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WomanPause Blog
Welcome to the WomanPause blog, amplifying the voices of women over 50 rediscovering ourselves.
We’re Still Here!!
By Diane Gottlieb |
Happy Tuesday, everyone. It’s two weeks past the election, and if ...
Read More Interview with Audra Agen
By Diane Gottlieb |
Audra Agen is a woman in the arena! She holds a high-power ...
Read More An Eleven For Six
By Diane Gottlieb |
I want to address the terrible, gut-wrenching news of this past weekend: ...
Read More Interview With Ann Kathryn Kelly
By Diane Gottlieb |
I love when I meet someone and fall in love with their ...
Read More Interview with Nina B. Lichtenstein
By Diane Gottlieb |
Nina Lichtenstein! When I hear the name I immediately think of bold, ...
Read More Interview With Eileen Vorbach Collins
By Diane Gottlieb |
Eileen Vorbach Collins is an amazing woman, who has survived every parent's ...
Read More Hope, Devotion, and a Short Interview
By Diane Gottlieb |
I wrote a blog post about hope in May 2022, when I ...
Read More Interview With Alyson Shelton
By Diane Gottlieb |
I first connected with Alyson Shelton around her Instagram poetry project “Where ...
Read More Interview With Constance Malloy
By Diane Gottlieb |
I've been admiring the work of Constance Malloy for some time now. ...
Read More Why Is It So Hard to Take a Stand?
By Diane Gottlieb |
I felt freer last Wednesday than I have in a long time. ...
Read More Interview With Michelle Redo
By Diane Gottlieb |
I first met Michelle Redo when she invited me and Nina Lichtenstein ...
Read More Interview With Carol Anderson
By Diane Gottlieb |
Imagine growing up having to hide who you are at your very ...
Read More LET’S RESOLVE TO REDISCOVER
By Diane Gottlieb |
It’s the middle of January. First month of a brand-spanking-new year. Resolutions ...
Read More Interview with Meg Tuite
By Diane Gottlieb |
Bold, Brilliant, Beautiful! Kind, Generous, Wise! I don't want to forget fun ...
Read More Wishing You Peace, Light, and Love
By Diane Gottlieb |
It’s December. Holiday season. Cheer, cheer, and more cheer. I’m trying—hard—to ...
Read More Interview With Kathryn Silver-Hajo
By Diane Gottlieb |
I first met Kathryn Silver-Hajo in a Facebook writing class at the ...
Read More Awakenings: Stories of Body & Consciousness
By Diane Gottlieb |
The body! The Body! THE BODY! Read those three short sentences ...
Read More Interview With Jill Talbot
By Diane Gottlieb |
I rarely post an interview to the blog that was previously published ...
Read More Interview With Sarah Freligh
By Diane Gottlieb |
Sarah Freligh! How I admire her writing! And what an honor and ...
Read More Interview with Debbie Russell
By Diane Gottlieb |
It always amazes me how much we grow in midlife. Debbie Russell ...
Read More Interview with Ruth Brayer
By Diane Gottlieb |
I was introduced to Ruth Brayer by the wonderful Jeanne M. Stafford (previously interviewed ...
Read More Grace Linn: An Example for Us All
By Diane Gottlieb |
Most of my readers know I live in Florida. I love so ...
Read More Interview With Christopher Stevenson
By Diane Gottlieb |
I began following Christopher Stevenson on Twitter a little over a year ...
Read More Interview with Laurie Marshall
By Diane Gottlieb |
Second acts. Invitations for rediscovery. So many of us find new passions, ...
Read More To All My Valentines
By Diane Gottlieb |
Valentine’s Day, like many holidays of cheer, can sometimes be fraught with ...
Read More Interview With Casey Mulligan Walsh
By Diane Gottlieb |
Casey Mulligan Walsh has not had it easy. She lost both parents ...
Read More Interview With Ellen Birkett Morris
By Diane Gottlieb |
What a great pleasure it was to speak with Ellen Birkett Morris! ...
Read More Interview With Priscilla Long
By Diane Gottlieb |
It was such a joy to meet Priscilla Long and I'm so ...
Read More When You Look Back, “Look Back with Love”
By Diane Gottlieb |
Anybody else thinking the holidays are coming too soon? I can’t ...
Read More Interview with Lynne Golodner
By Diane Gottlieb |
Energy and resourcefulness! Those are the two words that immediately come to ...
Read More Interview With Kristina Saccone
By Diane Gottlieb |
I love when women see a need and take action to meet ...
