Guy Branum was eight years old, curled up on his family's farm in Yuba City reading about Greek goddesses while other boys played outside. A gay Jewish kid in rural California drawn to stories about divine beings who didn't quite fit the mold either.

Today he's an Emmy-winning writer and producer for Hacks, a co-star in Bros, and one of the sharpest voices in queer comedy. In this conversation, Guy talks about the Secret Service showing up at his college apartment after a student newspaper column got misquoted—and how he's still on their list decades later. He shares why law school was the best wrong turn of his life, what working for Joan Rivers taught him about writing stand-up that actually feels real, and why his Instagram series "What the Old Gays Remember" keeps surprising him with what lands.

This is about remembering you're a goddess, and why the strangest detours make the most interesting lives.

What We Talk About:

• The Berkeley years, the Secret Service incident over a Chelsea Clinton column, and why he's still on their watch list thirty years later

• Coming out in law school in Minnesota and why the "wrong turn" of going to law school gave him the clearest possible view of what he didn't want

• Writing stand-up for television—why it's one of the hardest things to do, and what working with Joan Rivers and Chelsea Handler taught him about perspective and specificity

• The "What the Old Gays Remember" Instagram series with Tori, and why the most obscure stories end up being the ones that blow up

• Be Fruitful: confronting what purpose looks like as a gay man who won't participate in evolution, and why his best friend's note about getting personal changed the entire show

About Guy Branum:

Guy Branum is an Emmy-winning comedy writer and producer, known for his work on Hacks, The Mindy Project, The Other Two, and Billy on the Street. He co-starred in the groundbreaking queer rom-com Bros and served as an on-set punch-up writer. He is the author of the memoir My Life as a Goddess and a working stand-up comedian who has written for Joan Rivers and Chelsea Handler. He is currently touring with his solo show Be Fruitful. He lives in Los Angeles.

Connect with Guy:

Website: Instagram: @guybranum TikTok: @guybranumcomedy

Resources Mentioned:

• My Life as a Goddess (memoir)

• Hacks (TV series)

• Bros (film)

• Be Fruitful (solo show / Netflix Is a Joke Festival)

• What the Old Gays Remember (Instagram series)

• Joan Rivers

• Chelsea Handler

• Cole Escola & Jeffrey Self / Jeffrey and Cole Casserole

• Roxane Gay / Bad Feminist

• The Daily Californian

• Lido and the Lycian Peasants (Greek mythology)

• Top Chef

• Great British Bake Off

Connect With Us:

Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com

Instagram: @thenewmaturity

Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com

Email: heath@thenewmaturity.com

New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

Justin Chapple's grandmother Barbara made meals out of practically nothing—doctoring instant ramen, turning eggs into something magical. She didn't give her recipes fancy names. She just cooked with what she had, and her family ate well.

Years later, Justin would go to culinary school, work the line at fancy restaurants, and land a pinch-me job at Food & Wine magazine as culinary director at large and host of their James Beard-nominated Mad Genius Tips series. But somewhere along the way, he realized restaurant work felt hollow. What he was missing was exactly what his grandmother had—that direct line between making something and feeding the people you love.

In this conversation, Justin talks about seven years at Starbucks before culinary school, how a chance encounter at a South Beach food festival launched his career in food media, and why he finally gave himself permission to sing show tunes in a professional kitchen. Decades later, he's still learning what his grandmother was teaching him all along.

This is about finding the version of your craft that actually makes you happy, and why the best lessons often come from the people who never called themselves teachers.

What We Talk About:

• Growing up in Stockton, California with limited resources and how grandmother Barbara's cooking taught him that abundance isn't about what's in the pantry—it's about what lands on the table

• The seven years at Starbucks, the detour through acting, and why working restaurant line kitchens ultimately left him not wanting to cook at all when he got home

• How a chance meeting at a South Beach food festival with Giada De Laurentiis's producer led directly to the Food & Wine job that changed his life

• The evolution of Mad Genius Tips from food hacks to teaching—and why watching someone learn something new feels like passing something on

• Why the restaurant industry has come a long way for queer cooks, and what it meant to finally work somewhere that let him be loud, funny, and himself

About Justin Chapple:

Justin Chapple is the culinary director at large at Food & Wine magazine and the former host of their James Beard-nominated video series Mad Genius Tips. A graduate of the French Culinary Institute, he worked in restaurant kitchens before finding his calling in food media, where he's spent years making cooking feel less intimidating and a whole lot more fun. He is the author of Just Cook It. He lives in New York with his husband, Jason.

