My Inspirement

When women say they want to live like the Golden Girls, they’re not really talking about the house. And they may not even be talking about living with women they’ve known for years.

In this episode of the My Inspirement Podcast, host Danielle Cohn sits down with her friend and kindred spirit - despite being two decades apart in age - Elizabeth White, author of 55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal and founder of NUUage Co-Living, for one of the most honest and practical conversations yet about what shared living for older women, and their male friends, can actually look like, what gets in the way, and why the Golden Girls television “fantasy” may actually be keeping us stuck.

Elizabeth brings a rare combination of lived experience, research and warmth to the conversation. She has spent years facilitating workshops, touring tiny home and shared living communities, and talking with hundreds of women about what they really want as they imagine their next chapter, and what they’re often afraid to say out loud.

What she’s learned might surprise you. The dream may be less about finding the perfect house or recreating a sitcom with your best friends, and more about building a life with greater connection, independence, flexibility and community, on your own terms.

You'll learn:

• What women are really expressing when they say they want to live like the Golden Girls, and why it has almost nothing to do with the house

• Why starting with your friendship circle is probably the wrong move — and what to do instead

• The design features older women consistently say are non-negotiable: en suite bathrooms, closeable doors, and why a back door matters more than you think

• The difference between independence and interdependence — and why the most honest question is what you need to feel grounded, not just independent

• Why women with thin friend benches are not behind — and may actually have an advantage

• What Elizabeth learned from touring 40 tiny home communities — what worked, what didn't, and what the economics get wrong

• What a truly good co-living match actually requires — and why shared values matter more than shared history

• What we could all be sharing beyond a roof: transportation, care workers, tools, and the cost savings hiding in plain sight.

Perfect for: women navigating solo aging, anyone exploring Golden Girls housing, co-living for women over 50, shared living for older adults, or alternatives to traditional senior housing and retirement communities.

Resources mentioned:

• Elizabeth White: 55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal

• NUUage Co-Living

• Modern Elder Academy Golden Girls Workshops: Nov. 19-22, 2026 in Santa Fe (meawisdom.com)

• myinspirement.org

Episode Chapters

• 00:00 — Welcome & Introduction to Elizabeth White

• 00:54 — What Women Really Mean When They Say "Golden Girls"

• 03:17 — What Elizabeth Learned Designing Co-Living in Washington DC

• 06:19 — Independence vs. Interdependence: What Women Actually Need

• 09:12 — Why Starting With Your Friend Group Is the Wrong Move

• 11:31 — What to Do Instead: Start With What You Want, Then Find Your People

• 14:08 — What Elizabeth Saw on a Tiny House Tour in Dallas — and Who She Met

• 16:02 — Tiny Homes, Mansions, and What Elizabeth Actually Wants for Herself

• 19:42 — Accessibility, Aging Friends, and Why 25 Steps Is a Deal Breaker

• 21:00 — What Else We Could Be Sharing: Transportation, Care, Tools, and More

• 24:50 — The Toaster Story: Why Small Conflicts Matter More Than You Think

• 25:13 — What's Missing Structurally — and What Needs to Be Built

• 27:41 — Closing: The Golden Girls Dream, Reframed

This podcast is produced by Shameka Sawyer at Sunkissed Group and Danielle Cohn. Original harp music by Hannah Kapp.

My Inspirement is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) advancing more affordable shared living and lifestyle. If you’d like to make a donation to help grow this podcast, planning tools, and other free resources, please visit https://www.myinspirement.com/donate 

What if the solution to the loneliness epidemic, the student housing crisis, and the cost of aging at home were all the same answer? 

In this episode of the My Inspirement Podcast, host Danielle Cohn sits down with Alison Donnally, founder and CEO of JoeyCo, a San Francisco-based company matching older adults with university students who exchange affordable rent for companionship and everyday household support. Then Danielle goes deeper with Nanik Tagore, one of JoeyCo's first and most celebrated Joeys, who shares what two years of living with an older adult host family has actually looked like — and what it has taught him about resilience, mentorship, and what it means to show up for someone.

