Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined

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: [email protected] Website: https://Pfaelzerdean.com Connect with Gail & Catherine: Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Wo70AgingReimagined Instagram: WomenOver70 Website:https://womenover70.com Email: [email protected] 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: [email protected] 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: [email protected] 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: [email protected] 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: [email protected] 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..

As a mother, physician, businesswoman and daughter, who navigated her mother’s 10 year journey with Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Cheryl encourages all adults to take responsibility to age intentionally. Her motto is "Live Out Loud and Age Excellently." In her career as an academic geriatrician, primary care doctor, and public policy expert, Dr. Cheryl has always bridged theory and practice. She is also a prolific writer of fiction and nonfiction. She tells it like it is and urges us to seek excellence, not perfection. She also says: “Writing has always been a place for me to heal.” “It is never too late to believe. All those things that stopped you when you were younger, don’t matter anymore.” - Dr. Cheryl Woodson Connect with Dr. Cheryl: Email: [email protected] Website: https://drcherylwoodson.com Books: To Survive Caregiving: A Daughter's Experience, A Doctor's Advice on Finding Hope, Help and Health Dear Lauren, Love Mom: 31 Days of Affirmations for My Daughter, for Myself, and for YOU What the Mirror Sees (romance fiction written under the pseudonym Tería Robens) Connect with Gail & Catherine: Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Wo70AgingReimagined Instagram: WomenOver70 Website:https://womenover70.com Email: [email protected] 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.

Elaine Mays, age 84, loves her newly created home in the Maroon Village of Accompong, Jamaica. How did an educator who participated in school desegregation in Missouri and taught college in California find her way to paradise? In her early 80s, within one year, a spate of tragedies--deaths of loved ones and her own major surgeries--“shook my tree to the roots.” Upon visiting a friend in Accompong, Elaine felt immediately that she had come home. So, in October 2020, she built a home where she appreciates the warmth of Jamaican culture and environment. Elaine looks forward, post-pandemic, to supporting young women in the community. It’s never too late or never too early to make change; you can always regroup and discover. Connect with Gail & Catherine: Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Wo70AgingReimagined Instagram: WomenOver70 Website:https://womenover70.com Email: [email protected] 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.

Living in New York City, Betty Rauch became a highly skilled marketer who was sought after by high profile clients. When she retired, nonprofits became her passion, and soon she was marketing for causes she dearly believes in. This dynamic, talented woman is a powerhouse who likes being in charge. From promoting after-care for incarcerated men to fostering positive outcomes for pregnant women in low-income areas, to providing resources and learning opportunities for women over 50, Betty refuses to freak out about her age. We all can learn from her wisdom, scar tissue and compassion. “Having a sense of purpose is what can make our post-retirement lives so much more meaningful, enjoyable and personally enriching." - Betty Rauch Connect with Betty: Email: [email protected] Volunteer Organizations: The Fortune Society: https.//fortunesociety.org Friends of the Nurse-Family Partnership: https://friendsofnycnfp.org TTN: https://thetransitionnetwork.org/ Connect with Gail & Catherine: Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Wo70AgingReimagined Instagram: WomenOver70 Website:https://womenover70.com Email: [email protected] 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.

Imagine what it might have been like to be a serious female science student in the early 1960s only to be barred from a doctoral program after receiving a masters. Bebe (Beatrice) Magee, age 81, provides a glimpse into her early history. In 2007, Bebe retired as a Senior Scientist in the College of Biological Sciences at the University of Minnesota. For more than 45 years, she and her husband, Pete, collaborated on scientific research that led eventually to ground- breaking work having implications for debilitated patients with potentially deadly infections. In retirement, Bebe expanded her engagement in rowing (which she started at age 54) to include teaching and officiating at rowing regattas. She has been able to spend more time in choral activities, singing with the Calliope Women’s Chorus--the 2nd oldest feminist chorus in the U.S.-- and with the Voices of Experience (singers over age 55). Married for 56 years, Bebe and Pete live in a big old house in St. Paul, MN, with no plans to downsize. "Although I am not much in favor of getting older, I am very happy with this stage in my life." - Beatrice Magee Contact information [email protected] Connect with Gail & Catherine: Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Wo70AgingReimagined Instagram: WomenOver70 Website:https://womenover70.com Email: [email protected] 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.

Women Over 70 is celebrating its 100th episode by featuring Jean Ketcham, affectionately known as Aging But Dangerous. Jean has a laserlike focus on living life with fun, spirit, and style. She is a former small business owner, talk show host, proud parent, avid skydiver, and cancer survivor, up for any challenge thrown her way. At 81, Jean is convinced that aging can be exciting. From skydiving to retreats and fashion shows, she continues to create opportunities for women to empower each other. "Nobody can put us in a box because of our age.” - Jean Ketcham Connect with Jean: Website: https://agingbutdangerous.com Facebook Group:/https://www.facebook.com/agingbutdangerous Email: [email protected] Connect with Gail & Catherine: Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Wo70AgingReimagined Instagram: WomenOver70 Website:https://womenover70.com Email: [email protected] Show: Women Over 70 – Aging Reimagined Listen on: Apple Play, Stitcher, Itunes, Podopolo Please rate our show and subscribe wherever you listen. This is how we grow.

