Does This Make Me Look Old?

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd we’re back! We’re excited to kick off Season 2 of “Does This Make Me Look Old?”!

If you’re just joining us or can vaguely recall listening to a past podcast but aren’t sure what it was about (we forgive you!), here’s what we’re all about in a nutshell: We’re Sim and Shiv, two middle-aged friends…. scratch that, one middle-aged friend and one who is deluded about her age (obviously!), and we like to chat about all things related to aging even if ONE of us doesn’t want to admit that it’s relevant to her. 

We invite you to join us this season, as we have some interesting topics to discuss. We’re going to channel our love of pop culture and learning, talk about shows, books, and people (oh my!), all through the lens of getting older. We’re going to talk sex (baby!) as you get older (scandalous, we know!), aging as a disease, and even bring Carrie, Charlotte, and Miranda into the mix. 

And we’ll do it all with laughter and, of course, some ranting! Join us! 

Since we’re approaching the end of the year when everyone is creating “Best Of” and “Top 10” lists, we decided we’d bring back one of our own lists from earlier this year, which also turned out to be one of our more popular episodes. We talk about our Top 5 best and worst things about aging, which we think perfectly sums up what we like discussing with you on the pod. We’d also like to take this time to wish you a happy holiday season despite the rough go of it this year. Thank you so much for listening to us over the last year in our inaugural season, and we hope to have even more interesting topics for you next year. Wishing you a Happy New Year and see you in 2022!

We’re still on hiatus but are bringing back one of our most popular episodes. In this episode we discuss the HBO documentary “Americans in Bed” and by talking about other people’s relationships we find out that getting older has helped change our attitudes towards our past relationships and what makes a good partner. We talk about dating in our youth and how things have changed now that we’re older. We also realize that not only have our attitudes towards real-life partners have changed with age, but our attitudes towards fictional partners have changed as well (yes, we’re book nerds…or maybe Sim is more so than Shiv, since Shiv can’t remember what she’s read!). Have you noticed your attitudes around an ideal partner have changed now that you’re older, or have they stayed the same? How has dating changed over time? Write in and let us know at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you!

Welcome to the first of our holiday hiatus episodes where we are going to return to one of our more popular podcasts looking at our fears around aging. We also give a warm welcome to part of our DTMMLO family, our producer Ross, who agreed to introduce our first holiday episode (hi Ross!). Join us as we talk about aging fears among ourselves and our friends. Shiv takes the touchy-feely approach to the topic, and Sim tries to lighten the mood as we talk about some pretty deep topics including our fears around loneliness/dying alone, frailty and illness, FOMO, society’s attitude towards older people, financial issues (draw up a will, people!), ageism at work, and career/life regrets. We learn some interesting things about ourselves and our friends, including the fact that talking through some of these fears helps us realize we’re all in the same boat (at least according to Shiv). Write in and let us know whether you share in some of these fears or if your fears have changed/are changing with time at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you!

Hey everyone, join us for one of our shortest episodes yet! We wrap up with our thoughts on the past year just before our holiday hiatus. But don't worry, we will have you covered if you want to continue to spend time with us as you're brushing your teeth, on your commute, at the gym, or wherever you listen to us spill our anxieties about aging. Although we'll be taking some time off, we'll post over the break so you don't have to miss us. In the meantime, find us on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter or e-mail us at [email protected] to let us know about your year, what you're looking forward to in 2022, and/or any comments or ideas you have for the podcast next year. We love hearing from you and would love to hear your ideas. Thanks to all of you for listening and see you in the New Year!

Sex and the City will be back!!! Remember that show where there were four friends who represented four different aspects of women?  There was Carrie who was the personification of romance in all its insecure girly non-glory. Samantha was passion incarnate - confident and focused. Miranda was practical, sensible and the career driven one. And Charlotte was the nurturer, the traditional one who wanted to be a wife and a mother. It was a show that defined a entire generation (or two!) of women, and so of course, the news that there will be a reboot is met with a huge flurry of interest. 

Every time there is a reboot - especially with the same characters (and the actors who portrayed them), there is a risk of ruining the original. This is something that people who grew up with a show face - as we get older, we want our memories of watching that show to remain intact. A reboot challenges that, and it's impossible for many of us not to compare. 

Both Sim and Shiv will definitely watch it, but they are both worried it will negatively impact their love for the show (we're looking at you, Gilmore Girls!). On one hand, it may introduce a new generation of viewers to one of their favourite shows (always a win!!!). But there is always this discomfort too, that what we liked and found appealing "back then" may not translate to modern times. And what does that really say about us? :) 

The UN's 26th Climate Change Conference just wrapped up, creating a debate about whether enough has been done to reverse the effects of climate change. Shiv and Sim discuss the media's spin on the topic and their need to create a generational divide. Is there really a difference in the thinking around climate change between the generations? Is Gen Z the only generation taking responsibility for tackling this issue? Or is this a plot to pass the buck to the younger generations? Join us as we chat about climate change through the generations, corporate approaches to climate change, ethical investing and whether or not our lifestyles promote climate change.

Are curmudgeons born or made? Shiv and Sim have a debate about this as well as whether or not they're becoming curmudgeons. In the process they find out they're on different sides of the computer/artificial intelligence divide. Who knew that Sim wants to bring on the sentient robots?!?!!? Regardless, their curmudgeon-ness (is that a word?) is probably because they're getting too little (Sim) or too much (Shiv) sleep per day. They also have a discussion (rant?) around new "longevity clinics" opening up in Toronto, the disparity in lifespans between the rich and poor as well as biohacking. 

Guess what?! We're #15 on Feedspot's "Best 30 Aging Podcasts" list", the Internet’s Largest Human Curated Database of Bloggers and Podcasts :) So definitely check out the site and follow us there !

This week, Sim wanted to talk about - without any actual evidence - how people pivot at some point from their careers, and start a completely new career. People like Julia Childs, Colonel Sanders, Ken Jeong, Ina Garten, Martha Stewart and (one of Sim's favourites) Jimmy Stewart! And these are just some of the famous examples. They're sure you know at least one person - though they can't prove it :) 

But what is it that makes them do this? Shiv is sure there's a story there - but it's hard to figure out how they were able to do that. What motivates them? Or gives them the confidence? And why - is it to free up time to pursue non-work passions? Or is it to change career tracks and redirect their energies towards a career they're passionate about? Or maybe it's just to feel like they have more meaning in their life. And when is it too late to make a change? There are no clear answers of course, but it's certainly worth a conversation or two!

Somehow they also find a few minutes to rant (reminisce?) about 90's fashion and how Generation Z's are bringing it back and don't even know it. 

Did you know October 18th is World Menopause Day? And October 11th was World Perimenopause Day? In fact, the entire month of October is actually menopause month! The purpose of both events is to raise awareness about the effects of menopause on health and well-being. 

Given that this was the first time they had heard about the day, and given that 50% of the population have/will experience menopause, Shiv wonders why the day doesn't have bigger recognition in our society, and why more people don't openly talk about menopause, and what we can do to help women during the process. For example, in the UK, there is a campaign to try and make HRT (Hormone replacement therapy), a treatment to relieve menopause symptoms, free for women. 

Of course, no discussion on well-being and health would be complete without Sim realizing that diet and exercise is often also key to dealing with menopause symptoms as well. Maybe this will motivate her to finally take action? 

As always, please note that any information discussed here is not a substitute for professional advice. If you feel that you may need medical advice, please consult a qualified health care professional.