Two Old Bitches: Stories from Women who Reimagine, Reinvent and Rebel

What happens when a woman decides she will no longer be quiet—on stage or in life? That question is at the heart of our conversation with Alison Buchanan, an internationally respected soprano, teacher, and the Artistic Director of Pegasus Opera Company. Alison has spent decades building a career in spaces that were never designed for her, and she's done it by refusing to shrink, soften, or be anything less than her full, "precocious" self. You may recognize Alison's voice from Netflix's Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, but her story reaches far beyond that moment. She talks openly with us about finding her "precocious" voice early, including walking out of her church at age 11 because the pastor couldn't explain where the dinosaurs were in Genesis and surviving a rigid industry that told her "Black people shouldn't sing opera." We delve into the physical power of the "hoo-ha," the reality of keeping your "mojo" as you age, and how grief and menopause live in the body. This episode marks our return after a long break, and it reminds us why these conversations matter. Alison's life and work show that getting older doesn't mean fading out; it means getting clearer, braver, and finally saying what you've always known to be true. Connect with Alison: Instagram: @alibuchanan68 Website: pegasusoperacompany.org Credits & Sound Clips: OverRuleBritannia - Alison Buchanan ft. Kharleone | Pegasus Opera Company Habanera - Alison Buchanan and The Bedford Choral Society Visit www.twooldbitches.com Follow us on Instagram @twooldbitches, Twitter @TwoOldBitches, Facebook @TwoOBPodcast Created, Produced and hosted by Joanne Sandler & Idelisse Malavé

Ai-jen Poo is a woman who cares. That caring shapes her activism as a next-generation labor leader, a gifted organizer, campaigner, advocate and author. Ai-jen is also faithful. At the threshold of the second half of life –she just turned 50— she has spent the last 25 or more years dedicated to growing a domestic workers' movement. Always crucial yet routinely undervalued, family caregivers are more and more essential as our nation ages, as we age. Ai-jen founded and leads the National Domestic Workers Alliance, a network of more than 70 local affiliate organizations and chapters and over 200,000 members that, in 12 short years, passed Domestic Worker Bills of Rights in 10 states and two municipalities and brought over 2 million home care workers under minimum wage protections. In 2011 she launched Caring Across Generations to unite American families in a campaign to achieve bold solutions to the nation's crumbling care infrastructure. A leading voice in women's movements, five years ago Ai-jen along with two other amazing women leaders, Cecile Richards and Alicia Garza co-founded Supermajority to build a powerful women's voting bloc to ensure our freedoms and priorities, an effort needed even more today in light of the recent elections. The author of the celebrated book, The Age of Dignity: Preparing for the Elder Boom in a Changing America, Ai-jen's brilliance, imagination and hard work have earned her a MacArthur "Genius Award," a seat on the Board of Trustees of the Ford Foundation and a walk on a Hollywood red carpet with Meryl Streep. If like us you could use a fix of possibility, dare we say hope, in these dark days, join our conversation with Ai-jen, starting with her explanation of why campaigns are like love affairs. ------------------------------ Visit www.twooldbitches.com Follow us on Instagram @twooldbitches, Twitter @TwoOldBitches, Facebook @TwoOBPodcast Created, Produced and hosted by Joanne Sandler & Idelisse Malavé Edited by Jeyda Bicer Social media management by Loubna Bouajaj

Meenu Vadera greets the world and all it has to offer with curiosity and buckets of ideas and inspiration. We met Meenu in Delhi more than 10 years ago. A friend wisely advised us to hire newly-trained women chauffeurs to drive us around the city. These inspiring and fierce young women had graduated from the program that Meenu founded and led – Sakha Cabs for Women and its sister organization, Azad Foundation, which trains low-income women to become drivers. It continues to grow with more than 5,000 women in Delhi and other Indian cities prepared to work as private chauffeurs, taxi drivers, bus drivers and now in the newest initiative –as long-haul tractor trailer drivers! Meenu is both creating opportunities and safety for women, as well as challenging and changing the transport industry. That's Meenu. She makes the impossible possible. Which is why she has received numerous awards for being a groundbreaking social impact entrepreneur, a feminist inspiration to activists everywhere and a champion of women's and young people's leadership. As she enters her 60s, we wanted to hear about how she is thinking about what's next in her work (if any feminist angel investors are reading this blurb, Meenu wants to hear from you!)], what she thinks about 'later daters' and pursuing pleasure, and how she interjects so much joy and generosity into the world. We are so thrilled that you get to share a part of the amazing energy that Meenu shared with us! ------------------------------ Visit www.twooldbitches.com Follow us on Instagram @twooldbitches, Twitter @TwoOldBitches, Facebook @TwoOBPodcast Created, Produced and hosted by Joanne Sandler & Idelisse Malavé Edited by Jeyda Bicer Social media management by Loubna Bouajaj

