When Patricia (Pat) Koko, age 82, reflects on her life’s work as a young homemaker turned consummate volunteer and community change-maker, she often says things like, “that was kind of fun,” or “there just was a need”—-simple phrases that belie an extraordinary legacy.

Driven by a lifelong love for older people, Pat has spent more than 50 years helping to create, grow, and sustain programs and services that support older adults. What began as local, grassroots efforts in and around Oak Park, IL, evolved into initiatives that attracted state and federal funding and ultimately became models for nationwide programs serving older adults.

Pat’s impact continues today. In addition to being a volunteer extraordinaire, she is the owner of RBC Jewelry Designs, where she creates stunning gemstone pieces—many of which she generously donates to fundraisers benefiting older adults.

"The services I helped create many decades ago are enduring and robust, and I’m still here to help where help is needed." - Patricia Koko

Connect with Pat

Email: [email protected]

Pat Koko: for 50 years, a volunteer extraordinaire in & around Oak Park - Inside Edge PR

Thanking Our Sponsor—-Plymouth Place, LaGrange Park, IL. Discover the extraordinary at Plymouth Place—a vibrant community designed for active adults. Elevate your retirement living experience with tailored independent options, premier amenities, and a full continuum of care. Explore diverse living choices and embrace the joy of a life well-lived. http://plymouthplace.org

Recognizing the Age-Wise Collective

Women Over 70 is a proud member of the Age-Wise Collective, comprised of women-led podcasts for women 50+, featuring women’s stories and addressing topics that promote the pro-aging movement.

MEET: Sally Duplantier, gerontologist and founder of My Zing Life, who’s mission is to help older adults live their best lives longer. Sally hosts Wellness Wednesday, an online program featuring cutting-edge researchers, best-selling authors, and health professionals. https://myzinglife.com

Living high throughout the 1960s and early ‘70s filled Suzi’s life with glitter, dazzle, and celebrities who sadly, broke her heart. As a luxury designer of women’s clothing in New York, Suzi was sought after by big name clothiers. This is Suzi’s life: from design to yoga to memoirist to children’s tales. She always chooses “gratitude over grumpy” and carries with her learnings from Krishna, which hold her steady while living a life in which “nothing stays the same”. “What people forget about when they’re living their lives is that everyone dies. “I don’t want to waste time with anything negative.” Suzi’s latest adventures include The Doggos, her 6-book children’s series about the love that dogs bring to children’s lives. As a digital artist, Suzi creates all the beautiful illustrations herself.

“After success, my whole sense of self changed.” - Suzi K Edwards

CONNECT WITH SUZI:

Email: [email protected].

Facebook:   / suzi.k.edwards  

Memoir: Quiet Mind Crazy Heart Children’s Series: The Doggos

Thanks to our Sponsor: The Chicago Women's History Center was founded in 1971 with the mission to elevate the contributions of ALL women to advance the historical record of the city of Chicago; To empower younger generations to learn about the history of Chicago women’s social justice; and to enrich the historical research by presenting our history through an intersectional lens inclusive of LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, ethnicities, with thoughtful representation of gender non-binary, class, and differently-abled voices. https://www.chicagowomenshistory.org

Recognizing the Age-Wise Collective

Women Over 70 is a proud member of this group of women-hosted podcasts that feature stories from women 50+ and on topics that promote the pro-aging movement. If you enjoy listening to our podcast, then you might like Wendy Battles, host of Reinvention Rebels - a podcast that celebrates bold women 50-90+ who are rewriting the aging narrative and designing the lives they want to live. https://reinventionrebels.com/

n writing her memoir, BROKEN PIECES (and the fun things you can do with them), Reedy is hopeful that her life's missteps might help others. When she began studying Method Writing with a brilliant teacher, “her life's stories came pouring out like a waterfall", she said. It took a few decades to complete her manuscript to her satisfaction. She found searching for a publisher tedious and finally chose to self-publish with Paper Raven Books. In her book, Reedy shares the many phases of her life, the ups and downs, successes and failures, in a raw honest account. Through her publication journey, she met three other first time published memoirists, all women in their 70s, and now they are collaborating on a book to inspire future memoirists. Academics was not Reedy’s strong suit, but she excelled in the arts, ballet and acting. Unfortunately, she had a much older mentally troubled brother she had to contend with. Her desperate attempt to escape family dysfunction took a traumatic turn causing her to lose her footing and stumble down a dark path. But there was light at the end of the tunnel and a happy ending in sight.

