The New Maturity: Celebrating Queer Aging With Pride

Heath Brockwell
  • 5.0 (26)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Biweekly

The New Maturity is a queer aging podcast for gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, and LGBTQ+ people over 45. Host Heath Brockwell sits down with creators, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and community members to talk about growing older with pride. Explore midlife, aging well, ageism, LGBTQ+ history, relationships, dating, intimacy, health and wellness, retirement, career reinvention, chosen family, and self-discovery. Honest conversations and actionable wisdom for LGBTQ+ elders and the generations behind them. Celebrate queer life in its prime, and step boldly into your next chapter with pride.

  1. Sep 30

    Clinton Kelly: The Reboot

    Clinton Kelly became a household name teaching people the rules of style on What Not to Wear, then spent a decade at the table on The Chew. When that show ended, he didn't just find a new gig, he built two of his own from scratch, on his own terms. In this conversation, Clinton talks about the media-fabricated feud that nearly ended his friendship with Stacy London, the two shows he now owns outright, and what it means to build a career that finally feels entirely his. About Clinton Kelly Clinton Kelly is an Emmy-winning television host and author best known for co-hosting What Not to Wear on TLC and The Chew on ABC. He spent his early career as a magazine editor at Marie Claire and Mademoiselle before moving into television. Today he co-hosts and co-owns Chewed Up with Michael Symon and Carla Hall, and Wear Whatever the F You Want with Stacy London on Amazon Prime Video. He lives in New York. What We Talk About The tabloid-fabricated feud with Stacy London, and how their managers stepped in to broker a truce neither of them saw comingWhy owning his own shows outright, instead of answering to a network, changed the way he creates completelyWhat "reality testing," a trick from his husband's psychology practice, taught him about repairing decades-old friendshipsAnd much more Connect with ClintonInstagram: @clintonkellyohWebsite: clintonkelly.comWatch Chewed Up and Wear Whatever the F You Want Connect With The New MaturityWebsite: https://www.thenewmaturity.comInstagram: @thenewmaturity, https://www.instagram.com/thenewmaturityYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thenewmaturityNewsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.comEmail: heath@thenewmaturity.com New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

    Clinton Kelly: The Reboot

  2. Sep 30

    Clinton Kelly: The Reboot

    Clinton Kelly became a household name teaching people the rules of style on What Not to Wear, then spent a decade at the table on The Chew. When that show ended, he didn't just find a new gig, he built two of his own from scratch, on his own terms. In this conversation, Clinton talks about the media-fabricated feud that nearly ended his friendship with Stacy London, the two shows he now owns outright, and what it means to build a career that finally feels entirely his. About Clinton Kelly Clinton Kelly is an Emmy-winning television host and author best known for co-hosting What Not to Wear on TLC and The Chew on ABC. He spent his early career as a magazine editor at Marie Claire and Mademoiselle before moving into television. Today he co-hosts and co-owns Chewed Up with Michael Symon and Carla Hall, and Wear Whatever the F You Want with Stacy London on Amazon Prime Video. He lives in New York. What We Talk About The tabloid-fabricated feud with Stacy London, and how their managers stepped in to broker a truce neither of them saw comingWhy owning his own shows outright, instead of answering to a network, changed the way he creates completelyWhat "reality testing," a trick from his husband's psychology practice, taught him about repairing decades-old friendshipsAnd much more Connect with ClintonInstagram: @clintonkellyohWebsite: clintonkelly.comWatch Chewed Up and Wear Whatever the F You Want Connect With The New MaturityWebsite: https://www.thenewmaturity.comInstagram: @thenewmaturity, https://www.instagram.com/thenewmaturityYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thenewmaturityNewsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.comEmail: heath@thenewmaturity.com New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

