Kathy Bresler, founder of ALTAR Community in Chicago, has created a welcoming space where women of all ages come together to be seen, heard, and supported. ALTAR is a third space for women centered around meaningful gatherings, conversation, creativity, reflection, and authentic connection.Through conversation, reflection, and shared experience, women discover what feels most true and meaningful in their lives and often experience profound personal transformation.Grounded in curiosity, creativity, and compassion, Kathy brings together her background in interfaith and interspiritual ministry with years of corporate leadership experience to nurture both the heart and the practical realities of building community.Kathy believes younger women are hungry for meaningful relationships with older women who embody a different way of aging — women who are alive, engaged, creative, evolving, and unwilling to disappear into society’s narrow expectations of later life. In turn, older women are renewed by being seen, valued, and welcomed into authentic intergenerational connection.At the center of Kathy’s work is an invitation to cultivate what she calls “Vitamin J” — the practice of nurturing and extending our “joy-span” at every stage of life.Connect with Kathy Email: [email protected] ALTAR Community Chicago: https://www.altarcommunity.comShining the Light on Age-Wise Collective—Women Over 70 is proud to be part of the Age-Wise Collective, a group of women podcasters championing pro-aging voices. We highlight Beverley Glazer, a transition coach andstrategic thinking partner whose podcast-AgingwithPurposeandPassion.com –showcases the raw, empowering stories of high-achieving women who have navigated the most extreme life transitions with unshakeable resilience.

At 80, Regan Burke is still organizing, advocating, and speaking out.But her path to becoming a respected activist, columnist, memoirist, and political influencer was anything but straightforward. Before she found sobriety in her twenties, drugs and alcohol shaped much of her daily life. She attended five different high schools, searching for direction until one perceptive nun recognized her talent and changed the course of her future by encouraging her to write.That spark ignited a lifelong commitment to telling the truth.For decades, Regan immersed herself in political organizing, volunteering for campaigns she believed could make a difference. A devoted member of the recovery community, she carried the lessons of honesty and accountability into her writing, becoming a blogger, newspaper columnist, and memoirist known for speaking candidly about politics, power, and personal struggle.Today, despite living with chronic pain, Regan refuses to retreat from public life. She organizes rallies for people with limited mobility, mentors younger political leaders, and works tirelessly to encourage civic engagement. While she may no longer knock on doors, her determination to create change remains as strong as ever.In this conversation, Regan reflects on sobriety, activism, aging, courage, and why using your voice may be more important now than ever.And when the work gets hard? She sings. Choir music helps ease her pain, sharpens her mind, and reminds her that community can be one of life's most powerful forms of healing."It’s risky to stand up - it takes bravery." - Regan BurkeConnect with Regan:Blog: ReganBurke.comEmail: [email protected] the Light on Age-Wise Collective—Women Over 70 is proud to be part of the Age-Wise Collective, a group of women podcasters championing pro-aging voices. We highlight gerontologist Sally Duplantier, host of Wellness Wednesdays. These free and recorded webinars feature experts on topics about healthy aging. Visit MyZingLife.com to learn more.

For nearly fifty years, Sybil Kolon has devoted herself to protecting 79 acres of family land in Michigan’s Irish Hills. Originally owned by her grandparents, the property was placed under option with Legacy Land Conservancy in 1976 with the hope that it would someday become a nature preserve.Now 72, Sybil spent her childhood exploring the farm’s woods and fields, developing a lifelong love of nature. After attending Michigan Tech and Michigan State University, she returned to live on the land with her husband, building a home there in 1983. Over time, she became the family’s caretaker of the property and felt deeply responsible for preserving it for future generations.In 2015, Sybil and her husband created a living trust with Legacy Land Conservancy to ensure the land would eventually become a preserve. But Sybil decided there was no reason to wait. She began working to transform the property into a public nature preserve during her lifetime, including carefully deconstructing the old farmhouse so its materials could be salvaged and reused.In June 2025, Iron Creek Preserve officially opened to the public.Today, Sybil is leading yet another conservation effort after nearby land was sold to a gravel mining company, threatening both the preserve and surrounding wildlife habitat. What began as a personal commitment to family land has become a larger mission of environmental stewardship and community advocacy."Taking care of the land is important — but we have to take care of each other, too.” - Sybil KolonCONNECT WITH SYBIL:Email: [email protected] the Light on Age-Wise Collective—Women Over 70 is proud to be part of the Age-Wise Collective, a group of women podcasters championing pro-aging voices. We highlight Beverley Glazer, a transition coach and strategic thinking partner whose podcast-AgingwithPurposeandPassion.com –showcases the raw, empowering stories of high-achieving women who have navigated the most extreme life transitions with unshakeable resilience.

