Women Beyond a Certain Age Podcast

Nancie McDermott Brings Us Brunswick Stew!

Nancie McDermott is back with us! She’s here to talk about the amazing new book she’s part of, When Southern Women Cook: History, Lore and 300 Recipes with Contributions from 70 Women Writers. Get her recipe for Virginia Brock’s Georgia-Style Brunswick Stew below!
A food writer and cooking teacher based in Chapel Hill NC. A former Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand, Nancie has authored 14 cookbooks, including Southern Cakes: Southern Soups and Stews; Real Thai; and The Wok & Skillet Cookbook. Nancie has written for Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, and Fine Cooking, and her Southern Living cover story on Thanksgiving pies was nominated for a James Beard award. Her television appearances include playing a cake historian on Alton Brown's "Good Eats”; and leading Thai market tours on the Discovery Channel. Nancie shares recipes and stories on her YouTube channel, and on her Substack newsletter, “Cabbage & Cake”. She is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and Les Dames d’Escoffier.
 
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Virginia Brock's Georgia-Style Brunswick Stew
Ingredients
3½ lbs boneless pork, Boston butt, shoulder, or country-style ribs
2-3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 lbs ground beef 
1 lb ground turkey 
1 can (28-oz) whole peeled plum tomatoes, with juice
1 can (28-oz) chopped tomatoes, with juice
1 bottle (20-oz) hickory-smoked barbecue sauce 
1 can (14.5 oz) cream-style corn 
1 can (14.5 oz) whole-kernel corn, or 1½ cups frozen corn
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 
1 Tbsp hot sauce, like Tabasco or Texas Pete 
1 Tbsp black pepper 
2 tsp salt 
2 cans (15-oz) sweet peas like LeSeur, drained
Directions
Cut pork in chunks, place in large stockpot or Dutch oven, and add watrr to cover. Over high heat, bring to a boil and cook, skimming off foam as it rises, for 20 minutes. Lower heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook until pork is tender enough to pull apart with two forks, 2-3 hours. 
Transfer pork to a large bowl or platter, reserving stock for stew. Allow to cool to room temperature; then pull apart and roughly chop into small pieces. 
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add vegetable oil, swirling to coat pan. Crumble in ground beef and ground turkey and cook, turning and pressing to help cook evenly. When meat is cooked through, remove from heat and set aside. 
Combine cooked pork, beef, and turkey in a stockpot or large Dutch oven. Add 2 cups pork stock, reserving remaining stock to use if needed. 
Add tomatoes with juice, barbecue sauce, cream-style and whole-kernel corn, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, pepper, and salt. Bring to a lively boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. 
Lower heat to maintain a gentle but visible simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Stir and scrape bottom often to avoid stew sticking or burning. Add more pork stock, if stew becomes dry or starts to stick. (Use chicken broth or water if stock is gone). 
When stew is ready, gently stir in the drained peas. Cook 5 minutes more and serve hot in bowls, with saltine crackers.
 
Women Beyond a Certain Age is an award-winning weekly podcast with Denise Vivaldo. She brings her own lively, humorous, and experienced viewpoint to the topics she discusses with her guests. The podcast covers wide-ranging subjects of importance to older women.
 
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Cindie Flannigan is the producer WBACA. Her info lives here
Denise and Cindie’s books

It's OK to Be Old with Pat Greenberg

Pat Greenberg is back to tell us all about her newest book, It’s OK to Be Old: Thoughtful Acceptance of Your Age.  As we get older, society often treats aging as something to be feared, avoided, or lamented. But in this enlightening book, author Patricia Greenberg offers a refreshing perspective - that getting older can be a positive and liberating experience. She encourages readers to embrace the freedom and wisdom that comes with age, and challenges the negative stereotypes around aging, rejecting the idea that youth equals beauty, relevance, or happiness. Focusing instead on the gifts and opportunities of later life - more time for reflection, deeper relationships, exploring new passions - rather than perceiving it as a period of decline.
Through insightful stories, questions and practical exercises, Pat guides readers to let go of regret, appreciate the present, and develop self-compassion. She shares how cultivating authenticity, gratitude, and an openness to change can help transform our experience of aging into one of joy and possibility. Ultimately, It's OK to Be Old inspires readers of all ages to have a more thoughtful and uplifting view of growing older. Pat shows that we can age consciously, creatively, and with intention - in a way that reflects our true values and desires.
 
PAT’S LINKS:
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Women Beyond a Certain Age is an award-winning weekly podcast with Denise Vivaldo. She brings her own lively, humorous, and experienced viewpoint to the topics she discusses with her guests. The podcast covers wide-ranging subjects of importance to older women.
 
SHOW LINKS:
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Denise Vivaldo is the host of WBACA. Her info lives here
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Cindie Flannigan is the producer WBACA. Her info lives here
Denise and Cindie’s books

Rottenkid with Brigit Binns

Brigit Binns is a well-known and prolific cookbook author but this week she’s here to talk about her memoir, Rottenkid: A Succulent Story of Survival. Her narrative includes Hollywood stories, an alcoholic actor father, a glamorous narcissistic mother, a bit of political intrigue, world travel, and the search for belonging. It’s a story of both privilege and profound neglect and shows how she found comfort and self-worth in the kitchen. Brigit’s memoir is a testament to female determination and will inspire all who suffer damage from a narcissistic parent.  
Brigit finds happiness in her Paso Robles, California kitchen with her dog Stella and her fabulous husband Casey (AKA the Wine Spectator Paso Wine Man). 
 
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Women Beyond a Certain Age is an award-winning weekly podcast with Denise Vivaldo. She brings her own lively, humorous, and experienced viewpoint to the topics she discusses with her guests. The podcast covers wide-ranging subjects of importance to older women.
 
SHOW LINKS:
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Denise Vivaldo is the host of WBACA. Her info lives here
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Cindie Flannigan wears the rest of the WBACA hats
Denise and Cindie’s books

Laugh to Live with Pamela Rand

Welcome to season 6!
Pamela Rand is with us to chat about the power that laughter has on our health and longevity.
Pamela is an actor, comedian, sketch comedy performer and inspirational speaker. Through her company, Past Primetime Productions, she creates and acts in a wide variety of hilarious sketches across social media platforms. Try not to laugh! https://youtu.be/l3matQTOWzM
You can find out more about Pamela and her work on her website. Watch her videos at Adventures in Feeling Young.
Pamela stays young by meditating, practicing Qigong, and making people laugh. Her favorite quote is--
“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”
Anias Nin
 
PAMELA’S LINKS:
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Women Beyond a Certain Age is an award-winning weekly podcast with Denise Vivaldo. She brings her own lively, humorous, and experienced viewpoint to the topics she discusses with her guests. The podcast covers wide-ranging subjects of importance to older women.
 
SHOW LINKS:
Website
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Email us: WomenBeyond@icloud.com
Denise Vivaldo is the host of WBACA. Her info lives here
More of Denise’s info is here
Cindie Flannigan wears the rest of the WBACA hats
Denise and Cindie’s books

Unwinding Pain with Bonnie Lester

Bonnie Lester is back with us to talk about her new book, to be released on September 5, Unwinding Pain: Affordable and Accessible Ways to Feel Better Today. When you suffer from debilitating chronic pain, living a vibrant, pain-free life may seem impossible. Bonnie’s book is your guide to shake free of the isolation and hopelessness of chronic pain! This is a life-changing guide for chronic pain suffers. Bonnie guides reads through a wealth of simple, budget-friendly, and science-backed methods that are easy to incorporate into daily life.
With an unwavering commitment to helping others reclaim their lives, Bonnie shares the powerful techniques that enabled her to break free from a 30-year battle with one of the most painful neurological syndromes known to humankind. Her expertise is bolstered by advanced training in biopsychosocial chronic pain rehabilitation, cognitive behavioral therapy, the science of well-being, critical incident debriefing, and plant-based nutrition.
 
Bonnie’s transformative journey has been shaped by her diverse roles as a public health educator, social worker, and police chaplain. She holds a master’s degree in psychology and counseling from American International College and a bachelor’s in health science from San Francisco State University. As an ordained interfaith minister from the Chaplaincy Institute in Berkeley, California, Bonnie brings a holistic perspective to healing.
 
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Women Beyond a Certain Age is an award-winning weekly podcast with Denise Vivaldo. She brings her own lively, humorous, and experienced viewpoint to the topics she discusses with her guests. The podcast covers wide-ranging subjects of importance to older women.
 
