Podcasts

a white cloud shaped like a bird in flight hovers over the sea, with land in the distance. A feeling of mystery and spirituality

57. Spirituality for skeptics: the inner life of older adults

September 8, 2026

Are you a bit skeptical about spirituality? Listen to a wise and pragmatic discussion from Mike Fitzsimons, poet and cancer survivor.

5 examples of memoirs on a carpet. Cat yawning , head turned away

56. Tips and rewards for writing your memoir, with Deborah Shepard

August 25, 2026

I asked Deborah Shepard to talk about writing your life story, because she has been teaching a course on memoir writing for 20 years. Tips are especially useful as you get older, because your life story gets longer and longer and longer! The rewards for writing a memoir will surprise you, I think, because they […]

drawing of a happy older woman blogging at her desk computer

54. Tips from a centenarian: a mantra against falling, a system, and gratitude. With Doris Carnevali

July 28, 2026

I enjoy reading tips from a centenarian about why they’ve lived so long and stayed so perky. Now well over 100, Doris Carnevali devised an original system for tackling the never-ending problems of daily life in extreme old age, and reasons for gratitude. Whether you are almost old, already old, or never-gonna-be-old, she is my […]

Cartoon of happy older woman typing at computer. On screen, the word BLOG.

53. Guarding your autonomy in old age, with Doris Carnevali

July 14, 2026

Even as toddlers we start establishing ourselves as autonomous individuals, and we turn up the volume in our teens. Then in old age we are obliged (or expected) to gradually surrender some decisions, some control over our lives. How are we to navigate these changes? Defending our autonomy is a serious business at any age. […]

52. How to have a good conversation in old age—with Kirsty Ferguson

June 30, 2026

I yearn for good conversation in old age, and I have problems. There’s tons of advice about how to talk TO old people. But I AM that old person, and I need help too. So I asked Kirsty Ferguson for help.