Speaking up might earn you a name like “mouthy” or “bitch,” but is it really better to stay silent? Lisa and Trudy discuss the difference between a Karen and a crone, when to speak up and the wisdom one gains with age. Read our blog: CroneCast.ca Share your questions and comments at cronecast.ca/contact . We want to hear from you about all things crone. (01:01) - Coming in hot (04:29) - Mouthy but not entitled (09:03) - Speaking up (12:53) - Fear of the Karen (18:38) - Don’t make a scene (25:46) - Aging out of people-pleasing --Credits-- Hosted by Trudy Callaghan and Lisa Austin Produced by Odvod Media Audio Engineering by Steve Glen Original music by Darrin Hagen…

There’s a difference between being lonely and being alone. Trudy and Lisa explore the rich possibilities of living alone, approaching life with intention and finding unexpected joys in solo life. Read our blog: CroneCast.ca Share your questions and comments at cronecast.ca/contact . We want to hear from you about all things crone. (01:17) - Flying solo (07:06) - The fog (11:23) - Practice being alone (15:15) - Aloneness as opening (19:40) - Choosing a path (23:57) - Loving life as it is (28:14) - Be intentional --Credits-- Hosted by Trudy Callaghan and Lisa Austin Produced by Odvod Media Audio Engineering by Steve Glen Original music by Darrin Hagen…

Lisa and Trudy reflect on the women who have shaped them and influenced their lives — and how they’re passing that legacy on. Read our blog: CroneCast.ca Share your questions and comments at cronecast.ca/contact . We want to hear from you about all things crone. (03:37) - The women who’ve mattered to us (07:31) - Who has shaped your life? (10:32) - Surrogate daughters (14:32) - We have more impact than we know (18:50) - Cronedom --Credits-- Hosted by Trudy Callaghan and Lisa Austin Produced by Odvod Media Audio Engineering by Steve Glen Original music by Darrin Hagen…

In the second of this two part episode, Lisa continues sharing her journey with her mental illness — and how she found her way back to her brighter, healthier self. Read our blog: CroneCast.ca Share your questions and comments at cronecast.ca/contact . We want to hear from you about all things crone. (01:52) - Picking up where we left off (04:50) - Life is a series of trade offs (10:30) - Nightmares (16:33) - What has happened to my beautiful brain? (18:16) - Telling the story (22:37) - Doing the work hurts (25:35) - Catharsis through creativity --Credits-- Hosted by Trudy Callaghan and Lisa Austin Produced by Odvod Media Audio Engineering by Steve Glen Original music by Darrin Hagen…

In this episode, the first of two parts, Lisa speaks with candor and humour about her struggles with mental health and her journey to mental wellness. For those who have struggled with depression and anxiety, or those who just wish to understand mental illness more deeply, Lisa offers insight and inspiration. Read our blog: CroneCast.ca Share your questions and comments at cronecast.ca/contact . We want to hear from you about all things crone. (04:20) - Women’s Heavy Emotional Load (08:57) - Starting at the Beginning (12:58) - Dissolving (16:49) - Our Weaknesses Can Be Strengths (23:10) - How Are You Really? (30:43) - You are a Presence Hosted by Trudy Callaghan and Lisa Austin Produced by Odvod Media Audio Engineering by Steve Glen Original music by Darrin Hagen…

Language is many things: fluid, living, open to interpretation. Trudy and Lisa explore new coinages, the importance of challenging patronizing language, and disagree about mansplaining. Our hosts attempt to untangle language’s contradictions and histories, and debate the value of gendered language. Read our blog: CroneCast.ca Share your questions and comments at cronecast.ca/contact . We want to hear from you about all things crone. (05:07) - Ladies and Gentlemen (09:08) - Explaining Mansplaining (11:27) - The Fallacy (19:55) - “Are you mansplaining to me right now?” (24:50) - Language Matters (28:31) - Language is Alive (32:17) - Calling Things What They Are --Credits-- Hosted by Trudy Callaghan and Lisa Austin Produced by Odvod Media Audio Engineering by Steve Glen Original music by Darrin Hagen…