Read More Interview With Melissa Hart
By Diane Gottlieb |
Melissa Hart! What a positive, joyful woman--and a wonderful writer and teacher ...
Read More Catching Up With Memories
By Diane Gottlieb |
Happy October, Everyone!! How’s everyone doing? That’s not a rhetorical question! I ...
Read More Interview With Marian Adams
By Diane Gottlieb |
“Medical gaslighting is real,” according to a recent New York Times article--and ...
Read More Take Back Your Focus – With Help From Johann Hari
By Diane Gottlieb |
Like everyone these days, I have a lot of things on my ...
Read More Interview With Laraine Herring
By Diane Gottlieb |
Laraine Herring is an amazing writer, visual artist, and champion of women--especially ...
Read More Your Voice Matters
By Diane Gottlieb |
I wasn't planning to write a post for today. Last thing I ...
Read More Interview With Deirdre Fagan
By Diane Gottlieb |
Have you ever met someone and after just a few minutes knew ...
Read More How Many More Will We Be Asked to Remember?
By Diane Gottlieb |
It’s Memorial Day, a day on which we honor those who died ...
Read More HOPE — It’s Not For The Faint Of Heart
By Diane Gottlieb |
I’ve never been a doom and gloom type. Never. I know things ...
Read More Interview With Robyn Strauss
By Diane Gottlieb |
Robyn Strauss is a fitness and health enthusiast who teaches fun, inclusive ...
Read More Interview With April Brucker
By Diane Gottlieb |
April Brucker! I can’t say that name without smiling—which is a good ...
Read More Say NO to Body Shame–Yours and Mine
By Diane Gottlieb |
Okay. I’ll admit it. I’ll confess. Sometimes, when I see plus-sized models, ...
Read More Interview With Rebecca Kuder
By Diane Gottlieb |
Rebecca Kuder is a courageous writer, a woman who looks at the ...
Read More What Can I Offer?
By Diane Gottlieb |
What Can I Offer? Hi everyone! I wanted to connect with you ...
Read More Interview With Gayle Brandeis
By Diane Gottlieb |
Gayle Brandeis is an award-winning author of fiction, poetry, memoir, and essay—and ...
Read More Interview With Meryl Koslow
By Diane Gottlieb |
Meryl Koslow is an amazing woman with tremendous confidence and positive energy. ...
Read More From Giving Thanks … To Giving
By Diane Gottlieb |
Happy December everyone! December!!! Can you believe it’s already December? Another year ...
Read More Interview With Melissa Ostrom
By Diane Gottlieb |
Melissa Ostrom. She’s an artist—on the page, in the pottery studio, in ...
Read More Uncover Your Voice
By Diane Gottlieb |
This year's Emmy’s recognized women of a certain age. Yay! Kate Winslet, ...
Read More Interview With Alison McGhee
By Diane Gottlieb |
Alison McGhee--author of fifteen picture books, ten children's novels and graphic books, ...
Read More Labors of Love
By Diane Gottlieb |
It’s Labor Day, and along with our national holiday, this evening marks ...
Read More Sex Over 50? Sign Me Up!
By Diane Gottlieb |
Here's a joke for you: An 80-year-old man walks into his doctor’s ...
Read More Interview With Cindy Rasicot
By Diane Gottlieb |
Cindy Rasicot led a pretty typical suburban life until her husband took ...
Read More Sheroes For The Ages
By Diane Gottlieb |
I’m continually inspired by women—and am always on the lookout for wonderful ...
Read More Interview With Dr. DeAnna Beachley
By Diane Gottlieb |
Dr. DeAnna Beachley is a very colorful woman! (Just look at her ...
Read More The “R” Word–I See You!
By Diane Gottlieb |
So … here’s something we haven’t talked much about in WomanPause—the “R” ...
Read More Interview with Cynthia Jones
By Diane Gottlieb |
Cynthia Jones I met Cynthia Jones in my very first writing workshop ...
Read More Curiosity Challenge — 2021
By Diane Gottlieb |
I’ve mentioned in a recent blog post that I’d been experiencing some ...
Read More Interview With Judy Bogen
By Diane Gottlieb |
Judy Bogen is quite the amazing woman! Through her own experience with ...
Read More The Superpower of Writing
By Diane Gottlieb |
March 25 was my father’s birthday. He would have been 99! Schaje ...
Read More Interview With Karen Solomon
By Diane Gottlieb |
Karen Solomon has been a dear friend for many years. Usually uncomfortable ...
