific fact.

     She started the Personal Health column in 1976 (right when Debbie was starting work as a reporter). She  invented the topic of personal health with the goal of teaching readers how to lead better, healthier lives. The column covered everything from common diseases to cancers to death and dying, as well as wellness, exercise, and nutrition.

    Jane talks about what it was like to be a woman in an almost all-male newsroom and how squeamish editors wouldn’t let her use the words sexual intercourse or penis. She changed that. 

    She also tells us why she decided to retire at age 80 and what her new retired life looks like. 

    Debbie hopes you'll enjoy listening to this episode as much as she did recording it. Jane Brody does not disappoint on the topic of making the most of growing older.

     

    Mentioned in this episode or useful:

     

    Articles by Jane Brody

     

    Articles about Jane:

     

    Mentioned writers and editors:

     

    Get the inside skinny on every episode of [B]OLDER:

    Subscribe to Debbie’s newsletter for the inside story about every episode. You will also get her 34-page writing guide: https://bitly.com/debbie-free-guide.

     

    Request from Debbie:

    If you've been enjoying the podcast, please take a moment to leave a short review on Apple Podcasts. It really makes a difference in attracting new listeners. 

     

    Connect with Debbie:

     

    Our Media Partners:

    • CoGenerate (formerly Encore.org)
    • MEA and with thanks to Chip Conley
    • Next For Me (former media partner and in memory of Jeff Tidwell)

     

    How to Support this podcast:

     

    Credits:

    [B]OLD AGE With Debbie Weil
    enJanuary 06, 2023
    money
    writing
    aging
    gig economy
    happiness
    expert
    personal growth
    personal development
    mindfulness
    failure

    Clementina Esposito on Memoir Writing, the Ugly Truth, and the Impact of the Spoken Word

    Clementina Esposito on Memoir Writing, the Ugly Truth, and the Impact of the Spoken Word

    Debbie Weil talks to friend and exceptional writing teacher Clementina Esposito about memoir, the difficulty of sharing ugly truths, and why making meaning through writing matters. 

    Clementina is founder of the Clementina Collective, a collaborative created to help entrepreneurs and visionary leaders advance their causes and their careers through writing and speaking. 

    In Clementina's words: "No one writes alone, everyone values the power of a well-told story, and ugly truths become beautiful in the end.” 

    Debbie met Clementina a half dozen years ago when Clementina coached her in a public speaking program. They've been friends ever since.

    Clementina has been teaching memoir writing to a group of older students (60s to 80s). She and Debbie discuss the importance of reading aloud - of performing - what you’ve written and how maybe that should be a  goal instead of publication. Reading out loud builds community and intimacy. 

    They also talk about the difficulty and challenge of finding your voice and speaking your truth and sharing it with others – especially if you think it’s an ugly truth. 

    And they conclude by agreeing that anyone can be a writer. Even if you doubt yourself, sharing your writing is how you make meaning of your life... and help your readers do the same.

     

     

    Mentioned in this episode:

     

    Debbie's recommended books about memoir writing:

     

    Get the inside skinny on every episode of [B]OLDER:

    Subscribe to Debbie’s newsletter for the inside story about every episode. You will also get her 34-page writing guide: https://bitly.com/debbie-free-guide.

     

    Request from Debbie:

    If you've been enjoying the podcast, please take a moment to leave a short review on Apple Podcasts. It really makes a difference in attracting new listeners.

     

    Connect with Debbie:

     

    Our Media Partners:

    • CoGenerate (formerly Encore.org)
    • MEA and with thanks to Chip Conley
    • Next For Me (former media partner and in memory of Jeff Tidwell)

     

    How to Support this podcast:

     

    Credits:

    [B]OLD AGE With Debbie Weil
    enDecember 16, 2022
    money
    aging
    gig economy
    happiness
    expert
    personal growth
    personal development
    mindfulness
    failure
    intuition

    Ayse Birsel on How to Apply Design Thinking to a Longer Life

    Ayse Birsel on How to Apply Design Thinking to a Longer Life

    Today Debbie talks with Ayse Birsel. She’s an award-winning industrial designer whose firm has designed hundreds of products for brand name companies like Herman Miller, Ikea and Target. And that includes a product you may have sat on: a toilet seat.

    She’s taken her industrial design methodology, broken it down, simplified it, made it fun and inviting… and turned it into a process for life design. The result is her second and newest book: Design the Long Life You Love: A Step-by-Step Guide to Love, Purpose, Well-Being, and Friendship. 