Together they make a compelling case that the most powerful solution to aging in place, student housing unaffordability, and generational isolation may already be sitting right inside our homes, in the form of an empty bedroom and some time well spent. 

What if every home had a Joey, or every condo or apartment building had a few?

You'll learn:

• How JoeyCo works for both older adult hosts and university student Joeys

• Why Alison modeled JoeyCo on the au pair system, and why ageism may be the reason that model never existed for older adults

• How JoeyCo screens, matches, and supports placements to reduce conflict before it starts

• How clear financial transactions between hosts and Joeys actually make the friendship and connection more authentic, not less

• Why adult children are often the catalyst, and sometimes the biggest obstacle, to making a Joey placement happen for their parent(s).

• What it actually costs, what Joeys earn, and how the math works even in high-cost cities like San Francisco

• What Nanik learned about resilience, patience, and mentorship from living with a host whose wife has early-onset dementia

• Why JoeyCo may be the soft landing recent graduates didn't know they needed

• What JoeyCo looks like in ten years, and why Alison thinks it could become an alternative to the au pair program entirely

Perfect for: anyone exploring aging in place alternatives, intergenerational living, student housing solutions, caregiver support, or innovative models for connection and community across generations.

Resources mentioned:

• myinspirement.org

  
  

Episode Chapters

• 00:00 — Welcome & Introduction to JoeyCo and Alison Donnally

• 01:21 — What JoeyCo Actually Is: Housing, Caregiving, or Something Entirely New?

• 02:42 — Why Families Always Wait Too Long, and What That Costs

• 04:07 — The Au Pair Model for Older Adults: Why Didn't This Exist Already?

• 06:55 — Women, Caregiving, and $300,000 in Lost Lifetime Earnings

• 07:09 — What Has Surprised Alison Most as Joeys and Hosts Start Living Together

• 08:41 — How JoeyCo Screens and Matches Joeys to Hosts

• 11:28 — Loneliness Epidemic: What Joeys and Hosts Are Getting From Each Other

• 12:38 — Raising $2M and Staying True to Values: How JoeyCo Is Growing Differently

• 15:27 — Who This Works Best For, and Who It Might Not Be Right For

• 18:30 — The Role of Adult Children in the JoeyCo Decision

• 21:23 — JoeyCo in Ten Years: A New Way to Live, Work, and Age

• 24:04 — Meet Nanik Tagore: One of JoeyCo's First Joeys

• 26:04 — What Makes a Great Joey, and What Makes a Great Host

• 28:43 — How the Finances Actually Work: Hours, Wages, and Rent

• 31:18 — How Nanik Found JoeyCo

• 32:46 — Living With Robert and Paige: Mentorship, Resilience, and Showing Up

• 36:29 — Closing Thoughts and Where to Find JoeyCo

This podcast is produced by Shameka Sawyer at SunKissed Group and Danielle Cohn. Original harp music by Hannah Kapp. 

My Inspirement is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) advancing more affordable shared living and lifestyle. If you’d like to make a donation to help grow this podcast, planning tools, and other free resources, please visit https://www.myinspirement.com/donate 

Founders of Frolic are Making Homeownership and Community More Accessible 

Imagine you own a large home in Seattle that has become too much to maintain, and perhaps a little too quiet. Instead of selling and leaving the neighborhood you love, what if you could redevelop your property into a cooperative community that lets you live how you want to live?

You could retain equity in the land while creating thoughtfully designed homes where others (friends or new neighbors) can become homeowners with low down payments. Rather than living alone, you'd return each day to a built-in community of neighbors who know one another, share spaces and resources, and look out for each other.

