Loving Later Life

Loving Later Lifer's, you are going to be so glad you listened today! Do you have questions about Hormone Replacement Therapy? Libido? Menopause? The answers are going to surprise you! Dr. Liz Lyster OBGYN debunks beliefs about hormone therapy, menopause, libido and more. My guest, Dr. Liz Lyster, is a Board Certified OB/GYN doctor for over 30 years, Cornell grad with honors, attended medical school at University of California, Irvine, followed by her OB/GYN residency in Los Angeles. She also went on to get a Masters of Public Health degree from UCLA in Community Health Education. Dr. Liz is also a hormone consultant/midlife health expert. She has helped women and men increase energy, reignite their sex drive, clear up hormonal imbalance, and lose hundreds of pounds. She is the author of several books, including "Dr. Liz's Easy Guide to Menopause: 5 Simple Steps to Balancing Your Hormones and Feeling Like Yourself Again" and the International Bestseller "Go for GREAT: Dr. Liz's Guide to Thrive at Every Age." Dr. Liz is currently in Private Practice in the San Francisco Bay Area.

This episode was not the one I had planned for today/this week. I took myself to my happy place this past weekend overlooking the ocean. As I sat there enveloped by the warmth of the sun, the colors of the flowers surrounding my bench, and the sound of the waves, I was inspired to open voice memo and share what came from my heart in that moment. What came out was a ten-minute stream of consciousness that I found helpful to release and perhaps there will be something you will glean from it as well. It's raw, unplanned, unorganized; just me and my thoughts. I hope you'll join me.

How do you hear the whispers of your soul? What are energetic breadcrumbs? How do you quiet your inner critic? What limits you? My guest this week, Vanessa Loder, earned her MBA at Stanford where she graduated Summa Cum Laude and climbed to the top of the ladder of a corporate career in finance and private equity…only it was the wrong ladder. She learned to listen to her soul whispers and is now a successful and satisfied Executive Coach, and keynote speaker who has been featured in Forbes, Glamour and Huffington Post among others. Her TEDx talk "How to Lean In Without Burning Out has over 156,000 views, and she authored her newly released book, The Soul Solution: A Guide for brilliant, overwhelmed women to quiet the noise, find their superpower, and finally feel satisfied! Please join us! We had so much fun talking about all the above, in addition to how past-life regression therapy can be an incredible tool in providing radical transformation, how to find your most fulfilling life, and she reminds us that we're never too old. Vanessa also very vulnerably shares how her growth has affected her marriage, and how we have to be willing to look at the darkness to get to the light that's on the other side...and much more.

The number of laps around the track leading up to the holidays seem to be fewer and fewer, have you noticed?! I wouldn't be surprised if we started seeing pumpkins in June! I recently went out on a Friday night, and it was a beautiful Fall crisp evening that felt like I was in a Hallmark movie; until I saw the Christmas trees! In this episode I whimsically share my thoughts in a rhyming way about the sights and sounds of the holidays showing up in summer; some statistics of the health hazards that come with a lack of socialization and feeling alone; and a remedy right out of the gate for a new perspective. I wonder if you will be able to spot my subtle hints here once you listen to this episode. Please, join me on this ride!

Medicare: Let's Break it Down! Before I launched Loving Later Life I asked many women 50-60+ what kinds of topics they'd like me to talk about, and one that kept cropping up was Medicare. Please have someone on your podcast who can make it easier to understand was the consensus. Welcome: Stephanie Frisch. Stephanie Frisch is a Medicare Options Specialist, and she is here to help make Medicare less confusing! Yes, it is possible! Stephanie is now 56 and got licensed in insurance on her 40th birthday. She started specializing in Medicare in 2010, gave many talks for large insurance companies for 8 years, and did Medicare presentations for various assisted living facilities for 10 years until the Covid pandemic. Stephanie lives with her husband in San Juan Capistrano California where she also has an office and a client base of over 1500 people. She has published articles both in a local magazine and newspapers to help people understand Medicare. She has been involved with many non-profit organizations, served on several boards, and is a member of the San Juan Capistrano Rotary fulfilling her desire to serve her community. Her website is www.yourinsuranceeducation.com and her email is: [email protected] which you can also find on the shownotes page at www.nancylanggibbs.com/shownotes.