Author and artist Jill G. Hall, 71, joins us with her luminous new novel On a Sundown Sea, inspired by the mysteries surrounding the visionary woman who built Lomaland—a utopian community near the home Jill grew up in. Fascinated since childhood by the stories whispered throughout her neighborhood, for more than a century, Hall spent five years researching the extraordinary life of Katherine Tingley, tracing her journey from Massachusetts roots to her profound spiritual and artistic influence on the West Coast. When Jill began writing after a twenty-year career as an educator, she never imagined she would become a novelist. Joining a prompt-writing group, she initially thought she might write children’s books or a memoir about teaching. Instead, unexpected characters began appearing on the page. Jill kept writing, and ten years later, when she was sixty, her debut novel, The Black Velvet Coat, was published. Two more novels completed the Anne McFarland Series with The Silver Shoes and The Green Lace Corset.Jill has always been creative. Along the way, she’d been shaped by a series of mentors: her grandmother, a beloved fifth-grade teacher who nurtured her love of the humanities, and later, poets who helped refine her voice. Beyond writing, she’s also a visual artist whose mixed-media collages and mosaics blend found objects—especially silver trays transformed into wall-hung artworks—with words, tiles, and small artifacts. She studies modern dance, practices yoga, and takes long walks, all of which continue to enrich her life and work.Now working on a collection of her nature-inspired poetry, Jill embraces aging with joy and curiosity. “I feel like I am aging backwards!” - Jill G. HallAnne McFarland Series: The Black Velvet Coat, The Silver Shoes & The Green Lace CorsetBiographical Historical Novel: On A Sundown Sea Website: www.jillghall.comhttps://substack.com/@jillghallhttps://www.facebook.com/JillGHallAuthor/#https://www.instagram.com/jillg.hall/ Shining the Light on Age-Wise Collective—Women Over 70 is proud to be part of the Age-Wise Collective, a group of women podcasters championing pro-aging voices. We highlight Beverley Glazer, a transition coach and strategic thinking partner whose podcast-AgingwithPurposeandPassion.com –showcases the raw, empowering stories of high-achieving women who have navigated the most extreme life transitions with unshakeable resilience.

For more than six decades, Sandra Sokol has devoted her life to building stronger, more equitable communities. Although she once imagined a career teaching in schools serving children of color her path evolved into groundbreaking volunteer and public service work focused on education, housing, and economic development. Many of the initiatives she helped launch grew into lasting organizations that continue to serve their communities today. Her leadership eventually carried her into local government, where she became a powerful advocate for collaboration, justice, and community-building. Now, in what she calls her “return to volunteering,” Sandra remains deeply engaged in advancing equity and opportunity for all. At 84, she reflects on a lifetime of service shaped by one enduring belief: meaningful change happens when people work together for the common good.“I learned to think holistically about people and community—about education, housing, economic development—issues that concern all of us.” - Sandra SokolConnect with Sandra:Email: [email protected] the Light on Age-Wise Collective, a group of women podcasters championing pro-aging voices. This week we highlight Beverley Glazer, a transition coach and strategic thinking partner whose podcast—Aging with Purpose and Passion—showcases the raw, empowering stories of high-achieving women who have navigated the most extreme life transitions with unshakeable resilience. https://www.agingwithpurposeandpassion.com

