I've been following this week's guest on Facebook for many years. Her posts about emotional health and recovery from trauma are always wise and resonant. So when I discovered that she'd just released a book about her experiences as a trauma survivor, I knew I wanted to have her on the show.

Shavaun Scott is a psychotherapist specializing in healing trauma. Her acclaimed book, "Nightbird", submerges us into the hell of her discovering that her husband has taken his life after she asked for a divorce. Revenge suicide was not a concept I was familiar with.

Nightbird tells the story of Shavaun's life and her family's intergenerational trauma. She describes an upbringing which was overshadowed by religious extremism and emotional abuse, and ultimately her healing. It's raw and intense, as one might expect, from an expert in trauma and resilience. Find out more: https://www.shavaunscott.com/

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After a long and successful career in the corporate world, today's guest took the leap to fulfill her dream of being a filmmaker. You may remember our conversation years ago when she created "Beyond Sixty". Since then she's created "Climbing into Life", a film about the oldest woman to scale El Capitan (she is the mom of famous climber Alex Honnold). Now Melissa is back with a new project–documententing the work of the Montgomery County Domestic Violence Center in PA. What was supposed to be a short promotional video for the Center's 50th anniversary turned into a full length documentary film. To find out more about the Center and Melissa's documentary work: https://wcmontco.org/ and https://melissadavey.com/

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I don't know about you, but I haven't thought about my eye health that much over the years. I've been pretty lucky that I haven't had many concerns. I have begun wearing eye protection for pickleball when I learned that you can suffer from a detached retina. But it turns out, eye health is the most overlooked pillar in wellness. Did you know it directly affects energy, focus, sleep, and even mood?

And with the way we use screens today, phones, laptops, tablets, all day long our eyes are taking the hit. Eye strain is something we can't afford to ignore.

My guest this week is Dr. Pam Theriot, TEDx speaker and nationally recognized dry-eye specialist. She is going to give us simple vision habits that can improve performance and long-term health. More at https://www.pamtheriot.com/ .

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Some of us don't mind admitting that we're a little afraid of death. This week's guest says she thinks about her death 20-30 times a day. A psychologist and memoirist who has been on Zestful Aging before, Liz Scott's new book "You're Going to Die But I'm Not!" delves into all things death. Liz describes this latest book as her journey from near-terror of her mortality to near-acceptance. https://www.lizscottwriter.com .

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When is the last time you had a belly laugh? Most of us haven't had a good laugh in recent memory. Our guest this week is Yvonne Conte who is a nationally recognized keynote speaker, bestselling author, and corporate culture expert who has spent more than 30 years studying the power of humor, laughter, and joy in the workplace. A tough childhood showed her that humor can reach people who seem unreachable. A former award-winning sales executive, she now helps Fortune 500 companies and leading organizations including Merck, Xerox, Time Warner, and AT&T build positive, high-performing cultures where people thrive. Find out more about Yvonne's offerings: Yvonne-Conte.com .

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My guest today is podcast royalty. She is a Podcasting Hall of Famer, Corporate Speaker & Comic and the Co-Founder of She Podcasts which started as a Facebook group and is now the largest podcast platform in the world. She's been Featured in Forbes & Entrepreneur as a visionary for women and non-binary people in the podcasting world.

I met Jessica Kupferman at PODFEST–a big podcasters convention in Florida a couple of years ago. I was attending one of her sessions and I was struck by her honesty about the challenges she was still experiencing years after her daughter's fatal overdose. As a therapist I'm always thinking about how we survive the unthinkable. What are the qualities that keep some of us persevering while others can't? The combination of her enormous drive and success and her ability to endure the unthinkable made me want to talk more in depth. Jessica reflects on what got her through her daughter's death and how her successful Substack gives her an opportunity to bring humor to any situation. Find out more at JessicaKupferman.com.

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You've likely spent your life caring for others and building a career, and you've done it well. But life is marching on. When is it your turn? As a psychotherapist I hear this a lot. We have been serving others for so long we don't even know what brings us joy.

My guest this week is Dr. Minette Riordan and she is a powerhouse creative queen. In her earlier life she was an academic and businesswoman, but she knew deep down she was an artist. Now she shares all kinds of artful classes to help us create a life that's juicy with exploration and aliveness. And she's knowledgeable about the science that demonstrates making things enhances our aging. Find out more about her and her offerings at MinetteRiordan.com.

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You may have noticed that getting older isn't exactly celebrated in our culture, especially if you are a woman. Because our worth is still determined by our physical appearance, aging often leads to feelings of invisibility or even worthlessness. It can be a very difficult transition, especially for those who have received attention for their looks. We all are aware that these fears of being discarded are exploited by companies selling us everything from wrinkle cream to ridding ourselves of our menopause middle. We're so used to being told that aging is problematic that we don't even notice anymore.

Deb Benfield calls out the toxic messages of anti-aging and diet culture. Her new book "Unapologetic Aging" challenges the idea that our bodies are projects to be constantly improving. She wants us to stop fighting with our bodies so we can make room for vitality. These are radical concepts so get ready to be challenged with this lively conversation. Find out more here: https://www.debrabenfield.com/

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Who else has caught the pickleball bug? A veteran tennis player, it took me some time but now I am also smitten. Our guest stumbled upon the game after retiring from firefighting and then caregiving for both her sister and her mother. Grief and loss were softened by belonging to a new community. In addition to playing frequently she became curious about pickleball's meteoric rise, its history and the appeal of the game. Why do millions love the game? Clare Frank decided to go on a year long quest to immerse herself in the game and culture of the game. The result is her new memoir "Just One More Game: A Pickleball Quest". Find out more at https://www.clarefrank.net/

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If you've followed "Zestful Aging Podcast" you know I love nature and appreciate its healing powers. And we all seem to be needing a way to find some peace these days. This week's guest is Matthew Kessi, author of "The Wild Cure". Matthew is a writer and nature-based mentor who helps people rediscover calm, clarity, and direction by reconnecting with the natural world. After years in corporate airline leadership and global travel, Matthew realized some of life's best guidance wasn't happening in boardrooms — it was happening out on the trail. I call his work "forest bathing on steroids." Find out more about Matthew and his offerings at Kessiworld.com.

Find out more about the Zestful Aging Podcast at ZestfulAging.com