Older Women & Friends: Stories of Aging Well

"Older Women & Friends: Stories of Aging Well" with Jane Leder is a podcast celebrating the wisdom, resilience, and real-life experiences of older women navigating life after 50. Award-winning author Jane Leder and her guests explore the joys and challenges of aging, covering topics like longevity, healthspan, identity, purpose, and meaningful relationships. Through powerful storytelling and honest conversations, this podcast challenges age-related stereotypes, redefines what it means to grow older, and highlights the valuable contributions older women continue to make. If you're interested in aging well, personal growth, and living with purpose in the second pha

Older Women & Friends: Stories of Aging Well is a society podcast hosted by Jane Leder, with 98 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Jane Leder hosts Older Women & Friends: Stories of Aging Well, a society show with 98 episodes published.

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  Episode #99

  From Geology Professor to Global Explorer: Dr. Tamie Jovanelly on Reinvention, Adventure, & Purpose

  Aug 20, 202632 min

    In this episode of Older Women & Friends, I welcome geologist, author, educator, entrepreneur, and world traveler Dr. Tamie Jovanelly for a fascinating conversation about reinvention, purpose, adventure, and creating a life without limits.   After nearly two decades as a successful geology professor, internationally funded researcher, and Fulbright scholar, Tamie made the courageous decision to leave her tenured academic career and pursue a lifelong dream. Together with her husband, she built a custom camper van, launched Adventure Geology Tours, and began exploring the world while helping others discover Earth's most extraordinary landscapes through geology, travel, and education.   Tamie shares how solo travel helped build confidence, resilience, independence, and self-trust long before she married. She reflects on why stepping outside your comfort zone can transform your perspective, how meaningful travel creates lifelong friendships, and why curiosity is one of the greatest gifts we can cultivate at any age.   The conversation explores reinvention after 50, purpose in life, women embracing new adventures, lifelong learning, geological tourism, volcanoes, Iceland, global travel, entrepreneurship, personal growth, and the value of remaining open to change rather than settling into routine. Tamie also explains how travel reveals our shared humanity, reminding us that people everywhere seek the same things: community, safety, kindness, and connection.   She also offers practical travel advice for older women, discusses how to build confidence through independent travel, and explains why meaningful experiences often matter far more than comfortable routines.   Whether you're considering retirement, dreaming about traveling the world, searching for a new purpose, or simply wondering if it's too late to reinvent your life, this conversation offers inspiration, practical wisdom, and proof that your most exciting chapter may still be ahead. https://us.amazon.com/Volcanoes-What-Everyone-Needs-Know%C2%AE-ebook/dp/B0GX2Y9SV9?ref_=ast_author_dp_rw&th=1&psc=1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.52c3Wn8KEJ4iMP4grSLohcVx6K9TuIpgMTAbO1CHw6M.QGyOCKdUT51ihb5aH7iYaTsxFyUC2o1PWfb0UVVKrMo&dib_tag=AUTHOR https://us.amazon.com/Iceland-Tectonics-Volcanics-Geophysical-Monograph-ebook/dp/B086RFF3J2?ref_=ast_author_dp_rw&th=1&psc=1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.52c3Wn8KEJ4iMP4grSLohcVx6K9TuIpgMTAbO1CHw6M.QGyOCKdUT51ihb5aH7iYaTsxFyUC2o1PWfb0UVVKrMo&dib_tag=AUTHOR

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  Episode #97

  Good Grief w/ Jane Leder

  Jul 25, 202617 min

  The older we get, the more loss and grief we experience. For me, my brother's death by suicide when I was 33 and he was 30 turned my life upside down. I turned to writing a book to help me work through my grief. Dead Serious: A Book For Teenagers About Teen Suicide tells the stories of parents who lost a child to suicide, teens who attempted suicide, and friends of teens who took their own lives. I am dedicating today, my 81st birthday, to GOOD GRIEF, the organization that helps children , teens, and families learn from each other as they adapt and rebuild their lives. Good Grief builds resilience in children, strengthens families, and empowers communities to grow from loss and adversity. You can check out the organization's website at: https://good-grief.org/ And you can help sustain Good Grief by donating today as part of the AgeWise Podcastathon. It's easy: Donate to Good Grief Here:  https://secure.qgiv.com/for/acpfgg/ Or Text "agewise" to 50155 Thanking you in advance.

