Citing her age at somewhere between 5 and 100 years old (decide for yourself, she suggests), Luxor Tavella revels in beauty, art and mystery. Forty three years ago -- after leaving her native Milan and studying textiles in London -- she opened her Soho fashion boutique, Paracelso. It is her gallery, a living work of art. Visited by famous artists and designers – including Alexander McQueen – and customers who have been buying from Luxor’s collections for decades, this ‘icon of West Broadway’ has a style uniquely her own. From riding camels in the Sahara (and changing her name from Bianca to Luxor) to studying with zen masters, Luxor’s life and survival through the gentrification of Soho is testimony to following one’s heart and love of beauty. Visit Paracelso at 510 Broome Street for an extraordinary few hours with this graceful and wise maven of creativity and beauty. 

And for a video of Luxor, check out http://www.stylelikeu.com/profiles-2/closets/luxor-tavella/

Janice Zarro Brodman is a writer and political activist who busts norms and defies categories. That’s why she wrote her recently released book, “Sex Rules!: Astonishing Sexual Practices and Gender Roles Around the World". Like Janice, the book entertains, challenges and delights with little known "astonishing" sexual, romantic and relationship mores from around the world.  With humor and affection, the book might change your entire perspective on that most basic drive, sexuality. A perfect Two Old Bitches guest: she recently left a 25-year career working in international development and is now infusing her vast experience of travel around the world and political activism in the U.S. into her writing life. Janice will only give clues to her age (best we can tell, she’s somewhere between 60 and 70), but who cares? Her passion, her inquisitiveness, and her pursuit of justice are relevant at every age. So order her book, listen to her reading excerpts from it on this interview, and stay tuned for more about astonishing sex and gender roles from Janice in the decades to come.  

Order Janice's book at: https://www.amazon.com/Sex-Rules-Astonishing-Sexual-Practices-ebook/dp/B06WW2QX97

“If you’re in love with what you’re doing., what are you going to retire for? ...What are you going to do for the next 25 years?”

For 63-year old Martha Cortes, it's all about oxygen. An internationally recognized leader in restorative aesthetic dentistry, Martha says that oxygen is the best supplement there is. She uses holistic and innovative practices to expand people's airways so they get the maximum amount for overall health and well-being. She's not like any other dentist we (or you) have ever met. A creative scientist and researcher, Martha was born in Colombia and raised in the States. She was President of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (twice) and was the first woman and Latinx to hold that position. With wide-ranging curiosity, confidence and endless energy, retirement is not an option for Martha, now or in the coming years. Martha is as intriguing as she is intrigued by life, from health and science to art and dancing. As a child, she danced flamenco, but these days it’s dancing tango with “taxis” that gets her out of the office. Taxis? Listen and learn.

“Sexism on its own is so ugly. When you pair it with ageism, it is devastating.”

“Why is our view of late life so unrelievedly grim when the lived reality is so different?” Writer and activist Ashton Applewhite, 65, set out to answer that question almost a decade ago. What she discovered is at the heart of her successful blogs, This Chair Rocks and Yo, Is This Ageist? and her recent her book, This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism, a must-read for old and young. Today, Ashton continues to blog and speak with passion and unshakeable determination to mobilize more of us in the fight to make discrimination on the basis of age as unacceptable as any other kind. Her recent TED talk has already garnered over 1 million viewers. Not surprising, since Ashton makes her case not just with facts but humor. She’s a funny woman! In fact, her first book, Truly Tasteless Jokes, and its three sequels reveal “a weakness for the kind of jokes that make you cringe and guffaw at the same time.” They also made publishing history by occupying four of fifteen spots on the New York Times bestseller list. Ashton is also the author of another stereotype-busting book: Cutting Loose: Why Women Who End Their Marriages Do So Well, which Ms. magazine described as “rocket fuel for launching new lives.” Ashton is a kindred spirit who shares our goal to explode myths about gender and aging and re-define what it means to be a woman at any age.

"When you’re in a band, there’s a dance you’re all doing. When it works it’s orgasmic. Everyone is listening, moving together. It’s perfect. " - Diane Scanlon  

"I’ve gone from religious to righteous, and now, to rebellious." - Freida Williams

In their 50s and 60s and still as hot as ever, Freida Williams and Diane Scanlon love performing together. They are long-time friends and supporters for each other in a testosterone-driven, ageist music business. They’re both committed to using their music and talents to reverse mounting sexist and racist practices and rhetoric throughout the U.S. This was a joyful first-ever Two Old Bitches interview of two friends together. And we cannot begin to thank them for their insights, their magical voices and their boundless creativity!

Race is for me the bottom line. When I’m seen, I’m seen as black more than a woman.  Maybe that’s a reality of being a black woman.

We met up with Inca Alexandrina Mohamed, 63, on her 'graduation' day, after a three-year apprenticeship to deepen her work on racial justice. Her reflections on her journey as a Black woman, a lesbian, a 'new world creation' and a social justice leader are illuminating and captivating. Inca artfully blends smart, strategic thinking with heart and liberating playfulness. Her facilitation work --helping groups of people committed to social change to get to where they want to go-- is as successful as it is joyful. That’s how Inca  rolls, all the while dressed with colorful and distinctive style. Her lifelong commitment to racial and gender justice and to young people is undiminished by time though it is evolving and taking new forms. Listen, learn and laugh as we talk with this bright spirit who shares how she is giving birth to an even more intentionally loving and free version of herself.

"I’m someone who’s very lucky. I didn’t come from anything fancy. I’ve always been determined to do whatever it was I should be doing. There’s nothing in the arts that I haven’t attempted. I’m still at it."

At 86, Sondra Lee is simply unstoppable.  At 16, she stormed a Broadway theater after auditions were over and landed not only a part but a lifelong friend, Jerome Robbins. Robbins was the one one who cast her as the original Tiger Lily in Peter Pan, an unforgettable performance on the stage and television. Over the years, her career expanded to directing, teaching and coaching, as well as painting and sculpting. Whether she is reflecting on her friendship and affair with Marlon Brando or sharing insights about feminist organizing in New York City in the 1970s, her skill as a storyteller makes each aspect of her fascinating life a lesson in standing up for yourself, following your dreams, and kindness. Sondra’s first memoir, I’ve Slept with Everybody, introduces us to the legions of well-known people she’s known and loved. Her upcoming book – As I Was Saying – will tell her fans even more. Now at the point in life where the obituaries in the morning paper too often include her friends, Sondra continues to face disappointment and loss with her old stand- by: Getting to work!

"I’d like to write the great American novel, but I don’t think I’m the person to do that. I think I’m the person to find that.”

Whether you’re thinking about writing a book or just love reading them, you’ll want to listen in on our conversation with Malaga Baldi. At 61, Malaga has been a literary agent for more than 30 years and shares her wisdom about publishing, writing and living a good life (“delayed satisfaction is muy importante!”). She is living what we call ‘the gravy years’: fully enjoying her professional, family and personal life and marveling that she got the life she wanted, including the ice cream.  What’s it like to reach the point where you finally get to be the person you want to be? Listen to Malaga and find out!

And for more about the authors Malaga represents and the books she loves, check out www.baldibooks.com

"Certainly I have felt many times that I’m hovering over an abyss. But you have to make that leap over to  get to the other side."

"I am what I am. I have defined who I am. I no longer have to be careful with what I say because it might offend some organizational rules. So I’m able to be the best of what I can be. Unfold my highest goal. I’m free!" 

Socorro Reyes, 68, hasn’t run for political office --yet-- but she’s a politician at heart! She’s an irrepressible and principled pragmatist who artfully navigates the legislative process to advance her life-long passions: human rights and gender justice. Socorro advises parliamentarians and is a Senior Advisor at The Center for Legislative Development International in the Philippines. She returned to her country in 2011 after leaving her job as the Chief, Asia-Pacific and Arab States at UN Women in New York. Socorro is now reaping the harvest of years of work as an advocate, a teacher, and a mentor. Her activism takes many forms, including her advocacy for the release of Senator Leila de Lima, who has been detained by the repressive administration of Philippine President Duterte (see link below).  Socorro's love of politics is balanced by her devotion to her granddaughters, her unquenchable curiosity, and a spirituality that -- as she says -- grows exponentially as her mortality becomes more real!

To add your voice to those advocating for the release of Philippine Senator Leila de Lima, sign the petition here! 