Connect with Justin:

Website: https://justinchapple.com Instagram: @justinchapple

Resources Mentioned:

• Just Cook It (cookbook)

• Mad Genius Tips (Food & Wine video series)

• Food & Wine Magazine

• French Culinary Institute

• Giada De Laurentiis

• The Two Fat Ladies (TV show)

• Jacques Pépin

• Julia Child

• MSG / Accent seasoning

• Sur La Table (Solutab ratchet pepper mill)

• Choqette & Shuka, New York City

Connect With Us:

Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com

Instagram: @thenewmaturity

Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com

Email: heath@thenewmaturity.com

New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

This week we journey into the sensory world of fashion publishing with Dennis Golonka, who witnessed Harper's Bazaar's spectacular rebirth under Liz Tilberis in 1992—a transformation that redefined the industry forever. Dennis unveils fashion's Camelot with revelations kept quiet for three decades, from Tilberis's "angel in Chanel" leadership style to her strategic rivalry with Anna Wintour and meaningful friendship with Princess Diana.

• The spectacular rebirth of Harper's Bazaar that redefined fashion publishing

• Inside Liz Tilberis's revolutionary "angel in Chanel" leadership approach

• The strategic rivalry with Anna Wintour that insiders still discuss 

• Princess Diana's friendship with Tilberis and their Met Gala moment

• Dennis's evolution from nervous assistant to influential photographer

• How radical trust—not fear—creates truly transformative leadership

• Preserving print's cultural influence in today's algorithm-driven landscape

Connect With Us:

• Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com

• Instagram: @thenewmaturity

• Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com

• Email: heath@thenewmaturity.com

New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

This week we explore how getting older might actually mean getting better with Richard Faraino, whose life chronicles New York's most pivotal moments. From fighting on the frontlines of the AIDS crisis as both a medical librarian and ACT UP activist to his stunning midlife career pivot into horticulture, Richard now creates spaces of beauty in Battery Park's gardens for 12 million annual visitors—a poetic evolution for someone who once fought to distribute life-saving medical information.

• Richard's journey from medical librarian to ACT UP activist during the AIDS crisis

• Finding love through "The Back Room," an early digital dating service, despite policies against dating HIV-positive men

• How his pattern of seeking solace in gardens evolved into a second career

• Creating Battery Park's stunning gardens and their impact on 12 million visitors annually

• The psychological liberation of abandoning external validation in midlife

• Why embracing change becomes easier—not harder—as you age

• Richard's philosophy on genuine community impact versus performative activism

Connect With Us:

• Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com

• Instagram: @thenewmaturity

• Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com

• Email: heath@thenewmaturity.com

New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

This week we explore a radical alternative to traditional living with filmmakers Michael Bullock and Michael Cukr, creators of the groundbreaking documentary "Dream Homes." Currently exhibiting at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Triennial, their film takes us inside three LGBTQIA+ intentional communities reimagining what "home" can mean in America today—not as utopian experiments hidden from society, but as active laboratories creating practical models of care, mutual support, and collective living.

• How these communities differ from separatist LGBTQIA+ communes of previous generations

• Miss Major's House of GG—a sanctuary offering rest for trans women by a pioneer who created the first safe spaces for trans sex workers

• Lupinwood's approach to structure through formal house meetings and clearly defined responsibilities

• Ten Cups Farm's revolutionary collective parenting model ensuring adults never run on empty

• The radical concept of rest as luxury systematically denied to marginalized people

• How these communities respond to prejudice with understanding rather than anger

• The documentary's unexpected urgency after Trump's election and what it means for queer communities

Connect With Us:

• Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com

• Instagram: @thenewmaturity

• Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com

• Email: heath@thenewmaturity.com

New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

This week we're joined by Susan Aberth, renowned author of "The Tarot of Leonora Carrington" and Bard College's preeminent scholar of occult art history. In our most downloaded episode of 2025 so far, Aberth delivers an intellectual rollercoaster—seamlessly connecting practical queer survival wisdom with revelations about the mystical underpinnings of American culture that will forever change how you see The Wizard of Oz.

