Telling stories and captivating audiences is what Leslie Gold, aka, The Radio Chick, did for years before starting her podcast, A Life’s Story, and a business called, "Your Life's Story."
She built a top-rated show in New York City with 1 million daily listeners. In 2017 she left radio to focus on other interests and then came the pandemic.
She wanted to connect with people. Despite being asked frequently to do a podcast based on her radio show that seemed too self-serving.
She decided to interview people in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and older who had lived extraordinary lives.
And the stories she shared during our conversation are just that, extraordinary and inspiring.
She came to me to share her work because, she said, “you believe it's time to bust the myth that aging equals decline. And these folks that I speak to bear that out completely.”
And these stories changed Leslie’s life.
“I just meant to be a storyteller for these folks, but they ended up being very educational and instructive for me. They caused a paradigm shift for me on how I think about myself getting older and what's in store.”
[00:04:36] Leslie told stories about a 94-year-old, defrauded and battling the lies of some close to her telling others she had dementia—she did not. So she got help and went to work. She took everyone to court, including JP Morgan, and got $19M back. Half from JP Morgan and half from her miserable grandsons.
[00:08:59] And Eleanor Pendergraft, 86, who went from wheelchair bound with MS to walking, to running, to competing in the National Senior Olympics and won a medal.
“Everybody that I've spoken to has a philosophical approach to death that they accept the [00:16:00] inevitability of it. But they neither fear it nor welcome it. It's just a stage in the journey of life. And they accept that there will be a time for them as there has been a time for everyone, but until then they will ring every bit of sweetness and enjoyment and purpose out of their lives.
Are you familiar with the happiness curve? If not you can read about it here. Research shows that we get happier after 50. I love a bit of good news.
Leslie added “And if you're listening right now to the rebellious wellness over 50 podcast, and you're in your forties or fifties, the good news is you're likely to end your life much happier than you are now. “
At some point on this journey telling the stories of those with extraordinary lives, Leslie realized she wished she’d had the stories that her mother or father used to tell. Just to be able to hear their voices. From there “Your Life’s Story” was born.
Leslie and her team professionally produce a variety of personal audio documentaries.” We capture your life story or the life story of your parent or grandparent in their own voice and produce it into a masterful piece of audio storytelling that becomes a family heirloom.”
We ended with Leslie’s advice: “If you want to be, inspired, I would say, find a lively 80, 90, or a hundred year old person. And you'll feel a lot better about what the rest of your life is going to look like.”
Leslie’s site
A Life’s Story
Things we mentioned
Silver Sneakers
The National Senior Games