SHOW LINKS:
Website
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Email us: WomenBeyond@icloud.com
Denise Vivaldo is the host of WBACA. Her info lives here
More of Denise’s info is here
Cindie Flannigan wears the rest of the WBACA hats
Denise and Cindie’s books

Not a Single Date Wasted with Maria Brown

Maria Brown is with us to talk about discovering herself after divorce. Maria is an executive producer and television comedy writer with a Golden Globe Award for the TV series CYBIL, and Emmy nominations for FULLER HOUSE and HANNAH MONTANA (and a whole slew of other awards for Hannah Montana, too!) Maria's article, “I’m a Divorced Women. Was I Ready to be Naked with a New Guy?” was recently published in the L.A. Times.
MARIA’S LINKS:
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Read the article
 
Women Beyond a Certain Age is an award-winning weekly podcast with Denise Vivaldo. She brings her own lively, humorous, and experienced viewpoint to the topics she discusses with her guests. The podcast covers wide-ranging subjects of importance to older women.
 
SHOW LINKS:
Website
Join our Facebook group
Follow our Facebook page
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Episode archive
Email us: WomenBeyond@icloud.com
Denise Vivaldo is the host of WBACA. Her info lives here
More of Denise’s info is here
Cindie Flannigan is the producer WBACA. Her info lives here
Denise and Cindie’s books

Lives Well Lived with Sky Bergman

Sky Bergman is an accomplished, award-winning photographer. Her documentary, Lives Well Lived, was Sky’s directorial debut. Lives Well Lived celebrates the wit and wisdom of people aged 75-100, who reveal their secrets for living a meaningful life. Encompassing 3,000 years of collective life experience, diverse people share life lessons about perseverance, the human spirit, and staying positive in the midst of life’s greatest challenges. Their stories will make you laugh, perhaps cry, but mostly inspire you. Watch the film here or on PBS (This is the 56-minute version. When asked, say that PBS is your local station!).
Her fine art work is included in permanent collections at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Brooklyn Museum, the Seattle Art Museum, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (National Library of France) in Paris. Her book, The Naked & The Nude: Images from the Sculpture Series, includes an introduction by Hèléne Pinet, curator of photography at the Rodin Museum in Paris. She has shot book covers for Random House and Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Inc., and magazine spreads that appeared in Smithsonian, Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel, Reader’s Digest, and Archaeology Odyssey. 
 
Sky Bergman was the former chair of the Art & Design department at Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, CA (2007 – 2013) and is currently a Professor of Photography and Video where she has been teaching since 1995.
 
SKY’S LINKS:
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Women Beyond a Certain Age is an award-winning weekly podcast with Denise Vivaldo. She brings her own lively, humorous, and experienced viewpoint to the topics she discusses with her guests. The podcast covers wide-ranging subjects of importance to older women.
 
SHOW LINKS:
Website
Join our Facebook group
Follow our Facebook page
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Episode archive
Email us: WomenBeyond@icloud.com
Denise Vivaldo is the host of WBACA. Her info lives here
More of Denise’s info is here

How Much is Enough? with Claire Berger

Claire Berger wrote “How Much Is Enough? Getting More by Living with Less” as an interactive memoir, to give voice to the ever-present conversation we’re all having in our heads. How Much Is Enough… Exercise? Religion? Health? Shoes? Family? Food? Claire tackles an array of topics in twenty-two chapters that can be adapted into an entertaining, interactive keynote that will engage audiences in every age and stage of life. Check her website for speaking dates in and around Los Angeles in July!
For over four decades, Claire has been earning a living as a comedian, improv actor, speaker and writer. She began her career in Chicago with The Second City and found big laughs in Los Angeles, earning acclaim as a warm-up comedian on over sixty-five of your favorite sitcoms, including Seinfeld. Claire was also the first comedian HGTV hired to host a series on their network (Fantasy Open House). 
Pivoting from television to corporate boardrooms, Claire helped businesses have fun while getting the job done with her memorable bespoke events.
Claire has always found humor in unlikely places, including Italian kitchens, where she served as resident writer, ambassador and cookbook contributor for two popular culinary immersion programs, Tuscan Women Cook (friends of the podcast!), and Italian Culinary Adventures.
CLAIRE’S LINKS:
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Women Beyond a Certain Age is an award-winning weekly podcast with Denise Vivaldo. She brings her own lively, humorous, and experienced viewpoint to the topics she discusses with her guests. The podcast covers wide-ranging subjects of importance to older women.
 
SHOW LINKS:
Website
Join our Facebook group
Follow our Facebook page
Instagram
Episode archive
Email us: WomenBeyond@icloud.com
Denise Vivaldo is the host of WBACA. Her info lives here
More of Denise’s info is here
Cindie Flannigan is the producer WBACA. Her info lives here
Denise and Cindie’s books