• The brutal realities of estate planning for queer couples

• How homophobic relatives can legally erase queer lives after death

• The Emerald City's secret Masonic origins revealed

• Why men in early 20th century America flocked to rituals where they could wear makeup

• How Los Angeles became the epicenter of queer mystical culture

• The surprising connection between physics and what we call "supernatural"

• Aberth's prediction for humanity's next evolutionary leap

Mentioned in this episode: "Sci-Fi, Magic, Queer LA" exhibition and "The Tarot of Leonora Carrington"

Connect With Us:

• Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com

• Instagram: @thenewmaturity

• Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com

• Email: heath@thenewmaturity.com

New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

This week we welcome Douglas Friedman, the renowned photographer capturing America's most breathtaking interiors for Architectural Digest and Vogue. At 52, Friedman embodies creative reinvention—thriving in Manhattan's art world, Marfa's desert expanses, and amid his 150-year-old Long Island restoration project.

Episode Highlights:

• Douglas's radical career pivot at 27—leaving David Fincher's film crew to travel Southeast Asia

• The $10,000 in traveler's checks that changed everything

• Finding patience and presence before the era of "constant input"

• The decade-long Marfa love affair that everyone thought was crazy

• Why his friend Martha Stewart at 80+ is his ultimate role model

• The philosophy of the "high value day"—creative exhaustion vs. burnout

Explore how abandoning Hollywood transformed his artistic vision, why at 52 he's designing swimwear, restoring historic homes, and launching diverse creative ventures, and how his unconventional desert home "ringed by mountains" reshaped his identity.

Connect With Us:

• Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com

• Instagram: @thenewmaturity

• Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com

• Email: heath@thenewmaturity.com

New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

Kicking off Season 3 to celebrate Pride 2025 with Jeff Hiller, the breakout star from HBO's "Somebody Somewhere." Jeff discusses his memoir "Actress of a Certain Age: My 20-Year Trail to Overnight Success," chronicling his journey from theme restaurant performer to Hollywood success story.

Jeff shares his Texas-to-Hollywood path, the infamous $15,000 toupee incident, breaking stereotypical roles, finding success through grief, and how "Somebody Somewhere" changed everything. Learn his three principles for midlife reinvention: embracing authenticity, rejecting limiting stereotypes, and continuously redefining success.

Pre-order Jeff's memoir "Actress of a Certain Age" (releasing June 10th)!

Connect With Us:

• Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com

• Instagram: @thenewmaturity

• Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com

• Email: heath@thenewmaturity.com

New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

An accomplished editor steps into the director's chair, weaving parenthood and filmmaking into an intimate exploration of family complexity in her groundbreaking debut.

Ready to revolutionize how you grow older? The New Maturity is your vibrant community where queerness meets wisdom, and every year brings exciting new possibilities. Our stories celebrate aging authentically, challenge stereotypes, and empower you to thrive. Join our dynamic Instagram community @thenewmaturity and discover game-changing insights at thenewmaturity.com. Whether you're LGBTQ+ or an ally, we're rewriting the rules of aging together!

Losing his sight at 25 led this master potter to profound artistic revelation, offering powerful lessons in resilience and the unexpected gifts of transformation.

Ready to revolutionize how you grow older? The New Maturity is your vibrant community where queerness meets wisdom, and every year brings exciting new possibilities. Our stories celebrate aging authentically, challenge stereotypes, and empower you to thrive. Join our dynamic Instagram community @thenewmaturity and discover game-changing insights at thenewmaturity.com. Whether you're LGBTQ+ or an ally, we're rewriting the rules of aging together!

A veteran of New York's electric underground serves delicious tales of guerrilla television, disco rebellion, and the art of growing older with outrageous grace.

Ready to revolutionize how you grow older? The New Maturity is your vibrant community where queerness meets wisdom, and every year brings exciting new possibilities. Our stories celebrate aging authentically, challenge stereotypes, and empower you to thrive. Join our dynamic Instagram community @thenewmaturity and discover game-changing insights at thenewmaturity.com. Whether you're LGBTQ+ or an ally, we're rewriting the rules of aging together!

What if you could see all possible outcomes before making a choice? Heath explores the lasting impact of Choose Your Own Adventure books and how they shaped his approach to life's biggest decisions. Then, a revealing conversation with someone who chose to build a community-centered life despite the risks. Your next great adventure starts with understanding the choices that brought you here.

The man who runs American fashion didn't set out to work in fashion at all. Steven Kolb is CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), the force behind New York Fashion Week. Before he was front row at runway shows, he was on the front lines of the HIV/AIDS crisis, raising millions for DIFFA when the West Village was ground zero.

Twenty years later, at sixty-four, he's thriving in an industry that worships youth—growing CFDA from $3.5 million to $15 million annually and redefining what leadership in fashion looks like.