"I think about that wonderful Adrienne Rich quote that the genius of a spider is that she weaves and spins at the same time. That for me is the guiding principle in writing: to weave and spin at the same time."

Jaune Evans is a modern day Renaissance woman! At 66, she’s a writer, visual artist, activist and Zen priest. Through a life she describes as a "crazy quilt,” she worked her way through college as a cocktail waitress, was the first camerawoman at NBC, a baker and a foundation executive. (That’s just a partial list.) Today, she runs the Tamalpais Trust, a foundation supporting indigenous communities, while serving as a priest at Everyday Zen in the Bay Area and offering arresting dharma talks that exude wisdom, warmth and wit. (There’s a link below to listen to those talks.) She has --and is-- writing her own story with gratitude to the "women helpers," from therapists to a host of women creative heroes, that she’s turned to along the way. Jaune is also a member in good standing of the "Better, Deeper, More Club" (so are we!). When you listen to our conversation with her, you'll learn more about the Club and surely want to join! To catch a glimpse of her collages and photographs, see our website for a few samples and links to more. www.twooldbitches.com

"We were convinced of our ideas. That gave us the power to confront the tragic situation of the dictatorships. The truth is that we were ready to die for what we believe."

Ana Falu, 69, is a brilliant Argentinian architect, academic, and activist with the charisma and elegance of the sexiest 40’s movie stars. As a lifelong feminist, Ana’s life spanned exile during the dictatorships of Latin America in the 70s, a return to Argentina to re-build democracy, and decades of strengthening global women’s rights movements. Reflecting on nearly 50 years of political organizing and advocacy -- and despite the current setbacks -- Ana still exudes optimism and a profound belief in the power of the next generation to push for change. Her passion infuses the political and the personal, enabling Ana to seamlessly blend her activism, her family, love and sex. Yes, we said sex. And so does Ana!

Aruna Rao, 61, is co-founder and Executive Director of Gender at Work, a global network of people dedicated to building cultures of equality. She dreams of  singing “the blues like Nina Simone and rock like Janis Joplin!” And, as you’ll hear in this episode, she has the voice to do it. She's lived and worked in more countries than anyone we know, growing up as the daughter of an Indian diplomat who moved from Pondicherry, to southern Africa, Canada, Japan, the U.S. and many more places. A disrupter-at-heart, Aruna's writings and voice have had a reverberating impact on the way we understand how invisible and entrenched gender discrimination operates in our workplaces, our communities and in countries across the world. With resident Bitch Joanne Sandler and colleagues David Kelleher and Carol Miller, Aruna wrote Gender at Work: Theory and Practice for 21st Century Organizations, released just last year. And good news: Aruna and her colleagues at Gender at Work are starting their own podcast in the next couple of weeks, so check out www.genderatwork.com and join with Aruna and Gender at Work to put patriarchy on life support and then pull the plug!!

My husband, when I married him, was a very shy man. He always got third billing. He would always say, “Dodo, you have the talent of an amateur and the temperament of a star!”

Dodo Berk is 102 years old and a “star” to everyone who knows her. She is the vibrant matriarch of a large and loving family, the doyenne of the condominium where she lives on Lido Beach in Long Island and the unofficial Recreational Director at the Florida assisted living center where she spends the winter. In our conversation with her, Dodo broke out into song at the drop of a hat, told stories artfully, and shared raunchy jokes with the panache of a vaudeville comedian. She is the grandmother of a good friend, James Jacoby, and we’d heard about her escapades for years. Launching Two Old Bitches was a great excuse for us to travel to Lido Beach and spend the afternoon with Dodo and her daughter, Sandra. Dodo describes herself as strong, direct but “not bossy.“ We found her to be generous, loving, and downright  incorrigible. A child of the Great Depression, she appreciated every change and every gift that her life brought her way and made the most of it. For Dodo, when you don’t get what you want, you have to remember, “There’s always a substitute menu.”

