Podcast – Tanya Singer – Knitting Enthusiast
In this episode, I welcome knitting expert Tanya Singer. Tanya writes about and teaches knitting, and offers loads of recommendations for beginners (like me) on where to turn for help and inspiration.
Podcast – Key Exercises as We Age
A fitness and nutrition guru, Adam Lee is the owner of 28 Tenn Fitness, a workout gym in Hendersonville, TN. Adam trains and guides a multitude of people who want to lose weight, get stronger, eat better, or simply stay in shape. In this episode, Adam discusses the key exercises we should all perform regularly as we age—the crucial exercises that will help us continue to do all the things we love, as we get older.
Joan Hornberger – Change is Good
The Orchid Series
A collection of interviews featuring inspiring women over 75 years young. Curious, engaged, active, interesting. The sort of woman I want to be when I grow up!
“Change is good, and I was ready for something different,” says Joan Hornberger. After 38 years of living in Charlottesville, VA, she and her husband surprised friends when they packed up and moved to Nashville.
Podcast – Lucas Eilers Design
Lucas Eilers Design is a highly sought-after residential design firm in Houston, TX. Sandy Lucas and Sarah Eilers are the design dynamos who head up the 12-person team. Sandy and Sarah work on upscale projects nationwide, have won numerous accolades, and are frequently featured in national publications. In this episode, the two women discuss lovely and current residential design trends.
Podcast – Carville Leprosarium
The Second Life of Mirielle West, a historical fiction novel, revolves around the Carville Leprosarium. From 1894-2005, law required all leprosy patients in the United States to be quarantined in this rural Louisiana hospital community. I loved the book and its fascinating history. And so, I reached out to Amanda Skenandore, the author and an infection prevention nurse, to learn more.
Podcast – Dr. Maureen Seitz – Bone Density
In this episode, Dr. Maureen Seitz discusses ways to minimize bone density loss and preserve bone mass. She defines osteopenia and osteoporosis, the difference between the two, and the test to determine the health of our bones. We discuss diet, exercise, vitamins, and lifestyle choices to ensure healthy bones as we get older.
Susansnaps Cookies
In their final days of school, most college seniors celebrate with friends, prepare to start jobs, or plan where their adult lives will take them. But, two weeks shy of her Auburn University graduation, Susan Stachler received a shocking diagnosis.
Podcast – MaMere’s Guest House
In this episode, Emily McNulty and I chat about her dream job as the innkeeper of MaMere’s Guest house, a charming bed and breakfast in Monmouth, Oregon. We discuss the house’s history, how she stepped into this career, activities to do in the Willamette Valley, her love of baking, and Emily’s new thing.
Beth Clark — Alabama Olive Farm
Over and over, I hear stories like Beth Clark’s. Her kids had flown the nest, she had extra time on her hands, and she craved a project. A sizable endeavor she could sink her teeth and energy into. And so, this dynamo started an Alabama olive farm.
Podcast – Erika Owen – Travel to Iceland
Someday, I’d love to travel to Iceland. In this episode, I chat with Erika Owen. The Brooklyn-based travel and design writer is an expert on all things Iceland. We discuss the best time of the year to visit Iceland, flaneuring, and must-see sights. Erika talks about puffins, cloudberries, silver foxes, lava tunnels, and the Icelandic dish she won’t eat again. I think you’ll hear some helpful suggestions, plus Erika’s one new thing.
Podcast – Barb Heilman – UnbuckleMe
In this episode, grandmother and former occupational hand therapist Barb Heilman and I discuss how she invented UnbuckleMe, the handy little gadget that opens those pesky car seats effortlessly. We talk about her and her daughter’s successful Shark Tank appearance, the brand new Totebook car seat activity product, how it feels to enter the business world after 60, and her one new thing.
Ardys – Attitude and Socialization
The Orchid Series
A collection of interviews featuring inspiring humans over 75 years young. Curious, engaged, active, interesting. The sort of person I want to be when I grow up!
Podcast – Brooke Jones – Random Acts of Kindness
In this episode, Brooke Jones and I discuss her role at The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation and the resources her organization provides to communities, workplaces, families, and children. We also talk about the science behind kindness and how it affects the human brain, whether we give, receive, or witness kind gestures. She provides examples of how we can, in our everyday lives, lift each other up—and, as a result, feel better ourselves.
Cody Durham – High-Rise Window Cleaning
Every few months, I hear a THUMP THUMP against the side of my 13th-story window. I pull back the drape and wave to the man (I’ve yet to see a woman!) dangling from the side of my building. He cleans and swipes, pausing to wave back, smile, and pose for a photo. “High-rise window cleaners see some crazy stuff,” says Cody Durham. “And, believe me, it’s hard not to look.”
Favorite Travel Accessories
At 6 am on December 22, I handed a large duffel bag to the airport ticket agent. As she checked my bag, stuffed with Christmas presents and ski helmets and clothing to combat the minus twenty-degree temps I headed into, I casually asked the agent, Will Denver airport employees work outside in this weather?
Podcast – Marci Houff – Ovarian Cancer Survivor
In this interview, ovarian cancer survivor Marci Houff and I discuss her surprising ovarian cancer diagnosis at a young age, the facts surrounding this sneaky and deadly disease, the steps she took to battle this cancer, the disease’s symptoms, and the non-profit she founded to spread information and awareness.
