Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined – Details, episodes & analysis

For 15 years, Karen Allen (age 73), actor and director of stage and film,

and Sarah T. Schwab (age 39), writer, director and producer, have enjoyed

collaborating on theatre and film productions, notably addressing oft-avoided

discussions about dying and loss. Their award-winning film, A Stage of

Twilight—written and directed by Sarah and starring Karen—is a “grass-

roots awareness campaign for end-of-life care and decisions.” It raises the

difficult question: “Whose death is it—who has the right to decide when,

where, how, and with whom someone dies?” Karen’s directorial debut, the

award-winning A Tree. A Rock. A Cloud., is a short film about the “passing

of wisdom from an older man to a young boy.” In 2025, Karen will be

directing her first feature film, The Batting Cage, with Sarah on the

production team. This film depicts how two sisters reconnect after the death

of their sibling. In her upcoming third feature film, Crybaby Bridge, Sarah

approaches suicide through the genre of psychological thriller. Please meet

Karen Allen and Sarah T. Schwab—friends and collaborators who “reach for

the light” while pursuing what they love.

"Loss ties us together as human beings; we must learn to respect

time and cherish loved ones."

CONNECT with KAREN and SARAH

 Karen Allen Karen Allen - Biography - IMDb

 Sarah T. Schwab Sarah T Schwab - Biography - IMDb

WATCH A STAGE OF TWILIGHT

https://tubitv.com/movies/100026437/a-stage-of-twilight

WATCH A TREE. A ROCK. A CLOUD

https://tubitv.com/movies/100002111/a-tree-a-rock-a-cloud

For information to support the BATTING CAGE, Via Brian Long, producer.

Brianlong.blong@gmail.com

Sharon A. Brangman, MD, Syracuse NY, is a geriatrician who has been a leader in the field of geriatrics for over two decades.  Her focus is directly on the phenomenon of normal cognitive aging, concentrating on prevention. 

Dr. Brangman serves as Chair of the Department of Geriatrics, Director of the Center for Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease and is a Distinguished Service Professor at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse.  She has held leadership roles at the national level and was elected to the board of the Association of Directors of Geriatric Academic Programs in 2013 and served as President from 2015-2017.

" My goal is to help people maintain the highest quality of life throughout their lifespan. "



Dr. Brangman is a widely published researcher by the National Institute of Aging. 

In 2024, Dr. Brangman was elected to serve as a Trustee of the McKnight Brain Research Foundation in 2023.

This episode is full of information to guide you in proactively caring for your brain health. 

Connect with Sharon:

Website:  https://mcknightbrain.org/brainworks/

If we are looking for what we enjoy doing, then, logically, we’re going to be good at it. Joyful thoughts spiral upward. We are on this planet to love and be loved, to be truly authentic.

Gail Sussman Miller, Inspired Choice.com, believes how we think, and communicate, is a key issue for leaders of organizations. She helps them manage difficult conversations, to listen not only to respond, but to understand. You can be kind and honest. She helps people see how they need to change to achieve their desired outcomes. An expert coach, focusing on communication, Gail has been serving clients since 2001. By integrating her beliefs into her coaching, she invites her clients to see through different lenses.

"It’s about the spirit and energy you bring to the conversation, rather than specific words."

As you listen hear her thoughts on:

• Wild Fit - a program based on anthropological nutrition and behavioral psychology for optimum health. Gail has integrated this knowledge and food choices as a lifestyle and finds it works for her on both a physical and spiritual level.
• Archetypes, based on the work of Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette and Carolyn Myss include our protective human ego (Victim, Saboteur, Wounded child, Prostitute - all fear-driven behaviors) and our Spirit, Higher Self, love driven behaviors. (Lover, Sovereign, Warrior, Magician - ways in which we deepen the truth of who we are.
• A Course in Miracles – helps us shift from a thought system based on fear to one based on love
• Headspace App - powerful meditation and mind training to keep joy present in our lives
• Tears - your body’s response to hearing what is true for you. 

Gail celebrates life through spirituality, gratitude and rituals. 

In her third career, Sally Duplantier, gerontologist and healthspan educator, founded her mission-driven company, Zing, to help older adults live as long as possible without chronic disease and disability. Through Zing, Sally offers Wellness Wednesdays, free educational webinars featuring experts on relevant topics. She is guest faculty with the Be Well program at Stanford University. Sally has added a research component to her mission--to

increase diversity in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s patients.

Connect with Sally:

Email: sally@myzinglife.com

Website: https://myzinglife.com/

Annie Korzen’s career dreams finally came true in her 80’s. At

age 83, she is a TikTok sensation with young fans who love her

wit and wisdom about living life as an older woman. Annie brings

her talents as an actress, writer, storyteller, and teacher to

TikTok and other performance venues as she speaks about life’s

serious moments. She also takes on ageism for underestimating

and underappreciating what older women have to offer. For the

first time in her life, Annie is being told that she is beautiful, and she

wears her age as a badge of honor.

Some people are overnight successes, and some people,

like me, just have to keep doing it wrong until they get it right.