In this conversation, Steven talks about why he almost retired at the end of 2025 and what changed his mind, how Julie Gilhart's flowers on his first day helped him survive an industry he knew nothing about, and why being visibly hard of hearing and perpetually disheveled turned out to be advantages. He shares what it feels like to sit in boardrooms with billionaires as a blue-collar kid from New Jersey—and why he's learned to stay exactly who he is.

This is about staying when everyone expects you to step aside, service work that follows you across industries, and why experience deserves celebration.

What We Talk About:

• Transitioning from sixteen years fighting the AIDS crisis at DIFFA to leading CFDA at forty-four with zero fashion background

• Almost retiring at sixty-four in an industry obsessed with youth, then choosing to stay and claiming his role as an oracle

• Overcoming natural shyness to attend dozens of events and fashion shows by learning to "segment" his presence

• Why LGBTQ+ representation matters more on the business side of fashion than the creative side, where gay designers are more visible

• How his blue-collar New Jersey roots keep him grounded when surrounded by people with private planes

About Steven Kolb:

Steven Kolb is CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), where he has served for twenty years. Under his leadership, CFDA has launched the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, the Health Initiative addressing model safety, diversity programs including awards for Black and AAPI designers, and crisis response efforts including $5 million in pandemic relief through The Common Thread. Before CFDA, Steven spent sixteen years at Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) during the height of the AIDS crisis. He studied communications and public administration, started his career at the American Cancer Society, and lives in New York with his husband and their dog.

Connect with Steven:

Instagram: @stevenkolbTikTok: @stevenkolbSubstack: https://substack.com/@stevenkolbnycCFDA: cfda.com

Resources Mentioned:

• Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA)

• Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA)

• CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund

• The Common Thread (pandemic relief program)

• Fashion's Night Out

• Diane von Furstenberg

• Thom Browne

• Julie Gilhart

• Fallingwater (Frank Lloyd Wright)

• Sidney Sheldon's The Other Side of Midnight

Connect With Us:

Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com

Instagram: @thenewmaturity

Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com

Email: heath@thenewmaturity.com

New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

When marriage conventions crumbled, this British bear found unexpected belonging in a 12-person intentional community, challenging traditional narratives of aging, love, and chosen family.

Ready to revolutionize how you grow older? The New Maturity is your vibrant community where queerness meets wisdom, and every year brings exciting new possibilities. Our stories celebrate aging authentically, challenge stereotypes, and empower you to thrive. Join our dynamic Instagram community @thenewmaturity and discover game-changing insights at thenewmaturity.com. Whether you're LGBTQ+ or an ally, we're rewriting the rules of aging together!

Heath makes his case for why magazines represent the ultimate act of rebellion in 2025—choosing depth over breadth, curation over algorithms, and patience over instant gratification. His candid conversation with Hello Mr. founder Ryan Fitzgibbon reveals the surprising cultural shift bringing younger audiences back to print. This bonus episode might just change your relationship with media forever.

An indie publishing maverick reimagines life in middle America, transforming an HIV diagnosis into a catalyst for innovation and proving creativity thrives far beyond coastal horizons.

Ready to revolutionize how you grow older? The New Maturity is your vibrant community where queerness meets wisdom, and every year brings exciting new possibilities. Our stories celebrate aging authentically, challenge stereotypes, and empower you to thrive. Join our dynamic Instagram community @thenewmaturity and discover game-changing insights at thenewmaturity.com. Whether you're LGBTQ+ or an ally, we're rewriting the rules of aging together!

Ever had a meaningful connection when you least expected it? In this episode, I share how being relegated to "staff status" at a high-profile work dinner led to an authentic friendship when a stranger said: "I'll be vulnerable with you."This isn't about networking—it's about what happens when professional masks drop and we allow ourselves to be truly seen. I'm unpacking the beautiful complexity of queer male friendships and how these vital connections form in unexpected places. Sometimes the most meaningful relationships begin with vulnerability. Listen in.

A design influencer trades digital perfection for duck-filled days in Tennessee, confronting social media's hollow promises and discovering authentic connection in America's heartland.

Ready to revolutionize how you grow older? The New Maturity is your vibrant community where queerness meets wisdom, and every year brings exciting new possibilities. Our stories celebrate aging authentically, challenge stereotypes, and empower you to thrive. Join our dynamic Instagram community @thenewmaturity and discover game-changing insights at thenewmaturity.com. Whether you're LGBTQ+ or an ally, we're rewriting the rules of aging together!

