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At seventeen, Ben Oofana left Texas for Oklahoma, drawn to the traditions of Native American healers. His apprenticeship with Kiowa healer Horace Daukei became the beginning of decades spent exploring meditation, spiritual practices, martial arts and personal transformation. Ben believes that difficult experiences can leave lasting emotional patterns. Agnes is curious about his approach, but she also has questions about what happens when we're already happy with our lives and looking forward to what's next. In this conversation: Why Ben left home at seventeen to pursue an unusual path. How he became involved with Kiowa elders and met his mentor. The influence of Sufi, Buddhist and Daoist traditions. What Ben sought from different teachers and practices. His experiences with emotional wounds and recurring relationship patterns. Why spiritual growth doesn't necessarily mean emotional maturity. Whether we need to revisit painful experiences when life is going well. How love, supportive adults and positive experiences shape resilience. The role of meditation and emotional awareness in Ben's work. Why Ben continues searching for new things to learn. A conversation about personal experience, different beliefs and the possibilities for continued growth, with some thoughtful challenges along the way. Content note: Includes references to childhood abuse, sexual assault and emotional trauma. Ben discusses spiritual healing practices from his personal perspective; these are not substitutes for qualified medical or mental health care. Find Ben at his website. Learn more about Ben and find all his links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast.

Family relationships can be wonderfully rewarding, endlessly complicated, and sometimes downright exhausting. Family therapist Angela Caldwell joins Agnes to explore the roles we take on within our families, why those roles can follow us well into our 60s and 70s, and what happens when we're ready to change them. In this conversation: Why families keep repeating familiar patterns, even when those patterns aren't working. The difference between a family that functions and one that is genuinely healthy. How we become the peacemaker, organizer, caregiver or family troublemaker. What happens when a woman wants to resign from her long-held family role. Learning to support our adult children without trying to manage their lives. Angela's three evolving roles for grandmothers: pit crew, cheerleader and storyteller. Why grandchildren want to hear the same family stories again and again. Boundaries, difficult relatives and the difference between adaptation and avoidance. Angela's perspective on sibling relationships, estrangement and reconciliation. A practical suggestion for women who are tired of carrying the family's responsibilities. Angela brings strong opinions, humour and years of experience to a conversation about the relationships that shape our lives. And perhaps the most delightful reminder of all: grandmothers have stories worth telling, even when their adult children roll their eyes! Learn more about Angela and find all her links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast.

What happens when a dream you've carried for years finally becomes something you can do — and how do you know whether it's still the right dream? Sommelier, author, and restaurant owner Hillary Zio joins Agnes to talk about opening Isola Wine & Tapas at 38, taking calculated risks, and discovering how much our ideas about success can change as we get older. In this conversation: How a chance encounter with winemaking sparked a 20-year career Why Hillary finally opened the wine bar she'd imagined for years The unexpected challenges of running a small restaurant Taking risks when there's more to lose — but more experience to draw on Why patience and research matter before making a big commitment Testing a dream without betting everything on it Changing priorities around work, money, motherhood, and relationships Finding freedom in letting go of an old definition of success Discovering interesting wines without needing to be an expert Wine myths, overlooked regions, and finding good value in a bottle Hillary's experiences offer plenty to consider, whether you're contemplating a new venture, revisiting an old ambition, or simply becoming more adventurous about what you pour into your glass. Find Hillary at https://www.hillaryzio.com/ Learn more about Hillary and find all her links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast.

We spend years saving for retirement. But when the time comes to use those savings, why can it feel so uncomfortable? Rob Townend spent more than two decades in corporate finance before COVID gave him an unexpected opportunity to reconsider his priorities. Leaving corporate life meant finding new ways to support his family financially, including navigating a little-known provision of the U.S. tax code. In this conversation, we explore: How time with family changed Rob's definition of success The emotional difficulty of leaving a financially rewarding career Why diligent savers can struggle to become comfortable spenders The difference between having enough money and feeling secure Planning for an uncertain lifespan and changing expenses Section 72(t) and early access to certain U.S. retirement accounts Why the rules around early withdrawals require careful attention Retirement decisions for women already past 60 Balancing support for adult children with our own financial needs Using a budget to make room for enjoyment, not just expenses Rob also shares how he eventually found a new sense of purpose, along with more time for the people and activities that matter to him. For American listeners interested in Section 72(t), visit Early Retirement Access for Rob's resources and information. Financial information in this conversation is general and U.S.-specific rules may not apply in Canada or elsewhere. Consult a qualified professional about your circumstances. Learn more about Rob and find his links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast

What happens when you've planned financially for retirement—but haven't planned for the life you'll actually live? Anne van Leynseele believes retirement deserves more than simply spreading our old weekend activities across seven days. She created Preferment®, a framework for thinking deliberately about identity, purpose, curiosity and connection in the years beyond full-time work.  In this lively conversation, Anne and Agnes explore: Why Anne has spent her life collecting experiences rather than stuff How repeated reinvention can build confidence that we'll handle whatever comes next Why preparing financially for retirement is only part of the planning What Preferment® means—and why Anne resurrected a 15th-century word meaning advancement or promotion  Whether women really need another chapter of achievement—or whether gardening, reading and lunch with friends can be quite enough Anne's “Big Three”: thinking, doing and feeling—keeping our minds engaged, our bodies moving and our emotional connections alive  How to rediscover curiosity when you've spent years meeting everyone else's needs Why adaptation may matter more than hanging onto an old version of ourselves The community we lose when work ends—and the importance of intentionally building new connections, including across generations  Why couples may need to rethink who carries the responsibility for maintaining their shared social life  And, naturally, why Anne insists your average candy bar should not be called chocolate. 🍫  Anne reminds us that we don't need a grand new mission to make this stage of life meaningful. Sometimes it begins with curiosity, a small experiment, a new connection—or simply asking ourselves what we'd like an ordinary Tuesday to look like. Learn more about Anne at The Boomer Woman's Podcast

What if some of the traits you've spent years trying to change aren't simply problems to solve? Returning guest Judy Wilkins-Smith joins Agnes for a different look at the patterns that travel through families — creativity, perfectionism, restlessness, independence, resilience and those inexplicable urges that seem to appear across generations. This time, the question isn't only Where did this come from? It's also What might I do with it? In this conversation: Why inherited family patterns aren't necessarily good or bad What perfectionism may look like when its energy is redirected Why Judy says action can lead to insight Creativity, restlessness and the urge to make something Starting something new when other people think you're “too old” Looking for family patterns beyond parents and grandparents What consciously and unconsciously travels through families How rejecting an earlier family behaviour can create a new pattern Why strong reactions can be clues worth investigating What changes when you “turn the coin over” and look for potential Along the way, Agnes introduces Judy to a determined great-grandmother, a possibly mythical Spanish princess and a family tendency that might best be summed up as: Oh no, we're doing this. This is a conversation about looking at your family — and yourself — with curiosity rather than rushing to decide what needs fixing. Learn more about Judy, find her prior episode and all her links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast.

What else travels through a family besides names, eye colour and the shape of our jowls? In this solo episode, Agnes goes rummaging through her own family tree looking for something genealogy charts don't record: creativity, perfectionism, wordplay, curiosity, independence and that intriguing family tendency to say, Why not? Along the way: Makers across generations — from furniture and knitting to photography Whether what travels is the craft or the urge to create One family tendency expressed in very different ways Turning perfectionism over to see what's on the other side How words, expressions and humour move through generations The difference between what may be inherited and what is clearly handed down The family traditions we deliberately choose not to continue Agnes's line of “why not women” What family myths might reveal about the qualities we value A different way to explore your own family tree after 60 We may never know whether these patterns are inherited, learned, modelled around the dinner table or simply coincidence. But noticing them raises a much more interesting question: What came through your family to you — and what are you sending forward? Find more than the Boomer Woman's Podcast at Boom! With A Bang!

