The New Maturity

Heath Brockwell
  • 5.0 (24)
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

The New Maturity: Your guide to thriving after 45. Join our dynamic community exploring what it means to age authentically as an LGBTQ+ person. From relationships and wellness to career reinvention and self-discovery, each episode delivers actionable wisdom from thought leaders and community members who understand your journey. We're here to celebrate the richness of queer life in its prime, building chosen family and embracing new chapters with pride.

  1. Peter Som: When Closing a Business Opens Everything Else

    APR 1

    Peter Som: When Closing a Business Opens Everything Else

    Fashion designer Peter Som went from dressing celebrities on red carpets to roasting carrots alone after the Met Gala. When his runway business closed in 2015, he found himself in a Chelsea movie theater at 10am on a Wednesday, wondering how he got there. The answer came in the form of noodles, his grandmother's secret recipe notebook, and a complete reimagining of what success could mean. In this conversation, Peter shares how cooking became his lifeline during crisis, why "have you eaten?" was never really about food, and what it means to become a beginner again in your 40s. His new cookbook Family Style is a meditation on chosen family, Chinese-American heritage, and the creative confidence that comes from trusting your instincts—whether you're designing clothes or roasting vegetables. What We Talk About: Finding his grandmother's hidden 20-year recipe collection and the creative life she lived in secret The loneliness of closing a fashion business and those 10am movie theater moments Why the Met Gala carrots mattered more than the red carpet "Have you eaten?" as a love language in Chinese culture How latchkey kid afternoons shaped his creative confidence Knowing he was gay in 5th grade and fashion as a world of freedom Reinvention as expansion, not abandonment Why success got quieter as he got older About Peter Som:  Peter Som is a fashion designer, lifestyle expert, and author of Family Style: Recipes for Connection, Community & Togetherness. His eponymous fashion line dressed everyone from Michelle Obama to First Ladies of fashion, earning him accolades from Vogue and beyond. After his runway business closed, he returned to his roots in food, honoring his grandmother's legacy while building a new creative chapter. He lives in New York City. Connect with Peter:  Website: PeterSom.com  Instagram: @PeterSom Buy the Book: Family Style: Recipes for Connection, Community & Togetherness available wherever books are sold Resources Mentioned: Family Style cookbook by Peter Som Met Gala Chelsea Cinema (now closed) 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.

    25 min

  2. SEASON 4, EPISODE 10 TRAILER

    Trailer: Season 4

    Episode Description: There's a generation of queer people out here thriving — and nobody's talking about it. Until now. The New Maturity is back for Season 4. Real conversations about what it means to thrive, find purpose, and own every chapter of your life — out, proud, and on your own terms. This is what aging with pride sounds like. New episodes start dropping Wednesday, April 1st. Follow wherever you get your podcasts — and don't miss a thing. Connect With Us: Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenewmaturity/ | @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.

    1 min
  3. Michelle Maccarone - The Professional Broad's Guide to Vintage Authenticity

    09/24/2025

    Michelle Maccarone - The Professional Broad's Guide to Vintage Authenticity

    Michelle Maccarone is a 41-year-old New York City playwright, performer, and podcast host who found her creative voice by celebrating the wit and wisdom of mid-century women. Her latest play, "The Leopard and the Lynx," premiered at the New York Theatre Festival in January 2025. How her obsession with "Auntie Mame" led to discovering Pat Tanner's real-life story of bisexuality and lavender marriage Why she believes people in the 1970s had more freedom to create their own identities than we give them credit for The challenge of directing your own writing: "It's just too much, you get stuck in your own head" How perimenopause is teaching her not to recognize her own body anymore Why she's working on a one-woman show about Elsa Maxwell, the queer party planner who invented the scavenger hunt Her philosophy: "Not everyone has to like you and that's okay" Instagram/Facebook: @vintageoldbiddy Podcast: "Vintage Old Biddy" 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.

    38 min
  4. Dr. Joe Eviatar - From Fixing Faces to Finding Purpose

    09/10/2025

    Dr. Joe Eviatar - From Fixing Faces to Finding Purpose

    This week we welcome Dr. Joe Eviatar, who spent 30 years as a highly respected oculofacial plastic surgeon before experiencing a profound pandemic awakening. At 63, he traded his medical practice for life coaching, launching Best Face Forward Coaching to help clients—particularly gay men—embrace aging with radical self-acceptance. Episode Highlights: Joe's groundbreaking work with AIDS patients suffering from facial lipoatrophy in the 90s The pandemic moment when he realized he felt like a "drug pusher" Why patients asking to look like celebrities became his breaking point The mirror technique: rewiring your brain for self-love in two minutes daily Unique challenges gay men face aging without elder role models His complete career pivot at 60—from doctor to life coaching certification Joe’s six pillars of wellness and finding peace  Discover how a doctor who helped people chase youth learned to champion authenticity, why perfectionism plagues the LGBTQ+ community, and how neuroplasticity can transform your relationship with your reflection. Connect With Dr. Joe: Website: https://www.bestfaceforwardcoaching.com 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.