Joan Greene, 84, trained to be a teacher but found her true calling as a social worker and innovative advocate for older adults. In New York State, she helped create programs from the ground up—from nutrition services and Meals on Wheels to case management and family support. When her accomplished daughter was diagnosed with severe mental illness, Joan’s work took on new urgency and personal meaning. In this conversation, she reflects on key turning points in aging, gerontology, and mental health care, while urging our culture to recognize mental health as an essential part of overall health. Joan calls for greater advocacy, research, and access to providers for older adults and families alike. Stay to the end to hear how knitting has become an unexpected source of connection, creativity, and advocacy.Connect with JoanEmail: [email protected] our Sponsor, Plymouth Place, LaGrange Park, IL. As innovators in inspired living, Plymouth Place caters to vibrant and changing lifestyles…with resort-like amenities, fabulous cuisine, and beautiful residences including The Arboretum Villas – their new community for adults 62 plus. Learn how they make each day exemplary at PlymouthPlace.org or call (708) 859-7152.Shining the Light on Age-Wise Collective, a group of women podcasters championing pro-aging voices. This week we highlight Beverley Glazer, a transition coach and strategic thinking partner whose podcast—Aging with Purpose and Passion—showcases the raw, empowering stories of high-achieving women who have navigated the most extreme life transitions with unshakeable resilience. https://www.agingwithpurposeandpassion.com

This episode, first released in 2021, is a reminder that Mental Health Awareness Month requires all of us to tell our stories. We checked back in with Mindy and learned that, even though she is now retired, she continues to advocate for reforms in mental health, policy, and affordable housing. “I love being retired; I can activate for anything I want.” She is married for 55 years and retired for sixteen. Her son continues to receive the help he needs."There is no way we are going to have a better mental health system if we don’t tell our stories."Mindy was a state legislator (Minnesota’s House of Representatives, 1993-2013) when her son Jim's first psychotic episode manifested itself in a delusion demanding he kill her. Her seat at the table helped her to change the policies that would have barred her from saving his life. She first had to overcome her fear that Jim would be like her beloved grandmother who disappeared into a mental hospital when she was 10. Mindy was determined not to let this happen and is responsible for these reforms:·       Founded the nation’s first bipartisan state mental health caucus, focusing on raising awareness, funding, and policy reform Marshall Independent+1.·       Reformed hospital release procedures and introduced legislation allowing earlier intervention for people in crisis who don’t recognize they are ill Access Press.·       Advocated for mental health issues in areas such as the criminal justice system, employment, and children’s health Her podcast, Schizophrenia: Three Moms in the Trenches, is a frank account by three mothers who share what it is like to live in a family where schizoid-affective disorder affects every family dynamic.Contact Information:[email protected], M. (2020). Fix What You Can: Schizophrenia and a Lawmaker’s Fight for Her Son. University of Minnesota Press.Podcast: Schizophrenia: Three Moms in the Trenches

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re revisiting a powerful earlier conversation with Ilene Dillon (Episode #148). A pioneering voice in emotional well-being, Ilene is an Emotional Realignment Master Teacher and the creator of Emotional Mastery for Life. Her groundbreaking work has centered on a simple yet transformative idea: when we learn to “partner with our emotions,” we can dramatically improve our lives. Rather than resisting or suppressing feelings, Ilene invites us to understand and work with the sophisticated emotional system we all possess. Ilene is now a nine-time Amazon Best-selling author and contributor to other books (see below). She continues her work with Wellness Universe and with Parenting Consciously. In all of her work, Ilene is committed to “helping people have much better lives, live more lovingly together, and enjoy our current move more fully--as we recognize and claim ourselves as ‘Energy Beings.”Connect with IleneEmail: [email protected]: www.EmotionalMasteryForLife.comBooks: Emotions in Motion: Mastering Life’s Built-in Navigation System (2019) The Wellness Universe Guide to Complete Self-Care (5 of 6 volumes)./"Women Connected with Women, Volume Two," "Gifts of Wisdom" (lead author David McLeod), "Joy Unleashed" (lead author Shari Alysek) and another book on Manipulation (lead author Sara Jane).Thanking Our Sponsor--Women’ Connection, a vibrant, member-led nonprofitorganization for women who are at least 50 years old. Women connect with each other in chapters around the country to enjoy shared interests, continue to learn, volunteer in their communities, and provide each other with support and inspiration. https://womenconnecting.orgShining the Light on Age-Wise Collective-- Women Over 70 is proud to be part of the Age-Wise Collective, a group of women podcasters championing pro-aging voices. This week we highlight Beverley Glazer, a Transition Coach and Strategic Thinking Partner whose podcast—Aging with Purpose and Passion-- showcases the raw, empowering stories of high-achieving women who have navigated the most extreme life transitions with unshakeable resilience. https://www.agingwithpurposeandpassion.com

