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Recently, I went to the Palmer House, one of the oldest, most elegant hotels in Chicago, to celebrate my 67th birthday. Once I sidled up to the bar, I met two women about my age, and we zeroed in on each other.
“I’m here to celebrate my birthday,” I told them.
With that, both women immediately expressed their confusion about what to do as they grew older.
“I like podcasts,” I told them.
In fact, whether it’s finance or regaining your zest for life, these five podcasts can provide solace and answers to how to age with hope and grace.
The Older Women and Friends podcast comes to the rescue. Like a reassuring friend, Jane Leder hosts experts like the gerontologist and author of Aging Sideways, a book that inspires women to embrace the older years with a positive perspective.
“Aging is so misunderstood,” Leder says on the podcast. “It’s not all gloom and doom. If you want to go dancing and you’re 78, do it.”
She’s right. Aging creates more urgency to do things we still want to do, or try for the first time. This is with the realization that time is not endless.
My pick for the next great podcast is Women in the Middle, hosted by certified life coach Suzy Rosenstein, who often encourages women to pursue the road less traveled. My favorite episode was the recent one, “Discover three ways to stop wasting time in midlife so you can regret-proof your life.”
“I know more of us have become more aware of the passage of time, and we feel like we have to do something,” Rosenstein says. That is certainly how I feel, even as I seem to be content spending hours scrolling on my phone.
Rosenstein‘s own story helped me a lot. All her life, she wanted to be an entrepreneur. She finally did it at 50. After starting this podcast, she became so energized that she didn’t want to stop. The podcast is teaching me to follow through on goals and not make excuses.
I often think of Rosenstein’s words on re-imagining our older years: “How would it feel to get up motivated, proud, disciplined and confident?”
Not looking at my phone has become easier as I plan new things to try.
I am also always energized by the podcast Two Third Agers, hosted by 60-plus friends, Katy Betts Adams and Jenny Anderson.
I had my baby at 40 and I often miss him, though I am proud of his career ascent — he’s now a CBS reporter. Adams and Anderson, with their warm voices, tackle subjects like letting go of your adult children.
I’m torn. I want to say I can’t ever let him go. He’s my only child, and with his workload, he rarely comes back home. We still leave his room untouched with a large poster of popular basketball player Michael Jordan.
In the podcast, the two women talk about their own grown children as they've matured from teens into their 20s and early 30s. They wistfully talk about how, if we hover too much, the young adult may pull away abruptly.
My son and Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ son went to Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, at the same time. I always wanted to run into the extraordinary actress Dreyfus during a Parents Weekend, but it never happened. So, I did the next best thing: downloaded her podcast, Wiser Than Me.
Louis-Dreyfus is well known for being quick, smart, and beautiful, having played the ingenue on the popular television show Seinfeld. Her podcast features interviews with other superstars, such as Jane Fonda, Bonnie Raitt, and many more cultural icons.
One of the podcasts that helped me most was an interview with actress/model Isabella Rossellini, 72, the daughter of Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini. As a person who can’t decide what to do in my later years, it was reassuring to hear that Rossellini didn’t know either. She decided to go back to school to pursue a master's degree in Animal Husbandry. Then, she bought a farm with lots of animals, which she runs with her family today.
In fact, Rosellini says she’s so busy, she doesn’t have time to think about old age as the “alternative is not so good.”
She talked about how our older years can be about “serenity." I haven’t bought a farm yet or found my serenity, but this podcast keeps me wondering about what adventures and new mindsets I can create in the years to come.
Living Ageless and Bold with Christina Daves celebrates older women living their lives on their own terms. In one episode, host Daves, a public relations strategist, featured psychologist Sylvia Theisen, who did a memorable episode on “getting your mojo back.”
I was attracted because I want my mojo back.
“Pro-aging is a new movement,” Theisen says. “It’s like I have unlimited possibilities, but what should I do? It’s easier to identify what we don’t want.”
I’ve done a lot of people-pleasing myself, and now, I’d like that to stop, and it’s hard. I have given a lot to others but not enough to myself. It was easy to identify what I do not want anymore.
Daves reinforced Theisen’s message by saying that many people in our lives have had a sweet deal with us doing everything for them, and they don’t want to give it up. She admitted that she struggles with delegating and takes on too much herself. Now, she lets people help, and she’s much happier.
These podcasts are my wake-up call. I have my coffee and listen in. I find inspiration and the will to go forward, with positivity and intention. It’s been difficult navigating the changes happening in my 60s. Though hearing the stories of other older women, I meet people who may be famous, but they are really just like me. They are going through everyday problems, and we can laugh and learn from each other.
After coffee and a podcast, I’m ready to do my 4,000 daily steps. These women really help.
Do any of you listen to podcasts? Which one is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.
Happy woman joyfully using her smartphone (Shutterstock)
Follow Article Topics: Healthy-Aging