It can feel uncomfortable to talk about, but maybe that’s why it’s so fun. Lisa and Trudy get down and dirty about the realities of sex, bodies and aging. Together, our hosts explore how desire shifts over our lifetimes, confronting ageism and sexism, and women’s agency. Read our blog: CroneCast.ca Share your questions and comments at cronecast.ca/contact . We want to hear from you about all things crone. --From This Episode-- Hags: The Demonisation of Middle-Aged Women by Victoria Smith (01:47) - Can We Talk About This? (06:21) - Sexual Beings to the End (12:40) - Evolving Beauty Over Our Lifetimes (18:25) - Sexuality is a Mind Game (20:11) - Humour From a Place of Love (25:21) - Size and Invisibility (27:51) - We’re Told to Feel Bad About Our Bodies --Credits-- Hosted by Trudy Callaghan and Lisa Austin Produced by Odvod Media Audio Engineering by Steve Glen Original music by Darrin Hagen…

Registered psychologist, longtime activist and Edmonton icon Liz Massiah chats with Trudy and Lisa about helping friends & community members talk about trauma, the gay and lesbian community in Edmonton in the 80s, where 2SLGBTQ+ rights are today — and what allies can do to defend the community. Read our blog: CroneCast.ca Share your questions and comments at cronecast.ca/contact . We want to hear from you about all things crone. --From This Episode-- 1. Rule, Jane. (1985) A Hot-Eyed Moderate. Naiad Pr. Tallahassee, USA. (00:32) - Highlighting New Voices (07:52) - Introducing Liz Massaiah (11:51) - Invisibility and Women Over 50 (16:48) - Aging in the Lesbian Community (21:17) - Politics is Like Housework (24:08) - Allies All Around Us (28:45) - Through Uncertainty to New Possibilities (30:18) - Supporting Traumatized People (33:52) - Coming Out and the Trauma of the Closet (40:01) - Be Curious, Not Judgemental --Credits-- Hosted by Trudy Callaghan and Lisa Austin Produced by Odvod Media Audio Engineering by Steve Glen Original music by Darrin Hagen…

Boundaries make nourishing relationships possible — regardless of what our guilty feelings might tell us when we set those boundaries. Our guest for part two of this conversation, Registered Psychologist Janelle Drisner, helps us grapple with the tension between human limitations and unconditional love. This time, Janelle dives deeper into the complexities and limitations of relationships, how we show up for each other and the necessary, uncomfortable work of articulating our boundaries — in pursuit of more authentic relationships. Read our blog: CroneCast.ca Share your questions and comments at cronecast.ca/contact . We want to hear from you about all things crone. --From This Episode-- Disentangling from Emotionally Immature People: Avoid Emotional Traps, Stand Up for Your Self, and Transform Your Relationships as an Adult Child of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson (00:53) - - With Every No, There Is A Yes (04:11) - - Communicating Your Boundaries (11:40) - - Challenging Cultural Scripts (14:49) - - Anger Is A Source Of Courage (17:42) - - Apology Is Only The Beginning Of Repair (22:15) - - Relationships With Adult Children (27:43) - - Wrestling With The Roles We’re Given (31:29) - - Unconditional Love And Being Human --Credits-- Hosted by Trudy Callaghan and Lisa Austin Produced by Odvod Media Audio Engineering by Steve Glen Original music by Darrin Hagen…

Boundaries tell us where I end and you begin, says our guest, Registered Psychologist Janelle Drisner. But what is a boundary really? Should we have expectations in relationships? And how do you cultivate your relationship with yourself? Trudy and Lisa sit down with Janelle, for the first of a two part episode to answer — or at least begin to understand — these questions and more. Janelle takes us beyond psychological buzzwords into a truly fascinating conversation that challenges us all to think about relationships in new ways. Read our blog: CroneCast.ca Share your questions and comments at cronecast.ca/contact . We want to hear from you about all things crone. (00:32) - - Introducing Janelle Drisner (02:03) - - What Are Boundaries? (08:13) - - Respect (11:39) - - Expectations vs Needs (14:42) - - Diversifying Our Supports (20:55) - - Crones Do Not Avert Their Eyes (23:39) - - Dialoguing with Ourselves (26:44) - - Cultivating a Rich Inner Life --Credits-- Hosted by Trudy Callaghan and Lisa Austin Produced by Odvod Media Audio Engineering by Steve Glen Original music by Darrin Hagen…

