Share Your Story

Compatibility is perhaps the biggest factor in a successful homesharing arrangement. But how do you find someone you can live with comfortably? Annamarie Pluhar, author of “Sharing Housing: A Guidebook For Finding and Keeping Good Housemates,” joins the podcast to share her experience, insights and some great tips.

Why are so many women horrified at being called “old”—even well into their 70s? Best-selling author and clinical psychologist Mary Piper tells us it’s because our cultural scripts about aging don’t adequately capture what it means to be an older woman today. Mary joins the podcast for an in-depth discussion about intergenerational connections, vibrant new chapters and flourishing as we age.

As we age, we accumulate experience, perspective and yes, wisdom. But it turns out that our brains also change in ways that can be profoundly useful to colleagues, employers and clients. Chip Conley, founder of the Modern Elder Academy and former Airbnb Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy, joins the podcast to share fascinating insights about how the work world is starting to understand and appreciate the wisdom of elders in new ways.

Isolation and loneliness are rampant in our culture today—and they’re a particular risk for seniors. How can people come together to revive connection and community, helping seniors stay independent and in their own homes as long as possible? Barbara Sullivan, National Director of Village to Village Network, joins us to talk about these important issues and what it means to be an age-friendly community.

Millions of Boomers are interested in contributing their time and energy to help young people, but don’t know where to find opportunities. On the other hand, there are thousands of young people looking for mentorship and support to help them grow into successful members of their communities. In this episode, we discuss how and why to bridge the gap with Phyllis Segal, Vice President of Encore.org and co-founder of its Gen2Gen campaign.

As if life’s transitions weren’t challenging enough, we all must face the struggle of decluttering and downsizing at some point. This task can seem overwhelming and is often fraught with emotion, whether it’s your stuff or a parent’s. In this special episode of Share Your Story, extreme cleaning expert and former host of Hoarders, Matt Paxton, shares some of his hard-earned tips for tackling what can be one of life’s most stressful situations.

For many reasons, our friend circles tend to shrink throughout our adult lives, particularly in the later years. At the same time, we know social and community connections are critical contributors to our health and happiness. Senior industry expert and author Joy Loverde joins us for a conversation about why—and how—to make and keep new friends as we age.

Longevity is having a massive impact on the housing market. People are living longer than ever and trying to stretch their retirements, which is prompting them to reconsider their housing situations. Is it best to stay in my house or sell it? Will it benefit me to downsize? Can I afford to stay in my home? Does it make sense to rent out a spare room? Barry Habib, a renowned mortgage expert and real estate forecaster joins the show to help answer these tough questions, and discuss how our longer lifespans are impacting our housing choices and the housing market as a whole.

How is longevity affecting our country’s aging population in areas such as affordable housing, companionship and financial stability? Karen Brown, a prominent aging advocate and expert, joins us to examine the “silver wave,” and offer advice for boomers to navigate through these everyday challenges.