Boldly moving from midlife to old age

Debbie was 67 when she started the podcast. Old age seemed very far away. Now, as she turns 72, it doesn’t.

On the show she delves into all the current topics related to growing old: the unretired (or non-retired) life, reinventing purpose, ageism, slowing down, intergenerational collaboration, grandparenting, elderly parents, dealing with illness and debility, dementia, grief and widowhood, and more. As well as other stuff that piques her interest; for example, the craft of writing.

NEW! read and subscribe to Debbie’s new Substack column on [B]OLD AGE.

Debbie asks the hard questions: how do you use the last stage of life to find meaning, to make a difference, and to create a legacy? How do you cope with illness and debility, if not yours then that of your parents or friends? Or can you ignore “old age” if you are vigorous and in good health?

She’s still figuring things out. She’s still not done.

Season 6 starts soon. All the episodes from the first five seasons are below. Or listen via your favorite podcast app.

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Featured episodes

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Season 4

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Season 4 started on Oct. 1, 2021.

We’ll focus on making the most of growing older. That includes reinventing life and work in your 60s and beyond, creating a post-career identity, living purposefully in order to find purpose, facing death in order to embrace life, and much more. As in previous seasons, you’ll hear from inspiring individuals as well as bestselling authors and experts.

Please subscribe via Apple podcasts or follow as they now call it. Or listen on Stitcher, Spotify, or Google Podcasts.

Season 3

Season 3 is about making the most of the collective gap year we’ve all been living through — the gap year we’ve been forced to take because of the pandemic. You’ll hear from ordinary individuals in midlife and older as well as from bestselling authors and experts like Nicholas Christakis, Guy Kawasaki, Daphne Merkin, Thomas Ricks, Juliette Kayyem, Seth Godin, Kerry Hannon, Chip Conley, Stuart Kestenbaum, and Marc Freedman. Her physician author husband Sam Harrington is a recurring guest. Topics include adapting to change and transition, confronting the fear of aging, making the most of an uncertain time — and things that Debbie cares a lot about (like writing and writers).

Season 2 

The term gap year symbolizes more than taking a time out. It is a frame for examining reinvention, a new purpose, aging with wisdom, trying new things, bucket list travel, a new approach to health and well-being, and more. Debbie’s guests in SEASON 2 were a mix of inspiring individuals who are taking or have taken grown-up gap years along with well-known authors and experts. SEASON 3 coming this fall!

Season 1

The first season of the podcast was about gap years for grown-ups. Why shouldn’t grown-ups be able to step out of their default life and take time to reflect on where they are, what comes next, and how they might like to live differently? The first episode is a conversation with Debbie’s three adult children on the student gap years they took. She was surprised to learn how they viewed the significance of their respective gap years as they looked back almost 20 years.

We are looking for a like-minded sponsor or podcast network.
If you are interested in reaching a smart and thoughtful audience of midlife GenX / Boomer listeners who are active, open to change and new possibilities, and who think differently about lifestyle, finances, and (non)retirement, contact Debbie Weil.

What Listeners are Saying

Thanks to our media partners

Encore.org, our newest media partner, is an ideas and innovation hub tapping the talent of those 50+ as a force for good. Founder and CEO Marc Freedman is an award-winning social entrepreneur and author, most recently, of How to Live Forever: The Enduring Power of Connecting the Generations. Looking for a great gap-year transition program? Check out Encore Fellowships, which match skilled, seasoned professionals with social-sector organizations in high-impact, paid assignments.

Modern Elder Academy is a program dedicated to navigating mid-life transitions. MEA, based in Baja California, Mexico, provides the place and the tools to start reframing your lifetime of experience. Grow whole, not old. Founder Chip Conley is a New York Times bestselling author, award-winning hospitality entrepreneur and a rock star of the mid-life transition movement. His newest book is Wisdom @ Work: the Making of a Modern Elder.

Next For Me is an important new resource for the 50+ crowd focused on rewriting life. Taking a gap year or timeout may be the best way to figure out "what's next" when you're in this stage of life. Founder Jeff Tidwell explains, Next For Me "connects and inspires our generation to evolve our post-50 lives through new work, a new purpose, or a new social contribution."