Aging With Power

Emily Clark may not be a celebrity, but in this conversation she embodies exactly what it means to age with power. A former journalist, Pan Am flight attendant, and lifelong wanderer, Emily shares how curiosity, humor, and a stubborn refusal to sit still have shaped her life. From writing about civil rights in Mississippi in the 1960s to navigating newsrooms in San Francisco, her story reveals how an early hunger to see the world—and to understand it—never really left her. Travel is Emily's great throughline. She tells the unlikely tale of winning far more money than she was owed on a quiz show, calling to correct the error, and ending up with a five‑and‑a‑half‑month trip around the world instead—tickets for her and her boyfriend included. That same mix of integrity, serendipity, and boldness has carried into her later years. After a lifetime of adventures with her late husband, Emily is now embracing solo travel, from whale‑watching in the Azores to small‑group trips in Portugal, and soon, a journey to Malaysia and Borneo in search of birds, orangutans, and new stories. Along the way, Emily doesn't romanticize travel; she acknowledges the anxieties, mishaps, and genuinely scary moments—a soldier with a gun at a Turkish hot spring, long airport delays, and the ever‑shifting logistics of getting from here to there. But for her, these are not reasons to stay home. They're reminders that "stuff happens," and that flexibility, a sense of humor, and a willingness to say "yes" are what turn trips into lasting memories. Above all, Emily offers a gentle but firm challenge to those who think they're "too old" or "too alone" to venture out. She urges would‑be travelers to start with small groups, consider volunteer or immersive experiences, and, if possible, invest in a bit of comfort on long flights. In what she calls the "final fifth" of life, Emily is choosing exploration over retreat, connection over isolation, and curiosity over caution. Her story is a vivid reminder that aging with power isn't about chasing extremes—it's about continuing to choose adventure, on your own terms, for as long as you can.  

In this episode Bill and Deb interview renowned poet, translator, and columnist Stephen Kessler. Over the course of more than five decades, Stephen has moved from the upheavals of late‑1960s Santa Cruz into a life devoted to language in many forms—poetry, translation, criticism, and personal essay. Named Santa Cruz County Artist of the Year in 2023, he has become one of the Central Coast's most distinctive literary voices, known both for his international work translating writers like Jorge Luis Borges and Luis Cernuda, and for his sharply observed local columns in the Santa Cruz Sentinel. Stephen talks about how he didn't so much choose poetry as feel chosen by it. As he puts it, he eventually discovered "it was poetry that wanted me and I was just its servant," guided by what he calls the Muses—"creative dictators" directing his work. That sensibility runs through everything he does: his belief that writers "mine their own experience," and his conviction that a poet's job is to live at some distance from power, "questioning conventional wisdom" rather than becoming its official voice. We also explore how Stephen has consciously opted out of the always‑on digital world. He doesn't carry a cell phone and prefers letters on paper, manual typewriters, and handwritten drafts. Having lived through a serious psychotic break in his early twenties, he has learned to protect his own nervous system from the constant stimulation of "the world's nervous system" online, choosing instead a simpler, slower, more attentive way of living and working. Finally, Stephen reflects on aging and creative continuity. Now in his late seventies, he's narrowed his practice to what matters most: his weekly Sentinel column, poems that arrive only when they "ask to be written," and a rich network of friendships sustained in part through extensive postal correspondence. He speaks candidly about solitude versus isolation, the loss of friends over time, and why he has never been interested in conformity—insisting that an artist's real value lies at the margins, where, as he says, you can "evoke what people don't get through official channels."

In this episode, Bill sits down with Janis Baldwin — founder of Pure Pleasure and a woman who has never been afraid to take a risk when it matters. Seventeen years ago, as a single mom, Janis ignored the "absolutely not" from her financial advisors, teamed up with her daughter Amy, and opened a bright, shame‑free adult store in downtown Santa Cruz at a time when most shops in that category were anything but welcoming. What started as a bold leap became a thriving business that she later transformed into a successful online presence at PurePleasureShop.com. Janis talks candidly about how growing up in a male‑dominated family shaped her independence, her philosophy that all sex is good as long as it's consensual, and yes — she even answers the question everyone wonders about: does she test the toys she sells?Beyond the business, Janis is all about connection. When midlife dating felt like a comedy of errors, she created a meetup group for single women over 50 looking for Mr. Right. Honest, funny, and refreshingly real, Janis reminds us that reinvention doesn't have an age limit and that building community can be just as powerful as building a business. Tune in for a conversation that's equal parts insightful, surprising, and delightfully human.    

Today on Aging With Power, we're turning the dial all the way up with a guest who redefines what it means to grow older boldly. Jean Ketcham is 84, fierce, and absolutely fabulous. She's the founder of Aging But Dangerous—a movement, a mindset, and a martini-fueled mission to help women ditch the stereotypes and dive headfirst into adventure. (Sometimes literally. Jean used to celebrate her birthdays by skydiving.)   She's a blogger, influencer, calendar model, memoirist, and provocateur with over 200,000 followers cheering her on. Her latest project? Inspiring women to strip away shame and strut their stuff in "Fierce and Fabulous 2026 a Tastefully Nude Calendar – Women Over 50 Changing The Stereotypes of Aging." Her memoir, "Aging But Dangerous - A guide to Aging With Strength and Passion at 84," is a rallying cry for joy, purpose, and unapologetic fun.   Jean doesn't just talk about living boldly—she lives it. So buckle up, pour yourself a dry martini, and get ready to meet the woman who's aging with power, passion, and just the right amount of danger.    You can find Jean on Substack on "Aging But Dangerous with Jean Ketcham" where she goes deep and dangerous on subjects ranging from Beauty and Wellness, Health and Aging, to "How I'm Letting Go of Old Beliefs - and Picking Up Kettlebells Instead."