In today's episode I talk a little bit about grief + some jaw-dropping stories of "hearing" from people who have died. Grief is not linear, and we all grieve differently and on our own timelines. Brene Brown was asked how long true grief lasts, and her answer was, "As long as it takes." I believe that love in a relationship continues once someone is gone and I have witnessed this by receiving what I believe are 'signs' from the other side. I share unexplainable events that have happened to me after losing people I love, and also stories from others. Skeptics may think what they want, and I challenge any of them to explain how these things could have happened. We are energy, and our energy doesn't die. One of my missions with this podcast is to talk about the stuff people won't or don't want to talk about. That's bound to increase the number of listeners, don't ya think?! Seriously, let's talk about all the elephants in the room! Are ya with me?

78 year-old Eugenia Zukerman is an internationally renowned flutist having played with major orchestras all over the world. The Boston Globe exclaimed, "One of the finest flutists of our time." She was also the arts correspondent on CBS Sunday Morning for more than 25 years, is a published author, mother, grandmother and wife, where she and her husband Dick Novik make their home in upstate New York. Eugenia was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in November of 2018. I had the honor of talking with her and her husband Dick who lobs words to Eugenia when she can't quite grasp them. You will be moved by her courage, her upbeat mindset, and poems from the book she wrote after receiving her diagnosis entitled, "Like Falling Through a Cloud." Eugenia shares her story openly, happily, and vulnerably. She literally brought me to tears not from sadness, but from her uplifting comforting acceptance and determination to do what brings her joy for as long as she possibly can. Please, join us.

Dating after 50 in later life can have its 'opportunities.' Do you think it's ok to talk about your prior relationships while dating? Apparently, there are many different answers to this question depending on who you ask! What if your date asks you too many questions? Or what if they don't ask any questions about you at all? Hear how the TV show The View inspired me for this episode. I will be sharing my thoughts in a way that satisfies a couple of my fantasies, so I hope you'll take some time to enjoy my view! Come join me!!

Emotions run at funerals. For some very high, and for some, low…to no emotion at all. For many of us it can cause us to think of our own mortality. What would be said about us, how many or how few people would attend. For some, the reality of the shortness of life is so in your face that they rethink priorities and choices. My emotional experience with this funeral was very varied. I was thinking about it, and I decided that I could categorize most of the feelings into 4 categories. I hope you'll come with me while I share what unexpected feelings I experienced (and why) and the realization it gave me about myself and others as we go through this time of our lives.

I had another episode planned for this week, and I've decided to postpone it. Instead, I'm pausing for a life and a death. For those of you who may not have seen my post on social media, my mom's husband of almost 30 years passed away on Monday, September 26th. I just didn't feel it was right to move forward with business as usual without taking a pause from the schedule. This is an impromptu shortcast as I pause out of respect and reflection. I hope you will join me.

Aging. Try and avoid it at all costs. This is basically the message the media tries to convey to women. They sell us on the fact that we are not as beautiful, and not as sexy as we would be if we erased, plumped, lifted, and enhanced our aging selves. They tell us that looking younger is sexier. It's all about fighting aging instead of embracing it. They drill into our psyche that it's a bad thing to look older. In an infomercial I saw recently, the main point being rubbed into our brain was that we should us their cream to erase our wrinkles, erase the crepiness in our skin, erase, erase erase. We can embrace aging despite the media. Please join me as I look at how this can affect our sense of worth and value. In this episode I push my comfort level of vulnerability in sharing some of what has been said and done to me when I have dared to go without make-up and as I have gotten older. Quotes from Maria Shriver and Glennon Doyle help me express my message to all of us women of a certain age: embracing aging can empower us to feel sexy and beautiful while accepting all parts of us.

Is quitting really a bad thing? The definition of quitting has changed over the years, and not in a good way in my opinion. Join me in what may prove to be a controversial after-party discussion. In this episode I have a lot of fun sharing some of my past experiences living my dream working in television which was made possible because of my decision to quit something else…which was not a popular decision at the time amongst my village of people. I take an opportunity to shout out to my favorite acting teacher and Casting Director Mark Teschner for whom I will be eternally grateful. I still have my Emmy award winning speech prepared, and still believe that it's not too late! On that, I am not giving up!

