Growing Older Together | Facing Fears, Embracing Resilience

Growing Older Together is a podcast for older adults, centered on the stories, memories, and changes that shape how we see ourselves over time.

All solo episodes are under 15 minutes and explore themes like identity, fear, aging, and personal growth. Interview episodes are longer and released as part of the ongoing series.

I started this podcast because society often treats aging like the end of the story—like we no longer count. And sometimes, we start to believe it. But our stories still matter, and they deserve to be heard.

Season Two: Finding Strength in Our Fears centers on fear—how it shows up in everyday life, keeps us quiet, and what it means to speak about it.

This season also includes an interview series: What the Eyes Carry—conversations with women who share personal stories about regret, silence, and the moments that changed them.

After stepping away from the podcast in December 2024 to care for my mom, I am returning with new episodes every 2 to 3 weeks starting again in December 2025.

If you've ever felt unseen, dismissed, or feel like you no longer matter, this podcast is for you.

Let’s keep growing older and wiser together.

All Episodes

Growing Older Together | Facing Fears, Embracing Resilience

Returning to the Mic

January 01, 2026 • Lourdes Valtierra Dirden • Season 2 • Episode 10

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Episode 10 was recorded on New Year’s Eve, December 31st, and released on New Year's Day. I didn’t say it in the episode, but I want to wish you all a Happy New Year!

This episode is a quick update, and I’m excited to say that Season 2 is officially underway. It has a new rhythm and feel, but the heart of the podcast is still the same. A lot has changed since the last episode aired a year ago, and I’m back with a stronger voice and new stories to share.

NEXT EPISODE
"Invisible with Age: Fighting Ageism"—Stay tuned and until then, I hope you're having a fantastic start to 2026!

LET'S STAY CONNECTED

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Catch all episodes on my YouTube channel
Show notes and captions available in English and Spanish
Find everything here: https://linktr.ee/growingoldertogether
Email: podcast@lourdesdirden.com

Thank you for listening and for being here with me.

Speaker: 0:21

Welcome back everyone and welcome back Lourdes. I can't believe it's been a whole year since the last episode in December of last year. Today is an exciting day for me. I really miss being here with you. And I even changed the music for the podcast, so you'll notice a fresh sound, a little more upbeat. This episode titled, Returning to the Mic, is just a quick update. And whether you've been listening from the beginning or just here for the first time, I'm really glad you're here. This season is built around a simple idea. We're still here and our stories are still being written as we age. I started this podcast because society often treats aging like the end of the story, like we no longer count. But our stories still matter and they deserve to be heard.

I'm coming back to the mic for Season 2 with the next episode, Invisible with Age: 1:26

Fighting Ageism. We'll talk about how ageism shows up in everyday life, how it feels when the world seems to stop seeing us, and some ways we can push back so we don't start believing that we no longer matter. A lot has changed in my life. since I stepped away from the podcast to care for my mom during her final months. She passed away earlier this year and that experience changed how I think about fear, aging and the stories we carry inside us.

During that time, I also finished my memoir, "Gripped: 2:12

The Weight I Refused to Carry." Since then, I've been slowly rebuilding and part of that has been asking how we keep our stories from getting buried beneath everything else. Episodes will be short, under 15 minutes, so you can listen in one sitting, driving, or during a quiet moment to yourself. New episodes will come out every 2-3 weeks. Okay, that's it for today. Thank you for listening and being part of this community. Remember to take care of your energy, be kind to yourself, and trust that facing our fears—at our own pace—can help us uncover our true strength. Let's continue growing older and wiser together.