Twisting the Plot

Mary Ellen (ME) Macri may be a sixty-year old math teacher, but she's not old school.

ME talks about how the twist of Covid 19 may have changed everything, yet didn't change enough. Perhaps the opportunity to rethink and explore new ways of learning is hindered by adherence to tradition in education. It's possible we may have missed an opportunity to better prepare children for our ever-changing world. ME admits that all change brings the possibility of failure. And most of us are unwilling to fail. Still, failure is a part of learning and a necessary ingredient to problem solving skills in mathematics and in life-long learning.

ME credits her background in theatre for her exceptional problem-solving skills. She sees life like putting on a play. There is always a way to make it work.

We think Ms. Mac should rule the world. She's smart in a linear way, and brilliant in the artist way.

She's also filled with grace.

And plot twisting takes grace.

Follow Mari Ellen Macri on Twitter @macrimaryellen

London's Rachel Lankester calls herself the Magnificent Midlife Mentor. She is the founder of The Magnificent Midlife Movement, an online hub and global community celebrating and inspiring women over 40 to live the lives that they really want.

This week we bring Rachel back to the Twisting the Plot Podcast to talk about her program, Who Am I Now? Rachel shares her thoughts about what women in midlife need and who we can become as we age.

Do you know what you want? Do you know how to figure that out? Rachel has some tips that just might help.

We also talk about Rachel's role models, Täo-Porchon-Lynch and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, two women who defied stereotypes and "isms," making things seem more possible for all of us.

Check Out magnificentmidlife.com

"Who Am I Now?" Waitlist at magnificentmidlife.com

The Mutton Club from Magnificent Midlife

Email Rachel at magnificentmidlife.com

Click here to listen to the Magnificent Midlife Podcast

In 2018, Britain's Wunderman Thompson Innovation Group put forth the notion of The Elastic Generation.

Elastic Generation women are living according to how they feel rather than how they ought, whether that means divorcing or dating, travelling or starting a business. As decision-makers, entrepreneurs, caregivers and creators, Elastic Generation women continue to push the boundaries and upend the status quo. Ever the generation of rebels, they are reinventing life past fifty, as they forge the path others will follow.

We at Twisting The Plot are in full agreement.

But… what do you do when your back goes out? Or you lose your job? Or someone you love gets ill? Or everything you thought you'd do, or be, is changed?

The answer? You work to get more elastic.

How?

We will tell you.

On this week's podcast, Cecilia and Hannah talk about the bends in the road (and in Hannah's back) that they have confronted, and share ways to flex and stretch….literally and figuratively.

Take a listen. And look forward to more innovative, inspiring and informative podcasts from Twisting the Plot.

This week we sat down with a true powerhouse, Indrani Goradia. Indrani is a philanthropist and advocate for women's health and empowerment. As a victim of severe childhood abuse, she createdIndrani's Light Foundation, an organization committed to caring for survivors of domestic violence. Her mission is to stop generational abuse and empower women to change their lives. With her warmth, humor and honesty, Indrani shares with us how she felt lost and unsure of her purpose in midlife when she was asked a simple question: "What can only you do?" This question and her answer startedher on a path that includes a TED Talk, a partnership with the global health organization PSI, an address to the World Women's Health and Development Forum at the United Nations and a life filled with meaningful direction.

http://indranislight.org

TedX

Talk Indrani Goradia addresses the United Nations

This week, we had the distinct pleasure to speak with Ashton Applewhite, activist and author of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism. In this podcast, we engage in aconsciousness raising conversation about aging and the other implicit biases in our culture. Applewhite asserts: "When we work against any form of oppression, we chip away at the fear and ignorance that underlie them all." Please join us. Listen to this inspirational activist on the front lines of changing how we look at aging. It's a conversation that's right for today, a plot twist for all of us.

Thischairrocks.com

Oldschool.info

Today we take a break from coronavirus and talk instead about:

Menopause.