How to Listen to a Podcast
Recently, I began to sheepishly tell friends about the project I’d been working on for the last several months. To supplement my blog, a podcast (also Who I Met Today) launches on January 13. As I spread the word, I received a mixed bag of comments. Outstanding! Congratulations! I don’t listen to podcasts. And over and over again I heard‚ from women—I don’t know how to listen to a podcast.
Podcast – Cindy Burnett – Book Recommendations
In this episode, Cindy Burnett and I discuss her bookish podcast, Thoughts From a Page, five outstanding first-quarter book recommendations, other novels we’ve enjoyed, and much more.
Shana Novak – The Heirloomist
On a recent flight, I flipped through a copy of Country Living magazine and came across a column called Everyday Heirlooms. The issue featured a stunning photograph of some well-loved L.L. Bean boots that looked like they’d experienced an adventure or two. The accompanying story intrigued me. And that’s how I discovered Shana Novak, aka The Heirloomist.
Angie Hester Cook – Life is a Celebration
When it’s just the two of us for dinner on a weekend night—or a holiday—I often pull out pretty dishes, paper mats, and delicate stemware and set a festive table. Fun place settings elevate the specialness of an ordinary Friday or Saturday evening. “Because,” according to Angie Hester Cook, “life is a celebration.”
Gaili Schoen—Two Favorite Book Series
From Gaili: Hello, fellow book lovers! Happy 2023! One of our greatest gifts is to find wonderful reads that are a part of a book series. I have two favorite series I want to share with you today to start your 2023 reading life with joyful literary pleasure. Enjoy!
Stocking Stuffers They’ll Appreciate
Several years ago, my son came home from college for the holidays. “My favorite part of Christmas is my stocking,” he announced at dinner one night. He went on to say he appreciated the useful surprises he discovered in his stocking. Items that had a purpose—and wouldn’t end up discarded with the torn and crinkled wrapping paper.
Yikes, I thought, no pressure on me at all.
Thanks to friends, readers, and family members, here is a round-up of fun ideas. Stocking stuffers the recipients will appreciate…
Bubbles – The Orchid Series – A Yearly Activity
The Orchid Series
A collection of interviews featuring inspiring women over 75 years young. Curious, engaged, active, interesting. The sort of woman I want to be when I grow up!
In January, when Connie—Bubbles to all who know her—flips her calendar to 2023, she will begin another year of learning to do a new activity. Sixteen years ago, at 60, Bubbles created this fun challenge for herself. She isn’t yet sure what 2023’s project will be, but she’s already looking forward to it.
Anne Elizabeth McIntosh – Luxury Concierge
Several years ago, Anne Elizabeth McIntosh and I chatted on a sunny Florida beach. Ours was the polite conversation people have when neighboring umbrellas and beach chairs are close to one another. What book are you reading? Where are you from? We ran into each other again at the airport as we boarded the same flight back to Nashville. And once more on the parking lot shuttle bus.
Since then—via Instagram—I’ve watched Anne Elizabeth’s luxury concierge business sprout, grow, and flourish. What I’ve learned—if you want to know anything about Nashville, Anne Elizabeth is the one to call.
Gaili Schoen – Three Mystery Recommendations
Hello, fellow book lovers! On this chilly Halloween weekend, what could be better than snuggling up with a good mystery? Whether you choose an audiobook, a paperback, or the digital version, I hope you find a novel here that piques your interest. May you get lots of treats this Halloween! Love, Gaili
Brett Swayn – Training for Homeless Men
“You can’t spend a weekend with someone seriously ill and grasp what they’re going through,” says Brett Swayn. “I never understood the depths of despair homeless men face….until I was homeless myself.”
Marty Pavelich – Hockey Player
The Orchid Series
A collection of conversations featuring inspiring humans over 75 years young. Curious, engaged, active, interesting. The sort of person I want to be when I grow up!
How did I know, when I said hello to Marty Pavelich at a Colorado workout center, this almost 95-year-old dynamo would turn out to be one of my favorite people stories? With his wisdom, crinkly smile, and gift for storytelling, Marty makes anything in life seem possible. Whenever I plop my coffee or water bottle into my car’s cup holder, I’ll think of Marty…
Raymond Roy – Newport Mansions
I’m hooked on HBO’s The Gilded Age. I adore peeking into the late 1800s and the opulent lives of America’s shipping, railroad, and coal mining magnates. I love the history, fashion, architecture, and those over-the-top homes.
Many of the industrial tycoons and their families lived in New York City. But for the summer season—all six weeks of it—they packed up their trunks and gowns and escaped to their “cottages” in Newport, Rhode Island.
Lynda Loigman – The Matchmaker’s Gift
During the pandemic, Lynda Loigman’s daughter and her Harvard roommate came home to upstate New York. “Like everyone else, we all worked during the days, had dinner together, and congregated around the television at night,” says Lynda. One evening, after they’d watched Indian Matchmaking, the roommate mentioned her grandmother had been a Jewish matchmaker in New York.
Kelley Teckman – Food Stylist
A few years ago, I had lunch with an author who was in Nashville to promote her new cookbook. I wondered, after a late night flight, how she’d organized and prepared the dishes she’d cooked on an early morning television program. “Oh no, the food stylists do all that,” the author said. And I wanted to learn more.