    One of her key points is that life, just like a design problem, is full of constraints -- time, money, age, location, and circumstances. And if you're an older adult reimagining your last chapter, you know what your final "constraint" is. You can’t have everything, so you have to be creative. You have to think like a designer. 

    You have to get ideas and beliefs out of your head and down onto paper and cultivate an attitude of playfulness and optimism - if you want to change. So the book is filled with Ayse’s whimsical drawings, and her step-by-step maps: for how to make new friends, how to reimagine work, how to create meaning, how to separate achievement from success, how to check your well-being index, and more. 

    One of Debbie's favorite exercises: how to reconcile yourself to unresolved issues. Make a list, Ayse says, pick three, personify them and write them a letter and then let them go.

    Ayse calls her method deconstruction / reconstruction. That means deconstruct your life, do a lot of exploring through scribbling and list-making and drawing, and then reconstruct the life you want. 

    Her new book is jammed with exercises and lists and interviews with her favorite mentors. Ayse says you have to draw (even if you think you can’t) every day to rev up your creative brain. Debbie's advance copy is littered with yellow sticky notes as well as scribbles and arrows. She can't draw but is trying anyway.

     

    Mentioned in this episode or useful:

     

    Get the inside skinny on every episode of [B]OLDER:

    Subscribe to Debbie’s newsletter for the inside story about every episode. You will also get her 34-page writing guide: https://bitly.com/debbie-free-guide.

     

    Request from Debbie:

    If you've been enjoying the podcast, please take a moment to leave a short review on Apple Podcasts. It really makes a difference in attracting new listeners.

     

    Connect with Debbie:

     

    Our Media Partners:

    • CoGenerate (formerly Encore.org)
    • MEA and with thanks to Chip Conley
    • Next For Me (former media partner and in memory of Jeff Tidwell)

     

    How to Support this podcast:

     

    Credits:

    [B]OLD AGE With Debbie Weil
    enDecember 02, 2022
    money
    design
    aging
    gig economy
    happiness
    expert
    personal growth
    personal development
    mindfulness
    failure

    Joan Price on the Joys of (and Differences in) Senior Sex

    Joan Price on the Joys of (and Differences in) Senior Sex

    Today Debbie talks about a topic that interests us all, no matter our age… sex.

    Given the focus of the podcast, she decided to go right to a senior sexspert, Joan Price, for a very frank conversation about all things related to, well, senior sex.

    Joan, who is 79, has legions of followers on her blog, for her books, DVDs and webinars. She was quoted in a New York Times Magazine cover story this year and now gets so many requests for podcast interviews that she mostly turns them down.

    She agreed to come on [B]OLDER after listening to the recent episode with nonagenarian author Hilma Wolitzer (Season 4, Episode 20) about writing through grief.

    Joan calls herself an "advocate for ageless sexuality.” The media calls her “the woman leading a sex revolution for seniors” and, her favorite, "a wrinkly sex kitten."

    Debbie and Joan talk about why senior sex is an embarrassing subject but, more importantly, they talk about how to expand our definition of sex and how to adjust our relationship to body image as we age. 

    They get right into it. No words are off limits so they talk about orgasms and sex toys and more. Joan explains the different types of desire (and why that’s important to understand as you get older).

    After this episode we promise that you’ll know what PIV stands for... if you don’t already.

    Bottom line, Joan's message is that yes, sex is different after 60 or 70 or 80… but in some ways, she says, it’s better. Joan is funny as well as frank. "Spicy” is one of her favorite words. You’ll definitely want to check out her website joanprice.com for tons of resources.

     

    Mentioned in this episode or useful:

     

    Get the inside skinny on every episode of [B]OLDER:

    Subscribe to Debbie’s newsletter for the inside story about every episode. You will also get her 34-page writing guide: https://bitly.com/debbie-free-guide.

     

    Request from Debbie:

    If you've been enjoying the podcast, please take a moment to leave a short review on Apple Podcasts. It really makes a difference in attracting new listeners.

     

    Connect with Debbie:

     

    Our Media Partners:

    • CoGenerate (formerly Encore.org)
    • MEA and with thanks to Chip Conley
    • Next For Me (former media partner and in memory of Jeff Tidwell)

     

    How to Support this podcast:

     

    Credits:

    [B]OLD AGE With Debbie Weil
    enNovember 18, 2022
    money
    aging
    gig economy
    happiness
    expert
    personal growth
    personal development
    mindfulness
    failure
    intuition

    Veteran Blogger Shel Israel on Reinvention, Writing, and Moving Across Country at 78

    Veteran Blogger Shel Israel on Reinvention, Writing, and Moving Across Country at 78

    Today’s episode was a chance for Debbie to reconnect with an old friend, Shel Israel, whom she met about 20 years ago…  in the blogosphere. Yes, there really was a blogosphere in the early 2000's. Shel and Debbie and a bunch of others were pioneers and they all knew each other. They'd meet at conferences and promote each other’s blogs AND explain blogging to everyone else.

    In early 2006, Shel co-authored perhaps the first serious book about business blogging. And Debbie wrote the second one, published later that same year. Shel's book has a much sexier title, Naked Conversations. Debbie's is The Corporate Blogging Book.

    Debbie and Shel talk about his decision to leave California after 50 years and move across country to Florida, just in time for Hurricane Ian. Debbie asks how he fared and how he plans to make friends and become part of his new community in St. Petersburg. He’s got some surprising answers.

    As a tech pioneer and an optimist, he considers everyone he meets on social media to be a friend. He’s using Facebook to connect and to create a new network. And he’s even got a spreadsheet with 13 prospects on it… 13 prospective friends, that is.

    This is an open and honest conversation which, not coincidentally, is the hallmark of good blogging. They talk about how important writing is to Shel, why he left a lucrative career in PR. and how he approaches tech-business ghostwriting and other projects.  

     

     

     

    Mentioned in this episode or useful:

     

     

    Get the inside skinny on every episode of [B]OLDER:

    Subscribe to Debbie’s newsletter for the inside story about every episode. You will also get her 34-page writing guide: https://bitly.com/debbie-free-guide.

     

     

    Request from Debbie:

    If you've been enjoying the podcast, please take a moment to leave a short review on Apple Podcasts. It really makes a difference in attracting new listeners.

     

     

    Connect with Debbie:

     

     

    Our Media Partners:

    • CoGenerate (formerly Encore.org)
    • MEA and with thanks to Chip Conley
    • Next For Me (former media partner and in memory of Jeff Tidwell)

     

     

    How to Support this podcast:

     

     

    Credits:

    [B]OLD AGE With Debbie Weil
    enNovember 04, 2022
    money
    aging
    gig economy
    elderly
    happiness
    expert
    personal growth
    personal development
    mindfulness
    failure

    Debbie & Sam Explore Iceland with Two Grandchildren

    Debbie & Sam Explore Iceland with Two Grandchildren

    Welcome to Season 5 of [B]OLDER where Debbie Weil talks about "making the most of growing older,"  both the good and the not-so-great parts of aging.

    But today it’s all GOOD. 

    Becoming a grandparent is something many people look forward to. Debbie and her husband, Sam Harrington, are lucky enough to have six grandchildren thus far.

    In this episode she chats with Sam (aka "Ba"), to debrief their trip to Iceland this past summer with two grandchildren.

    They talk about why they chose Iceland, and which grandchildren they took with them - and why - and how Dorothea and Lius fared as fellow travelers with their grandparents. 

    They both remark on the  stunning natural wonders of Iceland, most notably the glaciers, the volcanic lava fields, and the waterfalls. 

    They also reflect on their experience as grandparents and how it’s (mostly) different from being a parent.  

    This is a leisurely conversation and perhaps most useful if you have grandchildren or if you have ever considered traveling to Iceland.

    No matter why you’re listening, be sure to get to the last few seconds… for a nice surprise.




    Mentioned in this episode or useful:




    Get the inside skinny on every episode of [B]OLDER:

    Subscribe to Debbie's newsletter for the inside story about every episode. You will also get her free 34-page writing guide: https://bitly.com/debbie-free-guide.



    Request from Debbie:

    If you've been enjoying the podcast, please take a moment to leave a short review on Apple Podcasts. It really makes a difference in attracting new listeners. 

     

    Connect with Debbie:


    Our Media Partners:

    • CoGenerate (formerly Encore.org)
    • MEA and with thanks to Chip Conley
    • Next For Me (former media partner and in memory of Jeff Tidwell)



    How to Support this podcast:



    Credits:

    [B]OLD AGE With Debbie Weil
    enOctober 21, 2022
    money
    aging
    gig economy
    happiness
    expert
    personal growth
    personal development
    mindfulness
    failure
    intuition

    Season 5 - Trailer

    Season 5 - Trailer

    [B]older is back for season 5. And we're back at it: unraveling what it means to make the most of growing older.

    Each episode is a frank 30-minute conversation with a best-selling author, expert, or exceptional individual on a topic related to aging. 

    For host Debbie Weil, 70, it’s a real-time exploration of growing old. But don’t worry; she’s not embracing old age just yet. She’s still (boldly) figuring things out. She asks the hard questions about how to use this later stage of life to create, to find meaning, and to make a difference. 

    In the podcast Debbie delves into all the current  topics related to aging: the unretired life, reinventing work, slowing down, aging better, ageism, living your purpose, grownup gap years, grandparenting, intergenerational collaboration, effects of the pandemic, grief and widowhood, surviving cancer, and more. As well as other stuff that piques her interest; for example, the craft of writing. 

    Her husband, physician author Sam Harrington, is a popular recurring guest. The Debbie & Sam shows feature his dry humor and medical expertise. 

    Join us for another great season diving into what it means to be growing [b]older!

     

    Get the inside skinny on every episode of [B]OLDER:

    Subscribe to Debbie’s newsletter for the inside story about every episode. You will also get her 34-page writing guide: https://bitly.com/debbie-free-guide.

     

    Request from Debbie:

    If you've been enjoying the podcast, please take a moment to leave a short review on Apple Podcasts. It really makes a difference in attracting new listeners. 

     

    Connect with Debbie:

    Our Media Partners:

    • CoGenerate (formerly Encore.org)
    • MEA and with thanks to Chip Conley
    • Next For Me (former media partner and in memory of Jeff Tidwell)

     

    How to Support this podcast:

     

    Credits:

    [B]OLD AGE With Debbie Weil
    enOctober 14, 2022
    money
    aging
    gig economy
    happiness
    expert
    personal growth
    personal development
    mindfulness
    failure
    intuition

    Debbie & Sam Wrap Up Season 4

    Debbie & Sam Wrap Up Season 4

    Debbie Weil brings her husband Sam Harrington back on the show for a dose of his dry humor and to wrap up Season 4.

    Sam shares some of his favorite episodes (see below) and they discuss several topics in the news: Medical Aid In Dying and the 100-year life. If you've listened to Sam in previous episodes, you can probably guess what he thinks about living to 100. 

    Sam is a retired physician; friends and family affectionately call him Dr. Death.

    They also talk about grandparenting and what you can expect from Season 5. 

    Sam's favorite episodes from Season 4

     

     

    Mentioned in this episode:

     

     

    Previous episodes featuring host Debbie Weil and her husband Sam Harrington:

     

    Note from Debbie

    If you've been enjoying the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts. It takes less than two minutes and it really makes a difference. It makes me feel loved and it also attracts new listeners.

    Subscribe to my newsletter and get my free writing guide: https://bitly.com/debbie-free-guide.

     

    Connect with me:

    Debbie

     

    We are looking for a sponsor or to join a podcast network

    If you are interested in reaching a smart and thoughtful audience of midlife, and older, listeners, contact Debbie Weil.

     

    Media Partners

     

    Support this podcast:

     

    Credits:

    [B]OLD AGE With Debbie Weil
    enJuly 08, 2022
    podcast
    money
    covid
    podcasting
    aging
    gig economy
    happiness
    expert
    personal growth
    personal development

    Hilma Wolitzer, 92, on Writing Through Grief and Turning Domestic Life Into Art

    Hilma Wolitzer, 92, on Writing Through Grief and Turning Domestic Life Into Art

    Today, Debbie talks to writer and novelist Hilma Wolitzer, age 92. 

    She’s just published a new book of short stories titled "Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket." So yes, this is someone who is "making the most of growing older."

    Hilma's stories of sharply observed domestic life were published in the Saturday Evening Post and Esquire in the 1960s and 1970s. She has taught writing at the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, NYU, and Columbia. She's also the author of nine novels and the recipient of national awards and fellowships.

    Her husband of almost 70 years died of COVID in the first months of the pandemic. It was as if he vanished, she told Debbie.

    She and her husband Morty both got Covid in April of 2020. They were taken to separate hospitals in New York City.

