The Boomer Woman’s Podcast

Boom With A Bang!

The Boomer Woman’s Podcast is a conversation-driven show for women who know that life doesn’t stop at midlife—it opens up. Hosted by Agnes Knowles, the podcast is now in its 7th season, featuring engaging conversations about life after 60—who we’re becoming, how we want to live, and what’s still possible. Guests may be any age or gender. What matters is what they bring to the conversation: experience, expertise, perspective, curiosity, and something genuinely useful for Boomer women navigating what comes next. These aren’t lectures or quick takes. They’re real conversations—curious, open-minded, sometimes funny, and sometimes unexpected. You might learn something new, rethink an old assumption, discover a possibility you hadn’t considered, or simply recognize yourself in someone else’s story. That was then. This is now. Create your own next chapter. Follow or subscribe to be notified when a new episode drops, and share the episodes that speak to you. Interested in being a guest? You can connect with Agnes through PodMatch.

  1. 1d ago

    The Family Roles We Play — and Outgrow | Angela Caldwell

    Family relationships can be wonderfully rewarding, endlessly complicated, and sometimes downright exhausting. Family therapist Angela Caldwell joins Agnes to explore the roles we take on within our families, why those roles can follow us well into our 60s and 70s, and what happens when we're ready to change them. In this conversation: Why families keep repeating familiar patterns, even when those patterns aren't working. The difference between a family that functions and one that is genuinely healthy. How we become the peacemaker, organizer, caregiver or family troublemaker. What happens when a woman wants to resign from her long-held family role. Learning to support our adult children without trying to manage their lives. Angela's three evolving roles for grandmothers: pit crew, cheerleader and storyteller. Why grandchildren want to hear the same family stories again and again. Boundaries, difficult relatives and the difference between adaptation and avoidance. Angela's perspective on sibling relationships, estrangement and reconciliation. A practical suggestion for women who are tired of carrying the family's responsibilities. Angela brings strong opinions, humour and years of experience to a conversation about the relationships that shape our lives. And perhaps the most delightful reminder of all: grandmothers have stories worth telling, even when their adult children roll their eyes! Learn more about Angela and find all her links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast.

  2. Oct 22

    The Dreams We Carry and the Risks We Take — Hillary Zio

    What happens when a dream you've carried for years finally becomes something you can do — and how do you know whether it's still the right dream? Sommelier, author, and restaurant owner Hillary Zio joins Agnes to talk about opening Isola Wine & Tapas at 38, taking calculated risks, and discovering how much our ideas about success can change as we get older. In this conversation: How a chance encounter with winemaking sparked a 20-year career Why Hillary finally opened the wine bar she'd imagined for years The unexpected challenges of running a small restaurant Taking risks when there's more to lose — but more experience to draw on Why patience and research matter before making a big commitment Testing a dream without betting everything on it Changing priorities around work, money, motherhood, and relationships Finding freedom in letting go of an old definition of success Discovering interesting wines without needing to be an expert Wine myths, overlooked regions, and finding good value in a bottle Hillary's experiences offer plenty to consider, whether you're contemplating a new venture, revisiting an old ambition, or simply becoming more adventurous about what you pour into your glass. Find Hillary at https://www.hillaryzio.com/ Learn more about Hillary and find all her links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast.

  3. Oct 15

    Retirement Savings: When Is It Enough? | Rob Townend

    We spend years saving for retirement. But when the time comes to use those savings, why can it feel so uncomfortable? Rob Townend spent more than two decades in corporate finance before COVID gave him an unexpected opportunity to reconsider his priorities. Leaving corporate life meant finding new ways to support his family financially, including navigating a little-known provision of the U.S. tax code. In this conversation, we explore: How time with family changed Rob's definition of success The emotional difficulty of leaving a financially rewarding career Why diligent savers can struggle to become comfortable spenders The difference between having enough money and feeling secure Planning for an uncertain lifespan and changing expenses Section 72(t) and early access to certain U.S. retirement accounts Why the rules around early withdrawals require careful attention Retirement decisions for women already past 60 Balancing support for adult children with our own financial needs Using a budget to make room for enjoyment, not just expenses Rob also shares how he eventually found a new sense of purpose, along with more time for the people and activities that matter to him. For American listeners interested in Section 72(t), visit Early Retirement Access for Rob's resources and information. Financial information in this conversation is general and U.S.-specific rules may not apply in Canada or elsewhere. Consult a qualified professional about your circumstances. Learn more about Rob and find his links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast

  4. Oct 8

    Retirement or Preferment? Designing What Comes Next with Anne van Leynseele

    What happens when you've planned financially for retirement—but haven't planned for the life you'll actually live? Anne van Leynseele believes retirement deserves more than simply spreading our old weekend activities across seven days. She created Preferment®, a framework for thinking deliberately about identity, purpose, curiosity and connection in the years beyond full-time work.  In this lively conversation, Anne and Agnes explore: Why Anne has spent her life collecting experiences rather than stuff How repeated reinvention can build confidence that we'll handle whatever comes next Why preparing financially for retirement is only part of the planning What Preferment® means—and why Anne resurrected a 15th-century word meaning advancement or promotion  Whether women really need another chapter of achievement—or whether gardening, reading and lunch with friends can be quite enough Anne's “Big Three”: thinking, doing and feeling—keeping our minds engaged, our bodies moving and our emotional connections alive  How to rediscover curiosity when you've spent years meeting everyone else's needs Why adaptation may matter more than hanging onto an old version of ourselves The community we lose when work ends—and the importance of intentionally building new connections, including across generations  Why couples may need to rethink who carries the responsibility for maintaining their shared social life  And, naturally, why Anne insists your average candy bar should not be called chocolate. 🍫  Anne reminds us that we don't need a grand new mission to make this stage of life meaningful. Sometimes it begins with curiosity, a small experiment, a new connection—or simply asking ourselves what we'd like an ordinary Tuesday to look like. Learn more about Anne at The Boomer Woman's Podcast