At the end of your life, what will you regret — the things you’ve done or the things you didn’t do? What kept you from doing things you wanted to do? Lisa and Trudy explore regret, fear and the wisdom of aging through a discussion of Bronnie Ware’s memoir The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying . “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” Søren Kierkegaard Read our blog: CroneCast.ca Share your questions and comments at cronecast.ca/contact . We want to hear from you about all things crone. --From This Episode-- The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing by Bronnie Ware Skater Girl: An Archaeology of the Self by Robin C. Pacific (00:32) - Intro (03:57) - Regrets of The Dying (08:08) - Fear-based Decision Making (15:21) - Courageous Decisions (17:12) - Deathbed Regret (20:44) - Grab Life (22:56) - Understood backward and lived forwards (30:30) - Creating Possibility (33:42) - Regret-free Living --Credits-- Hosted by Trudy Callaghan and Lisa Austin Produced by Odvod Media Audio Engineering by Steve Glen Original music by Darrin Hagen…

Krista Vernoff, executive producer and former showrunner of Grey’s Anatomy , is bored of people who aren’t women over 50. She walks Trudy and Lisa through what it is to live a creative life and how giving yourself permission to make art and make mistakes is everything. Read our blog: CroneCast.ca Share your questions and comments at cronecast.ca/contact . We want to hear from you about all things crone. (00:33) - Special note (01:09) - Intro (03:49) - Creativity and Women Over 50 (08:45) - Giving Yourself Permission (13:07) - Doing vs Becoming (16:52) - Art Wants to Be Seen (23:52) - The Myth of Invisibility (27:50) - Society’s Devaluation of Art (33:14) - Being a Patron of the Arts (35:17) - Valuing Your Natural Talent (46:09) - Knowing Yourself --Credits-- Hosted by Trudy Callaghan and Lisa Austin Produced by Odvod Media Audio Engineering by Steve Glen Original music by Darrin Hagen…

If you asked 10 people to define what hope is, you’d probably get 10 different definitions. We think we know what hope is, but do we really? Is hoping for something unrealistic? Are wishing and hoping the same thing? Can you manifest something into being through hope? These are just some of the questions Trudy and Lisa pose to University of Alberta Faculty of Education Associate Dean (Research) and professor Dr. Denise Larsen about her research into hope. Even if you’re not a naturally hopeful person, Dr. Larsen tells us how we can build “hope skills” and how fostering hope in ourselves and others can change people, cities and communities for the better. Note: Dr. Larsen mentions an intervention activity conducted with international students. That activity was developed by University of Alberta Ph.D. candidate Chelsea Hobbs. Dr. Larsen also wished to acknowledge Dr. Doris Zhang. “Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up.” - David Orr Read our blog: CroneCast.ca Share your questions and comments at cronecast.ca/contact . We want to hear from you about all things crone. --From This Episode-- Finding Hope: Ways to See Life in a Brighter Ligh t by Ronna Fay Jevne and James E. Miller Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman Hope is an Overused Word, But the Real Thing Can be Powerful by Amie Filkow for New Trail (00:32) - - Intro (02:06) - - What Is Hope? (06:08) - - Hope and Reality Co-exist (08:09) - - Hope is Risky (14:35) - - Fostering Hope (17:27) - - Leaning Into Possibility (24:00) - - Hope in Hard Times (27:55) - - Other-oriented Hope (37:15) - - Hope Across Cultures --Credits— Hosted by Trudy Callaghan and Lisa Austin Produced by Odvod Media Audio Engineering by Steve Glen Original music by Darrin Hagen…