    She never got to say good-bye.

    He died two days before she was released from the hospital and went home to her apartment.

    As she tells Debbie on the podcast:

    "There were his slippers next to the bed. There was a pair of his drugstore eyeglasses. He seemed to have vanished and that was the sense I tried to depict in (the final) story (of her new book). Disappearance rather than dying." 

    She was encouraged to write through her grief, and to write this story and add it to a new collection, by her daughters: New York Times bestselling novelist Meg Wolitzer and artist Nancy Wolitzer.

    She titled the new story, "The Great Escape." It is as diamond sharp and perfect - and funny - as her earlier writing. There's even sex.
      
    Hilma tells it all in this conversation:

    • What her writing process is
    • Why she writes about ordinary domestic life
    • Why and how she wrote through grief
    • What it was like, over 50 years ago, to be a woman and a writer and not be taken seriously

     


    Mentioned in this episode or useful:

     

    Note from Debbie

    If you've been enjoying the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts. It takes less than two minutes and it really makes a difference. It makes me feel loved and it also attracts new listeners.

    Subscribe to my newsletter and get my free writing guide: https://bitly.com/debbie-free-guide.

     

    Connect with me:

     

    We are looking for a sponsor or a podcast network

    If you are interested in reaching a smart and thoughtful audience of midlife, and older, listeners, contact Debbie Weil.

     

    Media Partners

     

    Support this podcast:

    Credits:

    [B]OLD AGE With Debbie Weil
    enJuly 01, 2022
    money
    writing
    aging
    gig economy
    happiness
    writer
    sex
    novelist
    expert
    personal growth

    Paula Span on Ageism, Journalism, and the Art of Grandparenting

    Paula Span on Ageism, Journalism, and the Art of Grandparenting

    Today, Debbie speaks with Paula Span, a veteran journalist and the author since 2009 of the New York Times’ column, The New Old Age. The column explores, as the Times’ puts it, “the unprecedented challenges posed by a rapidly aging population.” 

    That’s a pretty broad topic so Paula covers everything from the cost of growing older, to social security for same sex couples, to stubborn aging parents, to the evolving status of medical aid in dying (MAID), formerly known as death with dignity. 

    In 2017, after becoming a grandmother, she added a second Times column, Generation Grandparent. She’s adapted those essays for her audiobook “The Bubbe Diaries,” released by Audible in 2021.

    She’s also a revered professor of journalism, having taught at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism for over two decades. 

    She is the author of “When the Time Comes: Families with Aging Parents Share Their Struggles and Solutions,” published by Hachette.

    She and Debbie talk about how she explores the topic of pernicious ageism for the Times - not with personal opinion - but with research and data and expert interviews. Each of her columns gets a huge response with readers leaving as many as 500 comments.  

    They talk about her approach to writing as a freelance journalist (always say YES, she tells Debbie, no matter what the assignment is). And they talk about her artful approach to grandparenting. She lives in Montclair, N.J., and travels to Brooklyn once a week to care for her granddaughter.

    This is an intriguing behind-the-scenes peek at writing for the Times from a veteran journalist.

     

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    [B]OLD AGE With Debbie Weil
    enJune 17, 2022
    money
    author
    writing
    aging
    gig economy
    happiness
    columnist
    journalist
    expert
    personal growth

    A’lelia Bundles on Legacy, Leadership, and Growing Bolder at 70

    A’lelia Bundles on Legacy, Leadership, and Growing Bolder at 70

    Today, Debbie Weil talks to A’Lelia Bundles: her college classmate and friend of almost 50 years. 

    A’Lelia, or LeLe, as her friends call her, is an award-winning journalist, author, historian, biographer, speaker and nonprofit leader. She speaks at conferences, colleges, and corporations about entrepreneurship, philanthropy, historic preservation, financial literacy and women’s and African American history. She calls herself a truth seeker. She's also distinguished by her warm and humorous style. It's infectious, as you'll hear.

    She and Debbie are both members of the Harvard/Radcliffe class of 1974. (Another notable member of their class is Merrick Garland,  United States Attorney General.)

    A'lelia is the great-great granddaughter of Madam C.J. Walker, the 19th century hair-care entrepreneur, activist, and philanthropist, and the first black woman millionaire in America. 