  5. Oct 1

    Turn the Coin Over: Finding Potential in Family Patterns — Judy Wilkins-Smith

    What if some of the traits you've spent years trying to change aren't simply problems to solve? Returning guest Judy Wilkins-Smith joins Agnes for a different look at the patterns that travel through families — creativity, perfectionism, restlessness, independence, resilience and those inexplicable urges that seem to appear across generations. This time, the question isn't only Where did this come from? It's also What might I do with it? In this conversation: Why inherited family patterns aren't necessarily good or bad What perfectionism may look like when its energy is redirected Why Judy says action can lead to insight Creativity, restlessness and the urge to make something Starting something new when other people think you're “too old” Looking for family patterns beyond parents and grandparents What consciously and unconsciously travels through families How rejecting an earlier family behaviour can create a new pattern Why strong reactions can be clues worth investigating What changes when you “turn the coin over” and look for potential Along the way, Agnes introduces Judy to a determined great-grandmother, a possibly mythical Spanish princess and a family tendency that might best be summed up as: Oh no, we're doing this. This is a conversation about looking at your family — and yourself — with curiosity rather than rushing to decide what needs fixing. Learn more about Judy, find her prior episode and all her links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast.

  6. Sep 24

    The Family Tree You Can't Find on Ancestry

    What else travels through a family besides names, eye colour and the shape of our jowls? In this solo episode, Agnes goes rummaging through her own family tree looking for something genealogy charts don't record: creativity, perfectionism, wordplay, curiosity, independence and that intriguing family tendency to say, Why not? Along the way: Makers across generations — from furniture and knitting to photography Whether what travels is the craft or the urge to create One family tendency expressed in very different ways Turning perfectionism over to see what's on the other side How words, expressions and humour move through generations The difference between what may be inherited and what is clearly handed down The family traditions we deliberately choose not to continue Agnes's line of “why not women” What family myths might reveal about the qualities we value A different way to explore your own family tree after 60 We may never know whether these patterns are inherited, learned, modelled around the dinner table or simply coincidence. But noticing them raises a much more interesting question: What came through your family to you — and what are you sending forward? Find more than the Boomer Woman's Podcast at Boom! With A Bang!

  7. Sep 17

    Where Did My Energy Go? Burnout and Life After 60 — Elke Scholz

    Registered psychotherapist and author Elke Scholz joins Agnes for a conversation about something many women experience but don't always know how to name: feeling exhausted, overwhelmed or simply not quite like themselves. Why can we finally reach a stage of life with fewer responsibilities—and still wonder where our energy went? Elke explores the relationship between burnout, stress and anxiety, and why finding the root of what is draining us matters more than simply pushing ourselves to keep going. In this conversation: Why burnout and anxiety can overlap How stress can show up physically as well as emotionally Why decades of being the good mother, daughter, partner, employee or caregiver can eventually take their toll What happens when the roles that once defined us begin to disappear How resentment can contribute to exhaustion Why noticing what raises—or lowers—our energy can help us reconnect with ourselves The importance of listening to the body rather than living entirely in our heads Why connection, nature, movement and simple pleasures matter What to do when you genuinely don't know what interests you anymore Elke's simple question: “What will make me happy today?” Why slowing down can help us hear our own inner wisdom And, in a delightful change of direction, what happened when Elke bought a travel trailer and headed across North America for Arizona This isn't about forcing yourself to bounce back or filling retirement with more things to accomplish. It's about becoming curious about what drains you, what restores you—and learning to trust yourself again. Learn more about Elke and find all her links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast Note: This conversation is for general information and personal reflection and is not a substitute for individualized medical or mental-health advice.

  8. Sep 10

    What Are You Retiring To? Reinvention, Creativity & Starting Again | Paula Panariello

    Retirement left Paula Panariello with a question she hadn't spent much time asking before: What would I actually like to do? An avid historical-romance reader, Paula decided to try writing one herself. Her first manuscript needed plenty of help, but the story was good — and seven novels later, Paula now comfortably calls herself an author. In our conversation, we talk about: finding something meaningful to retire to, not simply something to retire from becoming a beginner later in life getting past the Who am I kidding? feeling what can happen when someone else sees possibilities in us before we do learning the technology and craft required to pursue something new how decades of life experience can feed creativity staying curious and continuing to learn maintaining activity and social connection after retirement preserving family stories while the people who remember them are still here hearing criticism without letting one negative opinion outweigh everything else Paula's experience is a reminder that sometimes an entirely new chapter begins simply because something interests us enough to try it. Learn more about Paula and find her links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast

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About

The Boomer Woman’s Podcast is a conversation-driven show for women who know that life doesn’t stop at midlife—it opens up. Hosted by Agnes Knowles, the podcast is now in its 7th season, featuring engaging conversations about life after 60—who we’re becoming, how we want to live, and what’s still possible. Guests may be any age or gender. What matters is what they bring to the conversation: experience, expertise, perspective, curiosity, and something genuinely useful for Boomer women navigating what comes next. These aren’t lectures or quick takes. They’re real conversations—curious, open-minded, sometimes funny, and sometimes unexpected. You might learn something new, rethink an old assumption, discover a possibility you hadn’t considered, or simply recognize yourself in someone else’s story. That was then. This is now. Create your own next chapter. Follow or subscribe to be notified when a new episode drops, and share the episodes that speak to you. Interested in being a guest? You can connect with Agnes through PodMatch.

Information

  • Creator
    Boom With A Bang!
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    364
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The Boomer Woman’s Podcast ~ Copyright 2026 ~ All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Boomer Woman’s Podcast

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