I wasn't sure what I wanted to talk about this week until I saw a post from Mel Robbins online. If you're not familiar with her she's a lawyer, TV host, author, and motivational speaker. Her post said, "8 important signs that mean you're growing." When I saw that, I knew exactly what I wanted to talk about. I have been experiencing a lot of growth of late, and it has definitely been like throwing a rock in a lake and seeing the ripple effect. Some great, some not so great. In this episode, I reflect on her 8 signs of growing and how they relate to my life. How growing has affected my relationships, the fear around growth and change for many of us, asking the question if it is also possible for someone to grow and not necessarily change, and so much more. Come with me!

Happy September everyone. I can't believe we're turning the corner to Fall and then the holidays already, again. The seasons we are falling into, pardon the pun, are of things dying annnnd recognizing the beauty that also surrounds it. Finding beauty in dying is usually challenging. For most of my life I had total fear around it, which I think began when I was 13 when my great uncle passed away. It was my first experience with someone I was close with dying. He was bigger than life and everybody loved Uncle Sam. My family flew to Chicago to go to his funeral and we stayed in his home, which really spooked me at the time because all his things and medicine were in place as if he were still there. At the funeral they had his casket open and I'll never forget how scared I was as I saw him under this red-ish light that was hanging above, and my grandfather loudly crying over his brother. It was the only time I had seen my grandpa cry. Needless to say that left quite the impression on me with regard to death and dying. And not a good one. Last year I happened to watch a TEDx talk on this topic with Dr. Martha Jo Atkins from 2013, which has over a million views. And when I heard her say, "When we educate families and the patient about the experiences of dying, there is less fear. And my goodness, we need less fear around death and dying" I grabbed my computer and wrote to ask her to be my guest on Loving Later Life. And I am so thrilled to tell you that she said yes! Dr. Martha Jo Atkins, is a dog-loving, (Ph.D.) end-of-life licensed professional counselor and counselor supervisor (LPC-S), coach, speaker , doula and author. Dr. Atkins has a thirty-year career helping children and adults negotiate end-of-life and grief. She is the founder of the Children's Bereavement Center of South Texas, served as Executive Director of Abode Contemplative Care for the Dying in San Antonio, and is the author of the book Signposts of Dying. She is the founder of Dying School, designed to build community while deepening conversations around end-of-life + aliveness. Now don't touch that dial! I can't wait to share this conversation with you and I do believe that it will have you thinking a little differently about death and dying. And I really want to have her back because there is so much more I want to talk about with her that we just didn't have time for. So get comfy, and let's let Martha Jo help us think about and talk about dying…

This episode is a follow up to a story that began in Episode 2 of Loving Later Life. It's the one about how I reached out to a jazz band about singing with them. As I was getting my thoughts together about how best to share the experience of what happened, my mind went off on a creative tangent in a very different direction. This episode has turned into something that wasn't at all planned and I decided why the hell not. So here it is! I've had so much fun putting this together and I think it'll make you smile. Come join me!

Carole Montgomery is a respected veteran of the stand-up scene nationwide. She has over two dozen TV credits, has headlined clubs across the U.S., starred in two Las Vegas production shows, did eleven comedy tours with Armed Forces Entertainment, and has been a featured performer for Montreal Just for Laughs and Boston and New York Comedy Festivals. Carole is also a director and producer. In 2017 she created the live stand-up comedy show Funny Women of a Certain Age which premiered on Showtime and became the network's highest rated comedy special for 2019 making TV history as the first comedy special to feature six women over the age of 50! In addition to her hilarious self, Carole has brought to the show some of the most respected names in comedy including Fran Drescher, Janeane Garofalo, Caroline Rhea, Julia Scotti and many more. In this episode, Carole openly shares the funny, touching, jaw dropping stories of her career. Don Rickles gave her the ultimate compliment of dissing her. Richard Pryor brought her to tears in the best of ways. Her stories of how she has faced ageism, sexism, and how she continues to persevere are compelling. Carole is still going strong at 64 years old bringing laughter to audiences across the country.

The path to getting older is oh so interesting, isn't it? As we grow older we accumulate some wisdom along the way, which can be cleverly disguised as heartbreak, loss, pain, disappointment, sadness, embarrassment, hurt or growing pains. So, if we get wiser as we get older, why do so many of us, so often, look outside ourselves for the answers? Perhaps they're in a place inside us where we'd least expect! In this episode, we experiment with a different way of discovering wisdom to find answers, feel emotionally safe, loved, and heard. Please join me, and I'd love to hear how it worked for you!

