What do the stories and experiences we collect throughout our lives reveal about who we are as we grow older?

In this episode of Honestly Aging, we're joined by writer and Friends Life Care member David H. Sanders, whose creative life has taken many forms. From writing and editing to theater, film, music, and the visual arts, curiosity has been a constant thread throughout David's life.

David reflects on his childhood in a large Quaker family, including several formative years living in Kenya, and how those experiences stayed with him for decades before eventually helping inspire his novel Basura Road. He also shares what led him to transform one of his short stories into the short film The New Moon in the Old Moon's Arms, a deeply personal story about a son caring for his father with dementia.

That story was shaped in part by David's own experience helping care for his father. He reflects on watching his father’s memory and abilities change while recognizing that, at his core, he was still the same person David had always known and loved.

David also shares how creativity continues to play an important role in his life today and why he believes it is never too late to try something new. For him, growing older means continuing to stay curious, active, connected, and open to what comes next.

From the memories that stay with us to the relationships and creative pursuits that continue to shape us, this conversation explores the stories we carry throughout our lives and how they can take on new meaning as we grow older.

#HonestlyAging #FriendsLifeCare #VigR #Podcast #CreativityAndAging #AgingWell #HealthyAging #VibrantAging #CreativeAging #LifelongCreativity #StayCurious #Storytelling #Memory #Dementia #Caregiving #PurposefulAging #GrowingOlder

Resources:

https://davidhsanders.com/

https://davidsanderscommunications.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Busara-Road-David-Hallock-Sanders/dp/0999550128/

Friends Life Care:

https://www.friendslifecare.org/

https://www.facebook.com/friendslifecare/

https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/friends-life-care-/

https://www.instagram.com/friendslifecare/

© 2026 Friends Life Care. All Rights Reserved.

Caregiving can change nearly every part of your life, including how you see yourself. But what happens when caregiving ends and you’re left wondering, "Who am I now?"

In this episode of Honestly Aging, we're joined by Margo Ewing Woodacre, MSW, former Delaware State Senator, educator, author, speaker, and former caregiver. Margo shares her experience caring for her husband, Ernie, for eight years as he lived with Alzheimer's disease and the profound shifts in identity she experienced both during caregiving and after his death.

Margo reflects on losing pieces of the life she once knew as caregiving became her primary role, the grief and uncertainty that followed when that role ended, and the process of rediscovering who she was and what she wanted next.

Drawing from her own journey and her forthcoming book, Beyond the Crossroads: Reclaiming Identity When Life Changes Everything, Margo shares the four-step process that helped her move forward and explains how those same questions can help anyone navigating a major life transition.

From caregiving and grief to purpose, identity, and new beginnings, this conversation explores what it means to honor who you were while making space for who you are becoming.

#HonestlyAging #FriendsLifeCare #VigR #Podcast Caregiving #CaregiverSupport #LifeAfterCaregiving #CaregiverJourney #AlzheimersCaregiving #AlzheimersAwareness #GriefAndLoss #FindingYourself #FindingPurpose #LifeTransitions #AgingWell #HealthyAging #VibrantAging

Resources:

https://www.margo360.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/people/Margo360/61593076797634/ 

https://www.instagram.com/_margo360/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/margo-ewing-bane-woodacre-msw/ 

Friends Life Care:

https://www.friendslifecare.org/

https://www.facebook.com/friendslifecare/

https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/friends-life-care-/

https://www.instagram.com/friendslifecare/

© 2026 Friends Life Care. All Rights Reserved.

What happens to a lifetime of knowledge, skills, and experience when you retire?

In this episode of Honestly Aging, Friends Life Care member Jim Mitchell shares how retirement became an opportunity to stay engaged, keep learning, and give back in meaningful ways.

After a career in architecture and higher education, including 30 years at Drexel University, Jim now uses his professional experience to help nonprofit organizations solve problems through volunteer work. He reflects on why he began thinking about retirement years before leaving his career, how starting small helped him discover what he wanted this stage of life to look like, and why he believes purpose doesn't have to end when your career does.

Jim also opens up about caring for his wife as she lived with Parkinson's disease and how that experience shaped his transition into retirement.

From volunteerism and lifelong learning to friendship, curiosity, and finding ways to make a difference, Jim offers a thoughtful perspective on creating a retirement that continues to feel meaningful.

Whether retirement is years away or you're already there, this conversation is a reminder that the skills and experiences you've built over a lifetime can continue to have an impact.

#HonestlyAging #FriendsLifeCare #VigR #Podcast #PurposeAfterRetirement #RetirementPlanning #PurposefulAging #Volunteerism #LifelongLearning #AgingWell #VibrantAging

Resources:

https://www.jemhelp.net/

https://www.catchafire.org/

https://www.philafound.org/

Friends Life Care:

https://www.friendslifecare.org/

https://www.facebook.com/friendslifecare/  

https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/friends-life-care-/  

https://www.instagram.com/friendslifecare/

© 2026 Friends Life Care. All Rights Reserved.