Few of us would dare attempt to become a filmmaker at 65, but that is exactly what Melissa Davey did when she retired from corporate life. Her second documentary, "Climbing Into Life" profiles Dierdre Wolownick, the oldest woman to climb Yosemite’s El Capitan. Wolownick was guided through the climbing process by her son, Alex Honnold, famous for his free solo climb up El Capitan. Melissa recounts how she discovered Wolownick’s story, the process of producing and directing th...

We've been following the journey that my guest, Graham Broyd, has taken as a first time author from developing a personal story into a manuscript that was published by Forbes imprint Advantage Press. In August, I was honored to be asked by Graham to help him launch Backpack, Jacket, Surfboard on its publication. Here we are at the Scarsdale Golf Club talking to a packed house about his journey as an author and as the book subject, a 20-year-old student from England, hitchhiking across America...

What does it take to be a stand-up comedian in midlife? Jane Condon has been at it for several decades and gives us the inside scoop of what it really takes to get in front of audiences, develop material, and even recover when a routine bombs. Jane Condon shares insights into her comedic style, drawing from her life as a wife, mother, and resident of Greenwich, Connecticut, and her persona as an Upper Crust Rosanne (as described by Associated Press). Key topics include the ...

Graham Broyd was a popular guest when I interviewed him back in February, as his book, Backpack, Jacket, Surfboard was in the final editing stages. Now his book has launched and is selling very well. Graham, a former banker, shares the surprising amount of work involved in selling a book after publication. His personal promotion efforts include leveraging his network, hosting book launch events in the US and London, and appearing on podcasts. He also shares surprising indust...

For the last Nantucket edition of the year, I’m sharing a personal story that kind of fits with the spooky season of Halloween. It’s the story of my first visit to Nantucket, only five years ago during COVID, when the island was shut down. During those months when the town was almost deserted, it was very easy to imagine Nantucket as the setting for ghost stories told at night on the beach around a campfire. Nantucket exerts a pull for many of us that we can’t really explain.&nbs...

Enjoy this Replay with Astrologer and Tarot Reader Suzanne Keating! Summer can offer us time to contemplate the future and imagine life changes. If you are on Nantucket, you might consider consulting Suzanne Keating. She's an astrologer with a longstanding practice on the island. With interest in astrology and tarot growing, it's a great time to learn more about this ancient practice. Our talk also covered the historical roots of astrology and its connection to modern psychology t...

Is there a connection between the relaxed vibe of Nantucket Island School of Design and Art (NISDA) and its way of inspiring creativity in midlife? This farm-turned-art workshop, with its silos and outbuildings on Wauwinet Road, feels like a true throwback to Nantucket in the ‘70’s, which is when it was founded. Laura Herhold, NISDA’s program director, talks with host Betsy Bush about NISDA's mission to provide a low-tech, judgment-free environment for creative exploration, with a...

Why is Nantucket such a powerful setting for novels about renewal and reinvention? The island seems to be a place where life can change in the course of a summer, especially for those in midlife facing an empty nest or a change in a relationship. As author Nancy Thayer explains, Nantucket is for many people a magical place that changed her own life and now provides a setting where her characters can reset and start over. Thayer has turned that magic into an amazing 35 novels, mos...

Charley Walters proves that you don’t have to create art to be immersed in it. Over the 50 years he has lived on Nantucket, Charley has become a guiding presence in the island’s evolving arts scene. In this episode, he recounts his early career writing album reviews for Rolling Stone magazine and the Boston Phoenix while owning Nantucket’s only record store. As the music industry shifted, he leveraged his expertise to start a new career in midlife, becoming a radio host for a jazz...

How many of you out there have dreams of forming a rock group with your pals playing the music you love? In this episode, members of the Nantucket-based Beatles cover band, Cranberry Alarm Clock, discuss their recent experience traveling to Liverpool to perform at the International Beatle Week Festival. Band members Phil Proch, Tom Proch, Frankie Hunter, Skip Curtin share their origin story, how they came together as musicians in midlife on Nantucket. They reflect on the importance of communi...