In this episode of the My Inspirement Podcast, host Danielle Cohn sits down with urban planners and entrepreneurs Tamara Knox and Josh Morrison, co-founders of Seattle-based Frolic Community who are doing just that. Frolic is a cooperative homeownership and community development model that is quietly rewriting the rules of who gets to own a home and how we live in them. Built on a mix of co-housing design and cooperative ownership structure, Frolic turns underused single-family lots into six to ten home communities — with shared common spaces, community-led activities, and down payments that can start at just $3,700.

Tamara and Josh share the story behind Frolic's first community in the Columbia City/Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle - called Covidae Co-Op. They share what a Tuesday night actually feels like inside one of their communities; how they help neighbors navigate conflict and community governance, and what they believe millions of Americans are quietly craving but haven't yet been able to name.

You'll learn:

• How Frolic's cooperative ownership model makes homeownership accessible without generational wealth

• Why down payments in Frolic communities can be so low — and how that's legally and financially possible

• What shared living actually looks like day to day — from campus conversations to rotating community dinners

• Why co-ops and co-housing are having a cultural moment right now — and what finally changed to make this mainstream

• What most people dramatically underestimate about building a shared living community

• The one thing everyone needs to be radically honest about before saying yes to co-living

• What Frolic's vision looks like in ten years — and what it could mean for the American middle class

Perfect for: anyone exploring cooperative housing, affordable homeownership, intentional community, shared living, or alternatives to the traditional path to living or buying a home.

Resources mentioned:

• Frolic Community: frolic.community

• myinspirement.org

Episode Chapters

• 00:00 — Welcome & Introduction to Frolic Community

• 01:37 — How Frolic Works: Turning Single-Family Lots Into Six to Ten Home Communities

• 04:19 — Part Airbnb, Part Kickstarter: How the Frolic Platform Brings Projects to Life

• 05:41 — A Tuesday Night Inside a Frolic Home: What Community Actually Feels Like

• 07:13 — Why Co-Ops and Co-Housing Are Suddenly Resonating With So Many People

• 09:05 — The College Campus Effect: Designing for Spontaneous Human Connection

• 11:05 — Who Lives in Frolic's First Community and How the Finances Work

• 14:11 — Conflict, Community Governance, and Two Years of Unplanned Dinner Nights

• 16:05 — What Anyone Would Almost Certainly Underestimate About Building This Model

• 19:42 — What to Be Radically Honest With Yourself About Before Saying Yes to Co-Living

• 21:05 — Frolic in Ten Years: Thousands of Communities, One Vision for the Middle Class

This podcast is produced by Shameka Sawyer at Sunkissed Group and Danielle Cohn. Original harp music by Hannah Kapp.

My Inspirement is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) advancing the shared living economy. If you’d like to make a donation to help build this podcast, planning tools, and other free resources, please visit https://www.myinspirement.com/donate 

Upside’s Jake Rothstein on Why Housing Is the Key to Healthy Aging — And What Happens When Families Wait Too Long

Most families don't think about housing until there's a crisis. Jake Rothstein and the team at Upside is trying to change that.

In this episode of the My Inspirement Podcast, host Danielle Cohn reconnects with Jake Rothstein, co-founder and CEO of Upside, a company reimagining how vulnerable people — especially older adults — find, access, and stay in stable housing. What started as a personal mission to help his grandmother navigate life after her husband moved into senior care has grown into a national platform operating across 15 states, helping health insurers identify and support members at risk of housing instability before it becomes a crisis. Only days before airing this episode, Upside announced they raised a $20M Series A to expand their platform to help address housing as a healthcare problem.

Jake pulls back the curtain on how housing insecurity is far broader than most people realize, why health insurers are now paying to solve it, and what it actually takes to move someone from their car or a shelter to a stable, appropriate home. He also shares what he has learned about co-living, shared housing, and intergenerational arrangements — and the one thing most families get wrong when planning for aging.