"It doesn’t always help if your friends sympathize with you when you’re in a bad situation." - Reedy Gibbs

CONNECT WITH REEDY: E. [email protected] Memoir: Broken Pieces and the fun things you can do with them https://www.amazon.com/s?k=broken+pie...

A special thanks to our sponsor Plymouth Place in LaGrange Park IL where senior living is redefined with options and opportunities to fit individual needs and preferences.

A shout-out to Age-Wise Collective member Ilana Landsberg-Lewis, host of Wisdom at Work: Older Women, Elderwomen and Grandmothers on the Move, features energizing and inspiring conversations with older women activists and artists the world over. Https://www.wisdomatworkpodcast.com

Debra Morrison invites us to reimagine our lives where money takes on new meaning and purpose. Founder of the We Can Do It Women Movement, Debra works with mature women (50+) who are ready to stop defining themselves by financial missteps and start moving—intentionally and courageously—toward what still matters most. Money, Debra reminds us, is part of the picture, but not the whole story. It sits alongside physical, mental, relational, and spiritual well-being. Her

mission is to “reframe women’s mindsets around wealth…be in relationship with our money as a tool…and uplevel women’s confidence around money,” including managing risk.

With compassion and clarity, Debra creates a space where women can “ imagine ways to flame the embers, to move on to the next thing”—aligning their financial lives with their values, purpose, and soul’s calling.

Connect with Debra

email: [email protected]

https://www.wecandoitwomen.com/

Facebook Group: https://www.wecandoitwomen.com/group

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debralmorrison/

https://www.instagram.com/debralmorrison/

https://www.youtube.com/@DebraLMorrison

Book: My Husband Died, Now What? (2025)

Thanks to our Sponsor AARP-IL

Meet Age-Wise Collective Member Illana Landsberg-Lewis, podcast host of

Wisdom at Work—Older Women, Elderwomen, and Grandmothers on the

Move…disrupters and influencers. http://www.wisdomatworkpodcast.com

Advocate Franca Zanovello shares her deep beliefs about beauty for women of all ages. Growing up in Italy, and living in six different countries, influenced Franca’s earliest experiences with skin care. Experiencing massage by blind people in Myanmar helped her understand how touch alone elevates wellness through body massage. In a large family of women, she learned to take care of her skin, body and hair, and her grandmother, who was a mid-wife, taught her science and explained to her how the body functions at a very young age. Today, Franca works with Skintensive, a dermatologist, efficacy-driven skin care brand designed for maturing skin. Franca’s approach to the innovation and science behind skin care is the reason we support and appreciate Skintensive’s support of us. 20% discount at https://www.skintensive.com with code WO70 + free shipping.

“Growing up in Italy and living in South Asia influenced my belief in the deep connection of body and mind and my view of beauty as a reflection of health.” - Franca Zanovella

Fading Memories Women Over 70-Aging Reimagined is a member of the Age-Wise Collective, 13 women-led podcasts that feature women 50+ and topics that promote the pro-aging movement. This month’s Collaborator is Jennifer Fink, who hosts Fading Memories, a podcast for caregivers of loved ones with dementia. It provides insights and guidance on communicating effectively, managing stress, and coping with grief and loss.

Rabbi Jo David grew up in a secular Jewish home in New York. Her mother said, “the woman’s job is to always serve the man”. She didn’t think so and in the ‘80s decided to become a reformed Rabbi. In 2001, when the World Trade Center

was destroyed, she was living in Manhattan.

