It has been so hard choosing the episodes I want to replay for you.

This unique and wonderful conversation is with Dr. Martha Jo Atkins, which originally aired in September of 2022. Martha Jo is an end of life licensed professional counselor. She has a TEDx talk with well over a million views, an author, and has over thirty years of experience helping children and adults negotiate end of life and grief.

In addition to providing her beautiful insights and wisdom, Martha Jo shares with some meaningful and moving experiences she has had in helping the dying and their loved ones travel through the end of life process.

Martha Jo is a wealth of knowledge and compassion providing us with an invaluable comforting understanding of the process of dying.

Take a listen.

Welcome to the first Encore episode of LLL. You are about to hear the first episode ever of LLL that was recorded almost exactly 2 years ago in 2022. (With a current intro and new info)

In this episode, I share how LLL came to be born. It’s a true tale of following the breadcrumbs that included the implosion of an abusive relationship, followed by finding myself in a scary seat at Disneyland for a life-changing ride, which led to traveling thousands of miles to begin a new life adventure only to be interrupted by the pandemic.

This is a story of how listening to your inner knowing can lead you to incredible personal growth, creativity, and discovering resilience that you didn’t know you had. Annnnnnd how it’s possible to do, no matter how old you are!

This episode is me, emotional at times, speaking my mind, dropping a few tears, sharing milestones, announcements and concluding with a few more thoughts that I think I needed to hear so I just said them in my outdoor voice.

And who knows, maybe you need to hear them too.

Join me?

This week’s episode was inspired by a conversation with a dear friend as we were planning something special to do together, and it led me to some questions…

Is it the longing for what we desire that gives us satisfaction, or in getting it?

Do we lose the art of longing as we get older? If so, do we miss it?

What do you do when your partner is no longer interested in longing to do things, and you are?

Should we hope that we don’t actually get what we desire so that we don’t lose that sense of longing?

I’m longing to share my thoughts with on all of this and I hope you’ll join me and share with others if you think it would resonate.

How many of us lose a part of ourselves over time, either not realizing it, being in denial, or making the choice to allow it to happen because it was seemingly easier to go with the flow, or to appease a spouse or a parent or someone in our lives.

I went to see the Broadway touring show of Funny Girl recently, and so many feelings came to the surface, including the feeling of my younger self rumbling beneath. She was feeling a bit overlooked, and I also saw a part of myself in Fanny Brice; perhaps a part of me that has been ignored at times over the years. It was an emotional day.

Why are so many of us willing to give up our passions, our preferences, our dreams?? And why are we so afraid to ask for what we need and want?

In this episode I share a very personal story in hopes that if you can relate, perhaps it will help you take some kind of action on your path to finding peace in your heart, your mind and soul so that you can live life the way you wish to live it. No matter your age.

Hello Loving Later Life Listeners! For those of you just joining for the first time, you are welcomed with open arms, and I hope you decide to visit on the regular, which is every other Monday!

Before I read you the bio of my most, most, most special guest, I have to tell you that this is the fastest hour you may ever experience. It is good till the last drop so you must hear every last word. And I’m not saying that because my more than special guest is my daughter!

In our conversation we talk about her 3-step creation to having challenging conversations and we role play one about wanting more sex in a relationship. You will learn about her non-monogamous/polyamorous life; what its like, and its challenges. We discuss shame, jealousy, societal ‘shoulds,’ affairs, and a tonnnn more juicy and important topics! Now for her bio:

Rachel Wright, MA, LMFT (she/her) is a distinguished psychotherapist and renowned speaker with expertise in modern relationships, mental health, and sex.

With a Master’s Degree in clinical psychology, Rachel has worked with thousands of clients worldwide, has a podcast, The Wright Conversations - about Sex, Relationships, & Mental Health with over 100K downloads.

She has been featured in numerous media outlets, including The New York Times, PIX 11 (NYC), Women’s Health (online and print), Cosmopolitan (online and print), and NBC News Radio, among others.

And as she says in her bio, when she's not working, you can probably find her in her pajamas, eating gluten-free food and belting out show tunes.

This episode will truly get you thinking.

Press play now. Do it for yourself and all those you care about.

Ideas for these episodes come from a variety of sources and at different times of the day and night. This one came flowing out of me from my personal experience, from a movie I love, and some hard facts. And I share all of it.

The moments in our lives when we meet, connect and share with someone create meaningful relationships that are not only etched in our hearts and minds, they also have a profound effect on our quality of life.

Based on research, the connection we feel for certain people and the relationships we have are crucial to our physical and psychological well-being.

After you listen, I believe you will be motivated to make time to create more meaningful relationships and spend more time (IRL) with those whom you feel safe, seen and supported.

I hope you’ll join me.

Today my guest is Allie Hill. Allie has been featured on national television, she is a Certified Life Coach and speaker, and used her 15+ years’ experience as a journalist to author the book, The Girlfriend’s Guide to Empty Nesting.

At first when Allie first reached out to me, I thought that maybe the subject of navigating the changes in life when becoming an empty nester may not be applicable to you all. And I’m here to tell you that I was wrong!

I recently had a month filled with lots of people from my life coming to celebrate my mom and her artistic partner’s accomplishment of having their musical produced. There was so much love, support, and so many delicious hugs and conversations. And then it ended, and my ‘nest’ felt empty.

We all deal with so many changes in life. The emotions we feel and the skills needed to go through such changes are all very similar.

So without further adieu, let’s get into it!