My Better Half

Major life transitions can leave people feeling untethered from the roles and routines that once defined them.

Ashland-based storyteller and reinvention coach Ruth Halpern calls it a “life explosion” — a period when changes such as a career shift, divorce or retirement disrupt the story people tell about who they are.

Halpern said part of the difficulty comes from expectations about how life is supposed to unfold.

“I feel like the American myth says that life is supposed to be a steady ascent to some kind of even plateau where you get to surf for a long time,” Halpern said.

But that expectation doesn’t match the way most people experience life, she said.

“And that image is really destructive because it isn't how life works,” Halpern said.

Rather than viewing periods of transition as empty or unproductive, Halpern encourages people to use them to reconsider who they are apart from familiar jobs, relationships or other roles.

“Really, your relationship with yourself is the longest relationship you have in your life,” Halpern said.

Halpern draws on her background in storytelling to help people examine the narratives they use to understand their lives. She encourages people to move from seeing themselves only as actors responding to circumstances to becoming narrators who can decide how those experiences fit into a larger story.

That process, she said, can help people identify parts of themselves that remain even when their circumstances change.

“Tell your story because in telling it you shape it,” Halpern said.

• Ruth Halpern, storytelling expert and life reinvention coach

Natasha Neece’s memoir, "Rise Up and Rock: A Frontwoman's Journey," traces her journey of self-discovery, resilience and artistic rebirth, with music serving as a catalyst for transformation.

The book explores her leadership style within a band, the importance of mutual respect and the emotional toll of navigating egos, competition and betrayal.

Book excerpt:

"As the Saucy band's set list grew, I couldn't resist suggesting more Led Zeppelin. Every time I stepped up to sing one of their songs, it felt like stepping further into my own power, vocally, physically, and energetically. Sometimes my voice would surprise me, and the resonance of the higher notes would ignite something wild and unstoppable within me.

"Audiences began requesting more Zeppelin, echoing the recognition I was already feeling. Soon I found myself diving deep into their catalog, listening obsessively, truly discovering Led Zeppelin for the first time.

"That's when I began to clearly see Robert Plant, not just as an uninhibited, sexy front man, but as a dreamer, a mystic, a lover of nature. His voice carried the winds of mythology and reverence for the divine. His lyrics spoke of longing, passion, transcendence, and the sacred within the earthly. I felt profoundly aligned with the way he so wildly and tenderly gave his soul to the world.

"Led Zeppelin, I realized was never just about rock and roll. Their music was beckoning the awakening of the human spirit. The emotional force and inspirational depth in their songs called to me like a lighthouse through the fog.

"And so the truth emerged: I didn't want to sing anything else. Singing their songs felt like a personal reclamation, and in that reclamation a dream was born. The vision of a Led Zeppelin tribute band, not just to cover their songs, but to embody their mythos."

Copyright © 2026 by Natasha Neece

• Natasha Neece

For Roseburg artist Julie Anderson Bailey, art has become a way to make sense of life's biggest changes.

Bailey said creating art has helped her process life experiences, including divorce, the death of her partner from cancer and, more recently, the loss of her mother to Alzheimer's disease.

She has considered herself an artist since childhood, discovering that many of the colorful patterns she doodled as a young girl still appear in her work today. During the COVID-19 pandemic, daily sketching became a way to manage anxiety.

Her "Biology Rising Series" emerged from an interest in biology and the life cycle of freshwater algae. The installation features hundreds of hand-crafted circular forms made from tissue paper, vintage sewing patterns, wire and beeswax. Bailey said the organisms' cycle of mothers and daughter colonies inspired her to explore themes of birth, death and renewal.

After her mother died, Bailey accepted an opportunity to create a large installation for the Eugene Public Library. Completing the project required making nearly 1,000 individual pieces in just a few months.

She said the repetitive work gave her a reason to get up each morning and provided structure during an emotionally difficult time. The creative process also gave her space to reflect on memories of her mother and work through her grief.

Bailey said she also finds inspiration in other people's work, whether she's visiting museums and galleries or watching artists share their creative process online. Seeing that work, she said, creates a sense of connection and reminds her that art is one of humanity's oldest ways of telling stories and expressing emotion.

VIDEO: Julie Anderson Bailey creates her "Biology Rising Series"

• Julie Anderson Bailey, artist

Natasha’s memoir details her path of self-discovery, resilience, and artistic rebirth - with music ermerging as a powerful catalyst.

The author considers her feminine leadership style in a band setting, the importance of mutual respect, and the emotional toll of navigating egos, competition, and betrayal.

Book excerpt:

"As the Saucy band's set list grew, I couldn't resist suggesting more Led Zeppelin. Every time I stepped up to sing one of their songs, it felt like stepping further into my own power, vocally, physically, and energetically. Sometimes my voice would surprise me, and the resonance of the higher notes would ignite something wild and unstoppable within me. Audiences began requesting more Zeppelin, echoing the recognition I was already feeling. Soon I found myself diving deep into their catalog, listening obsessively, truly discovering Led Zeppelin for the first time. That's when I began to clearly see Robert Plant, not just as an uninhibited, sexy front man, but as a dreamer, a mystic, a lover of nature. His voice carried the winds of mythology and reverence for the divine. His lyrics spoke of longing, passion, transcendence, and the sacred within the earthly. I felt profoundly aligned with the way he so wildly and tenderly gave his soul to the world. Led Zeppelin, I realized was never just about rock and roll. Their music was beckoning the awakening of the human spirit. The emotional force and inspirational depth in their songs called to me like a lighthouse through the fog. And so the truth emerged: I didn't want to sing anything else. Singing their songs felt like a personal reclamation, and in that reclamation a dream was born. The vision of a Led Zeppelin tribute band, not just to cover their songs, but to embody their mythos."
Copyright © 2026 by Natasha Neece

After more than a decade owning a health club, Dave Young came to believe the modern fitness industry often misses the point of living well.