Former state representative Brian Sims reveals how political defeat became an unexpected gateway to freedom, exploring grace under fire and why America's current turbulence might spark profound transformation.

Ready to revolutionize how you grow older? The New Maturity is your vibrant community where queerness meets wisdom, and every year brings exciting new possibilities. Our stories celebrate aging authentically, challenge stereotypes, and empower you to thrive. Join our dynamic Instagram community @thenewmaturity and discover game-changing insights at thenewmaturity.com. Whether you're LGBTQ+ or an ally, we're rewriting the rules of aging together!

Like this video? Join The New Maturity on Substack, a groundbreaking newsletter that reimagines queer aging through intimate storytelling and community connection. 

From our signature podcast and field notes to exclusive deep-dive essays and video series, we're creating a digital living room where queer identity, resilience, and personal growth aren't just discussed—they're celebrated. 

Whether you choose our free tier with access to our unfiltered podcast and community features, or join our Inner Circle for exclusive content and monthly challenges, you'll be part of a vibrant, unapologetic community reshaping the conversation about queer aging. 

Take advantage of our special launch offer with code WELCOMEBACK20 for 20% off your first three months of Inner Circle membership.

More info: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com

The iconic Book of Love frontwoman charts her metamorphosis from new wave pioneer to literary force, weaving a tapestry of 80s queer activism, artistic rebirth, and the power of constant evolution.

Ready to revolutionize how you grow older? The New Maturity is your vibrant community where queerness meets wisdom, and every year brings exciting new possibilities. Our stories celebrate aging authentically, challenge stereotypes, and empower you to thrive. Join our dynamic Instagram community @thenewmaturity and discover game-changing insights at thenewmaturity.com. Whether you're LGBTQ+ or an ally, we're rewriting the rules of aging together!

From synth-pop legends to communal revolutionaries, nine extraordinary individuals shatter aging stereotypes with fierce joy. Host Heath Brockwell returns with stories proving life's most vibrant chapters often unfold in unexpected seasons.

Ready to revolutionize how you grow older? The New Maturity is your vibrant community where queerness meets wisdom, and every year brings exciting new possibilities. Our stories celebrate aging authentically, challenge stereotypes, and empower you to thrive. Join our dynamic Instagram community @thenewmaturity and discover game-changing insights at thenewmaturity.com. Whether you're LGBTQ+ or an ally, we're rewriting the rules of aging together!

David Roussève has been HIV positive since 1992, nursed back from the brink of death by his husband Connor, and survived losing that same husband to suicide in 2021 after twenty-six years together. At sixty-five, he's creating his first full-length solo performance in over twenty years, navigating Grindr and OkCupid for the first time, and asking the hardest questions about what it means to fully embrace life when you've spent decades defying death.

In this conversation, David shares how a hashtag thirst trap on Instagram became the title of his new show Becoming Daddy AF, why he'd never trade his sixty-five-year-old wisdom for his twenty-five-year-old dancing ability, and what happened when he tried to relearn choreography from thirty-five years ago. He talks about growing up with a grandmother who worked as a domestic, how Princeton showed him theater could create social change, and why depth matters more than tricks when you're redefining virtuosity for an aging body.

This is about grief, love that endures beyond death, and discovering that roller coaster lives can still surprise you.

What We Talk About:

• Being HIV positive since 1992 and the paradox of defying death while struggling to embrace life
• Losing his husband Connor to suicide in 2021 and how grief transformed his understanding of love
• Creating Becoming Daddy AF at sixty-five, his first full-length solo in over twenty years
• Navigating dating apps (Grindr and OkCupid) for the first time after a twenty-six-year monogamous relationship
• How a hashtag thirst trap on Instagram became a show title
• Redefining virtuosity for an older body: choosing depth over technical tricks
• Why community engagement beyond dance audiences sustains his work

About David Roussève:

David is a Guggenheim Fellow, distinguished professor at UCLA, and the creative force behind David Roussève/REALITY, a company combining movement, words, and visual imagery into powerful storytelling since 1988. As a gay Black choreographer, writer, and filmmaker, his work addresses AIDS, racism, homophobia, love, and loss. His performances have been presented at venues including Brooklyn Academy of Music, Jacob's Pillow, and internationally. He lives in Los Angeles.

