49 mins

Marianne Franzese reacted to the murder of George Floyd with horror, grief and sadness.  It literally made her cry.  When her grown children saw this, they called her out. 

“Stop crying.  What are you doing about it?” 

Indeed.

Most of us were raised to feel the feelings, have empathy, and care for others.  But we were not encouraged to get angry, speak out, or disrupt the status quo.

Luckily we still have time to grow.  But, we have to be willing to be called out by others, especially our children.

So this week we sat down with Marianne Franzese and her daughter Lili Chasen to have an inter-generational conversation about our role in the fight against racism.  

According to Lili, our number one task is to get uncomfortable.  This is not easy for us.  The pull for equilibrium and people pleasing is strong. But for too long we have been silent and complicit in a racial system that deprives and oppresses black men and women.  

As Lili states, “white silence kills.”

It’s time to grow a thicker skin, move past our social conditioning, and build stamina for disruption.  It’s time to have those difficult conversations.

Evolution is intergenerational.  We need to know our history and the history of our ancestors.  We have to be challenged on our present day perspectives by the generations that follow us.  And then we collectively step forward into a new future, with new leaders, new roles and new rules.  

Kids today.  They’ll save us all.

Twisting the plot.

The ideas and suggestions that Lili shares on this podcast are informed by the following black leaders:  

Ericka Hart

Monique Melton 

Rachel Cargle

Robin DiAngelo

Please follow them and educate yourselves.

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60 mins

La-Verna Fountain has spent decades listening.  She is a practitioner and teacher of Kingian and Gandhian methods for conflict resolution.  The one thing she knows for sure is that we all have answers inside of us.  On this week’s podcast, Hannah, Cecilia La-Verna and Victoria Benitez, two black and two white sixty something women talk.  La-Verna asks each of us to answer the question: What do you know?    

Then we consider what we still have to learn.

www.MeaningfulCommunicationsMatter.com

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61 mins

Maryann Plunkett is a woman in her sixties who is not invisible, although she regularly portrays women who are.  This past year, the Tony award-winning actor was seen in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women and as Mrs. Rogers in A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood with Tom Hanks.

Originally, we wanted to talk to Maryann about her experience performing in the recent online production of What Do We Need To Talk About, produced by the Public Theatre in which the audience witnesses a Zoom call with the Apple family as they grapple with life during COVID-19.

We were hoping to hear Maryann’s thoughts about life during the pandemic, as well as the shutdown of live theater.  We were planning to discuss the importance of story, and contemplate the role of theatre in fostering a culture of growth.

As it turned out, our discussion took place just after the brutal murder of George Floyd. We hadn’t previously spoken together about how this might change our plan. As we started to talk, we hit the record button and decided to let it be what it is:  three white sixty something women engaged in a conversation about what has been happening in the world.  We ask ourselves, what is our role?  Should we shut up or do we speak up?  How do we move forward?  

In a 2016 New Yorker profile, Maryann is described as a “radiant everywoman.” What now for Maryann?  What now for all of us?

We don’t have answers. All we know is that we must listen.  We must learn.  And we must figure out how to serve.

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45 mins

Ok, listen up.  Our number one mission is to help women over 50 evolve by imagining who it is we can be, both as individuals and as a grand collective.  

One of the ways we do this by listening to a Gen Z influencer.

Why?

Because our futures require our creative participation and it starts with a loosening of our limited beliefs.  Things have to change in order to be new.

We begin by letting go of our ageist confines and freeing ourselves from identities that no longer serve or excite us.

This week, we start to imagine ourselves differently by talking to fashion designer and social activist Madeline Dintino.

Madeline, a 2020 fashion design graduate of Marist College, views fashion as an opportunity for radical empowerment and inclusivity.  She designs clothing that offers gender fluidity, playfulness and a witty glittery repurposing of norms.  Madeline uses her voice as a designer to deconstruct binaries and reconstruct clothing that inspires freedom and joy.

She also shares with us her honors thesis project, a zine she titled Modern Gender.  Her zine (think short magazine) is a resource for navigating modern gender terms and expressions. It’s a colorful, informative invitation to celebrate inclusivity. 

Madeline even encourages us to explore how fashion can expand our identities.  She suggests we stop hiding and celebrate our bodies and images.  Maybe, she declares, you could think additive, instead of covering up.  After all, she says, “You’ve spent years earning your looks.” 

There is so much to gain from intergenerational sharing.

Join us please.

Zine: 

Check out Modern Gender: Navigating the Fluid Revolution

Website:

Madeline Dintino Portfolio

For the Record Article: 

Read about Madeline Dintino in FOR THE RECORD

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39 mins

We love it when we connect with like-minded women who share our realization that women over 50 deserve attention.

When friends Marijo and April turned 50, things felt different. They had questions about their bodies, relationships, careers, and fashion. Not sure where to turn, they decided to take the bull by the horns and created HELLO 50 IT’S MY TIME a place dedicated to supporting women as they continue to learn, find purpose and get more empowered with every passing year.

Listen as these fellow twisters talk how they are helping other women 50, 60, and beyond face life with joy, enthusiasm, and adventure. 

Click here to check out Hello50.com

Follow Hello 50 on Instagram

Join Hello 50 on Facebook

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33 mins

Emilie Ward joined our 12 in 12 in December, when the agency where she had worked for 24 years shut its doors without warning. Little did she know that this was just the beginning of a disheartening whirlwind including a global pandemic, her need to take on a caretaker role for her ill mother, the withdrawal of state funding for her independent business, and her personal battle with Covid 19. But she refused to let it stop her. Emilie, a drama therapist also certified in positive psychology, talks about her decision to focus on staying curious, how she takes a deep breath and asks, how else can I look at this? Instead of “Oh my god,” she says, “How fascinating.” Emilie is a creative, resourceful role model of resilience. Listen and laugh with us. As Emilie says, “The only thing you have control over is your mindset and having a sense of humor.”

For questions about Dramatic Stages contact Emilie Ward at eward@dramaticstages.com

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55 mins

My hope is that this is a moment when women can stop knocking at the door of a system that was set up by men and for men.

So says Lesley Jane Seymour, our special guest on this week’s Twisting the Plot podcast.

Lesley has had her finger on the pulse of the collective imagination of what it means to be a woman for decades. As editor in chief for More Magazine she brought possibility and visibility for women over 40. We all remember grabbing the latest edition of More from the newsstands and opening it with eager anticipation. We were hungry for vision, solutions and novel ideas for who we are becoming.   

Lesley is a media entrepreneur and one of the industry’s most respected leaders. Besides More Magazine, she served as editor in chief for Marie Claire, Redbook, and YM. She was the beauty director for Glamour, and senior editor at Vogue. She is an influencer and has spearheaded numerous efforts to introduce her readers to the big issues that we should confront. Under Lesley’s leadership, generations of women were educated and invited to be activists regarding crucial causes, such as breast cancer awareness, domestic violence and aging.

Today, Lesley continues her mission to engage, inform and envision life for women. She is Founder and CEO of Covey Club. She calls it a virtual meeting place for life long learners. She’s also the host of the Reinvent Yourself Podcast where she interviews global change makers and visionaries.

Listen as Lesley shares with us how she got into magazine publishing, her decision to get a masters in Sustainability Management from Columbia University, how she started Covey Club, and her decision to start a new life in “The Big Easy.”

She is a powerhouse of creativity, generosity, reinvention and just plain fun.

Visit CoveyClub

Listen to my podcast Reinvent Yourself with Lesley Jane Seymour

Follow me: Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook

Follow CoveyClub: Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook

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