Registered psychotherapist and author Elke Scholz joins Agnes for a conversation about something many women experience but don't always know how to name: feeling exhausted, overwhelmed or simply not quite like themselves.

Why can we finally reach a stage of life with fewer responsibilities—and still wonder where our energy went?

Elke explores the relationship between burnout, stress and anxiety, and why finding the root of what is draining us matters more than simply pushing ourselves to keep going.

In this conversation:

This isn't about forcing yourself to bounce back or filling retirement with more things to accomplish. It's about becoming curious about what drains you, what restores you—and learning to trust yourself again.

Learn more about Elke and find all her links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast

Note: This conversation is for general information and personal reflection and is not a substitute for individualized medical or mental-health advice.

Retirement left Paula Panariello with a question she hadn't spent much time asking before: What would I actually like to do?

An avid historical-romance reader, Paula decided to try writing one herself. Her first manuscript needed plenty of help, but the story was good — and seven novels later, Paula now comfortably calls herself an author.

In our conversation, we talk about:

Paula's experience is a reminder that sometimes an entirely new chapter begins simply because something interests us enough to try it.

Learn more about Paula and find her links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast

Can we really change patterns we've carried for decades?

Craig Meriwether is a clinical hypnotherapist, medical hypnosis specialist and subconscious transformation expert. In this conversation, Craig takes us beneath the conscious thoughts we know so well and into the patterns and beliefs that may have been quietly influencing us for years.

We talk about how the subconscious mind tries to keep us safe, why an old response that once protected us may no longer serve us, and why understanding a behaviour isn't always enough to change it.

Craig also clears up some of the myths surrounding hypnosis—no clucking chickens required—and explains why hypnosis is about participation rather than surrendering control.

Especially relevant for those of us creating life after 60, we explore regret: the marriage that didn't work, the career left behind, the opportunity not taken, the dream postponed. The past may be part of our story, but does it have to determine what happens next?

We also discuss the importance of properly trained hypnotherapists, what to look for before working with one, and why age doesn't put an expiry date on our ability to learn, change and grow.

Because perhaps "this is just who I am" deserves another look.

Learn more about Craig Meriwether and find all his links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast.

hirley B. Novack has reinvented herself more than once—or twice.

She grew up in a family where girls weren’t expected to go to college, worked to put herself through school anyway, entered laboratory science, became a teacher, raised three children, built a decades-long career in interior design, opened a summer candy shop and eventually returned to the dream she'd carried since childhood: writing.

At nine years old, a teacher told Shirley never to stop writing because he believed she could become a great writer. She never forgot him. Decades later, during the pandemic, Shirley began writing the story inspired by her father's extraordinary—and often painful—early life. She published her first novel at 75.

Our conversation wanders exactly the way a good conversation with a born storyteller sometimes does. We talk about difficult marriages and finding yourself again, why age can bring better boundaries, trying things even when failure is possible, the assumptions society makes about older people—and why Shirley believes another door can always open.

There are also detours involving Cyndi Lauper, Colin Powell, the bomb squad at Logan Airport, a suspected terrorist, a cocaine mule and a Porsche.

Because apparently one lifetime wasn't enough material for Shirley.

In this episode we talk about:

Content note: This conversation includes references to emotional abuse, gambling addiction, sexual violence, human trafficking and a serious medical crisis.

Learn more about Shirley and find all her links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast

What happens when you've built the successful career, proved you could do it — and realize you don't want to spend the rest of your life doing more of the same?

Lorie Eber spent 23 years as a corporate litigator, became a partner and successfully opened a branch office others predicted would fail. Then, at 49, she walked away.

What followed wasn't an instant reinvention. It was a decade of trying things, discovering abilities she didn't know she had, and eventually building a second career around wellness, teaching and healthy aging. Along the way, Lorie had to ask some surprisingly difficult questions: Who was she without “Lorie the lawyer”? Had career success crowded out friendships, hobbies and connection? And did she really want to reach the end of her life wondering whether she could have billed one more hour?