With her background in dance and social work, Sheila K. Collins, Ph.D., brings embodied practices to many forms of self-care, particularly for healing. Sheila’s key tenet is that the body is our center of wisdom and at the root of self-care. Our body holds our stories, tells us what we need, and expresses what’s in our hearts. As a teacher-trainer and award-winning author, Sheila offers ways to find the gifts within the pain of loss. Her forthcoming book is The Art of Grieving. Contact Information: [email protected] https://sheilakcollins.com/about Sheila K. Collins Warrior Mother: A Memoir of Fierce Love, Unbearable Loss, and Rituals that Heal (2013) Sheila K. Collins & Christine Gautreaux. Stillpoint: A Self-Care Playbook for Caregivers to Find Ease, and Time to Breathe, and Reclaim Joy (2018) Connect with Gail & Catherine: Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Wo70AgingReimagined Instagram: WomenOver70 Website:https://womenover70.com Email: [email protected] 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.

In semi-retirement, at age 79, Hedy Ratner imparts her prodigious wisdom on women’s issues to high level policy makers. For over 50 years, as an advocate for intersecting civil rights and the second-wave women’s movement, Hedy has confronted inequalities of gender, race and class, e.g.,: working with Jesse Jackson, directing the YWCA-Chicago; founding Women in Film-Chicago; and, co-founding the Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC). Under new leadership and with Hedy as President Emerita, WBDC continues to thrive in its 4th decade, promoting entrepreneurship for low income women and women of color. Hedy credits her sustainability for social justice to the unwavering support of her life partner (recently deceased) and conscientious attention to maintaining balance--physical, mental, and spiritual. "With so much more to be done, nothing in my heart and mind says I should stop now." - Hedy Ratner Contact Information: [email protected] More about Hedy at https://www.thechicagonetwork.org/members/hedy-m-ratner/ Connect with Gail & Catherine: Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Wo70AgingReimagined Instagram: WomenOver70 Website:https://womenover70.com Email: [email protected] Show: Women Over 70 – Aging Reimagined Listen on: Apple Play, Stitcher, Itunes, Podopolo Please rate our show and subscribe wherever you listen. This is how we grow.

At age 76, Sunny Fischer (Evanston, IL) has advocated for women to be free from violence, exercise reproductive choice, afford their homes and possess financial stability. Sunny’s radicalization for women’s issues began in the 1970s while working directly with victims of rape, “the most dramatic form of sexism.” Over the past 40 years, Sunny has co- founded foundations focused solely on women’s issues, including the Sophia Fund which is now part of the Chicago Foundation for Women. Sunny’s work to promote affordable housing includes her current role as chair of the board of the National Public Housing Museum. Whatever the cause, Sunny’s approach is to listen, investigate, understand, strategize, and organize. There is a lot more work to do, and I still have the dreams to try. - Sunny Fischer Contact Information: [email protected] More about Sunny: https://www.thechicagonetwork.org/members/sunny-fischer/ https://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/about-us/board-and-staff- 2/board-directors/sunny-fischer/ Connect with Gail & Catherine: Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Wo70AgingReimagined Instagram: WomenOver70 Website:https://womenover70.com Email: [email protected] Show: Women Over 70 – Aging Reimagined Listen on: Apple Play, Stitcher, Itunes, Podopolo Please rate our show and subscribe wherever you listen. This is how we grow.

Two years ago, Diana Swezy, age 70, made a dramatic life change. She left her home in the Midwest and her work as a professional educator to live in a laid-back beach village in Jamaica. Diana’s professional life centered on students who are challenged, serving as an elementary school principal and as Director of Federal Programs. Having dealt with a long-term chronic illness and major back surgery, Diana searched for a place in which to heal, physically and emotionally. She chose Jamaica where the “thread of spirituality envelopes the realm of healing on many levels.” Here Diana practices self-care--creating art, eating well, swimming-- and delights in life with her younger Jamaican husband. Contact Information: [email protected] "I am learning to live well, with fun and less."

Audrey Peeples, age 81, from Chicago’s southwest side, is a history maker--the first Black woman to hold leadership positions in different kinds of organizations. Whether as CEO, board member, or community volunteer, Audrey is committed to raising awareness about racism and sexism and advocating for diversity and inclusion. “When different people are at the table, different decisions get made.” She calls out micro-systemic expectations with diplomacy and humor. Audrey intends to keep raising the hard questions and doing the hard work. "There are a lot of people like me, you just don’t know them." - Audrey Peeples Contact: [email protected] More about Audrey’s background see The History Makers. https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/audrey-peeples-39

Deborah Wood Holton, Ph.D., MFA, and certified transition coach discusses opportunities and realities that are essential to women’s self-preservation as we age. Gender and race inequities are realities in American society. Older women are more likely to be care-givers, live alone, and be limited financially. This is especially true for Black women, who also face a “kin-gap,” as they are often orphaned from family connections. Dr. Holton offers inspiration for older women to find our ‘inner guidance system’--to be caring, creative and compassionate about our own needs and wants. We are the heroines for ourselves and younger generations. Contact Information: [email protected] https://www.deborahwholton.com/ Deborah’s The Comfort Club is highlighted in the AARP 2019 annual report (2020) https://workforyourself.aarpfoundation.org/public-report/ Connect with Gail & Catherine: Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Wo70AgingReimagined Instagram: WomenOver70 Website:https://womenover70.com Email: [email protected] 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.