In the latest episode of “Women Living the Questions”, host Ruby Tugade sits down with Alice Young. They explore a life shaped by early responsibility and cultural memory, from a childhood marked by expectations far beyond her years to a pioneering legal career on Wall Street, where she helped open doors for women in a male-dominated field.

Alice reflects on her Chinese heritage and the meaning of her name, “First Beauty”, and what it has meant to live between cultures while preserving family traditions across generations.

She speaks about being among the first women at Yale, co-founding the Harvard Law Women’s Association, and building a trailblazing international law practice, while also navigating the demands of family and career long before there were models for doing both.

At the center of her story is a lifelong role as caregiver, shaped by early responsibility and a pioneering path, carried forward in how she lives the meaning of her name, “First Beauty.”

This conversation offers a window into what it means to build a life that holds both ambition and care, through moments of reflection and vulnerability.

In the latest episode of "Women Living the Questions", host Ruby Tugade sits down with roxann Callender. They explore a life lived on her own terms, from an elite prep school in her native Guyana, to breaking ground in information technology, and later returning to academia at Yale and Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

roxann reflects on navigating a health condition, and how writing has become both a source of community and a personal sanctuary.

At the core of her story is a deep empathy for the people whose lives she has chronicled, and for the way that same compassion is now turned inward.

This conversation is warm, thoughtful, and full of insight into resilience, and finding steadiness amid life’s uncertainty.

Music: “Love” by Alex‑Productions, licensed under CCBY 3.0

Content Note: This episode explores family and personal histories, including wartime experiences. Please take care while listening.

In the latest episode of “Women Living the Questions”, host Ruby Tugade sits down with another remarkable woman in the series, Talya Nevo-Hacohen. They explore the ways the stories we inherit and the ones we choose impact who we become.

Talya reflects on discovering her father’s wartime past later in life, and how that revelation deepened her understanding of herself.

Her journey from architecture to investment banking in New York, to real estate in Southern California, shows a common denominator of curiosity, intelligence, and depth.

This conversation is heartfelt and powerful in its raw vulnerability and openness.

Music: “Love” by Alex‑Productions, licensed under CCBY 3.0

In this episode of “Women Living the Questions”, host Ruby Tugade speaks with Stephanie Cotsirilos, a writer, lawyer, singer, and actress whose life has unfolded across cultures, careers, and creative worlds.

Raised in Chicago, Stephanie studied comparative literature at Brown and music at Yale before spending fifteen years in New York’s performing arts scene, including originating the role of The Critic on Broadway in the Tony Award-winning musical, “Nine”. She later returned to Yale for law school, building a new professional chapter in advocacy and intellect.

After a profound loss, she moved to Maine with her young son, beginning yet another season of reinvention. Throughout it all, storytelling has remained a steady thread, offering a way to navigate change and make sense of life’s turning points.

This deeply reflective conversation offers a portrait of a life of resilience and creative expression.

Music: “Love” by Alex‑Productions, licensed under CCBY 3.0

In the inaugural episode of “Women Living the Questions”, host Ruby Tugade speaks with Cynthia Dantzic, a 93-year-old artist, educator, and pioneer whose life spans nearly a century of creativity.

Cynthia began her studies at Bard College before boldly finding a way into Yale’s BFA program, decades before women were formally admitted. There, she studied with the legendary Josef Albers, whose teaching profoundly shaped her understanding of color and design.

She later earned her MFA from Pratt Institute and taught for more than fifty years at Cooper Union and Long Island University, inspiring generations of students.

Today, she remains actively creative, co-authoring books that help preserve handwriting for younger generations.

This energetic conversation reflects a remarkable lifelong practice of curiosity and creativity.

Music: “Love” by Alex‑Productions, licensed under CCBY 3.0

“Women Living the Questions” explores the long arc of a woman’s life: the courage, curiosity, and wisdom earned over decades, and the stories our culture too often overlooks.

Host Ruby Tugade speaks with remarkable women, including the first female students at Yale College, about reinvention, discovery, and living fully. Inspired by her mother’s bold journey from her home country to the United States, and guided by Rilke’s words to “live the questions now,” Ruby celebrates the depth, resilience, and power of womanhood at every stage.

This podcast is for anyone who wants to see, value, and honor the lives of older women.

Episodes will be available soon! Join us on this journey.

Music: “Love” by Alex‑Productions, licensed under CCBY 3.0