Young, JPR's operations manager and author of "A Mild Case of Dead," argues that an intense focus on weight loss, body image and performance metrics can distract people from deeper questions about purpose and meaning. He says fitness culture often prioritizes appearance and numbers over lived experience.

Young said traditional gyms can feel artificial and overly regimented, reducing health to measurements such as heart rate, calories burned or pounds lifted. He describes these as “phantom” versions of health — clinical metrics that fail to reflect how people actually feel. True fitness, he said, shows up in how people live the other 23 hours of the day, not just during workouts.

To help people make healthier choices, Young outlines a three-level framework. The first focuses on body wisdom, or paying attention to physical cues such as hunger, energy and cravings. The second looks to human history, emphasizing movement, survival and eating local, seasonal food. Science comes last, which Young said can inform decisions but should not override individual experience.

For Young, the goal of health is not perfect numbers or medical charts. It is vitality — having a body that supports what matters most, whether that is caregiving, staying active with family or starting the day with energy and enthusiasm.

• Dave Young, JPR operations manager and author

Raymond Jetson is an advocate whose work centers on equity, dignity and community-driven change. In February 2023, he helped launch Aging While Black, a national movement designed to amplify the voices and experiences of Black elders and to rethink aging in America at the intersection of race.

Jetson discusses the movement’s three guiding pillars: recalibrating the village, embracing innovation and rapid change, and leaning into Sankofa — the idea of looking to the past to help shape the future.

Jetson brings decades of experience to this work, including service as a Louisiana state representative, deputy secretary of health and pastor of Star Hill Church in Baton Rouge. He is an AARP Purpose Prize winner and a Next Avenue Influencer in Aging.

As the primary caregiver for his 91-year-old mother, Jetson says his perspective on aging is shaped by both public service and personal experience.

The conversation also explores Jetson’s new book, "Aging While Black: A Radical Reimagining of Aging and Race in America," which expands on the movement’s vision and calls for a more inclusive, community-centered approach to aging.

• Raymond Jetson, author and co-founder of Aging While Black

After more than a decade owning a health club, Dave Young came to believe the modern fitness industry often misses the point of living well.

Young, JPR's operations manager and author of "A Mild Case of Dead," argues that an intense focus on weight loss, body image and performance metrics can distract people from deeper questions about purpose and meaning. He says fitness culture often prioritizes appearance and numbers over lived experience.

Young said traditional gyms can feel artificial and overly regimented, reducing health to measurements such as heart rate, calories burned or pounds lifted. He describes these as “phantom” versions of health — clinical metrics that fail to reflect how people actually feel. True fitness, he said, shows up in how people live the other 23 hours of the day, not just during workouts.

To help people make healthier choices, Young outlines a three-level framework. The first focuses on body wisdom, or paying attention to physical cues such as hunger, energy and cravings. The second looks to human history, emphasizing movement, survival and eating local, seasonal food. Science comes last, which Young said can inform decisions but should not override individual experience.

For Young, the goal of health is not perfect numbers or medical charts. It is vitality — having a body that supports what matters most, whether that is caregiving, staying active with family or starting the day with energy and enthusiasm.

My Better Half is hosted by Vanessa Finney.

• Dave Young

In 2026, the Society of Professional Journalists awarded this episode third place in Racial Equity Reporting.

Raymond Jetson is an advocate whose work centers on equity, dignity and community-driven change. In February 2023, he helped launch Aging While Black, a national movement designed to amplify the voices and experiences of Black elders and to rethink aging in America at the intersection of race.

Jetson discusses the movement’s three guiding pillars: recalibrating the village, embracing innovation and rapid change, and leaning into Sankofa — the idea of looking to the past to help shape the future.

Jetson brings decades of experience to this work, including service as a Louisiana state representative, deputy secretary of health and pastor of Star Hill Church in Baton Rouge. He is an AARP Purpose Prize winner and a Next Avenue Influencer in Aging. As the primary caregiver for his 91-year-old mother, Jetson says his perspective on aging is shaped by both public service and personal experience.

The conversation also explores Jetson’s new book, "Aging While Black: A Radical Reimagining of Aging and Race in America," which expands on the movement’s vision and calls for a more inclusive, community-centered approach to aging.

• Raymond Jetson, author and co-founder of Aging While Black

At 59, Julie Anderson Bailey has survived midlife's tough transitions: divorce, the death of a partner and parents, and an empty nest. Art has been there through it all.

Learn More: SOPBS The Work of Art Profile / Julie Anderson Bailey

Pam Haunschild rose to the top of her profession, teaching organizational theory at the business schools at Stanford and Texas-Austin. It's a long way off from her original interest, art. Pam had an art scholarship in front of her when she was young, but opted for the other path.

Then she retired from teaching and moved to Oregon. Now she's creating art on a regular basis, finding the joy in returning to an old love. Pam is the focus of the latest chapter of My Better Half, an examination of late-in-life accomplishments with JPR's Vanessa Finney.

Vanessa visits with Pam about her art and her inspirations in nature.