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  Episode #96

  Living Without Limits: Evelyn Kelly Shares Her Life of Purpose, Travel & Curiosity at Age 91

  Jul 22, 202633 min

  Evelyn challenges many of society's assumptions about aging. She explains why curiosity, lifelong learning, resilience, and purpose matter far more than the number of candles on a birthday cake. Jane Leder sits down with Evelyn Kelly, a 91-year-old author, world traveler, professor emeritus of genetics, and passionate advocate for healthy aging to explore what it truly means to live a vibrant, purposeful life at every age. Having written 22 books , traveled to 90 countries across all seven continents , and continued pursuing new goals well into her nineties, Evelyn challenges many of society's assumptions about aging. She explains why curiosity, lifelong learning, resilience, and purpose matter far more than the number of candles on a birthday cake. Evelyn reflects on growing up during the Great Depression and World War II, building a successful academic career, becoming fascinated with genetics and gerontology, and later discovering a new passion for travel writing with her daughter. Together, they discuss how travel can improve mental well-being, build resilience, strengthen confidence, and help older adults step outside their comfort zones and embrace new experiences. The conversation also explores ageism, retirement, independence, emotional health, community, friendships across generations, widowhood, self-efficacy, and maintaining an active lifestyle after 60, 70, 80, and even 90. Evelyn shares practical wisdom on staying mentally engaged, adapting to physical changes, finding purpose after retirement, and refusing to let age define what's possible. Whether you're navigating retirement, searching for purpose later in life, caring about healthy aging, or simply looking for uplifting real-life stories from extraordinary older women, this episode offers powerful encouragement and actionable inspiration for creating a meaningful, joyful future.

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  Episode #95

  From Widowhood to Reinvention Diane Heiler on Grief, Healing & Finding Joy Again

  Jul 8, 202640 min

    Jane sits down with Diane Heiler to talk about her memoir, A Widow's Fire . Diane shares the remarkable story of losing her beloved husband of 25 years to lung cancer and the emotional reality of becoming his caregiver during the final years of his life. She speaks openly about anticipatory grief, caregiver burnout, and the overwhelming loneliness that followed his passing, while revealing how journaling, poetry, and self-reflection became powerful tools for healing. Diane also reflects on the experiences that shaped her long before widowhood—including divorce, single motherhood, entrepreneurship, and learning to trust her own strength. She courageously discusses Widow's Fire , the often misunderstood emotional and physical longing for connection after losing a spouse, and explains why finding companionship, happiness, or even love again should never be met with guilt or shame. Throughout the conversation, Diane shares practical wisdom on emotional resilience, rebuilding life after loss, navigating life transitions, traveling with a new partner while honoring cherished memories, and transforming heartbreak into purpose through writing. Her story is an inspiring reminder that grief and joy can exist together, and that healing doesn't mean leaving the past behind—it means carrying love forward while embracing a meaningful new chapter. Whether you're coping with the loss of a spouse, caring for someone with cancer, rebuilding after divorce, searching for purpose after retirement, or simply looking for encouragement about aging well, this conversation offers compassion, hope, and honest insight for every stage of life's journey. https://awidowsfire.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/diane-heiler-9707202a/ https://medium.com/authority-magazine/diane-heiler-on-the-5-things-you-need-to-be-a-successful-author-or-writer-775f33422d6f https://www.huffpost.com/entry/widow-traveling-europe-with-boyfriend-in-80s_n_6a411e17e4b0f4826b45e175

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  Episode #94

  Crafting Your Best Later Life with Erika Andersen

  Jun 24, 202641 min

  In this episode of Older Women & Friends, Jane Leder welcomes bestselling author, leadership expert, and aging well advocate Erika Andersen for a thought-provoking conversation about what it truly means to create your best life after 60. Drawing from her acclaimed book, The New Old: Crafting Your Best Later Life, Erika shares a practical roadmap for aging well, finding purpose, embracing change, and staying engaged, curious, and fulfilled in later life. Rather than viewing aging as a period of decline, she challenges women over 50 to see it as an opportunity for reinvention, growth, freedom, and possibility. Erika explains why becoming the boss of your own life is one of the most important keys to healthy aging. She discusses how creating a personal vision, building meaningful relationships, overcoming ageism, and maintaining a strong sense of purpose can dramatically improve happiness, emotional health, and overall well-being. She also shares fascinating research showing that people with a positive mindset about aging can live significantly longer, while offering practical strategies for strengthening confidence after 50, managing self-talk, practicing mindfulness, cultivating gratitude, and adapting gracefully to life's inevitable transitions. The conversation explores loneliness after 60, community for older women, life after retirement, active aging, emotional resilience, lifelong learning, and finding joy in new experiences. Erika reveals why your 60s, 70s, and beyond can become some of the most meaningful, productive, and rewarding years of your life. Whether you're navigating a major life transition, searching for deeper fulfillment, building a new chapter after retirement, or simply looking for inspiration on aging gracefully, this episode is filled with practical wisdom, encouragement, and actionable insights.

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