Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined

Rhea Zakich, age 88, touches human hearts as an author, speaker, workshopand seminar leader, and creator of the world’s popular communication gamethe UNGAME (1973)—5 million sold and still selling. Her dramatic story ofthe UNGAME has been told on TV and radio programs as well as in majornewspapers and publications such as Readers Digest, Redbook, andPsychology for Living. Rhea resides in a Christian Senior Community in SantaAna, CA where she teaches Bible study, serves as editor of the Newsletter,and plays ukulele in Sing-Alongs for residents. During the past 40 years,Rhea has lead hundreds of workshops, seminars, and retreats (over 500 bynow) on topics such as Prayer, Discovering Your Purpose, and Inner Healing.She has written two spiritual autobiographies, the most recent is He CalledMe Rhea.I invite honest sharing of feelings and experiences in anatmosphere of love and acceptance. - Rhea ZakichConnect with Rhea:Email: rheazakich@aol.comWebsite: http://rheazakich.comBooks: Everybody Wins-The Story Behind the Ungame (1979) He Called Me Rhea: My Journey from Feeling and Dealing to Healing(2019)

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 is 42 when the book begins, 72 when it ends." An award-winning writer, Catherine’s pioneering work has been challenging social mores for decades. What she writes about is known in the real world and her descriptions seem to pose a philosophical interest. She seeks to find a language to describe our sexual emotions and is always on the quest to discover new ways to express things. Catherine asks: “Monogamy vs non-monogamy - can we be monogamous throughout our entire married lives?”  Her last novel, The Feud, is about women competing in the workplace, and the book Just Say Yes: A Marijuana Memoir, was groundbreaking. A section of it was published in the New York Times, which also interviewed her about it. Hiller graduated summa cum laude from Brooklyn College and got a PhD in English from Brown University. She has lived in Brooklyn and Greenwich Village. She now lives with her husband in Westchester County and Sag Harbor, NY. She has three sons, two granddaughters and a dog.  "Fiction can show us life's possibilities." Connect with Catherine:Email: www.catherinehiller.net Substack: The Pleasure Principle: Savoring Life After Fifty  https://catherinehiller.substack.com/ Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Hiller

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 Coaching and Medical Cannabis Education. Taru’s coaching practice is called Seasons of Life Coaching. She writes a blog and newsletter, teaches workshops online, and is writing her autobiography. Taru describes herself as “an irreverent, wise Elderwoman with a quirky sense of humor.” Connect with TaruEmail: taru@tarufisher.comWebsite: www.tarufisher.comNewsletter: http://bit.ly/3XeX6lKCall-a-Crone: http://bit.ly/3GEKV1h for a free 45-minute virtual session Facebook: https/www.facebook.com/seasons.of.life.coachingHealer.com

In her role as a certified Death Doula (also known as an End-of-Life Doula orDeath Midwife), Julie Iverson is passionate about providing non-medical,non-judgmental, holistic care and support to individuals and their loved onesas they navigate the challenges and transitions of aging and dying. Sheeducates them about options available before, during, and after death.Drawing on her expertise as a certified Geriatric Care Manager, Julie’sspecialty is being an advocate for families and a liaison between health careproviders and families. She offers her services through her company, Agingwith Care.Connect with Julie:Email: jliverson@mac.comWebsite: https://aging-with-care.com

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 white fiber from the inner bark of the mulberry tree to create art. Loss of vision and hearing has affected Sara’s ability to continue with her art. Her daughter, Susan, a librarian, encouraged her mother to join a writing group. She focuses on her own life and writes about her personal experiences. During one session she wrote about her aging cat.Previously active in community affairs, Sara continues to attend meetings when possible. Her words to younger listeners of this podcast are, “just keep moving”. She studies Pilates with an instructor 3x/week. Surrounded by family she feels supported and involved in life.“As we age, it’s important to just keep moving.”