Read More Are Your Tarot Cards Judging You?
By Diane Gottlieb |
I pick a Tarot card every day for guidance and inspiration. One ...
Read More Touching Fear–Guest Post with Nicky Mendenhall
By Diane Gottlieb |
When I read my friend Nicky Mendenhall’s December 4th blog post, I ...
Read More Interview With Nancy Branka
By Diane Gottlieb |
It was my great pleasure to spend some time speaking with Nancy ...
Read More Transition–A Time to Own Our Responsibility–A Time for Peace and Healing
By Diane Gottlieb |
This week, I'm veering away from my scheduled blog post. Usually on ...
Read More New Year’s Revolutions
By Diane Gottlieb |
So … just 4 days ago, a difficult year for the world, ...
Read More Interview with Julie Gray
By Diane Gottlieb |
Julie Gray is a wonderfully dynamic, engaging woman with an amazing story ...
Read More Let Them Judge You–Guest Post by Sherry Danner
By Diane Gottlieb |
I rarely put up guest posts--in fact, since WomanPause's inception, there's only ...
Read More Interview With Jeanne M. Stafford
By Diane Gottlieb |
Jeanne M. Stafford! What a powerhouse! Facilitator, Improv lover, author—she wears many ...
Read More The Uncaring Side of Self Care–Looking to Recovery Instead
By Diane Gottlieb |
It will be November 2, 2020 when this blog posts. One day ...
Read More Interview With Jessica O’Dwyer
By Diane Gottlieb |
I met Jessica O’Dwyer when we were both MFA students at Antioch. ...
Read More Interview With Sherry Danner
By Diane Gottlieb |
Sherry Danner is an amazing woman, who has lived life. She has certainly ...
Read More TRAUMA, GROWTH, AND HOPE
By Diane Gottlieb |
We’ve all been having some difficult conversations lately. And between COVID, the ...
Read More Interview with Corinne Harmon
By Diane Gottlieb |
Corinne Harmon is one amazing and inspiring woman! Super accomplished in the ...
Read More Race and Responsibility: When You Hear Evil or See Evil, Speak Out Against It
By Diane Gottlieb |
Hate. Anger. Violence. I don’t know about you, but when I hear, ...
Read More Interview with Joy Overstreet
By Diane Gottlieb |
Now that we’re well into the summer season—my very favorite—I’d like to ...
Read More Freedom and the Fourth of July
By Diane Gottlieb |
This weekend, the United States celebrated the 244-year anniversary of its independence. ...
Read More Interview With Isidra Mencos
By Diane Gottlieb |
A little over a month ago, I received an email from I ...
Read More Lead Like A Woman
By Diane Gottlieb |
100,000 deaths. 100,000. 40,800,000 unemployed. Almost 41 million! Numbers, number, numbers. ...
Read More Let’s Not Kill Granny
By Diane Gottlieb |
COVID-19 incites fear. The mixed messages, the uncertainty, and the tangible changes ...
Read More Do We Have Enough Toilet Paper Yet?
By Diane Gottlieb |
Toilet paper. Toilet paper. Toilet paper. It seemed for a while that ...
Read More No School is No Break—“Safer” is Not Always Home
By Diane Gottlieb |
When I first heard that schools were closing due to COVID 19—indefinitely—and ...
Read More Trust-Even in the Face of Uncertainty
By Diane Gottlieb |
“What a difference a day makes.” This statement is never more true ...
Read More Interview With Amy Champeau
By Diane Gottlieb |
I met Amy Champeau in Los Angeles. We both came to the ...
Read More What Was I Thinking? Prevent Cognitive Decline and Promote Brain Health
By Diane Gottlieb |
“Gum,” Steven said in the car, while we were at a stop ...
Read More Greta on Giving–Guest Blog Post by Greta Holt
By Diane Gottlieb |
Last week, I interviewed an amazing woman--Greta Holt. A deeply devoted Mennonite, ...
Read More Interview With Greta Holt
By Diane Gottlieb |
This month's interview is with an amazing woman in her 70's--Greta Holt. ...
Read More Woman-on-Woman Bullying: An Affront to Sisterhood
By Diane Gottlieb |
Childhood bullying can have lasting effects on our self-esteem and relationships. Bullying, ...
Read More Effects of Childhood Bullying–The “Gift” That Keeps on Giving
By Diane Gottlieb |
It seems to me that the world is being taken over by ...