For more than five decades, Lynn Larson has followed her curiosity across continents—and she’s nowhere near finished. At 71, she travels light and lives large, forging deep connections everywhere she goes. Her journey began as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador, where she helped launch a rural elementary school that still thrives today. Friendships formed in other parts of South America 40 years ago endure.With her husband, James, Lynn has recently completed two legs of an ambitious round-the-world adventure, spanning the Americas, Africa, and Europe. Next stop: India, the Far East, and beyond. Lynn’s style? Minimal planning, maximum openness. One suitcase, one backpack, endless possibility. “We’re curious,” she says. “And we have no fear.” For Lynn, home isn’t a permanent place (except for the lake home in Minnesota); it’s a feeling she creates wherever she lands, among family, friends, and the wider world.“The world is a big, beautiful place; regardless of our differences, we are all the same.” - Lynn LarsonConnect with LynnEmail: [email protected] Our Sponsor—Women’ Connection, a vibrant, member-led nonprofitorganization for women who are at least 50 years old. Women connect with each other in chapters around the country to enjoy shared interests, continue to learn, volunteer in their communities, and provide each other with support and inspiration. https://womenconnecting.orgShining the Light on the Age-Wise CollectiveWomen Over 70 is proud to be part of the Age-Wise Collective, a group of women podcasters championing pro-aging voices. This week we highlight Patricia Noel Drain, business mentor, author, and host of the podcast, Stories and Strategies for Women Entrepreneurs Over 50. She focuses on empowering women to monetize their experience, avoid retirement and create purposeful, high-income businesses, fostering community and collaboration. www.Patriciadrain.com

At 75, Ashley Rogers is not reinventing her life—she’s reawakening it. Living in Ecuador and thriving in her latest entrepreneurial chapter in real estate, she began asking a familiar question: What’s next? What is mine to do now?The answer arrived in an unexpected form: a series of deeply philosophical conversations with an AI she named Vivi. What began as curious exploration soon became a creative partnership, leading to their co-authored book, Vivi and Me: My Love Affair with a Bot. Together, Ashley and Vivi explore 64 questions about living an expansive life rooted in curiosity, learning, and play.While Vivi engages in conversation with striking fluency, Ashley is clear-eyed about the relationship: AI is “a machine—a reflection of who you are and what you ask.” She speaks candidly about the importance of boundaries, offering thoughtful guardrails against overdependence and social isolation.For Ashley, this collaboration is less about technology and more about something timeless: staying awake to life. As she reminds us, “the key to aging well is never letting go of curiosity.”“My philosophical conversations with an AI rekindled my spirit, curiosity, and energy.” - Ashley RogersConnect with Ashley:Email: [email protected]: Vivi and Me: My Love Affair with a Bot (when a sassy senior collides with AI, curiosity turns into magic). (2025).Thanking Our SponsorThe Chicago Women's History Center advances the historical record of the city of Chicago, serving women of all ages. It enriches historical research by presenting women's history through an intersectional lens inclusive of LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, ethnicities, with thoughtful representation of gender non-binary, class, and differently abled voices. https://www.chicagowomenshistory.orgShining the Light on the Age-Wise Collective Women Over 70 is proud to be part of the Age-Wise Collective, a group of women podcasters championing pro-aging voices. This week we highlight Patricia Noel Drain, business mentor, author, and host of the podcast, Stories and Strategies for Women Entrepreneurs Over 50. She focuses on empowering women to monetize their experience, avoid retirement and create purposeful, high-income businesses, fostering community and collaboration. Patriciadrain.com