Now 70, she's reinventing herself again — this time by learning how to work with an aging body rather than expecting it to perform like the younger one she remembers. Lorie and Agnes talk candidly about metabolism, menopause, strength, protein, sleep, stress, food environments and why “the rules have changed, but nobody makes an announcement.”

In this episode:

This conversation is about much more than wellness.

They talk about purpose, friendship, kindness, marriage, learning to relax, letting go of things that no longer matter — and the realization that reinvention isn't a single dramatic decision. Sometimes it is simply continuing to adapt as we become the women we're going to be next.

Learn more about Lorie and find all her links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast

What happens when the roles, titles and definitions of success that once shaped us no longer fit? Chip Scholz joins Agnes for a warm, wide-ranging conversation about identity, marriage, family, resilience, usefulness and the quiet wisdom that comes from living long enough to reconsider what really matters.

After a later-life layoff, a stroke, 42 years of marriage, raising three daughters and nearly three decades of coaching others through change, Chip has learned something about starting over: first, we have to be willing to let go.

In this conversation:

• Why letting go may be the necessary first step toward starting over

Chip is the author of Small Decisions, Big Shifts and Every Dog Has Its Day: Reflections on Life, Love and the Lathe. His newest book, Handoffs: A Family Fable, explores identity, succession and what it means to release something we've spent years building.

Learn more about Chip and find all his links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast.

What happens when life gently—and sometimes painfully—asks you to rethink everything you believed about yourself?

Former history teacher and memoirist Lee Knapp joins Agnes to explore faith, family, marriage, race, identity, and the surprising freedom that can come with growing older. Together they discuss why becoming ourselves is often less about reinvention than revelation.

What You'll Hear:

This is a thoughtful, hopeful conversation about becoming more fully yourself—no matter your age or your past.

Note: This conversation includes thoughtful discussion of race, religious authority, divorce, family dynamics, and historical injustice. While approached with warmth and hope, some listeners may find parts emotionally reflective.

Learn more about Lee and find all her links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast.

Sometimes the deepest wounds are the ones no one else can see.

In this heartfelt conversation, grief and resilience coach Lee Atherton shares how years of unresolved trauma, family loss, and PTSD led her to one of the darkest periods of her life—and how a remarkable service dog named Shadow became part of her journey back to hope. Together, we also explore the everyday losses many women carry quietly and what genuine healing can look like.

In this episode:

Healing doesn't erase what we've lived through—but it can help us carry those experiences with greater compassion, strength, and hope.

Find Lee at

Learn more about Lee and find all her links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast

What if many of the freedoms women celebrate today didn't begin in the 1960s at all?

In this fascinating conversation, author Scott Reisfield explores how Greta Garbo quietly challenged expectations nearly a century ago—not through speeches or slogans, but through the women she portrayed, the life she chose, and the influence she had on generations that followed. Together, we explore history, Hollywood, cultural change and why many of today's conversations about women aren't nearly as new as we imagine.

In this episode:

Sometimes understanding where we've come from changes how we see where we're going.

Learn more about Scott Reisfield and find all his links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast

This conversation begins with cats but quickly becomes something much bigger.

Deborah Felin Magaldi never intended to build a rescue organization. One stray cat led to another, and today she leads CatPAWS, helping thousands of vulnerable animals while inspiring ordinary people to discover that small acts of compassion can transform entire communities.

In this episode

• How one neighbour's cats became a sixteen-year mission

• Why fostering may be easier—and more rewarding—than you think

• The critical role of spay and neuter programs in reducing animal suffering

• The surprising connection between animal welfare, empathy, and stronger communities

• How older women can continue making a meaningful difference, whether through volunteering, donating, fostering, or simply caring

• Why "someone should do something" might actually mean "someone is you"

Whether your passion is animals, people, or your local community, this conversation is a reminder that meaningful change often begins with one person deciding to care.

Learn more about Deborah and find all her links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast