As an educational leader and mentor, Dr. Helen Benjamin tells stories about growing up in the segregated South, living and working in two worlds—Black and White, and helping younger Black professionals navigate their CEO roles in community colleges. In semi-retirement, Helen leads HSV Consulting, Inc, works with “dozens of colleges, boards, and CEO…

Do you want to share housing but find the transition scary? We often live in shared housing when we are single: college, roommates in camp, at conferences, during our early careers. Living with housemates as we age is no different. Annamarie Pluhar, 70, is a well-spoken advocate for shared housing and offers valuable ways of thinking to simplify th…

Mary Mitchell, age 74, sheds light on aging and ageism in her occasional column for the Chicago Sun Times, Starting Over. Mary ‘started over’ five years ago when she switched her journalistic authority on race relations in Chicago to concentrate on matters of growing older. She advocates that longevity is a blessing and aging offers an opportunity …

Ann Anderson Evans, age 82, lives in Vermont. She is a writer, linguist, and former professor. Her first memoir, Daring to Date Again (2014), which tells the story of what happened after she started dating at 62, won multiple prizes. Her sequel The Sweet Pain of Being Alive: A Memoir of Love and Death (Jan. 2024), narrates her attempt to find out w…

Susan Gangsei, a classically trained tapestry artist from Minneapolis, MN, uses her talent to create images of women aging. Her recent series, The Sacred Journey of Aging, features the “beauty, strength, and wisdom of older women.” Susan treats viewers to her tapestries that represent different passages of growing older—feeling invisible, making mi…

Visionary and disrupter, Jacynth Bassett, is an award-winning, highly sought after consultant and expert in the anti-ageism/ age-inclusive & positive movement. At only 31, she is widely recognized as a leading pioneer and voice, awarded ‘Anti-Ageist Activist’ of 2023, at the inaugural Advantages Of Age Awards 2023. and named one of Evening Standard…

LIfe is a constant adventure for Michele Kurlander, 79. She lives in Chicago, yet her heart is in France. A fluent francophile, Michelle spends much of her life traveling between Chicago and Paris. There she has met dear friends who live all across the world. When she becomes interested in an artist, an author, a performer, Michele’s obsession with…

Dr. Pamela Meyer is a prolific author, international consultant and keynote speaker, and college teacher whose areas of focus are leadership agility, organizational change, and adult learning. In her most recent book, Staying in the Game: Leading and Learning with Agility for a Dynamic Future, Pamela draws on her experiences as an amateur, gold med…

Sheila Solomon’s career in mass media arts spans 50 years. She was among the first African American women to work in the newsrooms of regional and national newspapers. Sheila became a dedicated advocate for affirmative action—bringing people of color into the news business and reporting on race issues in professions outside of journalism. While wor…

As the founder of AGEIST Magazine and Super Ager podcast, David Stewart is a passionate champion of the modern 50+ lifestyle. While interviewing David is a departure from interviewing women 70-110+, we feel that what he has to say contributes to our mission of aging reimagined. Women are the ones who are changing things. Men never experienced ageis…

When Sandy Gordon retired at 70, from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Rosemont, Illinois as Director of Public Relations, a colleague gave her a toast. It said in part: “Sandy has the kind of talent that startles people. Really. Her co-workers and colleagues often sit around wondering how she comes up with her ideas. Ideas that seem t…

Coleen T. Murphy, Ph.D is Director, Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, James A. Elkins, Jr. Professor in the Life Sciences, Department of Molecular Biology, and LSI Genomics, Princeton University. She is also Director, Paul F. Glenn Center for Aging Research at Princeton and Director of Simons Collaboration on Plasticity and the Aging…

Dr. Tracey Gendron is an internationally recognized gerontologist with almost 30 years of experience as a grant-funded researcher. She speaks to audiences globally about the real world impact of age bias. She is determined to change people’s negative views about aging. “Ageism, she says, is complicated - more nuanced than most people think it is. A…

Carol Stitzer, 80, lives life in the moment. All you have to do is listen to her and you immediately understand that she is positive, talented, energetic and happy. From early childhood education to development professional, fundraiser, artist and volunteer, Carol never lacks for the next big thing. She fine-tuned her skills at the Center for Ameri…

A life of social service requires a deep commitment to reaching out, helping out and finding those paths that have meaning to you. Throughout Nancy Hanson’s entire life, she has been doing just that. Following in the footsteps of her mother, Nancy knows no other way of being. Early on, she joined the League of Women Voters and in each of the cities…

Catherine (Kate) Saccany was born to run. She took up jogging and ran barefoot for her first 30 months because there were no running shoes for women. A career banker, Kate joined LaSalle Bank. Coincidentally, LaSalle sponsored the Chicago marathon. She bought her first pair of running shoes, qualified for the marathon and has not stopped since. Yes…

Joy, love, compassion - the foundation of Eme’s life and her stories. Eme McAnam was a singer-songwriter who charted in the top 100 in Country Music. Her career has taken many turns: Singer/songwriter, novelist, art photographer. Her newest novel, Freefalling: A Novel of Senior Romance, is based on a topic she knows well from her 91/2 years serving…

Educational equity, intercultural communication, and teacher education are the threads of Dr. Gretchen Wilbur’s 30+-year career as an educational leader. Upon retiring from DePaul University in 2019, Gretchen traded an urban lifestyle in Chicago for the rural mountains in Jamaica where she lives with the Maroon people. As the only resident who is W…

[spp-player] Carol Marin, age 75, is an award-winning television and print journalist renowned for her nearly 50 years of investigative stories on politics, public corruption, and organized crime. In 2016, Carol co-founded and directs DePaul University’s Center for Journalism Integrity and Excellence where she teaches a two-quarter long course in A…

Sex educator, Joan Price, is the voice for ‘ageless sexuality.’ In her books, webinars, presentations, newsletter, and blog, Joan talks frankly about spicy and satisfying sex for seniors, whether partnered or solo. She is the first to address sex and grief in her recent book, Sex After Grief: Navigating Your Sexuality After Losing Your Beloved. Joa…

We love all our interviews. However, meeting Betty Werrenrath in person, and interviewing her in her apartment at the Presbyterian Homes in Evanston, IL was a unique experience that we would not have traded. Betty is inspiring, positive, upbeat and interesting. She was born January 28, 1914 in Harrisburg, PA. The daughter of a progressive preacher’…

Patti Temple Rocks has had a long, successful, and immensely rewarding career in marketing and communications and still she is not done. Her work and her articles and books have been written about in major publications such as Fast Company, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal. Inc. Patti started her career at Dow Chemical in 1981. It was not until many…

Dr. Susan Mazer is a full-time performing jazz harpist and former President, Co-founder, and CEO of Healing HealthCare Systems, producers of The C.A.R.E. Channel, the only evidence-based, 24-hour relaxation channel for patient television. Now in its 30th year, C.A.R.E. is being broadcasted in over 1,100 hospitals nationally and internationally incl…

When nearing 50 years of age and recently widowed, Judy sold everything, bought an around-the-world airline ticket, and set off alone on a year-long journey without a planned itinerary. “The outer journey serves as a container” for Judy’s inner “struggle to find her way as a sober, single, independent woman.” A master teacher and published author o…

Through Top Sixty Over Sixty, Helen writes articles and speaks at conferences to encourage a reframed narrative of aging, one that reflects the age realities of the 21st century. She emphasizes the need for a longevity focus, encourages an entrepreneurial mindset, and cautions against internalized ageism which undermines the potential of older adul…

Janis Clark Johnston is a family psychologist, speaker, and author of several books, most recently Transforming Retirement: Rewire and Grow Your Legacy. When she experienced 9/11, Janis says, she became more sensitive to other’s pain and loss. Planning rituals to honor the person you lost helps you to grow during the grieving process. Keeping a gra…

Emily Clionsky, MD, and Mitchell Clionsky, PhD, are a physician and neuropsychologist couple who have cared for their own parents with dementia, created a test used by doctors to measure cognitive function, and treated more than 25,000 patients with cognitive impairment. They partner at a private practice, Clionsky Neuro Systems, Inc., based in Spr…

Diane Slezak is CEO of Age Options, a nonprofit advocacy organization she has been involved with since 1976. Age Options caters to older adults and those who care for them with resources and service options so older adults can live their lives to the fullest. The explosive demographic of baby- boomers has sparked pressing issues, including home-del…

Since becoming CEO of The Village Chicago in 2019, Darcy has overseen the growth and vitality of The Village—including over 500 comprehensive programs that focus on social, emotional, and physical well-being. She promotes improved quality of life for older adults and intergenerational collaboration at work, at home, and in the community. Darcy and …

For much of her life, Susan Cartland-Bode has shared her gift of music-- as a soloist and choral singer, voice teacher, player of piano and violin and, most recently, fiddle. A resident of Plymouth Place in LaGrange Park, IL, Susan performs solos, sings with the Plymouth Place Singers, and directs the Singing Sages, a group that offers sing-along p…

Rhea Zakich, age 88, touches human hearts as an author, speaker, workshop and seminar leader, and creator of the world’s popular communication game the UNGAME (1973)—5 million sold and still selling. Her dramatic story of the UNGAME has been told on TV and radio programs as well as in major newspapers and publications such as Readers Digest, Redboo…

Catherine Hiller is inspired to write against the grain. In her current novel, Cybil Unbound, (her 10th book and 6th novel), she delicately characterizes an older woman and her new-found sexuality. Catherine believes the capacity to fall in love can strike at any age. "It is a rare depiction about sexual adventure in a woman's later years. Cybill i…

Taru Fisher coaches women to make aging fearless, fulfilling, and fun. She encourages women to fully respect their own aging process and be vibrantly visible. Taru is a certified NLP Health Practitioner and NLP Coach specializing in aging. She also is a Healer Certified Medical Cannabis Wellness Advisor and a provider of Health and Wellness Coachin…

In her role as a certified Death Doula (also known as an End-of-Life Doula or Death Midwife), Julie Iverson is passionate about providing non-medical, non-judgmental, holistic care and support to individuals and their loved ones as they navigate the challenges and transitions of aging and dying. She educates them about options available before, dur…

Sara Gilfert, 94, lives in Ohio. She comes from a family that was populated with teachers and preachers. While she began her college education in journalism, a chance workshop on fiber art caused her to change her major and she became a fiber artist and teacher. Since 2003, she has owned her own hand-paper-making studio, exclusively harvesting the …

Ashton Applewhite has been speaking out about aging and ageism for over 15 years. Her 2016 book, This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism, radicalized the present anti-ageism movement. Since then, Ashton has continued her blog, Yo, is This Ageist?, co-founded the Old School Anti-Ageism Clearinghouse, and is in high demand to speak at various ve…

Connie Zweig, PhD, is a retired Jungian-oriented therapist and coauthor of Meeting the Shadow and Romancing the Shadow. Her award-winning book, The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul, extends her work on the Shadow into midlife and beyond and explores aging as a spiritual practice. It won the 2022 Gold COVR Award, the 2022 Gold Nautilus …

Beth Truett, MDiv, BS, believes in serving. It comes naturally to her and has guided her career path over the years. Her earliest memories are of lunches with the Ladies’ Aid Society. After a lengthy corporate career where she was committed to mentoring women, she worked at Chicago Lights, then Oral Health America. Both organizations needed to reig…

Diane Valletta has moved from passion to passion throughout her life. Her mother, who died at 93, was her role model. She had a passion for activism and service. The same is true for Diane, whose desire for service has spanned her entire life. From Women Employed to NAWBO (National Association for Women Business Owners), Diane has served on numerou…

A former nun, teacher, relationship author of The Marriage Plan: How To Marry Your Soul Mate In One Year Or Less, owner of Jordan De-Laurenti, Inc., a training and contract management company and a small business columnist for the Dallas Times-Herald, Aggie has published numerous articles, blogs, and is author of A Woman’s Voice Should Be Heard: My…

When lightning strikes, where do you go to avoid injury? If you live in the United States, you likely have easy access to a safe building or car. In fact, fewer than 20 people die annually from being struck by lightning. But for people who live in the developing world, the risks of injury or death are magnified because they do not have access to sa…

Sheree Clark is a Midlife Courage Coach whose varied forks-in-the-road include: university administrator in student personnel; owner of an advertising agency; TV show host; author; health coach; raw vegan chef and more. Through her Talk Series for Midlife Women, weekly blogs, private Facebook group for Midlife Courage Warriors, Midlife Summer Schoo…

E. Beverly Young speaks her truths about gender and race prejudices in the workplace and larger society. She entered professional policing 50 years ago, one of few women in a male-dominated field. During her 26 years in uniform, Beverly achieved the rank of Lieutenant and become a certified police instructor for police training academies throughout…

KC Henry’s roots are in eleven generations of Ohioans including her five siblings, four adult children and spouses, and 10 grandchildren. “Forgiveness and enjoyment of each other is what makes a family this size work.” KC creates room for consulting with non-profit organizations--drawing on her extensive experience in equine therapy--as well as for…

Berry Dilley’s areas of interest cover movement, dance and mindfulness, teaching, creativity, as well as health, disability services, and quality of life for elders. She has degrees in dance, sociology and counseling and more recently trained in Somatic Experiencing to help people who have experienced trauma. Berry grew up on the east coast and mov…

Quote: Art has always been my friend. Today I participate in ‘Yarn Bombing’ projects. Ingrid Roze is a multi-faceted woman with many interests. Her parents came from Bulgaria and Latvia. Each found their way to Venezuela in 1948 where they met and married. It was there that Ingrid was born and remained until she was 12 when the family moved to the …

Connie Goddard has reimagined who she is for her entire life. One thing remains constant: her love for writing and for history. Connie lived in Chicago for most of her life; she writes about the city's history, that of the Dakotas where her family is from, and New Jersey, where she now lives. Industrial education programs in all three places are th…

Terri Banner Fitzsimmons hails from British Columbia. She has been in the field of education most of her adult life, as a teacher of all grades, Sociology Professor for twenty years, director of an Independent Study Program, helping adults earn their diploma. Author of 5 books, she won many awards, including being recognized for initiating a girl p…

As a therapist and writer, I support women who struggle with real problems to bolster their agency. - Dian Greenwood Growing up in the basement of the courthouse adjoined to the jail in South Dakota, Dian developed an affinity for people who struggle against the odds. As a therapist, Dian has specialized in alcohol abuse and, currently, focuses on …

Cheryl Keen, EdD—scholar, activist, Quaker—has always tried to follow her callings which personify commitment, connection, and community. As a pioneer in significant movements--peace education and justice, service-learning, and progressive higher education--Cheryl job-shared seven leadership positions with her husband, Jim. They are parents/grandpa…