Read More Interview With Nicola Mendenhall
By Diane Gottlieb |
I have spent countless hours “on the couch.” Therapy has saved my ...
Read More Rush To Judgment
By Diane Gottlieb |
So ... I have been really swamped lately—with work for students and ...
Read More Interview with Andrea Auten
By Diane Gottlieb |
In this magical season of glitter and gifts, of wrapping paper, cards, ...
Read More The Gratitude Seesaw
By Diane Gottlieb |
I struggle with gratitude. Here’s the thing. I am thankful. For so ...
Read More Interview with Isabel Cotarelo
By Diane Gottlieb |
Isabel Cotarelo is definitely an amazing woman over 50! A young artist, ...
Read More You Are Your Own Mirror
By Diane Gottlieb |
Have you ever had the feeling that the Universe was trying to ...
Read More Interview with Marjorie Waterman
By Diane Gottlieb |
I met Marjorie Waterman in a Facebook writing group. When I heard ...
Read More Embrace Your Imperfection
By Diane Gottlieb |
If posed with the question, “Which do you strive to be—brave or ...
Read More What’s Your “Likability Factor” … And Should You Care?
By Diane Gottlieb |
A few weeks ago, a wonderful online literary journal accepted an essay ...
Read More Interview With Mireya Vela
By Diane Gottlieb |
Mireya Vela! Strong, courageous, all around amazing woman! I met Mireya at ...
Read More A Look Back at a Year of WomanPause
By Diane Gottlieb |
I am so excited to say that this month—yes, this very September—marks ...
Read More Interview with Ana Maria Spagna
By Diane Gottlieb |
Ana Maria Spagna is definitely one of my sheroes. She’s a great ...
Read More FINDING HER WAY HOME: UPLAKE BY ANA MARIA SPAGNA*
By Diane Gottlieb |
FINDING HER WAY HOME: UPLAKE BY ANA MARIA SPAGNA* *First published in ...
Read More Doctor, Broadway Star, Baker : Huh?
By Diane Gottlieb |
What happens when a mechanic, a Broadway star, and a fourteen-year-old boy ...
Read More Interview with Adrian Miller
By Diane Gottlieb |
Adrian Miller is an amazingly dynamic, funny, wise woman over 50 who ...
Read More Sandy & Lonnie Phillips: Inspiration for Trying Times
By Diane Gottlieb |
Anger. Hate. Guns. A lethal combination, as we all know, as we ...
Read More Wedding Bells–Can You Hear Them?
By Diane Gottlieb |
Why do I love June, July, and August? They’re sunny and hot, ...
Read More To Heel or Not to Heel? Women and Our Shoes
By Diane Gottlieb |
Just last week, I happened upon an article in the July 20 ...
Read More Interview with Laura Malfa — One Heart Healing
By Diane Gottlieb |
Last Thursday evening, I drove to Northern Westchester (two hours in the ...
Read More Lose the Shame and Dare Greatly: Shero Brene Brown
By Diane Gottlieb |
Dear WomanPause readers. I have something personal to share. Last week, my ...
Read More To Dye or Not to Dye: That is the Question!
By Diane Gottlieb |
Hair! Mine has never been my best feature. I remember my younger ...
Read More Leaving Antioch And Taking With Me All I’ve Learned
By Diane Gottlieb |
UCLA’s Royce Hall It’s that time of year—graduation season. When you hear ...
Read More Interview with Sarita Sidhu
By Diane Gottlieb |
Sarita Sidhu! I loved her the minute I met her. Sarita is ...
Read More Nuns and Nones–Intergenerational Connection to Celebrate
By Diane Gottlieb |
We are living in exciting times. Even with all the divisiveness and ...
Read More Grow Bolder As You Grow Older
By Diane Gottlieb |
How important is your mindset? How much power does your belief system ...
Read More College Blues–Graduation Green
By Diane Gottlieb |
I always buy lottery tickets. Twice a week, I lay down $4 ...
Read More Women Wolves and Wambach
By Diane Gottlieb |
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the stories we grew up ...
Read More Gratitude is Not Enough!
By Diane Gottlieb |
Jessica Bennett’s Gender Letter appeared in my inbox a few weeks ago. ...
Read More Interview with Janet Rodriguez
By Diane Gottlieb |
Janet Rodriguez. I first met her at a Buddy Lunch at my ...
Read More All Aboard!
By Diane Gottlieb |
“It’s not the destination. It’s the journey.” Powerful quote. I’m pretty sure ...