    Clinton Kelly: The Reboot

  3. Jul 22

    Suzanne Ford: Trans Visibility, Queer Joy, and Leading Out Loud

    Episode Description: Suzanne Ford knew who she was at five or six years old. She spent the next four decades living what she calls a brilliant disguise — athlete, husband, father, regional sales manager in the packaging industry. She thought coming out as transgender would cost her everything. Her wife. Her son. Her career. Her community. She was wrong about most of it. Her wife and son stayed. Her career evolved. But the church that got her sober — the one that felt like family — asked her not to come back because it wouldn't be fair to the children. Suzanne came out at forty-six. Today she's the executive director of San Francisco Pride, the first transgender woman to hold that position. She lives on Castro Street, the neighborhood she dreamed about as a kid in Owensboro, Kentucky. In 2025, with corporate sponsors fleeing and the Trump administration hostile to LGBTQ causes, she raised 2.3 million dollars and put on what she calls the most unifying pride in years. This is a conversation about coming out at midlife, leading through crisis, and why the life you postponed for forty years might be the one you were always built for. What We Talk About: Coming out at forty-six after four decades of living a brilliant disguise — what dysphoria finally forced her to say out loud, and how her wife and son responded in completely different ways Getting sober through a church that later asked her to leave when she transitioned — and why she feels more grief for those people than anger toward them Stepping in as interim executive director of SF Pride two weeks after the previous director resigned, mid-pandemic recovery, and landing in the middle of a police participation controversy on day one How she raised 2.3 million dollars in 2025 despite massive corporate pullbacks — and why calling in instead of calling out made all the difference What she wants young trans women to carry forward: that the generation that faced this moment didn't lose their joy, and that's exactly where the power lives About Suzanne Ford: Suzanne Ford is the executive director of San Francisco Pride and the first transgender woman to hold that position. She came out at forty-six after a career in sales management and has spent the years since building visibility for the trans community at the local, national, and media level. She has been honored with the Trans Day of Visibility Legacy Award, the Horizons Foundation Leadership Award, and was named to Out magazine's Out 100 list in 2025. She lives on Castro Street in San Francisco with her wife. Connect with Suzanne: Website: sfpride.org Resources Mentioned: San Francisco Pride (sfpride.org) Trans Day of Visibility Horizons Foundation Out Magazine Out 100 (2025) Transcend Retreat Transgender Law Center March of Dimes Melanie Nathan (former SF Pride vice president) Theresa Sparks (mentor) Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, San Francisco Beyond the Rainbow (documentary) Connect With Us: Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com/ | Instagram: @thenewmaturity | Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com/ | Email: heath@thenewmaturity.com New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

    Suzanne Ford: Trans Visibility, Queer Joy, and Leading Out Loud

  4. Jul 8

    Rafe Totengco: Stay In Your Lane — Then Own It

    Episode Description: Rafe Totengco has been designing bags for almost thirty years. He started in Manila at eighteen — no formal training, just ambition and a tailor who could execute his sketches. He came to New York in 1989, worked days, studied at FIT at night, and in 1997 debuted his first collection at Bergdorf Goodman. He's been building Rafe New York ever since. He's turned down every offer to sell the brand. He spent five years as creative director running four labels at Nine West, walked away when private equity moved in, and went back to doing things his way. Last year, his Asura Minaudière — a sculptural evening clutch made from mother-of-pearl shell inlay, designed nearly a decade ago — won the Accessories Council Design Excellence Award and is headed for The Devil Wears Prada 2. In this conversation, Rafe talks about what it actually costs to stay independent, how his Filipino heritage lives inside everything he makes, and why being open — to new ideas, new influences, new music he can barely sing along to — is the only creative philosophy that's kept him going. He also talks about chosen family, queer aging, and what it meant to grow up with no role models who looked like him. This is a conversation about building something that lasts — and staying true to it when every incentive says to sell. What We Talk About: Rafe Totengco is the founder and creative director of Rafe New York, an accessories brand he launched at Bergdorf Goodman in 1997 and has built independently for nearly three decades. A member of the CFDA, he served as creative director at Nine West before returning to his own label full time. His work is handcrafted by artisans in the Philippines, India, and Madagascar. His Asura Minaudière won the Accessories Council Design Excellence Award and is appearing in The Devil Wears Prada 2. He lives in New York with his husband. Connect with Rafe: Website: rafe.com | Instagram: @rafenewyork | Pinterest: Rafe New York Resources Mentioned: Rafe New York (brand) Asura Minaudière (Accessories Council Design Excellence Award winner) The Devil Wears Prada 2 (film) Accessories Council CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) Nine West FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) Parsons School of Design SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) Josie Natori (designer/CFDA member) REM Koolhaas (architect) Frank Gehry (architect) The High Line, New York City Connect With Us: Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com/ | Instagram: @thenewmaturity | Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com/ | Email: heath@thenewmaturity.com New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

