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Don't Be Caged By Your Age

Don't Be Caged By Your Age

Written by: Ande Lyons
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About this listen

A Pro Aging Podcast! Through weekly conversations with folks who shattered age-related expectations, you’ll find the resources, ideas and inspiration you need to thrive after 65!

© 2026 Don't Be Caged By Your Age
Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Self-Help Social Sciences Success
Episodes
  • The 5 Pillars of Aging Well with Robin Kencel
    Jan 22 2026

    What does it truly mean to age with purpose?

    In this episode, I’m joined by Robin Kencel - founding real estate broker at Compass in Greenwich, Connecticut, reigning Ms. Connecticut Senior America, and U.S. Pro-Am Ballroom Champion - for a delicious conversation about aging with intention, confidence, and joy.

    Robin shares how her lived experiences, leadership, and deep listening skills shaped the social impact work she’s doing today around empowered aging.

    We explore her Five Pillars of Aging Well, the importance of emotional health and acceptance, and why aging can be an expansion of possibility rather than a limitation.

    This conversation is an invitation to reflect on your own life, reconnect with what matters most, and embrace aging as a powerful chapter of growth and purpose.

    In this episode, we explore:

    • Why aging can be an expansion of possibilities, not a narrowing
    • How emotional well-being and acceptance support aging well
    • How living with intention helps uncover purpose at any age

    If you’re ready to stop being caged by age and start living more fully, this episode is for you.

    To learn more about Robin work in Aging with Purpose, please visit: https://robinkencel.com

    If you found inspiration from this conversation, please rate, review and share this episode.

    I’d love to hear your thoughts, so be sure to hop on over to Don’t Be Caged By Your Age on LinkedIn or Instagram. Or leave a message on the website here.

    ☕ Love listening to Don’t Be Caged By Your Age? Join the movement to end ageism and celebrate pro-aging!

    For just $5 a cup, you can sponsor the podcast and help:
    ✨ Amplify inspiring voices
    ✨ Break age-related stereotypes
    ✨ Reach more listeners worldwide
    💻 Visit: Buy Me A Coffee

    Every cup makes a difference - thank you! 🧡

    Waving from Boston – cheers!

    Ande ♥

    CONNECT with me online - I'd love to learn how you're shattering ageism!

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/andelyons/
    https://www.instagram.com/dontbecagedbyyourage

    SPONSORSHIP
    If you resonate with the show’s mission of shattering ageism and age-related expectations so folks can thrive after 65, please reach out to me to learn more about making an impact through sponsoring the Don’t Be Caged By Your Age podcast – ande@dontbecagedbyyourage.com.

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    36 mins
  • EP 82 How Older Women Can Reclaim Power, Purpose & Visibility
    Jan 8 2026

    What happens when women refuse to fade quietly with age?

    In this powerful episode of Don’t Be Caged By Your Age, I sit down with renowned feminist scholar and cultural critic Susan J. Douglas, author of In Our Prime - How Older Women Are Reinventing the Road Ahead, to explore the intersection of sexism and ageism — and why older women are uniquely positioned to reshape the road ahead.

    Susan shares what fueled her decades-long focus on sexism in media and culture, and why she believes gendered ageism is one of the most urgent — and overlooked — issues facing women today. Together, we unpack how society pressures women to become invisible as they age, why intergenerational solidarity matters, and how reclaiming visibility is both a personal and political act.

    This conversation is a rallying cry for women 65+ who are seeking fulfillment, purpose, and success on their own terms — and a reminder that aging can be a time of expansion, activism, and becoming.

    ✨ If you’re ready to age out loud, challenge limiting narratives, and step fully into your prime, this episode is for you.

    In this episode, we discuss:

    • Why sexism alone doesn’t explain women’s experiences of aging
    • What gendered ageism looks like in media, marketing, and culture
    • The importance of intergenerational feminism and bridge-building
    • Reclaiming visibility, purpose, and agency after 65
    • Why older women matter — now more than ever

    This episode is an invitation to women 65+ — and to anyone who believes aging is about becoming, not declining — to step fully into their prime.

    To learn more about Susan, her current book In Our Prime, and her other extraordinary achievements and books, and her current role as the Catherine Neafie Kellogg Professor of Communication Studies at The University of Michigan - please visit her website here.

    If you found inspiration from this conversation, please rate, review and share this episode.

    I’d love to hear your thoughts, so be sure to hop on over to Don’t Be Caged By Your Age on LinkedIn or Instagram. Or leave a message on the website here.

    ☕ Love listening to Don’t Be Caged By Your Age? Join the movement to end ageism and celebrate pro-aging!

    For just $5 a cup, you can sponsor the podcast and help:
    ✨ Amplify inspiring voices
    ✨ Break age-related stereotypes
    ✨ Reach more listeners worldwide
    💻 Visit: Buy Me A Coffee

    Every cup makes a difference - thank you! 🧡

    Waving from Boston – cheers!

    Ande ♥

    CONNECT with me online - I'd love to learn how you're shattering ageism!

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/andelyons/
    https://www.instagram.com/dontbecagedbyyourage

    SPONSORSHIP
    If you resonate with the show’s mission of shattering ageism and age-related expectations so folks can thrive after 65, please reach out to me to learn more about making an impact through sponsoring the Don’t Be Caged By Your Age podcast – ande@dontbecagedbyyourage.com.

    Show More Show Less
    47 mins
  • Writing Memoirs and Aging well in Japan
    Dec 18 2025

    What does it mean to age with purpose, curiosity, and conviction — especially while living in another country?

    In this episode of Don’t Be Caged By Your Age, I sit down with Robert W. Norris, a 75-year-old Vietnam War conscientious objector, longtime resident of Japan, retired university professor, and author of multiple novels and memoirs ... two of which he wrote in his seventies.

    Robert shares his extraordinary life journey, from growing up in Northern California to refusing to fight in the Vietnam War and serving time in a military prison, to settling in Japan in 1983. We talk about what it’s really like to age as a foreigner in Japan, how older adults are viewed, and the realities that exist beyond the romanticized version many of us imagine.

    We also explore the power of writing later in life, the influence of his mother on his memoirs, the importance of staying physically active and socially connected, and why intergenerational relationships matter so deeply as we age.

    Robert’s story is a powerful reminder that aging isn’t a closing chapter ... it’s an invitation to keep showing up fully.

    To learn more about Robert's wonderful memoirs, please visit his website here.

    If you found inspiration from this conversation, please rate, review and share this episode.

    I’d love to hear your thoughts, so be sure to hop on over to Don’t Be Caged By Your Age on LinkedIn or Instagram. Or leave a message on the website here.

    ☕ Love listening to Don’t Be Caged By Your Age? Join the movement to end ageism and celebrate pro-aging!

    For just $5 a cup, you can sponsor the podcast and help:
    ✨ Amplify inspiring voices
    ✨ Break age-related stereotypes
    ✨ Reach more listeners worldwide
    💻 Visit: Buy Me A Coffee

    Every cup makes a difference - thank you! 🧡

    Waving from Boston – cheers!

    Ande ♥

    CONNECT with me online - I'd love to learn how you're shattering ageism!

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/andelyons/
    https://www.instagram.com/dontbecagedbyyourage

    SPONSORSHIP
    If you resonate with the show’s mission of shattering ageism and age-related expectations so folks can thrive after 65, please reach out to me to learn more about making an impact through sponsoring the Don’t Be Caged By Your Age podcast – ande@dontbecagedbyyourage.com.

    Show More Show Less
    41 mins
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