Read More Three Questions: Stacey Abrams’ Lessons on Resilience
By Diane Gottlieb |
Resilience. It’s a powerful word. When it rolls off the tongue, you ...
Read More Interview With Deborah Briggs
By Diane Gottlieb |
Deborah’s Briggs is a certified Sage-ing Leader for Sage-ing International (https://www.sage-ing.org), an ...
Read More Bored Enough?
By Diane Gottlieb |
Are you having trouble making an important decision? Figuring out an answer ...
Read More Mean Girls – I Was One
By Diane Gottlieb |
I love reading poetry. Slowly. Letting the words simmer in my brain, ...
Read More Interview with Dr. Diann Schindler
By Diane Gottlieb |
Last week’s post “Spring Cleaning—And Sparking Joy” highlighted my small journey into ...
Read More Spring Cleaning– And "Sparking Joy"
By Diane Gottlieb |
Times, so Steven pulls out pages that he thinks I might like ...
Read More The Stillness Beneath the Surface
By Diane Gottlieb |
Transitions are hard. I look around. There are kids in the ...
Read More Interview With Sharon Richardson
By Diane Gottlieb |
Sharon and I spoke for close to two hours one Saturday morning ...
Read More Iris and Tao: More Than Meets the Eye!
By Diane Gottlieb |
Whenever Someone Occupies Space in My Brain … She Has Something to ...
Read More Wake Those Sleeping Giants — Rediscover Your Dreams
By Diane Gottlieb |
https://dianegottlieb.com/lose-the-shoulds-and-rewrite-the-script/ Last week, we discussed one of the great opportunities that ...
Read More Lose the "Shoulds" and Rewrite The Script
By Diane Gottlieb |
The Problem of “Middle” Age In my search, many of the ...
Read More Interview With Sue Matthews
By Diane Gottlieb |
Taylor at age 15[/caption] I’ve known Sue Matthews for many years. We ...
Read More "Age is No Barrier"
By Diane Gottlieb |
much older than I imagine most of my readers to be. Each ...
Read More Do You Believe You Can Change?
By Diane Gottlieb |
<![CDATA[Do you believe you can change? Really believe you can change? Do ...
Read More New Year’s Resolutions, Anyone?
By Diane Gottlieb |
New Year, New Change The beginning of a new year is truly ...
Read More What Is "Meaning" Anyway?
By Diane Gottlieb |
Ft Lauderdale Beach Today is December 28th—my birthday! I have officially turned ...
Read More Interview with Alison Taylor-Brown
By Diane Gottlieb |
I first learned of Alison Taylor-Brown from reading one of Dan Blank’s ...
Read More Celebrate Midlife–Barbara Bradley Hagerty's Life Reimagined
By Diane Gottlieb |
So …I’m in California right now, smack in the middle of my ...
Read More Becoming Buddha*
By Diane Gottlieb |
I did catch the errors, I think. I was typing fast. But I’ve always ...
Read More Get Out of The Car — Letting Go Of Trauma
By Diane Gottlieb |
WomanPause in September, and that amazing woman has helped me grow until ...
Read More Interview with Patsy Mertz
By Diane Gottlieb |
Patsy Mertz, the founder of the Ivory Coast Mothers and Children organization ...
Read More My Great Divide*
By Diane Gottlieb |
*This piece was first published in Lunch Ticket on August 11, 2017. ...
Read More The Ultimate “F” Word
By Diane Gottlieb |
Last week, we talked about time—and the exhaustion or urgency we feel ...
Read More It’s Time
By Diane Gottlieb |
It’s time. A turning point. For women. For this woman. Time. What ...
Read More Interview with Julia Caroline Knowlton
By Diane Gottlieb |
I met Julia on the first day of school—the first day of ...
Read More What’s in A Word? Much More Than We Think!
By Diane Gottlieb |
With Special Guest: Author Adrien Sdao Waiting somewhat patiently at the ...
Read More We Are Not Invisible!!! Connie Shultz—My New She-ro
By Diane Gottlieb |
So … This is the first of my monthly posts where I ...
Read More Interview with Deborah Roth
By Diane Gottlieb |
Deborah Roth, the “Goddess” behind Spirited Living, is truly an amazing woman ...
Read More Progress*
By Diane Gottlieb |
Alexa. A-L-E-X-A. Three syllables, five letters, soft vowel sounds. Depending upon which ...
Read More Musings Of The Season
By Diane Gottlieb |
It’s that time again. We’re coming up on the holidays. Leaves have ...
Read More