Meet Elene Johas-Teener, a Santa Cruz-based psychotherapist whose work pulses at the intersection of neuroscience, compassion, and cultural transformation. Elene is a fierce advocate for what she calls "the science of love"—a belief that love is not just an emotion but the most compelling survival mechanism of the human species. Her approach blends clinical rigor with radical empathy, inviting clients to explore healing not as a fix, but as a return to wholeness. Elene also holds multiple certifications in the therapeutic use of psychedelics, with a special focus on treating depression and PTSD prevalent among the Boomer generation. In this episode of Aging With Power, she shares how specific hallucinogenic compounds – such as psilocybin, ayahuasca, ketamine, MDMA, ibogaine -- can enhance established treatment modalities, offering new hope for emotional resilience and reconnection. A Boomer herself, Elene opens up about her own "journeying" experiences with her husband Michael—stories that are as intimate as they are illuminating, revealing how love, altered states, and the courage to reconnect with buried feelings can reshape our understanding of what it means to grow older with grace and grit.

"I took mushrooms in my 20s and talked to a tree.  In my 60s I took them again - and the conversation was entirely different," says author and culture chronicler Abbie Rosner, whose upcoming book, ELDEREVOLUTION and the New Counterculture of Aging is already sparking conversations about how older adults are reclaiming psychedelic experiences - not as escapism but as a path to deeper self-understanding  Growing up in the 70s Abbie's psychedelic trips were wild, raw, formative.  But like many of her generation, she stepped away from mind-altering substances as she entered marriage and motherhood.  Now in her 60s, Abbie has returned to psychedelics with fresh eyes - and what she has found is radically different from her youthful explorations.  Join her as she chronicles a new counterculture of Boomers who are finding healing, spiritual renewal and joy as they embrace new ways to experience psychedelics.

Do you love theater? Even if you have never set foot on stage, Santa Cruz, CA based Next Stage Productions has a place for you.  NSP's goal is to Engage, Educate and Enrich the lives of active adults 50+ through creative arts experiences.  But what does that really mean?  In this podcast, Founding Member Kathryn Adkins, and Past President and Health and Wellness Chairperson Risa Lower spell it out.   If you want to bring your singing and speaking voice back to youthful clarity, you can join Vocal Technique Bootcamp, where Adkins calls on 30 years experience of operatic performance and teaching to stregthen your vocal cords.  Newly diagnosed or had Parkinsons for many years, Lower invites you to join the Taiko Drumming and Movement classes.  Or find your passion in Next Stage Players performing groups: Musical Reviews - Reader's Theater - Standup Comedy - Full Length Productions. Check it out. 

In her most recent book (her 12th), In The Country of Old, Lieberman reflects about awakening one morning to find herself an immigrant in this new country.  "I now knew I was old," she says.  "My friends were eager to explain that I am NOT old.  It is, they tell me, a state of mind, only a number.  I am unpersuaded by motivational mush." With wit, humor and no small dose of attitude, she argues that the work of old is to conmpensate for whar we lose with age, and to have fun in the process.

Vampires, demons and otherworldly characters populate the pages of Evette Davis's trilogy, The Council.  Here she shares her midlife perspective on the challenges of running a successful public affairs firm while writing dark, edgy novels about the state of the human condition.   Evette is the author of 48 States, a semi-finalist in the 2023 Publisher's Weekly Booklife Prize, and which Kirkus named one of the Best Indie Books of 2022.  Her most recent novel, The Others, the first installment of The Council trilogy, centers on a secret society of supernatural beings working to slow the spread of xenophobia and nationalism worldwide.  Evette looks forward, she says, to continue writing well into her 80s.

Sports Psychologist, author and coach to many of the top professional and college coaches and teams, Jerry Lynch talks about not letting age slow him down.  Approaching 80, Jerry continues to up his game taking on new challenge while focusing on what brings him joy in his life.

Melissa Fritchle is a California-based psychotherapist with a focus on Holistic Health and Sex and Body Positivity.  Her first book, The Conscious Sexual Self Workbook, grew out of her popular blog.  In recent years Melissa has been drawn to EcoPsychology and EcoSpirituality, offering spiritual direction and soul coaching.  She recently launched a Substack called "Soul Entwined With Earth" to inspire us all to connect more deeply with the natural world.  We discuss, among other things, how the fears and anxieties surrounding sex and body image in early adulthood often resurface as we age.  And how the natural world offers counseling and inspiration.

In his memoir, "Growing Up Psychedelic. Becoming Human in a World of Spirit" David Eyes connects the dots between his youthful experiences with psychedelics and a life view based on the teachings of philosopher Rudolf Steiner.  We discuss the motivations and life changes that led him to retire from a successful tech career in Silicon Valley to become an author.

Living Life on The Edge, Even Now