Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined

As a young girl in Germany, Dr. Maresi Nerad aspired to be a train conductor so she could venture out into the world. She created more expansive means. At age 73 and retired from full-time work at the University of Washington,  Maresi notes three major strands that embody her life’s work: travel to experience and discover the wonders of the world; education to open doors to knowledge and influence; and connection with women to cultivate their leadership talent. As a researcher, teacher/mentor, administrator and author, Maresi has advocated for socially just doctoral education on an international scale, with a particular focus on women. She continues to coordinate international conferences, host webinars, advise international doctoral students and consult with leaders in higher education. ‘Retirement’ affords Maresi more time for self-reflection, art classes, baking, exercise, connecting with her sister in Germany, friends around the world, and quality time with her husband. “Widening access for women to leadership positions worldwide remains a goal for which I will never feel too old.” – Maresi Nerad Ph.D. Contact Information: Email: mnerad@uw.edu Nerad, M. (1999). The Academic Kitchen: A Social History of Gender Stratification at the University of California, Berkeley. State University of New York Press. Connect with Gail & Catherine: Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Wo70AgingReimagined Instagram: WomenOver70 Website:https://womenover70.com Email: info@womenover70.com Show: Women Over 70 – Aging Reimagined Listen on: Apple Podcast, Itunes, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher,and IHeartRadio Please rate our show and subscribe wherever you listen. This is how we grow and together make a difference..

“I have integrated death into my life in a seamless way through ministry and legacy.” - Rev. Gloria Randolph Rev. Gloria Randolph’s legacy, in addition to the nearly 1000 children she taught as a primary teacher, is the ministry entrusted to her by God, Giving God the Glory Ministries. Gloria’s enthusiasm, boundless energy, and zest for life belie the profound grief she experienced from the loss of 2 children and a grandchild. After 34 years as a primary school teacher and administrator, Gloria decided to become a grief counselor, born out of a need to help grieving parents, after the death of her son. She went to seminary to further her education as a pastoral care minister. Gloria understands that “tears are liquid prayer. Everyone grieves but everyone does not mourn. Grieving is what you do on the inside. Mourning is the outward expression of it - walk it out, write it out, yell it out, kick, scream and work it out.” The mission of Giving God The Glory Ministries is to encourage God’s people by providing them with the spiritual and financial resources to face the challenges of daily living. One of the ways this is accomplished is through the My 2 Sons and Legacy scholarship components of GGG Ministries. This encourages individuals facing the challenges of daily living by supporting efforts to continue their education. Connect with Rev. Gloria: Website: https://gggministries.com Email: glohallelujah7@aol.com  

Anthropologist Bethe Hagens, now 74, imagines her life as the realization of the mantra of the late 1960s: “We are stardust. We are golden. . .and we have to get back to the garden.” She believes human being is the dual cosmic identity of earth energy, uniting the “clay” body and emotions of Mother Earth with the celestial magic and science of the extraterrestrial.  Bethe has used Platonic geometry to create solar cookers, greenhouses, and the Planetary Grid, a world globe proposing unity in Earth’s physical and spiritual evolution. A recent brush with leukemia, which she explains in the interview, radically opened her academic mind to the possibility that earth energy and Spirit were actually real and available. She and her partner Waynn (her 24/7 tech support and heavy lifter) are 13 years into creating a quarter-acre terraced perennials garden to feed multi-species visitors. Not surprisingly she says, “I want to stay alive to see what’s going to happen next.” "I have insatiable curiosity to go to unfamiliar places, find out what excites me, and go from there." Bethe Hagens Contact: bethehagens@gmail.com Bethe--add sites, articles etc that you would like our audience to know about.   Connect with Gail & Catherine: Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Wo70AgingReimagined Instagram: WomenOver70 Website:https://womenover70.com Email: info@womenover70.com Show: Women Over 70 – Aging Reimagined Listen on: Apple Podcast, Itunes, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher,and IHeartRadio Please rate our show and subscribe wherever you listen. This is how we grow and together make a difference.

“I continue to work because I love it, I can still be useful and helpful, enjoy what we are doing, and make a contribution.” Since helping found the first non-profit interdisciplinary home health agency in the Midwest in 1972, Dr. Schwartzberg has been a leader in building consensus around new programs in geriatrics, home care, community health, health literacy, and medical education. She currently works as Scholar-in-Residence at the ACGME, where she listens to the voice of the residents in training through analyzing national survey responses. Connect with Joanne: Joanne can be reached through researchgate.net where many of her published papers and articles may also be downloaded for free.