We joined Radhika Balakrishnan, 58, for a conversation about politics, economics and bitchcraft right before Christmas. Radhika is an activist, a to-the-bone feminist and an economist. In fact, she was part of the small group of women who first coined the term and established the field of feminist economics just decades ago. A professor at Rutgers University, Radhika ran their Center for Women’s Global Leadership for about six years, before recently assuming the role of Faculty Director. She travels the world working with women’s organizations, training activists and even advising some more enlightened governments.  Here in the States, Radhika was appointed by New York Mayor Bill De Blasio to serve on the City's Commission for Gender Equality. Radhika’s passion, optimism and outrage blend beautifully into her activist and academic lives. She is irrepressible. We know that you’ll feel as inspired as we do by her courage and insights in these challenging times.

“There is so much toxicity in ‘bitch’ --all the misogyny, all the hatred of women. And then to add ‘old' to it.  It’s everything terrifying and awful. All the more reason to glorify it!"

Alta Starr, 65, is a coach, trainer and writer who has a dazzling way with words and an exuberant sense of humor.  A former teacher, radio news and music producer, and grantmaker, these days Alta only does the work she loves now. Rather than worry about making lots of money, she trusts that “everything is already all right,” a Black Southern saying. Alta is a skilled practitioner of somatics, a holistic change theory for individuals and groups to embody new ways of being and action that align with their values and longings. She has a private coaching practice for individuals, many on a pro bono basis, and trains groups such as BOLD (Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity). Listen to how this wise woman composes her life and reveals her secret for fully enjoying being alive.

“The women in my family kept working, never saw any kind of deadline –‘Oh well, now I’ll retire and not do anything.’ I think that’s what I’ll do as well, and hope I’ll get a few more things done before it’s over.”

Carol Jenkins, 72, award-winning news broadcast journalist, author, and “always an agitator” has “retired” many times only to find herself moving on to the next new thing. After 25 years at NBC as a news anchor and correspondent, she hosted a talk show, Carol Jenkins Live on WNYW, and then went on to become a farmer –yes, that’s right a farmer. When Gloria Steinem, a close friend, called one day and casually asked her what she was doing, Carol answered, “Right now? I’m herding turkeys.”  She was also caring for her aging mother and writing a book with her daughter Elizabeth Gardner Hines: Black Titan, about her millionaire and civil rights activist uncle, A.J. Gaston. Life after the farm? Carol was Founding President of The Women’s Media Center for years and then retired, to help rear her grandchildren and begin writing another book on her family’s long experience in journalism as a window on gender and racial bias in media. Last year she came out of retirement –again--  to return to New York television as host of Black America, a new TV series on CUNY-TV about what it means to be Black in America today. Hope you’ll listen to our joyful conversation with this deservedly well-known storyteller and unflagging social justice activist.

In these challenging times, we need wise women more than ever! For the last 40 years, Noeleen Heyzer, 68, has been a courageous and influential thinker and advocate for women’s rights, workers’ rights, climate justice and so many other issues. Until 2015, she was the United Nations Under-Secretary General for the entire Asia-Pacific region and, from 1994 to 2007, she was the Executive Director for the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). Noeleen’s leadership, writing and actions have inspired many thousands of men and women – including her two phenomenal and talented daughters, Pauline and Lilianne -- to stand up, speak up and make a difference in the world.  She now lives in Thailand and Singapore, so we were thrilled to catch up with Noeleen when she visited New York in September 2016 and to hear what she’s been thinking about since her retirement from the United Nations. Find out more about Noeleen at this website: http://noeleenheyzer.com. In the meantime, hope you’ll find Noeleen’s words as inspiring as we did!

And, a special note to our colleagues from UNIFEM: We loved reminiscing and talking about all of the strategies and changes we collectively were able to support during those amazing years. This conversation is a tribute to all of you wherever you are!!!


Musical credits:

Sweet Honey in the Rock: Ella's Song

Bob Marley: Get Up Stand Up

Jane Summer, 62, describes herself as a writer and as "the most downwardly mobile person" she knows. Writing is her passion and affliction. At 55, she transformed her life and returned to school for an MFA. Searching for her story, she remembered a precious friendship: While working at Women's Wear Daily in the late 1970s, Jane's colleague, Kay, boarded Air New Zealand flight 901 to Antarctica, never to return. Jane's book, Erebus, is an homage to memory, mystery, love and loss. Visit Jane's website at http://janegsp.wixsite.com/janesummer to learn about Jane's other books and articles. And spend 30 minutes with Jane and Two Old Bitches as we explore finding your story, life without a plan, and the many gifts of family.