After her husband died, Molly Peacock decided solitude would be her next husband. Trudy and Lisa continue their conversation with Molly about her new book of poems, The Widow’s Crayon Box. They discuss the growth and freedom that can come with grief, finding pleasure in solitude and coming into one’s cronage. The Widow’s Crayon Box is published by WW Norton and is available wherever you buy books. Molly has received awards from the Danforth Foundation, the Ingram Merrill Foundation, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Woodrow Wilson Foundation. She is a president emerita of the Poetry Society of America and was one of the originators of Poetry in Motion, a popular program that places poems on placards in subways and buses. Molly joins Cronecast from her home in Toronto, Ontario. Read our blog: CroneCast.ca Share your questions and comments at cronecast.ca/contact . We want to hear from you about all things crone. (00:33) - Intro (00:59) - Moved and Touched (04:55) - Reading of “Tinker Bell” (10:40) - Love Story (13:40) - Caregiving (16:53) - Joy of Solitude (23:47) - Entering Our Cronage (27:34) - Stages of a Widow’s Life (32:34) - Reading of “Honey Crisp” --From This Episode-- -Poetry- The Widow’s Crayon Box (W. W. Norton, 2024) The Analyst (W. W. Norton, 2017) The Second Blush: Poems (W. W. Norton, 2008) Cornucopia: New and Selected Poems (W. W. Norton, 2002) Original Love (W. W. Norton, 1995) Take Heart (Random House, 1989) Raw Heaven (Random House, 1984) And Live Apart (University of Missouri Press, 1980). -Prose- A Friend Sails in on a Poem: Essays on Friendship, Freedom and Poetic Form (Palimpsest Press, 2022) Flower Diary: In Which Mary Hiester Reid Paints, Travels, Marries & Opens a Door (ECW Press, 2021) Alphabetique, 26 Characteristic Fictions (McClelland & Stewart, 2014) The Paper Garden: An Artist Begins Her Life’s Work at 72 (Bloomsbury, 2011) How to Read a Poem, and Start a Poetry Circle (Riverhead Books, 1999) Paradise, Piece by Piece (Riverhead Books, 1998), a literary memoir --Credits— Hosted by Trudy Callaghan and Lisa Austin Produced by Odvod Media Audio Engineering by Steve Glen Original music by Darrin Hagen…

For grieving people, processing loss through creativity can open doors to healing. In this episode, Trudy and Lisa engage in a lively and illuminating conversation with poet and biographer Molly Peacock about her new book of poems, The Widow’s Crayon Box. This book of poetry is a deeply personal and moving chronicle of Molly’s journey before, during and after the death of her beloved husband. Molly realized she was not living the perceived idea of a widow’s mauve existence, but was experiencing life in all colours. The Widow’s Crayon Box is published by WW Norton and is available wherever you buy books. Molly has received awards from the Danforth Foundation, the Ingram Merrill Foundation, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Woodrow Wilson Foundation. She is a president emerita of the Poetry Society of America and was one of the originators of Poetry in Motion, a popular program that places poems on placards in subways and buses. Molly joins us from her home in Toronto, Ontario. Read our blog: CroneCast.ca Share your questions and comments at cronecast.ca/contact . We want to hear from you about all things crone. --From This Episode-- -Poetry- The Widow’s Crayon Box (W. W. Norton, 2024) The Analyst (W. W. Norton, 2017) The Second Blush: Poems (W. W. Norton, 2008) Cornucopia: New and Selected Poems (W. W. Norton, 2002) Original Love (W. W. Norton, 1995) Take Heart (Random House, 1989) Raw Heaven (Random House, 1984) And Live Apart (University of Missouri Press, 1980). -Prose- A Friend Sails in on a Poem: Essays on Friendship, Freedom and Poetic Form (Palimpsest Press, 2022) Flower Diary: In Which Mary Hiester Reid Paints, Travels, Marries & Opens a Door (ECW Press, 2021) Alphabetique, 26 Characteristic Fictions (McClelland & Stewart, 2014) The Paper Garden: An Artist Begins Her Life’s Work at 72 (Bloomsbury, 2011) How to Read a Poem, and Start a Poetry Circle (Riverhead Books, 1999) Paradise, Piece by Piece (Riverhead Books, 1998), a literary memoir (01:13) - Molly Peacock's Biography and Upcoming Book (03:12) - Reading of "Touched" (05:19) - Touch, Loss & Meaning (10:25) - Imagery and Grief (13:26) - The Widow's Crayon Box and Its Metaphor (18:20) - The Contradictions of Grief (27:49) - The World Continues (33:00) - Sonnet Sequence (41:33) - Closing & What’s Next --Credits— Hosted by Trudy Callaghan and Lisa Austin Produced by Odvod Media Audio Engineering by Steve Glen Original music by Darrin Hagen…