You'll learn:

• Why aging in place sounds great at 55 but can become impractical

• How housing instability drives emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and medication non-adherence

• How Upside uses AI and human care guides together to navigate vulnerable members to stable housing

• What makes co-living and shared housing work — and what causes it to fail

• Why the timing of the housing conversation matters more than most families realize

• The one question every family should be asking before a crisis forces their hand

Perfect for: anyone navigating housing decisions for themselves or aging parents who are eligible for health-plan-supported housing programs

Resources mentioned:

• Upside: joinupside.com

• myinspirement.org

Episode Chapters

• 00:00 — Welcome & Introduction to Jake Rothstein and Upside

• 01:10 — The Grandmother Story: Where Upside Began

• 03:39 — From Senior Housing to a Broader Housing Stability Platform

• 05:01 — Who Upside Serves Today and How It Works

• 07:42 — Scale: Tens of Thousands of Properties Across 15 States

• 08:39 — Wraparound Services: Why Housing Is Just the Starting Point

• 10:55 — Who Upside Competes With and What SDOH 2.0 Really Means

• 16:04 — Balancing Technology and the Human Touch

• 17:32 — Co-Living and Intergenerational Shared Housing in Practice

• 19:46 — What Makes Co-Living Work — and What Gets in the Way

• 23:26 — If You Could Redesign Housing and Aging Support From Scratch

• 24:48 — Steps Every Family Can Take Before a Housing Crisis Hits

• 26:52 — Closing Thoughts and Where to Find Upside

This podcast is produced by Shameka Sawyer at Sunkissed Group and Danielle Cohn. Original harp music by Hannah Kapp.

My Inspirement is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) advancing the shared living economy. If you’d like to make a donation to help build this podcast, planning tools, and other free resources, please visit https://www.myinspirement.com/donate 

Eunice Lin Nichols, Co-CEO of CoGenerate, on The Benefits of Bringing Generations Together

We were designed to live together across generations. So how did we end up so far apart?

In this episode of the My Inspirement Podcast, host Danielle Cohn sits down with Eunice Lin Nichols, intergenerational innovator and co-CEO of CoGenerate, a nonprofit at the forefront of bridging generational divides to create real social change. With over 25 years of experience bringing younger and older generations together, Eunice brings both the data and the deeply human case for why intergenerational connection may be one of the most powerful — and most overlooked — tools we have for living longer, healthier, and less lonely lives.

From her childhood growing up with Taiwanese grandparents as her afterschool program, to groundbreaking housing models reimagining how generations can live and care for each other, Eunice makes the case that the separation of generations wasn't inevitable — and it doesn't have to be permanent.

You'll learn:

• Why intergenerational connection is so much bigger than older and younger people spending time together

• What's actually broken in how society separates generations in housing, work, and community life

• How college campuses, co-ops, and intentional communities are quietly pioneering new intergenerational models

• The real financial case for multigenerational living — and who it helps most

• How models like Bridge Meadows, Frolic Community, and Drexel's Second Story Collective are making it work right now

• Why caregiver burnout is an intergenerational design problem — and how community can help solve it

• What CoGenerate's national research reveals about whether people actually want to live and work across generations

• One small step anyone can take today toward a more connected, intergenerational life

Perfect for: anyone exploring multigenerational housing, intentional community, aging in place alternatives, caregiver support, or the future of how we live and care for each other across generations.

Resources mentioned:

• CoGenerate: cogenerate.org

• Bridge Meadows intentional community

• Frolic Community

• Second Story Collective at Drexel University

• myinspirement.org

Episode Chapters

• 00:00 — Welcome & Introduction to Eunice Lin Nichols

• 01:08 — Growing Up Intergenerational: A Childhood Shaped by Grandparents

• 04:01 — What Most People Get Wrong About Intergenerational Connection

• 05:17 — The Loneliness Epidemic & Why Generations Need Each Other

• 07:09 — What's Actually Broken in How Society Separates Generations

• 09:00 — If You Were Designing Housing From Scratch, What Would You Change?