“What an interesting life you’ve led. You should write a book.” Has anyone ever told you that? Or maybe you’ve thought this about your own life? There are many reasons to write a memoir. You may find it cathartic to “get it all out there” or maybe you have a life story that you think readers will find entertaining. Either way, says memoirist and writing workshop leader Sarah Saffian, there is a difference between therapeutic writing for its own sake and wr...

Stella Fosse retired from her biotech career ten years ago and started writing. Her work encompasses a surprising range, from blogs to novels to non-fiction guides for midlife women who want to write their own stories filled with love and romance. Her new book is “Rock On: Power, Sex & Money After 60”. As she says, “Nobody told me how great life after 60 could be.” This episode covers: How Stella began her writing journey by joining a writing group that challenged...

Discovering your creative outlet can be beneficial on many levels. Just ask John Kneapler, who found that painting helped him through the death of both parents. Then the impact of COVID on his graphic design business led him to move into painting full-time. John describes the profound importance of finding a creative passion and a supportive community, which he discovered at the Art Students League in New York City. We talk about overcoming perfectionism, the value of combining bu...

Summer can offer us time to contemplate the future and imagine life changes. If you are on Nantucket, you might consider consulting Suzanne Keating. She's an astrologer with a longstanding practice on the island. With interest in astrology and tarot growing, it's a great time to learn more about this ancient practice. Our talk also covered the historical roots of astrology and its connection to modern psychology through figures like Carl Jung. For Suzanne, astrology and taro...

Sometimes the first step in your midlife creative journey is to look back at the things you loved as a kid. For Lela Goldstein, it was building on her love of paper, images, colors and patterns that led her to explore the world of collage. As she approached retirement, she discovered collage as an ideal creative outlet: with “just scissors and paper and glue and something to put your images on,” collage offers endless creative possibilities with minimal investment. Starting just before the pa...

The popular Shanty Cruise offers a unique experience for visitors and locals alike—evoking the spirit of long-ago ship crews who sang these working songs as they hoisted sails and weighed anchor. For anyone exploring creative pursuits in midlife or retirement, it’s a reminder that it’s never too late to join in something joyful, musical, and community-driven. Betsy’s conversation with the singers—both in studio and aboard the Minke—dives into the history and origins of sea shanties, as well a...

Lynn Savarese, a Harvard-trained lawyer, discovered her love of photography when she took a beginner's photography class at Manhattan’s 92nd Street Y. Soon after, she volunteered to photograph taxidermied birds at the American Natural History Museum, bringing her own materials and artistic viewpoint to the project. Lynn’s astonishing presentation of the birds led to her first solo exhibition, launching her photography career. Points covered in this episode:  Learning to use all the features ...

Your Creative Midlife – Nantucket Edition Your Creative Midlife is visiting Nantucket for special episodes this summer. Nantucket is a beautiful wedge of sand 30 miles off the coast of Cape Cod. Just 14 miles long and 7 miles wide, it has a storied human history—from early Indigenous people to English settlers to becoming one of the wealthiest towns in the mid-1800s at the height of the whaling industry. Today, it’s a place full of inspiring people in midlife who are finding creative opportun...

Dan Moretti is a lawyer in New York City who is finding success as a playwright. During COVID, Dan started writing one-act plays, which have since been produced by New York theater workshop groups with professional actors. His plays draw inspiration from his own life experiences, including his background as a lawyer. Dan tells about the inspirations for his work, how his attorney training helps him structure his plays and how he broke into the NYC world of theater workshops, where...

After a 33-year career as a pediatric dentist, Manhattan-based Dr. Deborah Pilla took on a challenge that rewards her love of art and of learning: becoming a docent and a school programs guide at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her work with children in her dental practice makes her a natural for engaging students during museum tours. She also has her own arts practice, which she views as an important creative outlet. She has taken on a new project, writing a children’s stor...