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 venues from Ted Talks, to universities, to community centers, to the Library of Congress and the United Nations. Her numerous honors and recognitions—local, national, and world-wide-- acclaim Ashton for being inspiring, a trailblazer, an influencer, and a game-changer. Connect with Ashton:Email: ashton@thischairrrocks.comWebsite: https://thischairrocks.comBook: This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism

Connie Zweig, PhD, is a retired Jungian-oriented therapist and coauthorof Meeting the Shadow and Romancing the Shadow. Her award-winningbook, The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul, extends her work onthe Shadow into midlife and beyond and explores aging as a spiritual practice. Itwon the 2022 Gold COVR Award, the 2022 Gold Nautilus Award, the 2021American Book Fest Award, and the 2021 Best Indie Book Award for bestinspirational non-fiction. Her new book is Meeting the Shadow on the SpiritualPath: The Dance of Darkness and Light in Our Search for Awakening.Connie has been doing contemplative practices for more than 50 years. She is awife, stepmother, and grandmother. After all these roles, she’s practicing the shiftfrom role to soul. Connect with Connie:Email: conniezweig@gmail.comWebsite: https://conniezweig.comConnie’s books:The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul,Meeting the Shadow Romancing the Shadow(novel) A Moth to the Flame: The Life of Sufi Poet RumiMeeting the Shadow on the Spiritual Path: The Dance of Darkness and Light in Our Search for AwakeningThe Inner Work of Age:https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASINw/1644113406?tag=simonsayscom

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 reignite or start a program for older adults, and she concentrated her efforts there. Oral health is crucial to total health, influencing both diabetes and heart health. But, it is difficult for most older persons because it isn’t covered by traditional Medicare.When she retired from Oral Health America in 2019, Beth wasted no time in moving towards her interest in gerontology, receiving her gerontology degree at Concordia University. Today she serves as a consultant and project leader with the Center for Gerontology at Concordia. Beth is determined to help eliminate the implicit bias of ageism. Through the Center for Gerontology at Concordia, she is leading an initiative with  the National Center to Reframing Aging, (led by The Gerontological Society of America.) “Connecting men and women to opportunities in retirement is critical to mitigating social isolation and loneliness. - Beth TruettConnect with Beth Truett:Email: bethtruett@gmail.comVoice or Text: 708.271.2834 

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 numerous boards. “I’ve been invited to sit on the boards of the organizations I get involved with because they feed my desire for service. And, since my family all live in the eastern part of the United States, my fellow board members become my midwestern family.”Since leaving corporate, Diane’s main work has been to help entrepreneurs win awards, and organizations win grants, by interviewing them first, then focusing on the right words that lead to winning nominations. She also writes marketing materials and edits articles and books.“Dreams don’t become reality unless you visualize them first.”A news junkie and longtime member of Unity Chicago, Diane’s view of life is inspiring and thoughtful.Connect with Diane:Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diane-valletta-531167/

A former nun, teacher, relationship author of The Marriage Plan: How ToMarry Your Soul Mate In One Year Or Less, owner of Jordan De-Laurenti, Inc., atraining 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 Journey from the Convent to the Battle for Equality.Aggie’s life changed when, in 1967, she was offered a fellowship to the University ofNotre Dame while still a Catholic nun. The women at Notre Dame were far less conservative than she. The church was changing. The feminist movement was gaining speed. She heard a speaker who said:  “Men are the action makers, women are the receptacles.” This started her transformation and desire to make sure that women were treated as equals to men. She left the convent in her final year. Aggie’s goal is to reach daughters and granddaughters with her work. She talks with largegroups of women, urging them to get out the vote, to vote in legislators who will stop thedecline of access to abortion. At 85, Aggie is proud of her age and has no plans to stopthe work she loves.It’s women friends who will keep us going.Connect with Aggie:Website: https://www.aggiejordan.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aggie-jordan-ph-d-693b9538/Book: A Woman’s Voice Should Be Heard: My Journey from the Convent to the Battlefor Equality.