50 Women Over 50 Podcast: Confidence Born Out Of Experience

 In its brief history (2005? -- present) podcasting has been dominated by men. As podcasting has become more popular, women have engaged more with the medium, both as podcasters and as listeners. According to Podnews, women have started closing the gender gap in the last five years. In 2017, only 44 percent of U.S. 18+ monthly podcast listeners were female. In 2022, 48 percent are female, more closely mirroring the U.S. population.

In their report, Podnews reported that over half of women listeners say they would listen to more podcasts if there were more that included female stories and perspectives (55 percent). And 52 percent say they would listen to more podcasts if there were more hosted by women.

So with that background of growing female representation in making, hosting, and listening to podcasts, it's no surprise that a podcast like 50 Women Over 50 would thrive in today's crowded podcast marketplace.

  50 Women Over 50 is marketed as: "A podcast for women whose personal confidence is borne of experience. Interviews with 50 women to learn how they see the world; what lessons they've learned; what advice they have for the listeners."

Creator and host Sherilynne Starkie has plenty of experience in media in a number of roles. She has worked in marketing and PR agencies for more than 20 years in Canada, Britain, and the USA (including running her own agency).

Starkie started out as a writer, then became an editor and a publication manager. She then moved into media relations, internal communications, and other marketing communications, such as direct mail and email marketing.

Blogging since 2004, Starkie admits, "I've developed a deep understanding of Internet marketing and social networks. I built a reputation as a social media ‘guru’ back when that was the fashion, and today digital communications is at the center of my work."

Starkie continues: "Lately, I’ve been helping organizations deal with some big challenges–everything from dealing with market disruption (think Uber) to aging workforces (think trade unions) to reputation management (think citizen engagement)."

Started in October 2022, the podcast began fittingly with Anna Epps, a professional portrait photographer who had a similar goal as Starkie. In Epps's case, she wanted to photograph 50 women over 50 before her 50th birthday. She's now photographed over 300 women, and her profile made for a terrific first episode that set the tone for the podcast going forward.

One of my favorite episodes is a recent one. Marjorie Turner Hollman celebrated turning 50 by getting married to a younger man.  She has written four best-selling Easy Walks books and has recently released her fifth book, a personal memoir entitled, My Liturgy of Easy Walks: Reclaiming Hope in a World Turned Upside Down.

Hollman is a fascinating guest, evincing a strength of character and vulnerability that is captivating. In the episode, she tells Starkie that her husband convinced her to use these ski poles to help her hike and navigate trails. She admits that she resisted that suggestion because she dislikes change, which is an attribute we can all understand.

Since life-saving surgery left her paralyzed on her right side almost 30 years ago, Hollman has been on, what she calls, "a healing journey." That journey included walking outdoor trails throughout New England. Her books focus on helping others, especially those with mobility challenges, get out and enjoy the outdoors. 

In the episode, Starkie shows her strong hosting skills. Podcast hosting is difficult enough, but when you have to interview a guest every episode, the degree of difficulty approaches that of a quadruple jump in figure skating. Starkie is definitely up to the task. She knows how to help her guests unfold their stories gradually and not blurt out everything at once. 

Starkie is prepared and not afraid to blend her opinions, experiences, and insights into the interview. That is extremely difficult to do. She does it well, like a perfect martini with three olives, of course. As the producer, Starkie brings solid production values to the podcast, and the background music handles its role perfectly -- as an intro, an outro, and a transition signal.

Another episode of note welcomed award-winning newscaster Rita Rich from Westwood One, who describes her grief at suddenly becoming a widow. As she entered her fifth decade, Rita became the primary caregiver for her aged parents-in-law. A short time after they both passed, Rita also lost the love of her life. Her husband Chuck died suddenly, and she found herself on her own for the first time ever.

“You go into a sense of shock. You'll always love them, but it takes a while to fall out of love,” explains Rita. “It’s one of those stages of mourning that I think people don't get until they're in it.” 

Grief is a raw emotion that can paralyze a podcast, but Starkie as the interviewer, and Rich as the guest are superb at relating the trauma of grief and its aftermath.

Perhaps my favorite episode was about "Grandma." If you haven't noticed, Baby Boomer grandparents have gone to great lengths to avoid being called Grandpa and Grandma. Today, we have MiMi, Nona, PopPop, and Geepa, and even G-Ma. There are endless permutations floating around.

In this episode, award-winning author and media personality Kathy Buckworth shares her mission to change the narrative about grandparenting. Her goal is to break the stereotypical view of the older generation as past it, doddering or old-fashioned. Today’s grandparents are healthy, active and living life to the fullest.

Buckworth has expertise in this area, since she hosts the “Go to Grandma” show on Zoomer Radio, and she syncs well with Starkie and the listeners due to her media experience.

********

There is a balance and sense of distance that provides clarity to these stories of women over 50. Whatever a person's gender or gender identification, our life stories are only in the first few chapters in our 20s and early 30s.  

What Starkie has done is offer her audience that sense of perspective and retrospective. Her subjects include a woman who was once a welfare mom and is now a successful author. Or a former police officer who experienced the horror of sexual assault twice in her life and started an advocacy organization called Silent No Longer Tennessee to help and support others. 

For many of these women on the podcast, life is just getting better. What we learn from Starkie is that these women have the grit, intelligence, and perseverance to construct a life in which they are set the rules, determine their path, and give back to the world.

Check out 50 Women Over 50 podcast.