• 12:21 — Bridge Meadows & Intergenerational Design in Action

• 15:02 — The Financial Case for Multigenerational Living

• 15:24 — Frolic Community & The Second Story Collective at Drexel

• 17:32 — The Biggest Barriers to Scaling Intergenerational Housing

• 20:00 — Caregiver Burnout & How Community Changes the Equation

• 22:24 — What the Data Actually Says: Do People Want to Live Together?

• 25:17 — One Small Step You Can Take Today

This podcast is produced by Shameka Sawyer at Sunkissed Group and Danielle Cohn. Original harp music by Hannah Kapp.

For more information about My Inspirement, a non-profit, 501c3, visit myinspirement.org. Through tools, education, and inspiration around shared living, caregiving, travel, and community, we are reimagining what the next chapter of life can look like — at any age. Thanks for listening and considering supporting our programs.

The vision of intentional community sounds beautiful in theory. But what does a Tuesday actually look like when you live there?

In this episode of the My Inspirement Podcast, host Danielle Cohn sits down with four Baja Sage residents — artist Wanda Whitaker, renewable energy expert Erin Decker, photographer Cookie Kinkead, and interior designer Martha Murray — to share the unfiltered reality of life inside a new intentional community in Baja Mexico..

From sunrise walks and spontaneous dinners to navigating community governance and a regenerative farm in transition, this conversation is full of the kind of detail you can only get from people who actually live it. These four neighbors paint one of the most vivid pictures yet of what shared living really means.

You'll learn:

• What drew four very different people to choose community over conventional homeownership

• Why Sage is decidedly not a Golden Girls community — and why that matters

• What a typical day looks like for full-time and part-time residents

• The story of the regenerative farm — where it is, where it's headed, and what the community is rethinking

• How Sage supports the Bomberos, the region's entirely volunteer-funded emergency services

• Low-cost community practices any neighborhood can borrow — from painting and writing groups to educational workshops

• What you need to be radically honest with yourself about before saying yes to community living

Perfect for: anyone exploring intentional communities, co-housing, aging in community, regenerative living, or alternatives to traditional retirement living.

Resources mentioned: meawisdom.com | myinspirement.org

Episode Chapters

• 00:00 — Welcome & Meet the Sage Neighbors

• 02:00 — Erin Decker: A COVID Refugee Who Found Her People

• 03:30 — Wanda Whitaker: MEA's First Beta Workshop to Baja Full-Time

• 04:30 — Martha Murray: Designer and Sage Convert

• 05:00 — Cookie Kinkead: Three Years at Chip's, Then It Finally Hit

• 06:00 — The Aesthetic of Sage: What Makes It Feel Like It Belongs

• 08:00 — The Bomberos: How Sage Supports Local Emergency Services

• 09:30 — What Does a Typical Day Actually Look Like?

• 15:00 — Why Sage Is Not a Golden Girls Community

• 17:00 — The Common Thread That Connects Everyone at Sage

• 19:30 — Aging, Longevity & Living in the Moment

• 22:00 — Community Communication & Making Decisions Together

• 26:00 — The Regenerative Farm: Where It Stands & Where It's Going

• 29:00 — Low-Cost Community Ideas Any Neighborhood Can Try

• 31:00 — What You Need to Be Honest About Before Saying Yes

This podcast is produced by Shameka Sawyer at Sunkissed Group and Danielle Cohn who is the host of the show. Original harp music by Hannah Kapp.

What does it actually take to build an intentional community from the ground up; and what does life really look like once you're living in one?

In this episode of the My Inspirement Podcast, host Danielle Cohn sits down with Jeff Hamaoui, co-founder of Modern Elder Academy and the visionary developer behind Baja Sage — a 26-home regenerative community in Pescadero, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Joining the conversation are two Sage residents, professor and facilitator Barbara Tint and entrepreneur Chris Harman, who share what drew them to this bold community experiment and what they've discovered on the other side.

Jeff opens up about the years-long journey from concept to community — navigating local government, COVID, regenerative farming, and the deep social architecture required to turn a beautiful piece of land into a place people truly call home. His honest takeaway? Building the physical space is just the beginning. The real work is everything that comes after.