    28 min
  5. Miss Peria: The Pixel Provocateur Redefining Queer Artistry

    08/27/2025

    Miss Peria: The Pixel Provocateur Redefining Queer Artistry

    Revolutionary artist Miss Peria joins host Heath Brockwell to discuss founding Roblox Music as a genre and creating space for authentic queer expression in digital realms. Since her debut in June 2020, Miss Peria has transformed the gaming platform through her distinctive fusion of hip-hop, disco, and pop.In this episode, Miss Peria shares: The influence of London's creative community on her musical developmentHow her identity as a trans woman shapes her art while her digital avatar allows her to reach diverse audiencesHer evolving creative inspirations, from Cupcake to Daft PunkStrategies for setting boundaries and navigating digital criticismThe advantages of aging as a digital artist and "ageless sex robot"Her vision for the future of queer digital artistryConnect With Us: Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com Instagram: @thenewmaturity Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com Email: heath@thenewmaturity.com Follow Miss Peria: Instagram: @MissPeriaMusic Spotify: Miss PeriaEmail: heath@thenewmaturity.comThe New Maturity celebrates queer aging with pride, featuring conversations with artists, thinkers, and creators who are redefining what it means to grow older in queer communities.New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

    15 min
  6. Dennis Golonka: Reinvention Through Trust

    08/13/2025

    Dennis Golonka: Reinvention Through Trust

    This week we journey into the sensory world of fashion publishing with Dennis Golonka, who witnessed Harper's Bazaar's spectacular rebirth under Liz Tilberis in 1992—a transformation that redefined the industry forever. Dennis unveils fashion's Camelot with revelations kept quiet for three decades, from Tilberis's "angel in Chanel" leadership style to her strategic rivalry with Anna Wintour and meaningful friendship with Princess Diana. The spectacular rebirth of Harper's Bazaar that redefined fashion publishing Inside Liz Tilberis's revolutionary "angel in Chanel" leadership approach The strategic rivalry with Anna Wintour that insiders still discuss  Princess Diana's friendship with Tilberis and their Met Gala moment Dennis's evolution from nervous assistant to influential photographer How radical trust—not fear—creates truly transformative leadership Preserving print's cultural influence in today's algorithm-driven landscape 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.

    37 min
  7. Richard Faraino: Blooming Through Revolution

    07/30/2025

    Richard Faraino: Blooming Through Revolution

    This week we explore how getting older might actually mean getting better with Richard Faraino, whose life chronicles New York's most pivotal moments. From fighting on the frontlines of the AIDS crisis as both a medical librarian and ACT UP activist to his stunning midlife career pivot into horticulture, Richard now creates spaces of beauty in Battery Park's gardens for 12 million annual visitors—a poetic evolution for someone who once fought to distribute life-saving medical information. Richard's journey from medical librarian to ACT UP activist during the AIDS crisis Finding love through "The Back Room," an early digital dating service, despite policies against dating HIV-positive men How his pattern of seeking solace in gardens evolved into a second career Creating Battery Park's stunning gardens and their impact on 12 million visitors annually The psychological liberation of abandoning external validation in midlife Why embracing change becomes easier—not harder—as you age Richard's philosophy on genuine community impact versus performative activism 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.

    32 min
  8. Michael Bullock & Michael Cukr: Not Separatists, But Visionaries

    07/16/2025

    Michael Bullock & Michael Cukr: Not Separatists, But Visionaries

    This week we explore a radical alternative to traditional living with filmmakers Michael Bullock and Michael Cukr, creators of the groundbreaking documentary "Dream Homes." Currently exhibiting at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Triennial, their film takes us inside three LGBTQIA+ intentional communities reimagining what "home" can mean in America today—not as utopian experiments hidden from society, but as active laboratories creating practical models of care, mutual support, and collective living. How these communities differ from separatist LGBTQIA+ communes of previous generations Miss Major's House of GG—a sanctuary offering rest for trans women by a pioneer who created the first safe spaces for trans sex workers Lupinwood's approach to structure through formal house meetings and clearly defined responsibilities Ten Cups Farm's revolutionary collective parenting model ensuring adults never run on empty The radical concept of rest as luxury systematically denied to marginalized people How these communities respond to prejudice with understanding rather than anger The documentary's unexpected urgency after Trump's election and what it means for queer communities 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.

    30 min
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Trailers

5
out of 5
24 Ratings

About

The New Maturity: Your guide to thriving after 45. Join our dynamic community exploring what it means to age authentically as an LGBTQ+ person. From relationships and wellness to career reinvention and self-discovery, each episode delivers actionable wisdom from thought leaders and community members who understand your journey. We're here to celebrate the richness of queer life in its prime, building chosen family and embracing new chapters with pride.

Information

  • Creator
    Heath Brockwell
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Heath Brockwell
  • Show Website
    The New Maturity

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