The next day she couldn’t get off the couch and for 10 years suffered from post traumatic stress syndrome. By the time she was able to walk out of her apartment by herself, Jo had found that writing eased her pain. Soon she was creating spicy Regency romance novels under an alias. The idea for these books came to her in a dream.

This vital, vibrant woman, founder of mobile story hours for Headstart, believes “you must give yourself permission to imagine every choice”.

“I was in my late 60s when I realized I didn’t need everyone’s approval.” - Rabbi Jo David

Attachment is interwoven throughout Phyllis Booth’s professional and personal life. Now Clinical Director Emerita of The Theraplay Institute in Evanston, Illinois, Phyllis was instrumental-—more than 50 years ago—-in developing a therapeutic approach that strengthens relationships between parents and children through attachment-based play.

She credits her parents and the Mormon Church for instilling high expectations that “fit well for advancing a new field.” Phyllis says, “my very good and productive life has been beautifully and tenderly supported”—by her late husband, colleagues, family, and friends.

As she approaches her 100th birthday in March 2026, Phyllis has already begun celebrating, starting with a family gathering at her cabin in Utah.

“I continue to educate parents and practitioners about building better relationships through attachment-based play.” - Phylllis Booth

Connect with Phyllis:

Email: [email protected]

Website: Phyllis Booth – Theraplay

Selected Publication:

Booth, P., & Jernberg, A. (2010). Theraplay: Helping parents and children build better relationships through attachment-based play (3rd ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Thanks to the Age-WISE Collective

Women Over 70 is a proud member of the Age-WISE Collective, a group of women-hosted podcasts featuring stories from women 50+ and conversations that promote the pro-aging movement.

Suzy Rosenstein, host of Women in the Middle: Loving Life After 50. This weekly podcast explores a wide range of topics designed to help women get excited about their lives again.

Women in the Middle Podcast | Stop Feeling Stuck and Bored Today

Like most people, when Deb Krier was told she had metastatic breast cancer in 2015, she went into a tailspin. She previously worked for an oncologist and later, the American Cancer society and still was not prepared. What stuck with her was something the oncologist had said years earlier: 99% of survival is in your head. 

Deb shared with us how hard she worked to maintain an upbeat attitude. Always upbeat, throughout her life, she was always independent. As an only child, raised in the mountains of CO, her mother encouraged her to take care of herself.

However, chemotherapy treatment almost killed her - 7 weeks with septic shock in the hospital, in and out of ICU and 30 surgeries. 

This experience and two other bouts with cancer led Deb to devote her life to helping people live life while fighting cancer. And so, she created the website, https://www.tryingnottodie.live. The site offers information and support packages: Bear hugs and other ways to brighten the lives of people you care for with cancer.

It is 10 years now. In addition to managing her website and still living with cancer, Deb volunteers with the University of Colorado, is involved with the National Beagle Club of America and reads and gardens with her husband who is a huge source of support. 

“We are in charge of how we manage our lives when living with cancer: I choose life.” - Deb Krier

Thank you to our sponsor, Women’s Connection, a nonprofit women’s group with chapters around the country. Members are vibrant, accomplished women, age 50 and forward, who connect around common interests, empower each other to thrive, and stick together as they travel through the stuff of life, no matter what comes their way. https://www.womenconnecting.org.



Women Over 70 is a proud member of the Age-WISE Collective, a group of women-hosted podcasts featuring stories from women 50+ and conversations that promote the pro-aging movement. This week we feature Suzy Rosenstein, host of Women in the Middle: Loving Life After 50. This weekly podcast explores a wide range of topics designed to help women get excited about their lives again. Women in the Middle®: Loving Life After 50 - Midlife Coach

Mary Beth Berkoff, age 82, founded her own PR company in her late 50s—and she still knows how to spotlight what’s good. Long before that, she was a teacher, an injury-prevention pioneer, and a public-affairs leader who helped pass Illinois’s seatbelt and child-restraint laws. Those roles taught her resilience, resourcefulness, and, as she likes to say, that “if you can teach junior high students, you can do anything.”