Connect with David:

Website: DavidRousseve.com

Instagram: @DavidRousseve

Facebook: David Roussève

Resources Mentioned:

• Becoming Daddy AF (new solo performance)
• David Roussève/REALITY (dance company)
• Brooklyn Academy of Music
• Princeton University
• ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power)
• The Alley Theatre (Houston)

Connect With Us:

Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com

Instagram: @thenewmaturity

Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com

Email: heath@thenewmaturity.com

New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

Heather Lynn Johnson’s work is characterized by its lyricism and cultural critique. Johnson’s formal approach to the narrative, whether visual or poetic, is distinguished by her willingness to lay bare her own existence. Check out their website to see more.

New to the show? Welcome, I’m so glad you found it! This is the place to be if you’re queer or queer friendly and want to get better with age. Follow us on Instagram @ thenewmaturity. Check out thenewmaturity.com where you'll find great stories to help you get better with age and digital guides to help you live your best life. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Tony Valenzuela is a leading activist and thought leader in LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS communities since the 1990s. He recently entered a new phase. Tony took on the role of executive director at the One Institute, the nation's longest-standing queer organization dedicated to educating about the history and contemporary culture of the LGBTQ+ community.

New to the show? Welcome, I’m so glad you found it! This is the place to be if you’re queer or queer friendly and want to get better with age. Follow us on Instagram @ thenewmaturity. Check out thenewmaturity.com where you'll find great stories to help you get better with age and digital guides to help you live your best life. Sign up for our newsletter here.

R. Eric Thomas is a national bestselling author, television writer, and playwright. His books include:  Here For It, or How to Save Your Soul in America, a YA novel called Kings of B’more, which was named a 2023 Stonewall Honor Book by the American Library Association. Take a deeper dive and learn more about him on his website. 

New to the show? Welcome, I’m so glad you found it! This is the place to be if you’re queer or queer friendly and want to get better with age. Follow us on Instagram @ thenewmaturity. Check out thenewmaturity.com where you'll find great stories to help you get better with age and digital guides to help you live your best life. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Philip Miner leads diverse projects such as Natural Pursuits Magazine, Pheromone, and specialized communications consulting for queer individuals and organizations. Guided by his mission to champion inclusivity and equality, he envisions a future where every person, irrespective of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression, lives with dignity, authenticity, and an unwavering sense of self-worth.

New to the show? Welcome, I’m so glad you found it! This is the place to be if you’re queer or queer friendly and want to get better with age. Follow us on Instagram @ thenewmaturity. Check out thenewmaturity.com where you'll find great stories to help you get better with age and digital guides to help you live your best life. Sign up for our newsletter here.

John Bartlett is a fashion designer, educator, animal activist, and runs a dog rescue nonprofit called the Tiny Tim Rescue Fund. We have a great conversation about moving beyond the world of fashion and what that looks like. Keep up with John via his website.

New to the show? Welcome, I’m so glad you found it! This is the place to be if you’re queer or queer friendly and want to get better with age. Follow us on Instagram @ thenewmaturity. Check out thenewmaturity.com where you'll find great stories to help you get better with age and digital guides to help you live your best life. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Mike Albo is the author of three novels, Hornito, The Underminer: The Best Friend Who Casually Destroys Your Life (written with Virginia Heffernan) and most recently Another Dimension of Us. His other works include The Junket and Spermhood: Diary of a Donor. Be sure to check out his latest project on his website.

New to the show? Welcome, I’m so glad you found it! This is the place to be if you’re queer or queer friendly and want to get better with age. Follow us on Instagram @ thenewmaturity. Check out thenewmaturity.com where you'll find great stories to help you get better with age and digital guides to help you live your best life. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Robert Goman is the board chair of The Sports Equality Foundation. Their goal is to support LGBTQIA+ athletes, coaches, and leaders to create inclusive spaces. They do this by fostering community, improving inclusivity, and forging partnerships with sports leagues, organizations, and athletic coalitions.

New to the show? Welcome, I’m so glad you found it! This is the place to be if you’re queer or queer friendly and want to get better with age. Follow us on Instagram @ thenewmaturity. Check out thenewmaturity.com where you'll find great stories to help you get better with age and digital guides to help you live your best life. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Sean Harvey is Chief Compassion Officer and Founder of the Warrior Compassion Men’s Studio.  He is actively involved and contributing to men’s work communities around the globe and is passionate about helping men heal their wounds at a soul level. His book, Warrior Compassion, Unleashing the Healing Power of Men, offers a roadmap for men's soul healing as a catalyst for systems change.

New to the show? Welcome, I’m so glad you found it! This is the place to be if you’re queer or queer friendly and want to get better with age. Follow us on Instagram @ thenewmaturity. Check out thenewmaturity.com where you'll find great stories to help you get better with age and digital guides to help you live your best life. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Allison Michael Orenstein is a New York-based portrait photographer. Her personal project ‘The Queer Artists Series’ focuses on queer performers. "The artists I shoot are those whose work I love and admire. The portraits are a way to get to know them. I want to document queerness, otherness, at this moment in time in New York City." Check out her latest project on her website. 

New to the show? Welcome, I’m so glad you found it! This is the place to be if you’re queer or queer friendly and want to get better with age. Follow us on Instagram @ thenewmaturity. Check out thenewmaturity.com where you'll find great stories to help you get better with age and digital guides to help you live your best life. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Welcome to The New Maturity. Iʼm Heath Brockwell. This is the place to be if youʼre queer or queer friendly and looking for ways to get better with age. 

In each episode I have a conversations with someone in our community who is thriving and reaching new heights in their mid-years. 

My goal in sharing this with you is to help you unlock your fullest potential and get better with age. 

Learn more about the show here 

Did you know we have a newsletter? Sign up for it here  

William Norwich went from washing dishes to working alongside Anna Wintour at Vogue. He was one of the first journalists publicly outed in America, survived the shame spirals of gay life in the 1970s, and learned the hard way that your job isn't your identity when the New York Daily News went on strike and his phone stopped ringing.

In this conversation, William shares stories from Studio 54 to the hallways of Vogue, why he changed his name from Goldberg to Norwich, and what it means to have "no more f*cks to give" in your seventies. He talks about the brutal Publishers Weekly review that almost ended his writing career, the Fire Island moment that shaped decades of self-loathing, and why his doctor's reminder that "you're going to die someday" was actually the best health advice he ever received.

This is about transformation, survival, and discovering that the lustfulness and freedom of older years might be life's greatest gift.

What We Talk About:

• The Fire Island moment: "I wish you looked like that" and decades of self-loathing
• Being publicly outed in Outweek magazine over the Malcolm Forbes coverage
• Working with Anna Wintour and her exceptional management style
• When the phone stopped ringing during the Daily News strike
• Getting sober in 1996 and deciding "f*ck shame"
• Having no more f*cks to give at seventy
• Why his doctor telling him "you're going to die someday" was liberating

About William Norwich:

William Norwich is a writer, editor, and novelist whose career has spanned decades at Vogue, The New York Times, and Town & Country. He currently serves as commissioning editor for fashion and interior design at Phaidon Press. His novels include Learning to Drive and he has been a fixture in New York media since the Studio 54 era. He lives in New York City.

Connect with William:

Instagram: @WilliamNorwich

Resources Mentioned:

• Learning to Drive (novel by William Norwich)
• Own It by Diane von Furstenberg (Phaidon)
• Outweek magazine
• Publishers Weekly
• The Devil Wears Prada
• Fiorucci
• Studio 54
• New York Daily News
• Vogue

Connect With Us:

Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com

Instagram: @thenewmaturity

Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com

Email: heath@thenewmaturity.com

New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

Fashion designer Peter Som went from dressing celebrities on red carpets to roasting carrots alone after the Met Gala. When his runway business closed in 2015, he found himself in a Chelsea movie theater at 10am on a Wednesday, wondering how he got there. The answer came in the form of noodles, his grandmother's secret recipe notebook, and a complete reimagining of what success could mean.

In this conversation, Peter shares how cooking became his lifeline during crisis, why "have you eaten?" was never really about food, and what it means to become a beginner again in your 40s. His new cookbook Family Style is a meditation on chosen family, Chinese-American heritage, and the creative confidence that comes from trusting your instincts—whether you're designing clothes or roasting vegetables.

What We Talk About:

• Finding his grandmother's hidden 20-year recipe collection and the creative life she lived in secret

• The loneliness of closing a fashion business and those 10am movie theater moments

• Why the Met Gala carrots mattered more than the red carpet

• "Have you eaten?" as a love language in Chinese culture

• How latchkey kid afternoons shaped his creative confidence

• Knowing he was gay in 5th grade and fashion as a world of freedom

• Reinvention as expansion, not abandonment

• Why success got quieter as he got older

About Peter Som: 

Peter Som is a fashion designer, lifestyle expert, and author of Family Style: Recipes for Connection, Community & Togetherness. His eponymous fashion line dressed everyone from Michelle Obama to First Ladies of fashion, earning him accolades from Vogue and beyond. After his runway business closed, he returned to his roots in food, honoring his grandmother's legacy while building a new creative chapter. He lives in New York City.

Connect with Peter: 

Website: PeterSom.com 

Instagram: @PeterSom

Buy the Book: Family Style: Recipes for Connection, Community & Togetherness available wherever books are sold

Resources Mentioned:

• Family Style cookbook by Peter Som

• Met Gala

• Chelsea Cinema (now closed)

Connect With Us:

Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com

Instagram: @thenewmaturity

Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com

Email: heath@thenewmaturity.com

New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

Episode Description:

There's a generation of queer people out here thriving — and nobody's talking about it. Until now.

The New Maturity is back for Season 4. Real conversations about what it means to thrive, find purpose, and own every chapter of your life — out, proud, and on your own terms.

This is what aging with pride sounds like.

New episodes start dropping Wednesday, April 1st. Follow wherever you get your podcasts — and don't miss a thing.

Connect With Us:

Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenewmaturity/ | @thenewmaturity 

Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com

Email: heath@thenewmaturity.com

New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

Michelle Maccarone is a 41-year-old New York City playwright, performer, and podcast host who found her creative voice by celebrating the wit and wisdom of mid-century women. Her latest play, "The Leopard and the Lynx," premiered at the New York Theatre Festival in January 2025.

• How her obsession with "Auntie Mame" led to discovering Pat Tanner's real-life story of bisexuality and lavender marriage

• Why she believes people in the 1970s had more freedom to create their own identities than we give them credit for

• The challenge of directing your own writing: "It's just too much, you get stuck in your own head"

• How perimenopause is teaching her not to recognize her own body anymore

• Why she's working on a one-woman show about Elsa Maxwell, the queer party planner who invented the scavenger hunt

• Her philosophy: "Not everyone has to like you and that's okay"

Instagram/Facebook: @vintageoldbiddy Podcast: "Vintage Old Biddy"

Connect With Us:

Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com

Instagram: @thenewmaturity

Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com

Email: heath@thenewmaturity.com

New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

This week we welcome Dr. Joe Eviatar, who spent 30 years as a highly respected oculofacial plastic surgeon before experiencing a profound pandemic awakening. At 63, he traded his medical practice for life coaching, launching Best Face Forward Coaching to help clients—particularly gay men—embrace aging with radical self-acceptance.

Episode Highlights:

• Joe's groundbreaking work with AIDS patients suffering from facial lipoatrophy in the 90s

• The pandemic moment when he realized he felt like a "drug pusher"

• Why patients asking to look like celebrities became his breaking point

• The mirror technique: rewiring your brain for self-love in two minutes daily

• Unique challenges gay men face aging without elder role models

• His complete career pivot at 60—from doctor to life coaching certification

• Joe’s six pillars of wellness and finding peace 

Discover how a doctor who helped people chase youth learned to champion authenticity, why perfectionism plagues the LGBTQ+ community, and how neuroplasticity can transform your relationship with your reflection.

Connect With Dr. Joe:

• Website: https://www.bestfaceforwardcoaching.com

Connect With Us:

• Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com

• Instagram: @thenewmaturity

• Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com

• Email: heath@thenewmaturity.com

New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

Revolutionary artist Miss Peria joins host Heath Brockwell to discuss founding Roblox Music as a genre and creating space for authentic queer expression in digital realms. Since her debut in June 2020, Miss Peria has transformed the gaming platform through her distinctive fusion of hip-hop, disco, and pop.In this episode, Miss Peria shares:

• The influence of London's creative community on her musical development
• How her identity as a trans woman shapes her art while her digital avatar allows her to reach diverse audiences
• Her evolving creative inspirations, from Cupcake to Daft Punk
• Strategies for setting boundaries and navigating digital criticism
• The advantages of aging as a digital artist and "ageless sex robot"
• Her vision for the future of queer digital artistry

Connect With Us:

• Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com

• Instagram: @thenewmaturity

• Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com

• Email: heath@thenewmaturity.com

Follow Miss Peria: Instagram: @MissPeriaMusic Spotify: Miss Peria
Email: heath@thenewmaturity.comThe New Maturity celebrates queer aging with pride, featuring conversations with artists, thinkers, and creators who are redefining what it means to grow older in queer communities.New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.