Nicole Aloni has had many lives and many losses. She is a French-trained chef (she cooked for Julia Child and Queen Elizabeth to name a few), was the director of catering of the Music Center in Los Angeles, founded a restaurant, catering company, food manufacturing business and photography studio. She was married to the love of her life, Ami Aloni, a prominent personality in the Jewish musical life of L.A., most especially revered in the synagogue world as a composer, arranger, pianist, and conductor. After Ami's tragic passing, Nicole reinvented herself several more times. She authored articles and books about food and entertaining. She also wrote, produced, and performed her autobiographical one-woman show, Le Grand Fromage, which you can watch on YouTube! In this funny and poignant show, she cooks French food on stage as she tells the riveting stories of her life. It will have you laughing and keep you on the edge of your seat. Nicole is also a certified coach specializing in collaborating with creative risk-takers, entrepreneurs, performers, public speakers and those re-inventing. You are going to be glued to her every word!

Today I'm talking about what I believe is quickly becoming a lost art: Listening. I think it's also the biggest gift we can give someone else. When we aren't truly listening, it means that the person who is trying to share something with us is likely not feeling heard. Feeling heard, is one of the most universal human needs, and when that need is not met on a consistent basis, it just doesn't lead to anything good! Whether we're 5 or 85 we want to feel that someone is listening to us. Do you always 'listen' with your head down in your phone? While watching TV? In this episode I share some stories that might just make you never want to do that again. It may also change the way you look at listening forever. I hope you'll listen. (See what I did there?!)

Join me and my special guest Kathryn Nicolai. Kathryn is the creator of the enormously successful podcast Nothing Much Happens and the author of the book of the same name. Nothing Much Happens is consistently ranked in the top 1% of all podcasts in the world and has received over 65 million downloads. As an architect of cozy, she leans on her years of experience as a yoga and meditation teacher to seamlessly blend storytelling with brain training methods that build better sleep habits over time. And imagine …wait till you hear about this… doing all of this not being able to picture a person's face or see things in her mind. Kathryn lives in Michigan with her wife and two dogs.

This is an unplanned episode. My efforts to be organized and plan somewhat ahead got thrown off course a little as I felt blindsided by some friendly feedback. So, I deviated from the plan (heaven forbid) and this, My Confession, is now episode 6. It's my reaction, my feelings, my introspection about how something many may consider morbid is my motivator; and a whole lot more. I hope you'll join me.

I am honored and thrilled to share a conversation I had with Ciji Ware. Ciji is a Harvard graduate, New York Times and USA Today bestselling novelist, Emmy award winning television producer, reporter for TV and radio, a DuPont award winner for investigative journalism, and sought-after event speaker. In this episode, Ciji shares fascinating fun facts and stories you won't believe. She grew up in Hollywood (and James Cagney was her godfather); as a married TV reporter for NBC, she was fired in 1971 because she got pregnant; just a few years ago she found out she had cancer with the help of a spider; and now at 80, she is writing her 16th novel. This book is the third in the series "American Spy Sisters" inspired by brave U.S. women secret agents who fought the Nazis in WWII. Ciji has had many setbacks and challenges, and she persevered. Listen to this inspiring conversation and you will be reminded that you can make it through anything by accepting change, and staying both curious and grateful.

Are you more patient with other people than you are with yourself? Do you talk to (or about) yourself the same way you would a dear friend? Have you noticed what you'll do for others but not for yourself? I'm not going to give any spoiler alerts about how I've decided to change the Golden Rule! However, I will say that the main topic in today's episode is about how we treat ourselves and how we talk to ourselves compared to how we do so with others. Please join me in tweaking the Golden Rule in a way you may not have thought about before, and let's do it before we do any further harm to ourselves!

