Julie Cajune & Jennifer Finley – “Bad Indians” | S7 E03

Activists Jennifer Finley and Julie Cajune, members of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribe in Montana, are willing to risk being called Bad Indians for the sake of this liberating vision. In fact, the two longtime friends and creative collaborators named their latest play, a series of conversations between two older women –not unlike them– Bad Indians, playfully preempting any backlash to the characters’ stories of tragedy, injustice, humor, “failed romances, violent harassment and the criticism of others” in their community. Their earlier collaborations include Heart of the Bitterroot, a collection of Salish and Pend d’Oreille women’s stories available on CD and the one-woman show, Belief that Julie performed in New York two years ago. Julie is also a celebrated educator who was pivotal in introducing indigenous history and stories to Montana schools’ curriculum. (See Season 5 Episode 5 for more about Julie.) Jennifer is a gifted poet (“My Hands Have Vertigo”) and just completed a novel, “He Was Beautiful.” Not only did we have a chance to talk with Julie and Jennifer, but they graced us with a performance of an excerpt of Bad Indians. Tune in, sit back and enjoy the show.

Tammi Leader Fuller - Campowerment | S7 E02

If you are committed to ‘choosing your own adventure’ you’ll want to tune in immediately to TOB’s conversation with Tammi Leader Fuller, the effervescent co-creator of Campowerment. After three decades as an award-winning television producer (at The TODAY Show, NBC News, CBS News, America’s Most Wanted, and EXTRA TV), Tammi left television in 2013 to partner with her college professor mom and her brand strategist daughter on designing a sleep-away-camp-like experience for women of all ages. Thousands of women campers have now experienced this four-day transformative retreat, powered by play, where women (like her) can re-ignite their lives. She’s the party guest who can always come up with the next interactive game, the author of Dish and Tell – stories about how women struggle to juggle all that life throws their way – and a firm believer in the power of sisterhood. Tammi told us how amazed she was to be reinventing herself again at age 62. Join our conversation to hear about her journey and the joys she has on offer as her in-person Campowerment experiences are starting up again in November 2021. And check-out their online community with its many expert-led monthly offerings where women learn together and connect.

Check out Campowerment and learn more about how to re-discover who you want to be as you grow up!

Tammi’s book, Dish and Tell: Six Real Women Discuss How They Put Themselves at the Top of Their To-Do List (2006) is available on Amazon

Claron M. McFadden - This Is My Destiny | S7 E01

Just before the pandemic shut down live performances across the world, the American soprano Claron M. McFadden appeared with pianist Alexander Melnikov at London’s Wigmore Hall to rave reviews for “an exhilarating and unorthodox show” and her “breathtakingly beautiful” voice. Having listened to her recordings, we wish we could have been there.

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Trailer | S7

Feminist thinkers, activists and authors Idelisse Malavé, 74, and Joanne Sandler, 70, created and host Two Old Bitches, a podcast featuring conversations with women in the second half of life whose perspectives and experiences disrupt what it means to be “old” and reclaim what it means to be a “bitch.” Over the past six seasons they have welcomed edgy progressive activists, a zen priest, performers, filmmakers, visual artists, scholars, a chef, journalists and writers, politicians, and more. These women make their own rules – whether it’s about politics, love, sex, art, work, family or fashion. They haven’t stopped rebelling, re-imagining and reinventing themselves. If anything, they are bolder with age.

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Heidi Woordhuis - Crone of Anarchy | S6 E10

“The world tells women-of-a-certain-age to be invisible, be innocuous with quiet voices. We’ve got news for you, world…WE’RE DONE WITH YOUR BULLSHIT!”

These are the words that appear when you pull up the Crones of Anarchy website (https://cronesofanarchy.com) and the spirit that infuses the 18,000+ members on the Facebook group of the same name. We – Two Old Bitches – were fortunate enough to connect directly with one of the founders, Heidi Woordhuis, and hear first-hand about the journey to create a space where older women can speak their minds and be as abrasive and vulnerable as they want.

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Call Your Girlfriend Podcast Summer of Friendship - Two Old Bitches | S6 Bonus Episode

Two Old Bitches co-hosts and friends, Joanne Sandler and Idelisse Malavé, were invited by the wonderful and popular Call Your Girlfriend podcast to have a conversation about their decades long friendship. As part of a series, “Summer of Friendship” CYG asked a few of their favorite podcasters — we’re honored! — to tell them how they met, times their friendship has been stretched, and how they grow together.

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Trudy Berlin - A 98-Year-Old Work-in-Progress | S6 E09

Imagine your life as a perpetual learning journey where you grow braver and more transcendent as the years pass. That is how Trudy Berlin has lived. She is the 98-year-old host of “The Ladies Room with Trudy Berlin”, a weekly discussion group for women over 70. She started it twenty years ago and when the pandemic hit, the group went virtual. The Washington Post christened Trudy “the ‘Oprah’ of senior citizens” at the Adolph & Rose Levis Jewish Community Center in Boca Raton, Florida.

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A Guided Meditation | S6 Bonus Episode

Jaune Evans was originally ordained as a priest in the White Plum Lineage by Bernie Glassman and Taizan Maezumi Roshi in 1983 at the Zen Community of New York. She is now a priest and senior teacher in the Bay Area Everyday Zen lineage of Zoketsu Norman Fischer, and leads the Heart of Compassion Zen Sangha in Point Reyes, California.

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Bodhisattvas & QuaranQueens | S6 E08

Surprise! Despite being at higher risk, older folks have weathered this past year in better spirits than younger people, according to recent studies. Well, maybe it’s not such a big surprise given our breadth of experience and, uh-hum, wisdom. For Two Old Bitches, it’s certainly been a crucial topic of conversation since the first lockdowns in March 2020. We’ve also explored how COVID affected what we eat (sourdough bread has been an essential for these Two Old Bitches!), streaming preferences, newfound hobbies, relationships and our notions of the future. We’ve gathered gems and inspiration from these conversations with wise older women.

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Srilatha Batliwala - Granny Sri | S6 E07

At 69, Srilatha Batliwala is a feminist grandmother to her four grandchildren and also sees “grandmothering” as a metaphor for how she operates in the world of feminist and social justice movements. Building on decades of activism and prolific writing as a feminist scholar – from her work with tens of thousands of women in village and slum communities in India to holding prestigious positions and fellowships at foundations, universities and transnational women’s rights organizations – Sri is dedicated to mentoring younger feminists and movement builders.

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Sonoko Sakai – Salary Woman No More! | S6 E06

What are we talking about when we talk about “reinventing” ourselves? Our conversation with writer, teacher and Japanese home cooking guru, Sonoko Sakai, reveals how failure is a pathway to discovering long-standing passions and new opportunities. After two decades as a successful film buyer and producer, Sonoko confronted financial and career loss. To heal, she discovered “putting my hands in flour was the most therapeutic way.”

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Screen Bitches - What We’re Watching | S6 E05

“What have you been watching?” “See anything good lately?” are questions many of us routinely ask each other, especially during the pandemic. A trusted recommendation for a movie and, for some of us even better, a series with many seasons is cause to celebrate. How often, though, do you hear of a good movie or series about, for, or by older women? Not often. So when we heard about the film “Let Them All Talk” at the end of 2020, we asked book agent Malaga Baldi, Debbie Zimmerman who heads Women Make Movies and Emmy-nominated former TV producer and wellness and lifestyle coach Renata Joy to join us for a conversation about it and other films and series featuring older women.

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