Two Old Bitches: Stories from Women who Reimagine, Reinvent and Rebel

My husband, when I married him, was a very shy man. He always got third billing. He would always say, "Dodo, you have the talent of an amateur and the temperament of a star!"

Dodo Berk is 102 years old and a "star" to everyone who knows her. She is the vibrant matriarch of a large and loving family, the doyenne of the condominium where she lives on Lido Beach in Long Island and the unofficial Recreational Director at the Florida assisted living center where she spends the winter. In our conversation with her, Dodo broke out into song at the drop of a hat, told stories artfully, and shared raunchy jokes with the panache of a vaudeville comedian. She is the grandmother of a good friend, James Jacoby, and we'd heard about her escapades for years. Launching Two Old Bitches was a great excuse for us to travel to Lido Beach and spend the afternoon with Dodo and her daughter, Sandra. Dodo describes herself as strong, direct but "not bossy." We found her to be generous, loving, and downright incorrigible. A child of the Great Depression, she appreciated every change and every gift that her life brought her way and made the most of it. For Dodo, when you don't get what you want, you have to remember, "There's always a substitute menu."

We joined Radhika Balakrishnan, 58, for a conversation about politics, economics and bitchcraft right before Christmas. Radhika is an activist, a to-the-bone feminist and an economist. In fact, she was part of the small group of women who first coined the term and established the field of feminist economics just decades ago. A professor at Rutgers University, Radhika ran their Center for Women's Global Leadership for about six years, before recently assuming the role of Faculty Director. She travels the world working with women's organizations, training activists and even advising some more enlightened governments. Here in the States, Radhika was appointed by New York Mayor Bill De Blasio to serve on the City's Commission for Gender Equality. Radhika's passion, optimism and outrage blend beautifully into her activist and academic lives. She is irrepressible. We know that you'll feel as inspired as we do by her courage and insights in these challenging times.

"There is so much toxicity in 'bitch' --all the misogyny, all the hatred of women. And then to add 'old' to it. It's everything terrifying and awful. All the more reason to glorify it!"

Alta Starr, 65, is a coach, trainer and writer who has a dazzling way with words and an exuberant sense of humor. A former teacher, radio news and music producer, and grantmaker, these days Alta only does the work she loves now. Rather than worry about making lots of money, she trusts that "everything is already all right," a Black Southern saying. Alta is a skilled practitioner of somatics, a holistic change theory for individuals and groups to embody new ways of being and action that align with their values and longings. She has a private coaching practice for individuals, many on a pro bono basis, and trains groups such as BOLD (Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity). Listen to how this wise woman composes her life and reveals her secret for fully enjoying being alive.

"The women in my family kept working, never saw any kind of deadline –'Oh well, now I'll retire and not do anything.' I think that's what I'll do as well, and hope I'll get a few more things done before it's over." Carol Jenkins, 72, award-winning news broadcast journalist, author, and "always an agitator" has "retired" many times only to find herself moving on to the next new thing. After 25 years at NBC as a news anchor and correspondent, she hosted a talk show, Carol Jenkins Live on WNYW, and then went on to become a farmer –yes, that's right a farmer. When Gloria Steinem, a close friend, called one day and casually asked her what she was doing, Carol answered, "Right now? I'm herding turkeys." She was also caring for her aging mother and writing a book with her daughter Elizabeth Gardner Hines: Black Titan, about her millionaire and civil rights activist uncle, A.J. Gaston. Life after the farm? Carol was Founding President of The Women's Media Center for years and then retired, to help rear her grandchildren and begin writing another book on her family's long experience in journalism as a window on gender and racial bias in media. Last year she came out of retirement –again-- to return to New York television as host of Black America, a new TV series on CUNY-TV about what it means to be Black in America today. Hope you'll listen to our joyful conversation with this deservedly well-known storyteller and unflagging social justice activist.

In these challenging times, we need wise women more than ever! For the last 40 years, Noeleen Heyzer, 68, has been a courageous and influential thinker and advocate for women's rights, workers' rights, climate justice and so many other issues. Until 2015, she was the United Nations Under-Secretary General for the entire Asia-Pacific region and, from 1994 to 2007, she was the Executive Director for the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). Noeleen's leadership, writing and actions have inspired many thousands of men and women – including her two phenomenal and talented daughters, Pauline and Lilianne -- to stand up, speak up and make a difference in the world. She now lives in Thailand and Singapore, so we were thrilled to catch up with Noeleen when she visited New York in September 2016 and to hear what she's been thinking about since her retirement from the United Nations. Find out more about Noeleen at this website: http://noeleenheyzer.com. In the meantime, hope you'll find Noeleen's words as inspiring as we did! And, a special note to our colleagues from UNIFEM: We loved reminiscing and talking about all of the strategies and changes we collectively were able to support during those amazing years. This conversation is a tribute to all of you wherever you are!!! Musical credits: Sweet Honey in the Rock: Ella's Song Bob Marley: Get Up Stand Up

Jane Summer, 62, describes herself as a writer and as "the most downwardly mobile person" she knows. Writing is her passion and affliction. At 55, she transformed her life and returned to school for an MFA. Searching for her story, she remembered a precious friendship: While working at Women's Wear Daily in the late 1970s, Jane's colleague, Kay, boarded Air New Zealand flight 901 to Antarctica, never to return. Jane's book, Erebus, is an homage to memory, mystery, love and loss. Visit Jane's website at http://janegsp.wixsite.com/janesummer to learn about Jane's other books and articles. And spend 30 minutes with Jane and Two Old Bitches as we explore finding your story, life without a plan, and the many gifts of family.

Katherine Acey, 65 years old, is a life-long radical social change activist who has stood up, with love, to fight intersecting injustices, whether they're about gender, race, class or other fissures. She was the Executive Director of the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice for over 20 years. She's been an unstoppable force for creating funding and attention for LGBTQ priorities for many decades and, most recently, was the Executive Director of the GRIOT Circle, a people of color LGBTQ elders organization. Now, a senior research fellow at the Barnard Center for Research on Women, Katherine is exploring a new topic, "What's Age Got to Do With It?". Want to find out? Listen to our interview with Katherine now!

Sandra Garcia Betancourt, 60 years old, is a writer whose work appeared most recently in Abriendo Caminos, an anthology of Puerto Rican women writers in New York. She is currently the Director of the Sugar Hill Children's Museum of Art and Storytelling in Harlem. She was the founding Director of the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance (NOMAA) in Washington Heights, a high-heeled union organizer, a poet and women's rights activist. From her first spontaneous trip from Puerto Rico to California in her 20s to her unplanned transition to arts administrator in her 50s, Sandra's free-spirited life and story show us how staying attuned to the moment delivers a steady stream of surprises, even when you're sitting on a couch with a broken ankle watching TV.