Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined

Nancy Reid started her career as a greeter at a television executives conference in Miami, FL. The executive who hired her was so impressed by her innate ability to sell that he asked if he could professionally mentor her. That launched her into 30 years as a sales professional for a variety of organizations including video production houses, a diversity and inclusion consulting firm, children’s book publishing, healthcare businesses and so much more. Healthcare led her to become President of Women in Bio in 2018, a national association for women in the life sciences and biotech fields where she created a flourishing mentorship program for the organization. “My business succeeds as a direct result of all the relationships I nurture.” - Nancy Reid 6 years ago, Nancy’s fiance died by suicide which tested every ounce of strength she had. Joining a survivors’ group and relying on her girl (and men) friends got her through. What role do women’s friendships play in her life?  It’s genuine love that flourishes because women listen and are not judgmental. Connect with Nancy: Email: nancyloureid@gmail.com Connect with Gail and 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.

Lydia shares stunning revelations about the importance of friendship for humans and other species, drawing on her recent book, -Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life’s Fundamental Bond. Science tells us that friendship is as important to our health as diet and exercise. Quality friendships positively affect our cardiovascular and immune systems, our cognitive and mental health, and even the rate at which our cells age. Quality friendships are long-lasting, positive and cooperative. Over the age of 65, friendships are our most important relationships and can fill the void of losing a life partner. Friends can be made at any stage in life; however, we will be most satisfied if we make time for friendships throughout our lives.  Consider this: friendship is part of our evolutionary story--‘survival of the friendliest!’ "Friendship is relevant to every person on the globe at every time in their lives." - Lydia Denworth Contact Information: Email: lydia@lydiadenworth.com Website: https://lydiadenworth.com Denworth, L. (2020). Friendship: The evolution, biology, and extraordinary power of life’s fundamental bond. W.W. Norton & Co.

These days, Emily Axelrod, age 77, uses the camera to record significant aspects of life, from photos of birds in natural habitat to survivors of the holocaust.  She looks  in new ways, whether guiding transformational change in large organizations, coaching women on revealing their talents, exploring nature travel, living with teen-age grandsons, providing support for immigrant families, or chronicling stories of holocaust survivors. A supporter of women’s rights, Emily advises women on ways to speak up and be appreciated. Emily thinks about aging in terms of “keeping up the body-machine” and dancing for as long as she can. "Transformational efforts in the workplace offer women ways to be seen and appreciated." - Emily Axelrod Contact Information: emily@axelrodgroup.com www.theaxelrodgroup.com Co-author with Dick Axelrod (2014) Let’s Stop Meeting Like This: Tools to Save Time and Get More Done. Connect with Gail and 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.

Pregnant at 15, Sandy gave up her baby for adoption. 20 years later, she and her son were reunited, in no small part due to her advocacy efforts and work with Concerned United BirthParents and American Adoption Congress. "My joy comes in working with people, talking to people, being a resource for people." - Sandy Rogers Resilient and capable, Sandy has always found her way, pivoting her career many times until, today, she works full time for a state agency and supports the holistic community she engaged in, through her Ask Sandy Rogers website. Everything she has accomplished is because she went after it. And, as she says, she “is in tremendous gratitude for her good health”. Connect with Sandy Rogers Website: https://www.AskSandyRogers.com   Connect with Gail and 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.

Maintaining social distance, Catherine and Gail “ get real”  as they reflect on their lives in light of the global pandemic. They discuss what disruption looks and feel like, the meaning of time left, the need to connect with family and friends, and the rewards of collaborating with individuals and groups. Gail reads a passage from: Ending Ageism, or How Not to Shoot Old People (Global Perspectives on Aging) By Margret Morganroth Gullette Listen to Episodes by Season https://womenover70.com/season-two/ https://womenover70.com/season-one/ 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.  

Susan, age 71, reflects on the life steps that brought her from farm life in Minnesota, to advanced degrees and licensures in Virginia, to a faculty position in Oregon—a new Ph.D. at age 50. While on sabbatical from her work in marriage and family counseling, Susan traveled around the world for 2 ½ months. Susan’s second trip to Africa inspired her to write a children’s book that offers comfort and hope for children who have lost parents and other loved ones.  Susan is adapting to life in retirement with her husband, 20 years her senior. "Step by step, one foot in front of the other, new lives open before you." - Susan Halverson Westerberg Take-Aways See what’s in front of you, take the next step, and keep going. Being in relationship with an older partner just takes conversation, compromise, and a bit of counseling. Offer what you know—in my case, counseling children and families—in as many ways as you can.   Contact Information Email: sehalv@msn.com Margaret’s Family Tree: A Story of Hope and Belonging (2016). Book version available on Amazon (Susan Halverson). Coloring book version, written in English & Swahili, available (free)—http://works.bepress.com/susan-halverson/1/   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, Google Play Music, Stitcher, or Spotify Please review our show and subscribe wherever you listen. This is how we grow.