    Rafe Totengco: Stay In Your Lane — Then Own It

  5. Jun 24

    Liz Glazer: The Long Way to the Right Life

    Episode Description: Liz Glazer did everything right. Penn. Chicago Law. Law review. Big firm. Tenure. Every box her immigrant parents hoped she'd check — checked. And then she took a buyout and walked away to do stand-up comedy. This isn't a story about running away from something. It's about a psychological contract Liz made with herself: she had to prove she could succeed at the expected life before she had permission to pursue the wanted one. The stand-up set that nearly got her fired from Northwestern. The daydream she had the morning after her first performance — sitting on The Tonight Show couch, telling Jimmy Fallon it was nine years, not ten, because lawyers don't round up. That daydream came true in June 2025. This is a conversation about the difference between prestige and purpose. And what it costs to finally stop mistaking one for the other. What We Talk About: Why Liz needed to earn tenure before she could leave it — and how the same pattern showed up when she came out in college The improv class that cracked something open, the stand-up set that triggered a psychiatric evaluation at Northwestern, and the faculty invitation that arrived in the same month The morning-after daydream that predicted The Tonight Show — down to the exact number of years Losing her first daughter, Leo Pearl, to stillbirth in 2021, and why she always makes space to say that name out loud Her practical theory on imposter syndrome, why aging in comedy doesn't scare her, and what her two-year-old is teaching her about beginner's mind About Liz Glazer: Liz Glazer is a stand-up comedian, author, and performer who spent fourteen years building a career in law before walking away from tenure to follow the one that actually fit. She's won the Boston Comedy Festival and the Ladies of Laughter competition. Her album A Very Particular Experience hit number one on the iTunes comedy charts. Her special Do You Know Who I'm Not is streaming free on YouTube. In June 2025, she made her debut on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon — exactly as she'd imagined it. She lives with her wife, Rabbi Karen Glazer Perlman, their daughter, and their cat. Connect with Liz: Website: dearlizglazer.com | Instagram: @lizglazer | YouTube: Do You Know Who I'm Not Resources Mentioned: Do You Know Who I'm Not (YouTube special) A Very Particular Experience (comedy album) The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon Boston Comedy Festival Ladies of Laughter Funny Women of a Certain Age (Carol Montgomery) March of Dimes Pockets of Light (stillbirth bereavement organization) Jared Freid (comedian) Judy Gold (comedian/mentor) Jim David (comedian) The Secret (Rhonda Byrne) Connect With Us: Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com/ | Instagram: @thenewmaturity | Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com/ | Email: heath@thenewmaturity.com New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

