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.

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• (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

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.

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• (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

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 Light 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

Hosted by Trudy Callaghan and Lisa Austin

Produced by Odvod Media

Audio Engineering by Steve Glen

Original music by Darrin Hagen

The conversation centers on creativity for people of a certain age. Lisa is inspired by a writing workshop led by Krista Vernoff, so she and Trudy explore the challenges and obstacles to creativity, such as societal expectations and the publishing industry's youth-driven focus. If creativity is inherent, shouldn’t it be pursued regardless of age? Lisa shares her experience learning Italian and the importance of starting small. They highlight the need for "margins" in life to engage in creative activities and encourage listeners to embrace their creative potential without fear of being too late or questioning the point of the pursuit.

Read our blog: CroneCast.ca

Share your questions and comments at https://cronecast.ca/contact. We want to hear from you about all things crone.

--Chapters--

• (00:42) - Krista Vernoff's Expressive Writing Workshop
• (04:08) - Exploring Creativity at Different Life Stages
• (07:03) - The Importance of Purpose in Creativity
• (09:35) - Finding Margins for Creativity
• (13:34) - Inspiration and Overcoming Obstacles
• (22:03) - Reflecting on Childhood Interests
• (24:43) - Contributing Creatively to the World
• (26:07) - Encouraging Listeners to Be Creative

--Credits--

Hosted by Trudy Callaghan and Lisa Austin

Produced by Odvod Media

Audio Engineering by Steve Glen

Original music by Darrin Hagen

Trudy and Lisa discuss the positive feedback the episode about grief received from listeners of all ages and experiences. Trudy talks about the wonderful and unexpected engagement from diverse listeners. They also reflect on the importance of inclusive spaces and our evolving roles and identities as we age. A rousing debate about the necessity of having some women-only spaces versus only inclusive ones ensues, with Trudy emphasizing her desire to participate in spaces with all genders. Both hosts highlight the importance of adapting to new technologies while maintaining a sense of joy and adventure in life.

Read our blog: CroneCast.ca

Share your questions and comments at https://cronecast.ca/contact. We want to hear from you about all things crone.

--Chapters--

• (00:34) - Intro
• (02:56) - Seeing Oneself in Stories
• (07:59) - Space to Be
• (14:33) - Networking
• (17:28) - Changing roles
• (21:14) - Explaining
• (24:53) - Pace
• (28:06) - Close

--Credits—

Hosted by Trudy Callaghan and Lisa Austin

Produced by Odvod Media

Audio Engineering by Steve Glen

Original music by Darrin Hagen