
I’m joined by the extraordinary Carol Lefevre. In a world where conversations about ageing so often centre on mid-life or decline, Carol offers something rare and powerful: an honest, hopeful exploration of later life, told from an older voice, for all generations.
Framed by the turning of the seasons in her small suburban garden, Bloomer documents the year Carol turned seventy and invites us to reconsider everything we think we know about ageing. In this conversation, Carol speaks openly about ageism and the harmful narratives we’ve been conditioned to accept, the grief and loneliness that can accompany later life, and the quiet resilience that grows alongside them. She reflects on losing her mother, living with a cancer diagnosis, and the shift that comes when you realise there is no longer a buffer between yourself and mortality, all with remarkable honesty and grace.
We explore the idea of “ongoingness”, that life doesn’t stop or shrink with age, but continues to unfold. Carol also shares insights from her conversations with people in their 70s, 80s and 90s, each offering wisdom on resilience, kindness, grief, nature, purpose, and embracing life as it is.
This episode is gentle, profound, and deeply grounding. It’s an invitation to slow down, challenge age-based stereotypes, and remember that becoming older does not mean the end of growth, it can be the beginning of a golden age.
💙 As mentioned in the episode, You can book into Jessica Ella's Trauma Therapy clinic HERE and can also follow on socials : Jess' IG & Aaruka's IG . I also Interviewed Jess in episode 113 of Before You Bloom 💙
💗 Thank you so much for being here on this adventure with me! 💗- Hayley xo
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The Before You Bloom Podcast is recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. I would like to recognise their continuing connection to land, water, and culture and pay my respects to their elders past, present, and emerging, and any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people listening today.