    Liz Glazer: The Long Way to the Right Life

  6. Jun 10

    Guy Branum: Sometimes You Have To Remember You're A Goddess

    Guy Branum was eight years old, curled up on his family's farm in Yuba City reading about Greek goddesses while other boys played outside. A gay Jewish kid in rural California drawn to stories about divine beings who didn't quite fit the mold either. Today he's an Emmy-winning writer and producer for Hacks, a co-star in Bros, and one of the sharpest voices in queer comedy. In this conversation, Guy talks about the Secret Service showing up at his college apartment after a student newspaper column got misquoted—and how he's still on their list decades later. He shares why law school was the best wrong turn of his life, what working for Joan Rivers taught him about writing stand-up that actually feels real, and why his Instagram series "What the Old Gays Remember" keeps surprising him with what lands. This is about remembering you're a goddess, and why the strangest detours make the most interesting lives. What We Talk About: The Berkeley years, the Secret Service incident over a Chelsea Clinton column, and why he's still on their watch list thirty years later Coming out in law school in Minnesota and why the "wrong turn" of going to law school gave him the clearest possible view of what he didn't want Writing stand-up for television—why it's one of the hardest things to do, and what working with Joan Rivers and Chelsea Handler taught him about perspective and specificity The "What the Old Gays Remember" Instagram series with Tori, and why the most obscure stories end up being the ones that blow up Be Fruitful: confronting what purpose looks like as a gay man who won't participate in evolution, and why his best friend's note about getting personal changed the entire show About Guy Branum: Guy Branum is an Emmy-winning comedy writer and producer, known for his work on Hacks, The Mindy Project, The Other Two, and Billy on the Street. He co-starred in the groundbreaking queer rom-com Bros and served as an on-set punch-up writer. He is the author of the memoir My Life as a Goddess and a working stand-up comedian who has written for Joan Rivers and Chelsea Handler. He is currently touring with his solo show Be Fruitful. He lives in Los Angeles. Connect with Guy: Website: Instagram: @guybranum TikTok: @guybranumcomedy Resources Mentioned: My Life as a Goddess (memoir) Hacks (TV series) Bros (film) Be Fruitful (solo show / Netflix Is a Joke Festival) What the Old Gays Remember (Instagram series) Joan Rivers Chelsea Handler Cole Escola & Jeffrey Self / Jeffrey and Cole Casserole Roxane Gay / Bad Feminist The Daily Californian Lido and the Lycian Peasants (Greek mythology) Top Chef Great British Bake Off Connect With Us: Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com Instagram: @thenewmaturity Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com Email: heath@thenewmaturity.com New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

    Guy Branum: Sometimes You Have To Remember You're A Goddess

  7. May 27

    Justin Chapple: Cooking Made Him Miserable. Teaching Made Him Free

    Justin Chapple's grandmother Barbara made meals out of practically nothing—doctoring instant ramen, turning eggs into something magical. She didn't give her recipes fancy names. She just cooked with what she had, and her family ate well. Years later, Justin would go to culinary school, work the line at fancy restaurants, and land a pinch-me job at Food & Wine magazine as culinary director at large and host of their James Beard-nominated Mad Genius Tips series. But somewhere along the way, he realized restaurant work felt hollow. What he was missing was exactly what his grandmother had—that direct line between making something and feeding the people you love. In this conversation, Justin talks about seven years at Starbucks before culinary school, how a chance encounter at a South Beach food festival launched his career in food media, and why he finally gave himself permission to sing show tunes in a professional kitchen. Decades later, he's still learning what his grandmother was teaching him all along. This is about finding the version of your craft that actually makes you happy, and why the best lessons often come from the people who never called themselves teachers. What We Talk About: Growing up in Stockton, California with limited resources and how grandmother Barbara's cooking taught him that abundance isn't about what's in the pantry—it's about what lands on the table The seven years at Starbucks, the detour through acting, and why working restaurant line kitchens ultimately left him not wanting to cook at all when he got home How a chance meeting at a South Beach food festival with Giada De Laurentiis's producer led directly to the Food & Wine job that changed his life The evolution of Mad Genius Tips from food hacks to teaching—and why watching someone learn something new feels like passing something on Why the restaurant industry has come a long way for queer cooks, and what it meant to finally work somewhere that let him be loud, funny, and himself About Justin Chapple: Justin Chapple is the culinary director at large at Food & Wine magazine and the former host of their James Beard-nominated video series Mad Genius Tips. A graduate of the French Culinary Institute, he worked in restaurant kitchens before finding his calling in food media, where he's spent years making cooking feel less intimidating and a whole lot more fun. He is the author of Just Cook It. He lives in New York with his husband, Jason. Connect with Justin: Website: https://justinchapple.com Instagram: @justinchapple Resources Mentioned: Just Cook It (cookbook) Mad Genius Tips (Food & Wine video series) Food & Wine Magazine French Culinary Institute Giada De Laurentiis The Two Fat Ladies (TV show) Jacques Pépin Julia Child MSG / Accent seasoning Sur La Table (Solutab ratchet pepper mill) Choqette & Shuka, New York City Connect With Us: Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com Instagram: @thenewmaturity Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com Email: heath@thenewmaturity.com New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

