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What happens when the version of yourself you've been living no longer fits? Not the job. Not the house. You.

In this episode of Life's Funny…Until It's Not™, host Deb LaMotta explores what it means to shed the identity you've been wearing for decades, the one that took care of everyone else, kept things running, and showed up for everybody but yourself. It's not a switch you flip. It's a daily choice. Sometimes an hourly one.

Deb shares her honest reaction to Meredith Maran's memoir The New Old Me: My Late-Life Reinvention, a book about finding yourself in your sixties after loss, after a long marriage ends, after the life you thought you were living turns out to be a version of a life, not the whole thing. The parallels to her own first year of retirement hit close to home.

In Food for Thought, Deb tells the story of Barbara, a woman who spent thirty years in Florida carrying a childhood dream of living in Europe. At 62, during COVID, she had a now-or-never moment. Eight months later, she was on a plane to Portugal, alone, with no contacts, no language, and no map. She chose a small fishing village in the Algarve called Santa Luzia and started over. Four years later, she's still there.

In What I'm Learning, Deb gets real about exhaustion, the kind that comes from decades of reinvention, loss, and always being the one who keeps going. And what it looks like to give yourself permission to rest, even for a moment, before turning the next page.

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt like a nomad in their own life. Anyone who has kept a pair of jeans that no longer fit because maybe, someday, they will again. Anyone who suspects there's a version of themselves they've been holding back — and wonders if it's too late to go find her.

It isn't.

Life's Funny…Until It's Not™ is part of the R2RB Network, Where Independent Voices Build Legacy. Find Deb on Facebook and Instagram at R2RBroadcasting.

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What happens when you finally run out of excuses?

In Episode 5 of Life's Funny…Until It's Not™, Deb gets honest about the dreams she's started — and stopped — over the years. The antique shop, she collected pieces for and then gave away. The network she almost shut down for good. And the moment she stopped hiding behind circumstances and asked herself the harder question: why do I keep stopping?

In Food For Thought, meet Dennis Young — Delaware artist, retired psychiatrist, and owner of Mo'zArt Gallery in Historic Old New Castle. At 70 years old, Dennis opened an art gallery after 30 years away from painting. Named 2024's Best in Delaware by Delaware Today, Dennis has one rule for anyone who walks into his gallery and says, "I can't": Don't ever say that again.

In What I'm Learning, Deb talks about routines — the ones she keeps, the ones she doesn't, and why "not quitting" might be the only goal that actually matters.

This episode is for anyone who has been circling something. Waiting for the right time. Telling themselves it's too late.

It isn't.

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Life's Funny…Until It's Not™

There's a parking lot I need to tell you about.

Last Friday, I drove to my local senior center — membership in hand, good intentions loaded — pulled in, saw the lot was full, and drove right back out. Didn't park. Didn't go in. Didn't even turn off the engine.

And I'm the one who hosts this podcast.

In this episode of Life's Funny…Until It's Not™, I get honest about the year that pulled me inside — the caregiving, the grief, the calendar that went from impossibly full to very, very quiet — and what happened when I tried to find my way back. (Spoiler: I joined every Facebook group I could find at midnight. The women in those groups are not playing.)

We talk about what loneliness actually is — and it's not what most of us think. We dig into what the research says about loneliness and health in the 55+ community, including one study result that genuinely surprised me. And we talk about the difference between solitude and loneliness, because they are not the same thing, even though we treat them like they are.

In Food for Thought, we look at what the experts actually say about why loneliness is a health issue — not just a feelings issue — and three practical strategies that researchers say actually work.

And in What I'm Learning, I sat back down at my keyboard after a long time away. What happened next is the whole episode in one moment.

If you've ever felt like the world kept moving while you were busy surviving — this one is for you.

🎙️ Life's Funny…Until It's Not™ is produced by the R2RB Network — Where Independent Voices Build Legacy.

Listen: Buzzsprout | R2RB.com Connect: [email protected]

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We’re going to talk about something that a lot of us are navigating — or at least thinking about — which is dating later in life. Because let me tell you, swiping right is not the same as passing notes in homeroom. Not even close.

Then we’re heading into Food for Thought, where I’m going to share something that made me stop when I saw it. Something that has everything to do with what it feels like to be told you’re past your prime — and then proving everyone wrong.

And we’ll wrap up with What I’m Learning — my ongoing adventure in being a total beginner. This week? It’s personal. It’s got keys. And it’s proof that you’re never too old to try something that terrifies you just a little.

Three segments, one big idea: we are not done. We are just getting started on the chapter that might actually be the best one yet.

Because life is funny… until it’s not. And when it’s not? That’s when the real stories begin.

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Adjusting the Cooking Time

What starts as a disagreement about salmon becomes something much bigger.

In this episode of Life’s Funny…Until It’s Not™, I share a simple kitchen moment with my 87-year-old mother — one that didn’t seem significant at the time.

Sometimes life isn’t about getting the recipe right. It’s about adjusting the cooking time.

This episode reflects on aging, dignity, picking your battles, and the small, ordinary moments that quietly define a lifetime.

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 This is the space where we talk honestly about life as it really is — the good, the hard, the unexpected — and how we keep moving forward anyway.

Today’s episode is broken into three parts. Each one stands on its own, but together they tell a bigger story. So whether you’re listening straight through or catching just one segment, you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.

Let’s start here.

Life’s Funny… Until It’s Not™ — or as I’ve been thinking about it lately, when you decide to retire.

Because no one really prepares you for what happens after the schedule slows down, the titles fall away, and you’re left asking, now what?

This is where that conversation begins.

This brings me to Food for Thought.

This is the part of the show where I share something to sit with — not advice, not answers — just a perspective worth considering as we move through this season of life.

And now for What I’m Learning.

This is where I share what I’m reading, thinking about, or stumbling through — because staying curious is one of the ways we keep ourselves engaged at this stage of life.

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Episode 1: The Things We Carry Into a New Year

Welcome to the premiere episode of Life's Funny...Until It's Not™ - a podcast for anyone 55 or better navigating what comes next.

Forget "New Year, New Me." This episode is about what we actually carry into a new year - the grief, the lessons, the people we miss, and the strength we didn't know we had.

Host Deb LaMotta opens up about a year that changed everything: unexpected loss, health scares, watching her mother's decline, and the moment she realized she couldn't carry it all alone anymore.

In this episode:

• What we really carry into a new year (not resolutions)
• The brick wall moment that forced her to ask for help
• Why asking for help isn't weakness - it's wisdom
• How loss clarifies what actually matters
• The choice between Christmas with her kids and caring for her parents

This is for anyone caring for aging parents, navigating second acts, dealing with loss, or just trying to find the humor when life gets hard.

Two new segments, Food For Thought and What I'm Learning.

Connect with Deb: Email: [email protected] Website: www.R2RB.com

Life's Funny...Until It's Not™ is brought to you by R2RB Network - Reel 2 Reel Broadcasting.

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The holidays are often wrapped in bright lights, cheerful music, and expectations of happiness—but for many, this season carries a quiet heaviness. In this deeply personal episode, Deb LaMotta shares reflections on how the holidays can stir grief, loneliness, gratitude, and longing all at once, especially as we age and life doesn’t look quite the way we once imagined. Some memories warm the heart, while others remind us of those we miss and moments that can never be recreated.

This episode is a reminder to move through the season with compassion—for yourself and for others. A simple check-in, a shared story, or even a kind smile can make all the difference. If this conversation resonates with you, take a moment to subscribe, share this episode with someone who may need it, and know that you are always part of this community. You don’t have to navigate the holidays alone.