Jeanne Chung's career experience has ranged from engineer to investment banker to yoga instructor and wellness entrepreneur. But when she encountered a painful side effect of menopause, she discovered that the medical community had no answers for her, and so she found her next purpose. Jeanne took her love of science, knowledge of business and passion for helping others and transformed it all into an exciting new venture, Mighty Menopause. Mighty Menopause offers cutting edge information and natural supplements to educate and elevate women. It is Jeanne's mission to bring menopause into the 21st century and give it a new face. Maybe even her own.

Click here to check out Mighty Menopause at mighty-menopause.com

Click here to learn more about Twisting the Plot

Twisting the plot is about dreaming big, having faith, and knowing your truth. This week, we had the great pleasure to sit down with the multi-talented Mary Testa; actress, singer, and three-time Tony Award nominee. Turning 65 this year, Mary asks, what's next? She wonders, how big can a woman in her 60's dream? Is it possible to create a narrative that is bigger than what you are? We look forward to the future Mary, a woman who always pushes boundaries and delivers creativity and performances with creativity that takes us outside the box of expectation. Enjoy.

Listen to Unravel/If I Loved You from the album Have Faith.

Order Have Faith on CD from Sh-K-Boom or Barnes & Noble, or buy as a download from iTunes or Amazon.

Order the Queen of the Mist (Original Cast Recording) on CD from Sh-K-Boom or Barnes & Noble, or buy as a download from iTunes or Amazon.

What is Intersectionality? And why is it important? We learn from Britton Williams about social-cultural identity, biases and how our multiple identities influence the way we age. Britton is an educator, a creative arts therapist and a writer. She is willing to enter these conversations with openness and curiosity. She is also a wonderful storyteller. So much fun, and so much wisdom. Enjoy.

http://www.thehealingstage.com

Amid the lockdown, hanging out on her stoop, Marj Kleinman had a realization. Stoops are where people sit, talk, and share stories and they are a perfect six feet from top to bottom. So Marj created Stoop Stories, a community portrait project documenting how Brooklynites are coping with the Coronavirus pandemic and racial injustice.

Marj, photographer, award winning children's content producer, and visual storyteller, with her team have curated over seventy features of families, essential workers, and small businesses. These stories have appeared in The New York Times, Time Out New York, PIX11 News and News 12.

Marj also has a story of her own. Her life has been filled with many twists and turns and lots of loss. At 50, she thought her future was dimming, but Stoop Stories has given her life new purpose and direction. Marj shares a quote that her late beloved father used to recite and that she finds relevant to all plot twisters:

I thought my fire was out, and stirred the ashes…I burnt my fingers. ~ Antonio Machado

Stoop Stories on www.marjkleinman.com @stoop.stories on Instagram

Stoop Stories on Facebook

Did you know that you have a story?

Do you realize that your story is fluid, complex, and even inspirational?

Bella tells the story of her trauma. She tells it over and over again. It was a story of abuse, pain, and helplessness. And the story always ended with Bella on the floor.

Until Hannah asked her this question: "What happens next?"

Psychologists, anthropologists, and scientists all agree; we are a storytelling animal. But what many of us don't realize is that we are both the protagonist and the narrator of our own story. That story can have many perspectives and transform many times. It all depends on where we focus, how we see it, and who we are when we tell it.

We have noticed that most of us choose to tell only part of our story. We often tend to leave a lot out. Sometimes we leave things out for so long that we don't even recall them. Our identities get formed around the stories we tell, and these stories are often incomplete.

Psychologist Dan McAdams studies the stories we tell and identifies what he terms "redemptive stories." His research indicates that life stories that include our strengths and triumphs predict health and wellbeing.

What happens when we leave out the redemptive portion of our story?

We get stuck.

Bella started to tell the story of how she got up from the bathroom floor. The new story was still filled with pain, but also revealed the thriving parts of Bella.

Now Bella's story is complex and transformative; it's truer to Bella's evolution.

This week Hannah and Cecilia talk about the power of telling and retelling your story. When we explore our story, really listen, and delve into the complexity, we can loosen the grip of a narrative that no longer fits.

This is the first step to becoming the writer of a new and artful future.