    She is the author of On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker, a New York Times Notable Book and the definitive biography of her trailblazing great-great grandmother. Self Made, the fictional Netflix series starring Octavia Spencer, is "inspired by" (although not factually based upon) her biography. A'lelia is at work on her fifth book, The Joy Goddess of Harlem: A’Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance, about her great-grandmother whose parties, arts patronage and travels helped define the era. 

    A former network television news executive and producer at ABC News and NBC News, she is a vice chair emerita of Columbia University’s Board of Trustees and chair emerita of the board of the National Archives Foundation. She is the founder of the Madam Walker Family Archives, the largest private collection of Walker documents, photographs and memorabilia.

    Debbie and A’Lelia talk about not retiring, the pain of writing a book, and the importance of community and friends - especially the women in their college class. They discuss the legacy she wants to leave behind as a black woman and what she is looking forward to as she turns 70. 

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    [B]OLD AGE With Debbie Weil
    enJune 03, 2022
    money
    author
    aging
    gig economy
    children
    happiness
    journalist
    expert
    personal growth
    personal development

    Dr. Bree Johnston on Psychedelic Therapy to Ease Fear of Death

    Dr. Bree Johnston on Psychedelic Therapy to Ease Fear of Death

    Today, Debbie talks with Dr. Bree Johnston, a geriatrician and a palliative care physician who is also certified in psychedelic therapies.

    In case you haven't noticed, the topic of psychedelic therapy has gone mainstream in the past several years. Taking a guided psilocybin trip is now viewed as a highly effective way to ease fear of dying. But it's complicated. It took Debbie several months to find just the right person to interview about the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics. 

    Her research led her to Dr. Bree Johnston who is perfectly credentialed for this topic as well as being a notably clear and wise teacher for [B]OLDER podcast listeners. She's been a practicing physician for 35 years and recently became certified in Psychedelic Therapies and Research through the California Institute of Integral Studies.

    They talk about:

    - The problem of legality (she predicts psilocybin therapy will be legal in a few years)
    - Why psychedelic therapy is especially useful for older, dying patients
    - Her own psychonaut experiences
    - The dissolution of "self" and becoming part of a whole (a common experience on a psychedelic trip)
    - The current studies being done at Johns Hopkins and NYU
    - Microdosing
    - And her evaluation of which psychedelic therapies are currently most useful: psilocybin, MDMA (aka ecstasy), ketamine (not illegal but results can vary widely).

    They also explore the complexity that comes with medicalizing psychedelics as well as the ethics surrounding legalization.  This is a highly informative conversation with a knowledgeable physician. 

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    Note from Debbie

    If you've been enjoying the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts. It takes less than two minutes and it really makes a difference. It makes me feel loved and it also attracts new listeners.

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    [B]OLD AGE With Debbie Weil
    enMay 20, 2022
    money
    aging
    gig economy
    happiness
    professor
    mdma
    lsd
    expert
    personal growth
    personal development

    Bestselling Author Dan Pink on the Power of Regret at Any Age

    Bestselling Author Dan Pink on the Power of Regret at Any Age

    Debbie talks with five-time New York Times bestselling author Dan Pink about his latest book: The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward. His books have been translated into 42 languages and have sold millions of copies around the world. 

    She met Dan many years ago when she lived in DC and has been a fan ever since she read his first book, Free Agent Nation. That book was one of the first to legitimize solopreneurs and to predict the revolution in the workplace.

    The premise of his new book is that while many people (especially Americans) proclaim "I have no regrets!" that statement is wrongheaded and, as Dan delights in pointing out, simply not true. 

    We all have regrets and regret is a valuable emotion that can lead us to better understand ourselves and even to live our lives differently.

    The book is partially based on the results of Dan's World Regret Survey. He read through 15,000 replies from 100+ countries and deduced that there are really only four core regrets.

    • Foundational (If only I'd done the work... )
    • Boldness (If only I'd taken the chance... )
    • Moral (If only I'd done the right thing... )
    • Connection (If only I'd reached out... )

    Debbie went into this episode thinking that "regret" has a special resonance for those past midlife who may be reflecting on what lies behind them - or what DOESN’T lie behind them - because they didn’t do it.

    But Dan is pretty clear that regretting an inaction - what he defines as a Boldness regret - can come at any age. And that it's never too late to do something about it.

    Debbie reveals one of her biggest regrets to Dan and he offers some on-air therapy for how she should deal with it.

    They also talk about Dan’s "failure resumé" and what he learned from it.

    This is an entertaining and informative episode. But it doesn't cover everything in Dan's new book. Be sure to pick up your own copy to learn more about self-disclosing, self-compassion, and self-distancing when it comes to your own regrets; when to "undo" something you did in the past; and the importance of maintaining connections with friends.

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    If you've been enjoying the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts. It takes less than two minutes and it really makes a difference. It makes me feel loved and it also attracts new listeners.

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    [B]OLD AGE With Debbie Weil
    enMay 06, 2022
    money
    aging
    gig economy
    happiness
    expert
    personal growth
    personal development
    grief
    mindfulness
    failure

    Suzanne Carmichael on Reimagining Widowhood

    Suzanne Carmichael on Reimagining Widowhood

    Debbie talks to Suzanne Carmichael about navigating a new phase of her life as a widow at age 78.

    Becoming a widow is one of Debbie's greatest fears. But it is a reality for many married women after age 65. So she invited Suzanne, a new friend in coastal Maine, onto the show. Debbie wanted to learn more about how she is handling this difficult experience.

    Suzanne's husband Don passed away in August of 2020 after what she calls a 46-year love affair. The early stages of grief were awful, she tells us. But then she realized she still had a lot of energy and wanted to do something with it. Thus was born her blog, titled Aging Fearlessly. 

    Suzanne has also created a new nonprofit, Maine Widows in Action, to support and educate widows who want to be change agents in their communities and beyond. It’s a perfect match for her background as a retired public interest attorney.

    This is a nuanced conversation about loneliness, pain, bravery, opportunity, and practicality. 

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    Note from Debbie

    If you've been enjoying the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts. It takes less than two minutes and it really makes a difference. It makes me feel loved and it also attracts new listeners.

    Subscribe to my newsletter and get my free writing guide: https://bitly.com/debbie-free-guide.

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    [B]OLD AGE With Debbie Weil
    enApril 22, 2022
    money
    aging
    gig economy
    happiness
    expert
    personal growth
    personal development
    grief
    mindfulness
    failure

    Debbie and Julie-Roxane on Messy Conversations About Old Age and Dying

    Debbie and Julie-Roxane on Messy Conversations About Old Age and Dying

    Debbie hands over the mic to her producer, Julie-Roxane Krikorian, for a deep dive on the conversations we need to have with ourselves and our loved ones about old age and dying. 

    Together, they unpack the difference between theory and practice when it comes to these emotionally-loaded conversations. They talk about the challenges of becoming weaker and more vulnerable as our bodies decline, and the flipping of the dynamics of care between parents and children at the end of life.

    They discuss the difficulty of giving space to our aging parents all the while trying to support them with practical help. They also talk about a reframe from weakening to softening and how to become elders who lead the way into the unknown of aging and dying.

    Debbie shares her personal journey with this topic as a daughter, a big sister of four, and a mother of three. She even reveals what her “dream death” is. 

    This is a real and honest account of Debbie’s experiences and, we believe, a useful conversation to anyone navigating the complex waters of aging parents and aging ourselves.

    Don't worry, there's plenty of humor. 

     

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    Note from Debbie

    If you've been enjoying the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts. It takes less than two minutes and it really makes a difference. It makes me feel loved and it also attracts new listeners.

    Subscribe to my newsletter and get my free writing guide: https://bitly.com/debbie-free-guide.

     Connect with me:

     

    We are looking for a sponsor or a podcast network

    If you are interested in reaching a smart and thoughtful audience of midlife, and older, listeners, contact Debbie Weil.

     

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    Credits:

    [B]OLD AGE With Debbie Weil
    enApril 08, 2022
    money
    aging
    gig economy
    happiness
    expert
    personal growth
    personal development
    mindfulness
    vulnerability
    failure

    Nicholas Christakis With a COVID Update and the Connection Between Pandemics, War, and Climate Change

    Nicholas Christakis With a COVID Update and the Connection Between Pandemics, War, and Climate Change

    Debbie Weil brings Nicholas Christakis back on the show  for an update on all things COVID. Their conversation one year ago was one of the most popular episodes of Season 3. Nicholas is a Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science at Yale. He's a physician, a sociologist, and a public health expert and he's the bestselling author of several books, including, most recently, Apollo's Arrow, about the coronavirus pandemic. 

    The book is out in paperback, with a new Preface and a new Afterword. Debbie wanted to ask Nicholas where are we now with the COVID-19 pandemic, where are we going, and what does this all mean in an historical context.

    She could listen to Nicholas all day as he weaves together the history, the science, the epidemiology, the psychology and the sociology of pandemics, or plagues as he calls them. Not surprisingly, he's an in-demand expert for commentary about the coronavirus pandemic. 

    Vaccines were widely available when the two spoke a year ago. Debbie, like many others, thought that meant the beginning of the end of the pandemic. Not quite, Nicholas said at the time. He was spot on in his predictions, saying that not until 2024 would the pandemic be behind us. A year later, he says we are finally through phase one of the pandemic. He expects we'll reach herd immunity several months from now.

    He and Debbie discuss Long COVID, whether we should still be wearing masks, the continuing importance of getting thrice vaccinated, what metric to pay the most attention to (number of deaths per day),  addressing disinformation around this pandemic, and more. He notes that historically there has been a confluence of disasters associated with plagues, including war, famine, and climate change.

    When the war against Ukraine erupted, he was astounded but also not surprised. World War I accompanied the 1918 pandemic. This time, Ukraine and climate change are the accompanying global disasters.

    Nicholas ends by reminding us that plagues are not rare and may continue to become more present in our lifetime – but that we have the tools and technology to get through them.

    Tune in for a fascinating conversation about where we are now with the COVID pandemic.

     

    About Nicholas Christakis

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    Note from Debbie

    If you've been enjoying the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts. It takes less than two minutes and it really makes a difference. It makes me feel loved and it also attracts new listeners.

    Subscribe to my newsletter and get my free writing guide: https://bitly.com/debbie-free-guide.

    Connect with me:

    We are looking for a sponsor or a podcast network

    If you are interested in reaching a smart and thoughtful audience of midlife, and older, listeners, contact Debbie Weil.

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    Credits

    [B]OLD AGE With Debbie Weil
    enMarch 25, 2022
    money
    covid
    pandemic
    climate change
    vaccines
    aging
    covid vaccine
    pandemics
    gig economy
    happiness

    Bradley Schurman on Our Aging Population and How It Could Eradicate Ageism

    Bradley Schurman on Our Aging Population and How It Could Eradicate Ageism

    Today Debbie speaks with Bradley Schurman about the megatrend of an aging population, both in the U.S. and globally. Bradley is a demographic futurist and the author of a provocative new book: The Super Age: Decoding Our Demographic Destiny.

    The aging of our population represents the intersection of two other megatrends: decreased birth rates and increased longevity. 

    The numbers are staggering: By 2030, one out of five Americans will be over 65. To put it another way, In the next two years the number of those 65 and over, in the U.S., will be equal to those under 18. 

    So what does this mean? Well it’s complicated. 

    Obviously it means that society needs to adapt and to change. But Debbie's question to Bradley is, will it - and how long will it take? 

    There are so many interrelated factors.

    In his book he talks about the economy (the impact on social security and medicare and more), societal attitudes (meaning ageism), workplace policies, lifetime education and training, housing, geography (urban vs. rural), advertising and marketing, and the startling inequities in longevity between the well off and the poor and between races.

    In their conversation they focus on the workplace and the changes that will have to happen in order for businesses and the economy to thrive. 

    Bradley is an incorrigible optimist, as you’ll hear, and Debbie so very much wants to believe him. 

    In his future scenario older workers will be welcomed into the workforce well past retirement age, both society and government will change how older people are viewed and treated, and older people will move from the sidelines where they are now, often seen as expendable and not useful, to center stage. 

    Bradley says this can happen in a decade. Debbie is skeptical about how fast we’ll see change.

     Lots to think about in this conversation and in Bradley’s new book.

     

     

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    Note from Debbie

    If you've been enjoying the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts. It takes less than two minutes and it really makes a difference. It makes me feel loved and it also attracts new listeners.

    Subscribe to my newsletter and get my free writing guide: https://bitly.com/debbie-free-guide.

     

    Connect with me:

     

    We are looking for a sponsor or a podcast network

    If you are interested in reaching a smart and thoughtful audience of midlife, and older, listeners, contact Debbie Weil.

     

    Media Partners

     

    Support this podcast:

     

    Credits:

    [B]OLD AGE With Debbie Weil
    enMarch 11, 2022
    money
    pandemic
    data
    social media
    longevity
    aging
    gig economy
    happiness
    expert
    personal growth
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