You'll learn:

• How Baja Sage was designed around regenerative farming and intentional density

• Why co-living communities require social infrastructure, not just beautiful real estate

• What drew residents Barbara and Chris to choose community over conventional homeownership

• How COVID accelerated the dream of intentional living for so many

• A simple weekly habit that turns neighbors into lifelong friends

• Why social wellness and community may add years — even decades — to your life

• What you need to be radically honest about before buying into or building a community

Perfect for: anyone exploring intentional communities, co-housing in Mexico, regenerative living, aging in community, or alternatives to traditional retirement living.

Resources mentioned:

• Jeff Hamaoui’s upcoming book Friending (2027)

• meawisdom.com | myinspirement.org

Episode Chapters

• 00:00 — Welcome & Introduction to Baja Sage

• 04:00 — Jeff’s Origin Story: From San Francisco to Baja

• 08:00 — Designing an Intentional Community with Regenerative Farming

• 13:00 — COVID, Doubt, and the Moment Everything Almost Fell Apart

• 17:00 — Who Chooses the Sage Life? The Invisible Thread

• 22:00 — Meet the Neighbors: Barbara Tint's Story

• 28:00 — Chris Harman: A Real Estate Background Meets Community Vision

• 34:00 — What Surprised Everyone Most About Living at Sage

• 40:00 — Healthcare, Aging & Wraparound Care in Community

• 45:00 — The Pink Flamingo Ritual & Building Open Communications Culture

• 50:00 — What You Need to Know Before Saying Yes to Community Living

This podcast is produced by Shameka Sawyer at Sunkissed Group and Danielle Cohn. Original harp music by Hannah Kapp.

Chip Conley on Reinventing Midlife Housing: MEA Communities, Golden Girls Co-Living & the Future of Aging Well

Chip Conley, founder of Modern Elder Academy (MEA) and hospitality pioneer, joins his good friend and host Danielle Cohn on the first episode of the My Inspirement Podcast to share how MEA is reimagining where and how people age — through intentional transitional learning, and experimenting with community living, co-housing models, and alternatives to traditional senior housing.

With nearly 9,000 MEA alumni across 60 countries that participate in their mid-life programs, Chip unpacks the science behind the U-curve of happiness, Becca Levy's Yale research showing a positive aging mindset adds 7.5 years to your life, and why the concept of the "modern elder" is redefining what it means to thrive in your 50s, 60s, and beyond.

Chip walks us through MEA's new bold housing experiments — from Baja Sage, a 26-home community built alongside a regenerative farm in Baja California Sur Mexico, to Santa Fe “Golden Girls” shared rental homes for women 45+, and tiny and fractional-owned homes on both campuses. He discusses the real challenges of community governance, how to "taste test" co-living before committing, and why building community — not just transactions in real estate — is the missing middle in retirement housing.

You'll learn:

• Why intentional shared communities may outperform traditional retirement communities for social wellness and reducing cost of living

• The various models that MEA Homes is experimenting with from fractional seaside homes to “Golden Girls” ranch rental or tiny homes ownership models

• How coliving and aging well intersect

• How MEA is thinking about shared care in the future similar to a boutique niche hotel

• How any community can weave in more intentional activities to thrive together

Perfect for: anyone exploring more affordable lifestyle, co-living communities, aging in community, alternatives to retirement housing options, or conscious aging resources.

Resources: meawisdom.com | myinspirement.org

Episode Chapters

• 00:00 — Chip Conley, Modern Elder Academy & the Midlife Chrysalis

• 04:56 — How Baja Sage Community Was Created

• 05:59 — Golden Girls Co-Housing Models Explained

• 07:55 — Insights from the Golden Girls Housing Workshop

• 11:00 — The Missing Middle in Retirement & Senior Housing

• 12:03 — Building Community Over Real Estate Transactions

• 14:03 — The Future of Senior Living & Intentional Communities

• 16:03 — Social Wellness, Resources & Next Steps