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

"Sexism on its own is so ugly. When you pair it with ageism, it is devastating." "Why is our view of late life so unrelievedly grim when the lived reality is so different?" Writer and activist Ashton Applewhite, 65, set out to answer that question almost a decade ago. What she discovered is at the heart of her successful blogs, This Chair Rocks and Yo, Is This Ageist? and her recent her book, This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism, a must-read for old and young. Today, Ashton continues to blog and speak with passion and unshakeable determination to mobilize more of us in the fight to make discrimination on the basis of age as unacceptable as any other kind. Her recent TED talk has already garnered over 1 million viewers. Not surprising, since Ashton makes her case not just with facts but humor. She's a funny woman! In fact, her first book, Truly Tasteless Jokes, and its three sequels reveal "a weakness for the kind of jokes that make you cringe and guffaw at the same time." They also made publishing history by occupying four of fifteen spots on the New York Times bestseller list. Ashton is also the author of another stereotype-busting book: Cutting Loose: Why Women Who End Their Marriages Do So Well, which Ms. magazine described as "rocket fuel for launching new lives." Ashton is a kindred spirit who shares our goal to explode myths about gender and aging and re-define what it means to be a woman at any age.

"When you're in a band, there's a dance you're all doing. When it works it's orgasmic. Everyone is listening, moving together. It's perfect. " - Diane Scanlon

"I've gone from religious to righteous, and now, to rebellious." - Freida Williams

In their 50s and 60s and still as hot as ever, Freida Williams and Diane Scanlon love performing together. They are long-time friends and supporters for each other in a testosterone-driven, ageist music business. They're both committed to using their music and talents to reverse mounting sexist and racist practices and rhetoric throughout the U.S. This was a joyful first-ever Two Old Bitches interview of two friends together. And we cannot begin to thank them for their insights, their magical voices and their boundless creativity!

Race is for me the bottom line. When I'm seen, I'm seen as black more than a woman. Maybe that's a reality of being a black woman.

We met up with Inca Alexandrina Mohamed, 63, on her 'graduation' day, after a three-year apprenticeship to deepen her work on racial justice. Her reflections on her journey as a Black woman, a lesbian, a 'new world creation' and a social justice leader are illuminating and captivating. Inca artfully blends smart, strategic thinking with heart and liberating playfulness. Her facilitation work --helping groups of people committed to social change to get to where they want to go-- is as successful as it is joyful. That's how Inca rolls, all the while dressed with colorful and distinctive style. Her lifelong commitment to racial and gender justice and to young people is undiminished by time though it is evolving and taking new forms. Listen, learn and laugh as we talk with this bright spirit who shares how she is giving birth to an even more intentionally loving and free version of herself.

"I'm someone who's very lucky. I didn't come from anything fancy. I've always been determined to do whatever it was I should be doing. There's nothing in the arts that I haven't attempted. I'm still at it."

At 86, Sondra Lee is simply unstoppable. At 16, she stormed a Broadway theater after auditions were over and landed not only a part but a lifelong friend, Jerome Robbins. Robbins was the one one who cast her as the original Tiger Lily in Peter Pan, an unforgettable performance on the stage and television. Over the years, her career expanded to directing, teaching and coaching, as well as painting and sculpting. Whether she is reflecting on her friendship and affair with Marlon Brando or sharing insights about feminist organizing in New York City in the 1970s, her skill as a storyteller makes each aspect of her fascinating life a lesson in standing up for yourself, following your dreams, and kindness. Sondra's first memoir, I've Slept with Everybody, introduces us to the legions of well-known people she's known and loved. Her upcoming book – As I Was Saying – will tell her fans even more. Now at the point in life where the obituaries in the morning paper too often include her friends, Sondra continues to face disappointment and loss with her old stand- by: Getting to work!

"I'd like to write the great American novel, but I don't think I'm the person to do that. I think I'm the person to find that."

Whether you're thinking about writing a book or just love reading them, you'll want to listen in on our conversation with Malaga Baldi. At 61, Malaga has been a literary agent for more than 30 years and shares her wisdom about publishing, writing and living a good life ("delayed satisfaction is muy importante!"). She is living what we call 'the gravy years': fully enjoying her professional, family and personal life and marveling that she got the life she wanted, including the ice cream. What's it like to reach the point where you finally get to be the person you want to be? Listen to Malaga and find out!

And for more about the authors Malaga represents and the books she loves, check out www.baldibooks.com

"Certainly I have felt many times that I'm hovering over an abyss. But you have to make that leap over to get to the other side."