Marion, age 103, is a long-time resident of Plymouth Place Senior Living in LaGrange Park, IL. For her 100th birthday, Marion threw a cocktail party for 100 people and 3 animals from the Brookfield Zoo. She also gave up her car that year. Marion reflects on her “wonderful life:” a large, loving family; 35 years of marriage; travel to China, Egypt, and Kenya; and 29 years living at Plymouth Place. Marion likes to be social—she joined a Sewing Club (she did not sew) and a Riding Club (she did not ride). A lover of animals and the outdoors, Marion continues to visit the Brookfield Zoo and Chicago Arboretum. Marion applauds the independence of women today who manage career and home. "If you want to do something, even by yourself, do it and enjoy it." - Marion Giles Take-aways: Try to make friends, wherever you go. Consider having an animal named after you: mine is a Wallaby. Find a wonderful place, like I did, to live the last years of your life.   Connect with Marion: Katy Coffey, Director of Life Enrichment kcoffey@plymouthplace.org 708-482-6647   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, Google Play Music, Stitcher, or Spotify Please review our show and subscribe wherever you listen. This is how we grow.

Lydia Manning’s formative years include fond memories of relationships with elder members of her family. Her experiences put her on a path to create a unique set of skills to work both in academia and entrepreneurship to help people think about aging. “I wasn’t prepared for so many resilience narratives during my research on older adults.” - Lydia Manning Ph. D Our society segments people by their ages, yet intergenerational interactions lead to higher levels of satisfaction for all generations. In the workplace, older workers bring institutional history and have higher levels of crystallized intelligence based on complex cognitive realities in the brain. Lydia is trained as an End of Life Doula and provides non-medical emotional, legacy work. She is also a certified dementia consultant through the Dementia Friendly Association. Connect with Lydia: Website: http://www.lydiamanning.com/   Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, IL: https://www.cuchicago.edu/academics/   Connect with Gail and 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, Google Play Music, Stitcher, or Spotify Please review our show and subscribe wherever you listen. This is how we grow.

Mary Reckhemmer-Meyer grew up in North Dakota on a farm. Today she lives in Surprise, AZ. Experiences like being divorced after 26 years of marriage and dealing with a serious cancer illness led her on a journey to find herself. “Life sometimes isn’t easy. You just have to walk through the process.” - Mary Reckhemmer-Meyer In the process she became first, an insurance agent and later, a real estate agent. Eventually, she married a man 8 years her junior. This is her story: I Meant it for Good: A Memoir of Dreaming, Visualizing and Becoming My Authentic Self, published in March, 2020.   Connect with Mary Rechkemmer-Meyer: Website: http://maryrechkemmermeyer.com Purchase her Book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1733995889 Visit her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DreamandVisualize.   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, Google Play Music, Stitcher, or Spotify Please review our show and subscribe wherever you listen. This is how we grow.

At age 76, Dianne Michels continues to reinvent herself, having explored several careers before finding her passion in Human Resources as an HR Futurist. She believes retirement is an outdated concept that implies work is a burden you survive rather than her definition -- a gift of participation, contribution, and self-expression. That kind of work doesn’t have an expiration date. Dianne is launching a new business, Possibility Partners, to create workplaces where possibilities are infinite and Human Resources can play a much more impactful business advisor role in organizations. “Results matter, and people are at the heart of it.” - Dianne Michels Takeaways: Transparency is a key factor in communications that build relationships of mutual trust and respect HR leaders can champion new frameworks for everyone interacting as possibility partners collaborating together to unleash purpose, power, and potential Successful culture shifts that focus on such a possibility require alignment and support from the CEO or it can’t happen Connect with Dianne: Email: dianne@possibilitypartners.org Website: http://possibilitypartners.org 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, Google Play Music, Stitcher, or Spotify   Please review our show and subscribe wherever you listen. This is how we grow.