Registered psychotherapist and author Elke Scholz joins Agnes for a conversation about something many women experience but don't always know how to name: feeling exhausted, overwhelmed or simply not quite like themselves. Why can we finally reach a stage of life with fewer responsibilities—and still wonder where our energy went? Elke explores the relationship between burnout, stress and anxiety, and why finding the root of what is draining us matters more than simply pushing ourselves to keep going. In this conversation: Why burnout and anxiety can overlap How stress can show up physically as well as emotionally Why decades of being the good mother, daughter, partner, employee or caregiver can eventually take their toll What happens when the roles that once defined us begin to disappear How resentment can contribute to exhaustion Why noticing what raises—or lowers—our energy can help us reconnect with ourselves The importance of listening to the body rather than living entirely in our heads Why connection, nature, movement and simple pleasures matter What to do when you genuinely don't know what interests you anymore Elke's simple question: “What will make me happy today?” Why slowing down can help us hear our own inner wisdom And, in a delightful change of direction, what happened when Elke bought a travel trailer and headed across North America for Arizona This isn't about forcing yourself to bounce back or filling retirement with more things to accomplish. It's about becoming curious about what drains you, what restores you—and learning to trust yourself again. Learn more about Elke and find all her links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast Note: This conversation is for general information and personal reflection and is not a substitute for individualized medical or mental-health advice.

Retirement left Paula Panariello with a question she hadn't spent much time asking before: What would I actually like to do? An avid historical-romance reader, Paula decided to try writing one herself. Her first manuscript needed plenty of help, but the story was good — and seven novels later, Paula now comfortably calls herself an author. In our conversation, we talk about: finding something meaningful to retire to, not simply something to retire from becoming a beginner later in life getting past the Who am I kidding? feeling what can happen when someone else sees possibilities in us before we do learning the technology and craft required to pursue something new how decades of life experience can feed creativity staying curious and continuing to learn maintaining activity and social connection after retirement preserving family stories while the people who remember them are still here hearing criticism without letting one negative opinion outweigh everything else Paula's experience is a reminder that sometimes an entirely new chapter begins simply because something interests us enough to try it. Learn more about Paula and find her links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast

Can we really change patterns we've carried for decades? Craig Meriwether is a clinical hypnotherapist, medical hypnosis specialist and subconscious transformation expert. In this conversation, Craig takes us beneath the conscious thoughts we know so well and into the patterns and beliefs that may have been quietly influencing us for years. We talk about how the subconscious mind tries to keep us safe, why an old response that once protected us may no longer serve us, and why understanding a behaviour isn't always enough to change it. Craig also clears up some of the myths surrounding hypnosis—no clucking chickens required—and explains why hypnosis is about participation rather than surrendering control. Especially relevant for those of us creating life after 60, we explore regret: the marriage that didn't work, the career left behind, the opportunity not taken, the dream postponed. The past may be part of our story, but does it have to determine what happens next? We also discuss the importance of properly trained hypnotherapists, what to look for before working with one, and why age doesn't put an expiry date on our ability to learn, change and grow. Because perhaps "this is just who I am" deserves another look. Learn more about Craig Meriwether and find all his links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast.

hirley B. Novack has reinvented herself more than once—or twice. She grew up in a family where girls weren’t expected to go to college, worked to put herself through school anyway, entered laboratory science, became a teacher, raised three children, built a decades-long career in interior design, opened a summer candy shop and eventually returned to the dream she'd carried since childhood: writing. At nine years old, a teacher told Shirley never to stop writing because he believed she could become a great writer. She never forgot him. Decades later, during the pandemic, Shirley began writing the story inspired by her father's extraordinary—and often painful—early life. She published her first novel at 75. Our conversation wanders exactly the way a good conversation with a born storyteller sometimes does. We talk about difficult marriages and finding yourself again, why age can bring better boundaries, trying things even when failure is possible, the assumptions society makes about older people—and why Shirley believes another door can always open. There are also detours involving Cyndi Lauper, Colin Powell, the bomb squad at Logan Airport, a suspected terrorist, a cocaine mule and a Porsche. Because apparently one lifetime wasn't enough material for Shirley. In this episode we talk about: reinventing yourself throughout adulthood recognizing your own worth and abilities going back to school later and learning simply because something interests you leaving a difficult marriage refusing to let age decide what you're capable of finally pursuing a childhood dream becoming a published novelist at 75 finding stories—and opportunities—in unexpected places remaining curious about whatever comes next Content note: This conversation includes references to emotional abuse, gambling addiction, sexual violence, human trafficking and a serious medical crisis. Learn more about Shirley and find all her links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast

What happens when you've built the successful career, proved you could do it — and realize you don't want to spend the rest of your life doing more of the same? Lorie Eber spent 23 years as a corporate litigator, became a partner and successfully opened a branch office others predicted would fail. Then, at 49, she walked away. What followed wasn't an instant reinvention. It was a decade of trying things, discovering abilities she didn't know she had, and eventually building a second career around wellness, teaching and healthy aging. Along the way, Lorie had to ask some surprisingly difficult questions: Who was she without “Lorie the lawyer”? Had career success crowded out friendships, hobbies and connection? And did she really want to reach the end of her life wondering whether she could have billed one more hour? Now 70, she's reinventing herself again — this time by learning how to work with an aging body rather than expecting it to perform like the younger one she remembers. Lorie and Agnes talk candidly about metabolism, menopause, strength, protein, sleep, stress, food environments and why “the rules have changed, but nobody makes an announcement.” In this episode: Walking away from a successful career at 49 The identity crisis that can follow retirement or career change Why finding a new purpose can take years What changes in our bodies as we age Adjusting exercise instead of giving it up Health versus thinness Sleep, stress and our relationship with food Why social connection matters more with age Discovering kindness after a combative career Learning to give ourselves grace Why Lorie is still reinventing herself at 70 This conversation is about much more than wellness. They talk about purpose, friendship, kindness, marriage, learning to relax, letting go of things that no longer matter — and the realization that reinvention isn't a single dramatic decision. Sometimes it is simply continuing to adapt as we become the women we're going to be next. Learn more about Lorie and find all her links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast

What happens when the roles, titles and definitions of success that once shaped us no longer fit? Chip Scholz joins Agnes for a warm, wide-ranging conversation about identity, marriage, family, resilience, usefulness and the quiet wisdom that comes from living long enough to reconsider what really matters. After a later-life layoff, a stroke, 42 years of marriage, raising three daughters and nearly three decades of coaching others through change, Chip has learned something about starting over: first, we have to be willing to let go. In this conversation: • Why letting go may be the necessary first step toward starting over • How small daily decisions carried Chip through recovery from a stroke • Why Chip prefers “work-life harmony” to work-life balance • What 42 years of marriage taught him about “choosing us” • The danger of confusing status with personal importance • Why usefulness matters more to him now than recognition • How lived experience turns knowledge into wisdom • What woodturning has taught him about people and relationships • Why flexibility still needs “guardrails” • “Semper Gumbi” — Chip's wonderfully simple reminder to stay flexible • Why curiosity may be one of the keys to staying young Chip is the author of Small Decisions, Big Shifts and Every Dog Has Its Day: Reflections on Life, Love and the Lathe. His newest book, Handoffs: A Family Fable, explores identity, succession and what it means to release something we've spent years building. Learn more about Chip and find all his links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast.

What happens when life gently—and sometimes painfully—asks you to rethink everything you believed about yourself? Former history teacher and memoirist Lee Knapp joins Agnes to explore faith, family, marriage, race, identity, and the surprising freedom that can come with growing older. Together they discuss why becoming ourselves is often less about reinvention than revelation. What You'll Hear: Why retirement can become a time of discovery Accommodation versus authenticity Learning from younger generations Returning to the school that transformed her worldview Faith without fear Letting go of perfectionism Family history and difficult truths Late-life romance on your own terms Why curiosity matters more than certainty This is a thoughtful, hopeful conversation about becoming more fully yourself—no matter your age or your past. Note: This conversation includes thoughtful discussion of race, religious authority, divorce, family dynamics, and historical injustice. While approached with warmth and hope, some listeners may find parts emotionally reflective. Learn more about Lee and find all her links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast.

Sometimes the deepest wounds are the ones no one else can see. In this heartfelt conversation, grief and resilience coach Lee Atherton shares how years of unresolved trauma, family loss, and PTSD led her to one of the darkest periods of her life—and how a remarkable service dog named Shadow became part of her journey back to hope. Together, we also explore the everyday losses many women carry quietly and what genuine healing can look like. In this episode: Why grief isn't limited to losing a loved one The hidden impact of cumulative losses throughout life Why so many women struggle to ask for help after years of caring for others How service dogs support people living with PTSD Practical ways to build resilience before life becomes overwhelming Finding hope, connection and purpose after trauma Healing doesn't erase what we've lived through—but it can help us carry those experiences with greater compassion, strength, and hope. Find Lee at CoachRev Phoenix Rising Learn more about Lee and find all her links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast