Best Gail Zelitzky Podcasts (2025)

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347 Kathleen Haney: Generous and Responsible Care for Self and Others 29:36

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8h ago29:36

29:36

At 75, Kathleen (Kathy) Haney embodies resilience, purpose, and care. Family duties once slowed her college path, but persistence carried her to an undergraduate degree in occupational education and a graduate degree in vocational education administration. She went on to become the coordinator/director of dental hygiene and dental assisting at the …

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346 Christa Rymal: Metabolic Health for Women: From Brain to Toe 27:32

7d ago27:32

27:32

Only 12% of U.S. adults are metabolically healthy—a sobering statistic Christa Rymal wants to change. With her background in nursing and holistic health, Christa brings both clinical expertise and a whole-person perspective to women’s wellbeing. In this episode, she breaks down what “metabolic health” really means and why it matters as we age. From…

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345 Anna Rappaport: Pursuing Passions Amid Changing Limits 30:29

15d ago30:29

30:29

At 85, Anna Rappaport continues to defy expectations of aging. Once uncertain about her relevance, she went on to earn five lifetime achievement awards, including Trailblazers in Actuarial Science. Beyond her groundbreaking work in retirement research and policy, Anna embraces new chapters with creativity and purpose. After decades of balancing car…

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344 Jeannine Bryant: Moving in the 4th Quarter of Life: Keep the Memories, Not the Stuff 27:57

23d ago27:57

27:57

Jeannine Bryant is expert at helping seniors move. After you have lived in your home for so many years, you accumulate possessions that seem to identify who you are. Losing a partner or spouse certainly changes our lives. Leaving the place that we called home, together, can be very difficult. Jeannine understands every aspect. Through her website, …

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343 Jacqui Neurauter: Movement Has the Power to Transform Life 30:20

28d ago30:20

30:20

"Movement is the thread that weaves Jacqui Neurauter’s life together, even at 80. She believes movement has the power to transform life. Ever curious, her many pursuits often began with a comment, a book, or a conversation among friends. The suggestion of a new approach to movement would spark her curiosity, making her an avid researcher and lifelo…

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342 Ande Lyons: Embrace the Beauty of Your Story 29:25

1M ago29:25

29:25

During her tenure as a successful entrepreneur and podcaster, Ande Lyons’ advice to young start-up founders was: “Don’t Be Caged by Your Age.” At age 66, she took her own advice. Ande shifted her focus to older people, especially women, with the mission to redefine what it means to thrive after 65. Ande exposes internal ageist beliefs and debunks m…

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341 Beverley Glazer: Women Empowering Other Women Through Story 30:47

1M ago30:47

30:47

Beverley Glazer, MA, is an ICF-Certified Transformational Coach, Psychotherapist, and Strategic Consultant with over 35 years of experience empowering individuals, companies, and communities navigate change. She is the founder of Reinvent Impossible LLC, the umbrella company for her services, including individual coaching, strategic consulting, and…

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340 Jean Olson: Living an Enchanted Life, with Adventure and Verve 28:52

2M ago28:52

28:52

Jean Olson, age 70, describes her 13 years in the Foreign Service as an “odd and torturous path,” that included a successful class action suit against the federal government. Jean left the Foreign Service (stints in Europe and South America) for her hometown in Wisconsin to be her mother’s caregiver and to serve as (volunteer) President of the Vill…

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339 Beverly Schlotte: Farm Life is a Wonderful Way of Living 22:39

2M ago22:39

22:39

Beverly Schlotte, age 76, loves living on her farm near Webster, South Dakota, where she and her late husband, married 53 years, “worked and planned together” as they raised their family of four. After retirement from many years of teaching “kids that I loved,” Beverly hosted a foreign exchange student from Madrid, Spain during the 2024-2025 school…

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337 Mary Ellen Jukoski: Servant Leadership: Nurturing the Spirit Through Communication and Collaboration 31:11

2M ago31:11

31:11

As a young academic professional, Mary Ellen Jukoski, age 75, wondered: “Where are the female college presidents? I want to become one.” So, she did, serving the first 20 years as President of Mitchell College in Connecticut where she transformed a struggling two-year institution into a thriving four-year college, inspired by her feminine leadershi…

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336 Dedrea (Dee) Greer: Boundless Creativity: Alpaca weaving, business launching, interior designing, watercolor painting, and more. 34:07

3M ago34:07

34:07

You are in for a special treat as Dee Greer displays her creations of exquisite weavings from Alpaca yarn and amulet bags woven Japanese seed beads. She also enjoys watercolor painting. She learns in order to create. This is bolstered by degrees and certifications in the arts, financial planning, hand weaving, and interior design. Dee has created f…

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335 Victoria Rock: Helping Others Tell Their Stories 23:18

3M ago23:18

23:18

When you listen to Victoria (Vickie) Rock, 73, you would believe her life has never seen a difficult day. Yet, the truth is, at times it has been rocky. Turning lemons into lemonade is the perfect phrase to attribute to Vickie. Always upbeat, charitable, and giving, she works tirelessly to elevate each person, client and company that become part of…

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334 David Horton: Layer Upon Layer: A 32-year Journey of Connection 37:02

3M ago37:02

37:02

David Horton approached us to do an interview with him, and we did not know how to respond. We listened and, after hearing his story, it became clear that this was a story we wanted to share with you. David’s wife, DeeDee Horton, died of brain cancer. She was an accomplished athlete, middle school teacher, and college basketball coach. In the final…

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333 Maria Cristina Torres: I am Vitality: An Alternative Way to Revitalize Your Life 27:55

3M ago27:55

27:55

Maria Cristina Torres, born in Mexico, studied medicine there and has three decades of experience in pharmaceutical-oriented medicine. She continues to work with people in the United States, finding solutions for chronic conditions and assisting individuals in reclaiming their health through alternative methods. The individuals she treats respond w…

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332 Donna Younger: Meeting Spirituality on the Path to Well-Being 25:05

4M ago25:05

25:05

Donna Younger, EdD, age 72, has dedicated her professional life to mentoring and teaching diverse people in various higher learning settings. These experiences expanded her world view and fed her “rabid curiosity about what binds us together—the sparks that connect us.” Donna’s intentional spiritual journey began at age 50 when she set out to resol…

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331 Polishing the Gems: The Story of an Extraordinary Woman Living Through Hard Times 38:09

4M ago38:09

38:09

Josephine (Jo) Alexander (1909-1993) was Nancy Manahan’s dearest friend and Natalya Lukin’s beloved grandmother. The world knew Jo as a prize-winning journalist and photographer, social justice advocate, and author of America Through the Eye of My Needle (1981), a critical analysis of business conglomerates. But no one knew details about the fourte…

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330 Carol Remz: Transforming Sexual Pleasure After Menopause 32:19

4M ago32:19

32:19

During 15 years in menopausal transition, Carol Remz, age 80, experienced increased vaginal dryness and decreased libido. She and her younger husband mourned their waning sex life. Upon researching relief from radiation treatment for breast cancer, Carol’s discovered sea buckthorn for skin protection and its added benefit of improving the integrity…

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329 Michelle Kalisz: Neuroscience Asserts: What fires together, wires together 29:29

4M ago29:29

29:29

Michelle Kalisz started studying piano at the age of 4. Today she owns a piano studio and delights in teaching older adults. She extensively studied chemistry and psychology, all the while playing music which added depth to her understanding of how we learn and benefit cognitively from studying piano. She believes that brain plasticity needs an upd…

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328 Ann Lousin: More Women in Law Mean more Freedoms for All 29:59

4M ago29:59

29:59

Ann Lousin, 82, the first woman in the United States to be appointed staff parliamentarian for the Illinois House of Representatives, as well as the first woman parliamentarian for any American legislature, continues her fierce journey to remove women’s cloak of invisibility. Since 1970, Ann has been recognized for her work with the IL Constitution…

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327 Gail Straus: The Power of Volunteering 26:31

5M ago26:31

26:31

[spp-player] Gail Straus is mostly retired, meaning that in addition to volunteer work, she remains open to the occasional client project. In 2021, Gail joined the Communications Team at AARP Illinois as a volunteer. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Guest House Chicago, donates time and expertise to the Moran Center for Social Justice …

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326 Ginny Maccoll: From Professional Dancer to Ninja Warrior: A Mother-Daughter Team 31:35

5M ago31:35

31:35

Ginny Maccoll, 73, has an unusual hobby. She competes in Ninja Warrior competitions. Last year, the Guinness World Book of Records named her the oldest female to compete. Though physically quite active from the time she was born, and a proficient dancer, it wasn’t until her daughter became a Ninja competitor that Ginny started believing that she mi…

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325 Jane Fleishman, PhD: Is it Okay for Grandma to Have Sex? 41:41

5M ago41:41

41:41

Jane Fleishman, Phd, a Certified Sexuality Educator, works with people living in senior communities on taboo topics such as intimacy, desire, sexual health, abuse and consent. An accomplished educator, writer, program developer, and researcher, Jane received a PhD in Human Sexuality from the Widener University Center for Human Sexuality Studies at …

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324 Mimi Donaldson: From Award-winning Keynoter to Top TED Talk Coach 32:50

5M ago32:50

32:50

Mimi Donaldson, 77, is known for her rousing keynote speeches, compelling workshops, and in-house training programs. She has shared the keynote platform with Colin Powell, Katie Couric and Maya Angelou. She is now a speaker coach for TED Talkers, keynote speakers and business Owners. Since 2018, she has coached 24 speakers to the TEDx stage. I don’…

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323 Alice Rose: She Always Treasured Books 30:27

6M ago30:27

30:27

Alice Rose, age 78, lived in Europe for 10 ½ years where she worked with childhood centers for military families. Alice’s love of travel and culture led her to Turkey twenty-five times, as well as other fascinating destinations. Upon returning to New Jersey, Alice pursued her love of museum art and photography. Now residing in the Chicago area, Ali…

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322 Mildred J. Mills: My Cotton Patch Moment 30:35

6M ago30:35

30:35

The third oldest of 17 children, Mildred J. Mills, 73, was raised on a farm in Alabama. At a young age, she began to imagine that she would be going places, even though she had no idea how or where she might go. In high school one of her teachers recognized her talent in mathematics and suggested she think about a technical college for data process…

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321 Judy Collins: Grande Dame of Folk Music Legend 35:32

6M ago35:32

35:32

Judy Marjorie Collins, age 85, remains a legendary spokesperson for the American folk music scene and for older adults who still have a song to sing. We were delighted to be in conversation with Judy Collins. Folk singer, song writer, pianist, activist, author, and role-model, Judy continues to tour throughout the United States and many other count…

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320 Gina Orlando: Sharing My Celebration of Life While I’m Still Alive 32:52

6M ago32:52

32:52

Gina Orlando, age 72, created and was present at her own Celebration of Life in January 2025. Gina has been living with breast cancer for 11 years, the last three years in stage 4. She calls upon her expertise in holistic healing, voracious curiosity, and profound spiritual beliefs to navigate her journey toward end-of-life and ‘going to the light.…

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319 Elizabeth White: Co-living Housing Solutions for Older Women on Modest Incomes 36:33

7M ago36:33

36:33

Elizabeth White’s mission is advocating for older women to “lead a richly textured, interesting life on modest income.” She uses multiple platforms--author, entrepreneur, consultant, international board member, and keynote speaker—to expose gendered ageism and social patterns of inequality that are the result of “bad policy, not bad character.” Eli…

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318 Connie Inuka: Late-life Inventor Finds Success 26:49

7M ago26:49

26:49

At 77 years old, Connie Inukai is proving that innovation has no age limit. A former technical writing instructor for engineers, Connie spent years teaching others how to create clear, effective reports. Little did she know that one day, she’d be writing her own—this time, for her own invention. When she first conceived the idea for Tip ‘n Split, C…

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317 Becky Blue: Aging is Life - Appreciate the Magic & Mystery 25:51

7M ago25:51

25:51

Thoughtful and compassionate, Becky Blue is a geriatric and faith community nurse. Her compassion grew at an early age as she spent afternoons with Grandma, coincidentally the name of one of her magical poems. In her book, Turning-The Magic and Mystery of More Days, you will find essays, poetry and questions, some of the poems written almost 50 yea…

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316 Jeanette Leardi: Make Friends with Your Aging Process to Become Fully Empowered 35:40

7M ago35:40

35:40

Jeanette Leardi is a social gerontologist and aging wellness leader who invites us to “cock your head to the side and ask, Am I think about aging in the right way?” Jeanette’s blog, Ageful Living, inspired her recent book, Aging Sideways: Changing Our Perspectives on Getting Older. She challenges the message of ‘gendered ageism’ that “women are nev…

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315 Karen J. Marienau: Pursuing Lifelong Adventures in Well-being 32:06

8M ago32:06

32:06

At age 70, Karen Marienau’s life is distinguished by a circuitous professional path, world-wide adventure travels, strenuous physical challenges, taxing home improvement projects, and deeply loving relationships—with people, animals, and nature. How does Karen, who gets bored once she has mastered something, and is known to act on impulse, navigate…

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314 Barbara Thompson: Moving Through Real Estate Market Complexities 33:38

8M ago33:38

33:38

Barbara Thompson is passionate about working with seniors. She holds a Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES) certification. When her life turned out differently from what she expected, she learned to rely on friendships to fill a gap. That brought her to the understanding of how important it is to listen to each person involved in the moving process…

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313 Adriane Berg: Ageless Traveler 33:38

8M ago33:38

33:38

Adriane Berg is a lifelong traveler whose mission is to help people “never stop traveling.” Women over the age of 70 are increasingly participating in solo travel, as are individuals embarking on their second or third honeymoon. At the age of 76, Adriane created the podcast Ageless Traveler, a gift for her travel-focused self. She designs the trips…

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312 Emilia DiMenco: A Successful Transition: From Commercial Enterprise to a Mission-Driven Organization 27:06

8M ago27:06

27:06

After 30 years in banking, Emilia DiMenco joined the Women’s Business Development Organization (WBDC) - first as a board member and then as CEO. WBDC serves all entrepreneurs and particularly women and underserved communities. Emilia understands and communicates the importance of managing cash and risks, how best to build capacity and, most importa…

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311 Carol Offen and Betsy Crais: Living Organ Donations: The Insider’s Guide for Donors and Recipients 38:06

8M ago38:06

38:06

Carol Offen and Betsy Crais know all too well the exhilaration, separately, of being a living donor and a 2-time organ recipient. Carol’s adult, college-age son was in need of a kidney. Carol became his donor. Betsy Crais’s evaluation for gastric problems in her thirties revealed polycystic kidney disease. When she was in her fifties she became the…

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210 Barbara Ellison: From Striving to Thriving: One Woman’s Journey 29:43

9M ago29:43

29:43

Barbara Ellison always wanted to have a TV show. Since waking up from her widow’s fog after her husband died when she was in her early 60’s, she has not stood still. She says, “I had no idea who I was, or what I was meant to do. The labels attached to me - mother, daughter, wife, those I understood but who was Barbara?” The Ultimate Game of Life co…

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309 Jane Seskin: The Three A’s of Aging—Acknowledge, Accommodate, Accept 26:37

9M ago26:37

26:37

Jane Seskin, a licensed clinical social worker, is a prolific poet who, at age 80, published a collection of 89 poems in the book OLDER WISER SHORTER: The Truth and Humor of Life After 65. With humor and insight, Jane observes how she is learning to acknowledge, accommodate, and accept the vulnerabilities and new-found joys of aging. Early in her c…

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308 Jan Shaw King: Guideposts Pave the Way for Transitions if Your Eyes are Wide Open 34:40

10M ago34:40

34:40

Jan Shaw King, 71, is a strong, resilient woman whose courage led her to create illustrative works that live on in all of our memories. Her first mentor was her grandmother who taught her to see colors and shadows and be brave enough to follow her path. You may remember Ranger Bob and How the Big Bad Wolf Saved Christmas. Children’s stories make up…

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307 B. Rosemary Grant: The Winding and Wondrous Road of a Pioneering Evolutionary Biologist, Research Partner-Wife, and Mother 36:54

10M ago36:54

36:54

B. Rosemary Grant, PhD, Research Scholar Emerita at Princeton University, is world-renowned for 40 years of pioneering fieldwork, with her husband, Peter, on two uninhabited islands in the Galapagos archipelago. Their studies of Darwin’s finches in their natural environment have made enormous contributions to evolutionary biology and ecology. In he…

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306 From Barmaid to Director of Intangibles - a lifelong obsession 27:30

10M ago27:30

27:30

Holly Zeinfeld, 79, has moved 22 times and lived in 8 states during her marriage to Steve. They were partners in life and in work until he died a little over a year ago. Holly cared for him in home hospice for 7 years with periodic help from her son. Everywhere Holly goes, she finds meaningful work to do and makes lifelong friends. She calls hersel…

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305 Suzanne Rowen: Climbing Mountains—Living Intensely and Expansively 28:02

10M ago28:02

28:02

Suzanne Rowen, age 72, has been climbing mountains in the Pacific Northwest for the past 30 years. Leading self and others are cross-over skills between mountaineering and working in high stakes crisis communications on Wall Street, Suzanne’s earlier life on the East Coast. She finds climbing mountains to be “equally intense and marvelously expansi…

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304 Wendy Cole: Demystifying the Transgender Journey 39:47

11M ago39:47

39:47

Wendy Cole, age 76, was 67 when she decided to live out in the world as the female she was born to be. As a young person, Wendy was informed by ‘authorities’ that she was a male with a psychological condition that was untreatable and uncurable; she was “a freak.” Wendy tells her story of living 45 years of repression while hiding her secret from th…

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303 Cynthia Bargar: Sleeping in the Dead Girl’s Room: A Poetry Project 25:07

11M ago25:07

25:07

Cynthia Bargar, 76 is the author of Sleeping in the Dead Girl’s Room (Lily Poetry Review Books), selected as a Massachusetts Book Awards 2023 Honors Poetry Book. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Sugar House Review, Ocean State Review, Lily Poetry Review, Verse Daily, On the Seawall, The Last Milkweed Anthology, and elsewhere. Cynthia i…

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302 Carol Schaner: A Retail Tale: A Story of Resilience 38:33

11M ago38:33

38:33

On the northshore of Chicago, there has existed a magical boutique gift store for 37 years. Its name: The Yellow Bird. Recently the shopping center where it had thrived all those years, was sold to make room for new residential buildings and some commercial. Yellow Bird’s lease was over but Carol was not. Yellow Bird’s owner, Carol Schaner, 87, was…

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301 Andrea Gilats: Making the Leap from Older to Old: Transformations, Truths, Pleasures, and Possibilities 38:11

11M ago38:11

38:11

Andrea Gilats—writer, educator, artist, yoga instructor—believes that “when one writes a memoir, one has to be oneself.” Andrea’s captivating new memoir, Radical Endurance: Growing Old in an Age of Longevity, reveals her journey of ‘discovery through the pitfalls and possibilities of aging.’ She reflects on dealing with prolonged grief following th…

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300 Karen Allen and Sarah T. Schwab: Intergenerational Collaboration on Films About Loss and Love 37:21

12M ago37:21

37:21

For 15 years, Karen Allen (age 73), actor and director of stage and film, and Sarah T. Schwab (age 39), writer, director and producer, have enjoyed collaborating on theatre and film productions, notably addressing oft-avoided discussions about dying and loss. Their award-winning film, A Stage of Twilight—written and directed by Sarah and starring K…

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299 Sharon A. Brangman: The Phenomenon of Normal Cognitive Aging 35:38

12M ago35:38

35:38

Sharon A. Brangman, MD, Syracuse NY, is a geriatrician who has been a leader in the field of geriatrics for over two decades. Her focus is directly on the phenomenon of normal cognitive aging, concentrating on prevention. Dr. Brangman serves as Chair of the Department of Geriatrics, Director of the Center for Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease and …

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298 Pamela Rand: Adventures in Feeling Young 29:53

1y ago29:53

29:53

From a very young age, Pamela Rand, 81, described herself as a comic, a clown, a funny kid who liked to make people laugh. She continues today to sing, dance, speak in multiple accents and create skits on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTock. Laughing at herself is her prime mode of comedy. In her early 20’s, Pamela went to Clown School in Pari…

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297 Marcia Naomi Berger:The Bipolar Therapist 23:24

1y ago23:24

23:24

For 50 years, Marcia Naomi Berger, 79, has experienced a journey from madness to love and meaning. Her first manic episode was at 29, when she was already a well-respected licensed clinical social worker - an experienced psychotherapist well-trained in cognitive-behavioral, family systems, process, and psychodynamic approaches. She draws from many …