Today, that same spirit infuses her life at The Admiral at the Lake, a continuous care retirement community in Chicago, where her gift for connecting people enriches both her days and those around her.

Widowed in recent years, Mary Beth says that loss has both challenged and affirmed the words she lives by: “There is always something good around the next corner… I don’t stay defeated… I believe my life will continue to be great; I just need to do the work.”

“There is no lonely where I live in community with other interesting and welcoming people.” - Mary Beth Berkoff

Connect with Mary Beth:  

Email: [email protected]  

www.theadmiral.org

Recognizing the Age-Wise Collective

Women Over 70 is a proud member of the Age-Wise Collective, comprised of women-led podcasts that feature stories from women 50+ and topics that promote the pro-aging movement.

Meet Suzy Rosenstein, podcast host of Women in the Middle: Loving Life After 50. Suzy shares the good, bad, ugly, and sometimes downright hysterical about growing older and making the changes women want so they don’t have regrets in their second chapter.

Denise Poncher, 73, has spent her life noticing experiences that call her to create. A multidisciplinary artist—-creative writer, documentary photographer, custom art framer, collagist, fiber explorer—-she treats each medium as a path toward deeper understanding. Legacy writing now invites her to weave together difficult losses of significant people with joyful threads of being a nurturing grandmother. Once a painfully shy child, Denise found courage and confidence through her art, ultimately bringing hidden stories such as domestic violence into public view during her MFA graduate work. Outside the corridors of art, she served in public service roles from Department of Justice inspector to equestrian instructor. Today, Denise continues to seek new forms of creative expression—-guided by the belief that personal truth has the power to resonate far beyond the self.

"The deeper I go into my own experience, the more universal my message becomes." - Denise Poncher

Connect with Denise:

Email: [email protected]

Fine art photography by Studio 626 in Oak Park, IL - Alignable

Thanks to our Sponsor—Women’s Connection

Celebrating its 25th Anniversary, Women’s Connection is a member-driven nonprofit organization for vibrant, accomplished women who are 50 years old and beyond. In chapters around the country, including a virtual Coast-to-Coast (C2C) chapter, women connect to enjoy shared interests and empower each other to thrive. https://womenconnecting.org

Recognizing the AGE-WISE COLLECTIVE

Women Over 70 is a proud member of the Age-Wise Collective, comprised of women-led podcasts that feature stories from women 50+ and topics that promote the pro-aging movement.

Meet: Ilana Landsberg-Lewis, host of Wisdom at Work: Older Women, Elderwomen, and Grandmothers on the Move! Profiles of disrupters and influencers who kick stereotypes to the curb. http://www.wisdomatworkpodcast.com

From the moment you hear Lynn Hazan, 70, speak, one thing is unmistakable: performance isn’t just something she does — it’s the lens through which she experiences the world.

Born and raised in Canada, Lynn moves comfortably among French, English, and the Spanish and Hebrew she loves practicing. Her multicultural roots run deep: her parents were French citizens born in Egypt and Syria, and her Jewish faith has been a guiding force since childhood. It was at Jewish conferences, surrounded by stories and ideas, that Lynn first understood the power of storytelling to transform communication.

Curiosity drives her. Travel energizes her. She has journeyed on multiple humanitarian trips, including a 1995 performing tour in Ukraine that left a lasting imprint. Wherever she goes, Lynn becomes a bridge — sharing stories people-to-people, culture-to-culture. Her own family’s history inspires her daily; she lost her father at 12 and her mother decades later at 92, and their lives continue to shape her sense of purpose.

Professionally, Lynn is a force of creativity. A natural salesperson from the start, she built a dynamic recruitment business where imagination and strategy coexist. She channels her love of storytelling into every interaction, coaching candidates to “sell themselves” with clarity and confidence. It’s why she’s widely known as the storytelling recruiter — a title she carries proudly and passes on to her interns like a legacy.

“I thrive on creativity, ask a million questions and learn wherever I go.” - Lynn Hazan

CONNECT WITH LYNN:

Email: [email protected]

Website: lhazan.com