When the world is too much to bear, we go shopping. When we celebrate, we also go shopping. When we're bored or in search of distraction...you guessed it: we shop. Conflicted feminists suffering from rampant consumerism? Perhaps, but it's also our form of meditation and imagination, of reconnecting with ancient rites of hunting and gathering. This episode about shopping – in New York City and Santa Fe – is a tribute to women. Firstly, the women who taught us to shop: our mothers. And it is a celebration of all the women artists and shopkeepers who valiantly – and we deeply value their vision and courage – immerse themselves in the beauty, the fabrics, the designs and personal expression that goes into stocking and staging their stores. We feature interviews with three NYC iconic owner/founders who have had their stores for 30 to 40 years: Luxor Tavela (who sadly passed away 2 years ago and whose artist husband, Jeffrey, is keeping it open!), founder of Paracelso in Soho; Vici of Muleh in Chelsea, NYC; and Rene of Rene on the Upper East Side of NYC. We also visit with Guadalupe Goler of Goler Shoes in Santa Fe. All of these women are artists, steeped in passion, creativity and care for their clients. All are immigrants who brought their love of fashion and their dreams to the U.S. All have had clients for many decades who are now bringing their daughters and granddaughters to these temples of style. We also include some tips on shopping New York City's iconic department store – Century 21 (which Idelisse calls 'the mother ship') and give listeners a quick rundown of some of the best older-women-fashionista sites and influencers. So let us take you with us to some of our favorite boutiques and shopping experiences and – whether you're bored, celebrating, looking for distractions or actually need clothes – please visit these amazing stores and artist-owners. And we'd love to know about any special boutiques that you treasure – anywhere in the world – and also hope you take our style quiz to explore, a bit more, what you're saying when you get dressed. Enjoy!! Visit these stores and be completely wow'ed! - In New York City: Muleh 500 W 22nd St (W 20th St) Paracelso 510 Broome Street (between 6th Ave and West Broadway) Rene 927 Madison Avenue (between 73rd and 74th) Century 21 Department Store 22 Cortlandt Street In Santa Fe: Goler Shoes 125 East Palace Ave ------------------------------ Visit www.twooldbitches.com Follow us on Instagram @twooldbitches, Twitter @TwoOldBitches, Facebook @TwoOBPodcast Created, Produced and hosted by Joanne Sandler & Idelisse Malavé Edited by Jeyda Bicer Social media management by Loubna Bouajaj

TOB followers know that we are obsessed with discovering positive and powerful roles for older women in movies and TV. That's why we lure our sister Screen Bitches -- Debbie Zimmerman (Women Make Movies), Malaga Baldi (Baldi Literary Agency) and Aruna Rao (Gender at Work) – onto the podcast at least twice a year to schmooze about what we're watching and how TV and movies challenge (or regrettably affirm) stereotypes of older women in popular media. This time, we were kind of gobsmacked. For three reasons. First, because Debbie was inducted into the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences (Oscars!) this year --so this episode features her firsthand account of an Academy newbie, walking the (other) red carpet. Second, because we actually found at least one film and a dramatic series with really superb portrayals of older women. If you haven't seen Slow Horses (Apple TV) or Nyad (Netflix), stop what you're doing right now and tune in. We thought that Annette Bening and Jodie Foster were extraordinary in the way they portrayed 60-year old Diana Nyad and her best friend Bonnie Stoll in Nyad's swim from Cuba to Florida. (Only three of us loved the movie.) And while they are not main characters, three —not one, but three!— powerful and pivotal women over 50 in Slow Horses – Sophie Okonedo, Saskia Reeves, and Kristin Scott Thomas -- epitomize characteristics you rarely see attributed to women of a certain age. And third, we were so inspired – especially by Slow Horses – that TOB is now launching a screening tool to let movie and TV makers know we're watching. You know how Alison Bechdel brilliantly coined The Bechdel Test as a set of three simple criteria to measure the active presence (or absence) of women in film? Well, we love that test – and appreciate the influence it's had on generating more and better roles for women -- so we're introducing The TOBies, a set of 5 criteria to measure the quality of presence of OLDER women in TV and film. And they are that the older women are: 1) NOT solely defined by their age; 2) integral to the plot; 3) making independent choices (e.g., they have agency); 4) NOT seeking a man as 'the prize'; 5) there are at least two older women (e.g., no tokenism). We'd love to know what you think! And to know if you see any films or TV shows where you think the portrayals of older women meet these criteria. Wouldn't you love to join us on Screen Bitches this year? ------------------------------ Visit www.twooldbitches.com Follow us on Instagram @twooldbitches, Twitter @TwoOldBitches, Facebook @TwoOBPodcast Created, Produced and hosted by Joanne Sandler & Idelisse Malavé Edited by Jeyda Bicer Social media management by Loubna Bouajaj