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 public, without secrecy or shame. Speaking out for the rights of people with mental illness and their families, Mindy  initiated innovative policy and funding for mental health in Minnesota and served on many national and state boards and councils, including the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Currently Mindy serves as President of the Board of NAMI Ramsey County. Married for 50 years, and retired for eight, Mindy continues to advocate for reforms in mental health, policing, and affordable housing. “I love being retired; I can activate for anything I want.” There is no way we are going to have a better mental health system if we don’t tell our stories. Contact Information: mindygreiling@gmail.com Greiling, M. (2020). Fix What You Can: Schizophrenia and a Lawmaker’s Fight for Her Son. University of Minnesota Press. Podcast: Three Moms in the Trenches https://www.audible.com/pd/Schizophrenia-Three-Moms-in-the-Trenches-Podcast/B08JJPR868 News Article https://www.minnpost.com/mental-health-addiction/2020/10/in-a-new-book-former-state-rep-mindy-greiling-talks-about-her-sons-schizophrenia-and-her-mental-health-advocacy/ Connect with Gail & Catherine: Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Wo70AgingReimagined Instagram: WomenOver70 Website:https://womenover70.com Email: info@womenover70.com Show: Women Over 70 – Aging Reimagined Listen on: Apple Podcast, Itunes, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher,and IHeartRadio Please rate our show and subscribe wherever you listen. This is how we grow and together make a difference..

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, maintaining an upbeat attitude. She is able to laugh at herself even while experiencing deep loss, being a caregiver and change. Now, her sole purpose in life is to be happy and to make others happy. Connect with Penny: Email: Penny@Pfaelzerdean.com Website: https://Pfaelzerdean.com   Connect with Gail & Catherine: Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Wo70AgingReimagined Instagram: WomenOver70 Website:https://womenover70.com Email: info@womenover70.com Show: Women Over 70 – Aging Reimagined Listen on: Apple Podcast, Itunes, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher,and IHeartRadio Please rate our show and subscribe wherever you listen. This is how we grow and together make a difference..  

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 to poor health, she roars back with Lightning Minds, her podcast in which she interviews magnificent minds to share their secrets of success. Aging is a constant reminder of what Linda can no longer do, and yet, the lessons of how she navigates this non-negotiable fact inform all of us how to better consider our options.Connect with Linda: Email: LindaOptimalLevel@gmail.com Podcast: Lightning Strikes Podcast Page:https://lightningstrikes.buzzsprout.com Books:   How to be Powerful - Insider Secrets to Brilliant Leadership ,Sales and Speaking Sanity and Success for the Working Woman - A Quick Guide to Thrive and Survive in the Corporate World Optimal Level - A Woman's Guide to Meeting Life's Challenges

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. "The quickest way to become an expert is to interview experts." - Raven Blair Glover Raven knew the fastest way to learn was to interview big-name guests and this led to her own show on CNN. Fearless, she mastered the ‘art of the ‘ask’. Take the journey with Raven from her kitchen table to full-blown studio. Connect with Raven: Email: talkshowmaven@gmail.com Website: https://raveninternationalmediaempire.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkshowmaven/   Connect with Gail & Catherine: Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Wo70AgingReimagined Instagram: WomenOver70 Website:https://womenover70.com Email: info@womenover70.com Show: Women Over 70 – Aging Reimagined Listen on: Apple Play, Stitcher, Please rate our show and subscribe wherever you listen. This is how we grow.  

“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 of her church when she taught its leaders how to Manage by Objectives and celebrate their common successes. Wilma believes in positive communication and encourages older people to use positive language when describing themselves. As a volunteer educator at her local senior services organization, she speaks at area senior facilities to discuss age-related topics and how seniors feel about getting older.

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 played a role in their own lives. At Women Over 70–Aging Reimagined makes it our mission for all women over 70 to be seen and heard. Invite Gail and Catherine to speak at your event or for your organization on creative and courageous ways to reimagine aging. Be the first to hear what is new at Women Over 70. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. https://womenover70.com/#subscribe Connect with Gail & Catherine: Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Wo70AgingReimagined Instagram: WomenOver70 Website:https://womenover70.com Email: info@womenover70.com Show: Women Over 70 – Aging Reimagined Listen on: Apple Podcast, Itunes, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher,and IHeartRadio Please rate our show and subscribe wherever you listen. This is how we grow and together make a difference..