    Justin Chapple: Cooking Made Him Miserable. Teaching Made Him Free

  8. May 13

    Steven Kolb: The Outsider Who Runs American Fashion

    The man who runs American fashion didn't set out to work in fashion at all. Steven Kolb is CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), the force behind New York Fashion Week. Before he was front row at runway shows, he was on the front lines of the HIV/AIDS crisis, raising millions for DIFFA when the West Village was ground zero. Twenty years later, at sixty-four, he's thriving in an industry that worships youth—growing CFDA from $3.5 million to $15 million annually and redefining what leadership in fashion looks like. In this conversation, Steven talks about why he almost retired at the end of 2025 and what changed his mind, how Julie Gilhart's flowers on his first day helped him survive an industry he knew nothing about, and why being visibly hard of hearing and perpetually disheveled turned out to be advantages. He shares what it feels like to sit in boardrooms with billionaires as a blue-collar kid from New Jersey—and why he's learned to stay exactly who he is. This is about staying when everyone expects you to step aside, service work that follows you across industries, and why experience deserves celebration. What We Talk About: Transitioning from sixteen years fighting the AIDS crisis at DIFFA to leading CFDA at forty-four with zero fashion background Almost retiring at sixty-four in an industry obsessed with youth, then choosing to stay and claiming his role as an oracle Overcoming natural shyness to attend dozens of events and fashion shows by learning to "segment" his presence Why LGBTQ+ representation matters more on the business side of fashion than the creative side, where gay designers are more visible How his blue-collar New Jersey roots keep him grounded when surrounded by people with private planes About Steven Kolb: Steven Kolb is CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), where he has served for twenty years. Under his leadership, CFDA has launched the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, the Health Initiative addressing model safety, diversity programs including awards for Black and AAPI designers, and crisis response efforts including $5 million in pandemic relief through The Common Thread. Before CFDA, Steven spent sixteen years at Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) during the height of the AIDS crisis. He studied communications and public administration, started his career at the American Cancer Society, and lives in New York with his husband and their dog. Connect with Steven: Instagram: @stevenkolbTikTok: @stevenkolbSubstack: https://substack.com/@stevenkolbnycCFDA: cfda.com Resources Mentioned: Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund The Common Thread (pandemic relief program) Fashion's Night Out Diane von Furstenberg Thom Browne Julie Gilhart Fallingwater (Frank Lloyd Wright) Sidney Sheldon's The Other Side of Midnight Connect With Us: Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com Instagram: @thenewmaturity Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com Email: heath@thenewmaturity.com New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

    Steven Kolb: The Outsider Who Runs American Fashion
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About

The New Maturity is a queer aging podcast for gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, and LGBTQ+ people over 45. Host Heath Brockwell sits down with creators, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and community members to talk about growing older with pride. Explore midlife, aging well, ageism, LGBTQ+ history, relationships, dating, intimacy, health and wellness, retirement, career reinvention, chosen family, and self-discovery. Honest conversations and actionable wisdom for LGBTQ+ elders and the generations behind them. Celebrate queer life in its prime, and step boldly into your next chapter with pride.

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