I am so honored to have Cathy Brown as a guest on Loving Later Life. Cathy is a financial advisor, and President of CB Wealth Management Group, which is a family-owned business in Palm Desert, CA. Cathy has her degree in Economics from the University of Notre Dame, has worked at Merrill Lynch, American Express, and Smith Barney until she realized her goal of creating her own independent financial planning company. She was also the financial analyst for the local CBS affiliate for 7 years, has received the Elite Advisor designation from her broker-dealer IFG for the last 7 years, and has enjoyed giving back to her community for the last 30 years. Cathy is also the proud mother of two sons and extra proud grandmother of two grandchildren. Last but not least, she is my financial planner, and I don't know what I'd do without her! Cathy has guided me over the years to help me create a nest egg for myself that I wasn't able to start building until later in life because of my life's circumstances. In this episode we cover many important topics including how to choose a financial advisor and what to be leery of; what the most important things are for us to know and be prepared for; what to do given the stock market today; what if you don't have a retirement portfolio—is it too late? What are some safe ways to invest our money right now? What are the most important things we should all have in place…and lots more! --LOVING LATER LIFE SHOWNOTES: https://nancylanggibbs.com/shownotes/ --LOVING LATER LIFE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/lovinglaterlifepodcast/ --LOVING LATER LIFE FB PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/lovinglaterlifepodcast --DOWNLOAD "The First 5 Steps to Loving Later Life" at https://nancylanggibbs.com/

Do you feel that everything needs to be 'perfect' before you start something, do something, or even think about it doing something? Perfectionism. How often do you allow this 'ism' to keep you from enjoying your day-to-day life by making perfect, the enemy of progress? To be honest, it almost kept me from doing this podcast. The perfection monster likes to take up space in our heads telling us things like: if you can't do it perfectly don't do it at all, don't even think of trying something new because you won't do it perfectly right away, just wait until the 'perfect time' when you feel ready, or don't date or buy new clothes until you get to the perfect weight. If we allow it, this monster can rob us of doing what will bring us joy, fulfillment, fun, and from living whole-heartedly. I hope you'll come with me while we kick this 'ism's' butt! --LOVING LATER LIFE SHOWNOTES: https://nancylanggibbs.com/shownotes/ --LOVING LATER LIFE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/lovinglaterlifepodcast/ --LOVING LATER LIFE FB PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/lovinglaterlifepodcast --DOWNLOAD "The First 5 Steps to Loving Later Life" at https://nancylanggibbs.com/

Welcome to the first official episode of Loving Later Life! Please join me, Nancy Lang Gibbs, Later Life Coach and published writer, as I share Who I am (I tried to keep it from sounding like a combo of my resume and dating profile), What this podcast is all about, Why the heck I'm doing it, When you can tune in on a regular basis, Where you can find it, and How the idea for this podcast was born. You'll hear how I'm finding my voice again. I share an overview of my journey including how, after the implosion of an abusive relationship I landed in a seat at Disneyland for a life changing ride, which led to traveling thousands of miles to begin a new life adventure only to be cut short by Covid. I also flashback to some other twists and turns along my path including my divorce, and then losing my home and moving in with my mom in my 50's. I'm now 62 and it's not too late for any of us to live our best Later Life! I hope you'll come with me on this journey! --LOVING LATER LIFE SHOWNOTES: https://nancylanggibbs.com/shownotes/ --LOVING LATER LIFE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/lovinglaterlifepodcast/ --LOVING LATER LIFE FB PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/lovinglaterlifepodcast --DOWNLOAD "The First 5 Steps to Loving Later Life" at https://nancylanggibbs.com/

Women in your 50's, 60's, and older: Do you find yourself thinking, "I need a new sense of purpose," "Is the best part of my life behind me?" "How can I make new friends at this age?" "Am I ready to date again?" "How can I keep my mind and body fit?" "Am I financially prepared for…anything?" "How do I put myself first and not feel guilty?" Welcome to Loving Later Life where women 50, 60+ can connect, feel seen, heard, and valued. A place to laugh, have fun, and feel inspired! Each week, your host, Later Life Coach and published writer Nancy Lang Gibbs brings you answers, tips, strategies, and inspiring stories about these topics and so much more. Authentically and with humor Nancy shares her own experiences, dives in with experts and wise women telling their compelling stories. --LOVING LATER LIFE SHOWNOTES: https://nancylanggibbs.com/shownotes/ --LOVING LATER LIFE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/lovinglaterlifepodcast/ --LOVING LATER LIFE FB PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/lovinglaterlifepodcast --DOWNLOAD "The First 5 Steps to Loving Later Life" at https://nancylanggibbs.com/