Kathy Brew, 64, is a self-defined, label-defying "hybrid:" a documentary filmmaker, public television producer, curator, teacher, and artful dreamer. After college, she stumbled on her first job making educational filmstrips –remember those dreaded "hygiene" films in seventh grade? Then in the early 80s, she left New York for California with her first husband and began her work in media and the arts in San Francisco. When she got an unsolicited grant of $5,000 she made her first award-winning film, "Mixed Messages," about girls and proscribed gender roles, the first of many of her arts and social issue documentaries. "Design Is One," about the renowned designers Lella and Massimo Vignelli, is one of the more recent that Kathy made back in NYC with the "love of her life," documentary filmmaker Roberto Guerra . Kathy envisioned finding a partner who would be her "best friend, lover and collaborator." And she found that in her 17-year relationship with Roberto. Still in the deep sorrow of losing Roberto in 2014, Kathy also dreams and feeds her undaunted creative spirit. She'll soon be traveling to Peru as a Fulbright Scholar, teaching and making art, and continuing to unfurl her "out-of-the-box," full and free life.

"I am what I am. I have defined who I am. I no longer have to be careful with what I say because it might offend some organizational rules. So I'm able to be the best of what I can be. Unfold my highest goal. I'm free!"

Socorro Reyes, 68, hasn't run for political office --yet-- but she's a politician at heart! She's an irrepressible and principled pragmatist who artfully navigates the legislative process to advance her life-long passions: human rights and gender justice. Socorro advises parliamentarians and is a Senior Advisor at The Center for Legislative Development International in the Philippines. She returned to her country in 2011 after leaving her job as the Chief, Asia-Pacific and Arab States at UN Women in New York. Socorro is now reaping the harvest of years of work as an advocate, a teacher, and a mentor. Her activism takes many forms, including her advocacy for the release of Senator Leila de Lima, who has been detained by the repressive administration of Philippine President Duterte (see link below). Socorro's love of politics is balanced by her devotion to her granddaughters, her unquenchable curiosity, and a spirituality that -- as she says -- grows exponentially as her mortality becomes more real!

To add your voice to those advocating for the release of Philippine Senator Leila de Lima, sign the petition here!

"I think about that wonderful Adrienne Rich quote that the genius of a spider is that she weaves and spins at the same time. That for me is the guiding principle in writing: to weave and spin at the same time."

Jaune Evans is a modern day Renaissance woman! At 66, she's a writer, visual artist, activist and Zen priest. Through a life she describes as a "crazy quilt," she worked her way through college as a cocktail waitress, was the first camerawoman at NBC, a baker and a foundation executive. (That's just a partial list.) Today, she runs the Tamalpais Trust, a foundation supporting indigenous communities, while serving as a priest at Everyday Zen in the Bay Area and offering arresting dharma talks that exude wisdom, warmth and wit. (There's a link below to listen to those talks.) She has --and is-- writing her own story with gratitude to the "women helpers," from therapists to a host of women creative heroes, that she's turned to along the way. Jaune is also a member in good standing of the "Better, Deeper, More Club" (so are we!). When you listen to our conversation with her, you'll learn more about the Club and surely want to join! To catch a glimpse of her collages and photographs, see our website for a few samples and links to more. www.twooldbitches.com

"We were convinced of our ideas. That gave us the power to confront the tragic situation of the dictatorships. The truth is that we were ready to die for what we believe."

Ana Falu, 69, is a brilliant Argentinian architect, academic, and activist with the charisma and elegance of the sexiest 40's movie stars. As a lifelong feminist, Ana's life spanned exile during the dictatorships of Latin America in the 70s, a return to Argentina to re-build democracy, and decades of strengthening global women's rights movements. Reflecting on nearly 50 years of political organizing and advocacy -- and despite the current setbacks -- Ana still exudes optimism and a profound belief in the power of the next generation to push for change. Her passion infuses the political and the personal, enabling Ana to seamlessly blend her activism, her family, love and sex. Yes, we said sex. And so does Ana!

Aruna Rao, 61, is co-founder and Executive Director of Gender at Work, a global network of people dedicated to building cultures of equality. She dreams of singing "the blues like Nina Simone and rock like Janis Joplin!" And, as you'll hear in this episode, she has the voice to do it. She's lived and worked in more countries than anyone we know, growing up as the daughter of an Indian diplomat who moved from Pondicherry, to southern Africa, Canada, Japan, the U.S. and many more places. A disrupter-at-heart, Aruna's writings and voice have had a reverberating impact on the way we understand how invisible and entrenched gender discrimination operates in our workplaces, our communities and in countries across the world. With resident Bitch Joanne Sandler and colleagues David Kelleher and Carol Miller, Aruna wrote Gender at Work: Theory and Practice for 21st Century Organizations, released just last year. And good news: Aruna and her colleagues at Gender at Work are starting their own podcast in the next couple of weeks, so check out www.genderatwork.com and join with Aruna and Gender at Work to put patriarchy on life support and then pull the plug!!