Now I’m in my third act. -Annie Korzen

Connect with Annie Korzen

Website: www.AnnieKorzen.com

Email: annykorzy@gmail.com

www.TheMoth.org

https://www.tiktok.com/discover/Annie-Korzen?lang=en

As a queer, biracial woman, Jacqueline Boyd, BA, BS, CGCM,  has advocated for her community by offering services that address specific care needs. She is especially interested in how to provide people with continuing care in their homes. Her company, The-Care-Plan, guides anyone over age 18 to plan and coordinate care needs.

Jacqueline’s cool and service-oriented demeanor shows in everything she says. When she talks about quality of life it is evident that it comes from a place deep within her heart. She asks, “What is the role of comfort in care? In only 30 minutes, you will walk away with a wealth of information.

Connect with Jacqueline:

Email: jacqueline@the-care-plan.com

Website: https://the-care-plan.com

Office: 877-6WE-PLAN

Mary Isabel Azrael, age 78, from Baltimore MD, is a poet, editor, and teacher. She is the author of four books of poems, and in her 60s, wrote the libretto for an opera, Lost Childhood, which has been performed in Los Angeles, New York, and Tel Aviv Israel. Mary Isabel is publisher and co-editor of Passager Books and Passager, a national literary journal featuring the work of writers aged 50 and older.  When Mary Isabel’s husband left after 40 years of marriage, a collection of poems written during the following years resulted in a book, The House No House (2017). Mary Isabel collaborates on artistic projects with her life partner of 10+ years, John P. Wise, an abstract artist and designer. 

Ageism still exists in the arts. More than ever, we need the voices of older writers whose life experience offers much that's essential to our survival. - Mary Isabel Azrael

Connect with Mary Isabel:

Email mpazrael@aol.com

https://www.passagerbooks.com

https://www.dogbonearts.com

Bett Martinez has experienced more death-defying accidents than most in her lifetime.

An auto accident at 33, and again, later in life caused 2 serious head injuries, badly smashed broken legs and ongoing auto-immune issues. But Bett, who began to advocate for others early on, only dug in harder to find the answers that would help her walk again and manage the pain. 

Bett’s advocacy has taken many paths. She believes our society would do best if children of different ethnicities could learn to co-exist. Thus began years of working to bring Jewish and Arab children together.

As a veteran health care insurance agent, specializing in Medicare and long-term care protection, her interest in preparing for death has grown as she ages. She would like it if it were a  requirement for all people to create a thumb drive video that expresses their end of life wishes. She asks: “If you knew the date of your death, what actions would you take?”

Staying up to date and helping others keeps my brain straight – straight as can be given my age and complex health history. - Bett martinez

Research has led her to adopt Qig

ong, Tai Chi, acupuncture and herbs as a way to maintain her own hard won fitness. And now, she is turning her attention to advocating for relief for Alzheimer patients.

Bett finds answers through her unique combination of perseverance, research and purpose. 

Connect with Bett:

Email: well-being@pacbell.net

Website: http://possiblesociety.org/programs.html 

Bett’s website: bettmartinez.com

Soaking Retreat: Therma Qi-2024 at Palma Hot Springs, Ikaria Islands, south of Greece. Contact Bett directly for information

https://www.visitikaria.gr/en/useful/news/ikaria-has-the-secret-of-longevity#.Yzsdu3bMKUk  Author: We’ll Face That When We Have To…P.S. It’s Later Than You Think! The Case for Long Term Care Protection http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UCGCXMK

As a young adult, Joby Kennedy became fascinated with how different people cope with trauma. This led her into a clinical psychology career during which she worked with adults, some families and school children. She refers to herself as a generalist, serving in many settings with a wide variety of clients.

8 years ago, Joby retired. She thought music might be her way forward until she inadvertently set her childhood accordion on fire. Joby believes (as did Jung) that “synchronicity is a meaningful experience”. Still she craved music and soon was invited to sing in a local chorus.

“I get busy, then there’s a lull. I wonder what will happen next? Something always presents itself to me. If not, I will go and find it.” - Josephine "Joby" Kennedy

It is painting, however, that has her heart singing. She is currently working on a presentation entitled “One Heart, Many Paths”. Combining music and her own art, she inspires engagement by asking people to share the paths of their hearts.

And, she loves to dance.

CONNECT: 

Email: docjoby@aol.com

Fine Art America: Josephine Joby Kennedy@FineArtAmerica

Originally from the West Indies, Cynthia Barnett, Ph.D., from Norwalk CT,

retired at age 59 to pursue the question--Why Are There So Few Women in the

Sciences? Cynthia became CEO and founder of a non-profit program--Amazing

Girls Science-- whose goal is to ignite the spark in girls for STEAM (science,

technology, art, engineering and math). As a STEAM champion, Cynthia won the

Inaugural AARP Purpose Award and the Community Innovation and Leadership

Award for the Connecticut Technology Council. At age 79, Dr. Barnett says she

“leads a vibrant, purpose-driven life” with many new initiatives underway,

including intergenerational programs and robotics. She lives her life as a “thank

you.”

We need to catch girls at a young age to bring them into the sciences. - Cynthia Barnett PhD

Connect with Cynthia

website: www.amazinggirlsscience.com

Email: drcynthiabarnett@gmail.com