Your Creative Midlife
Your Creative Midlife. With host Betsy Bush.
I’m talking to people who are exploring the creative life post-career or as empty nesters: painting, writing, making music, theater, and film making. What about you? Is this the time to write that book? Return to arts you enjoyed as a kid or teen? Curious to try something new?
Here’s the thing: It’s never too late to bring a creative practice into your life. My guests talk about the satisfaction they find as they develop their new skills. They also share the uncertainty and fear they felt when they started and the confidence they gained as they kept at it and their skills developed. Even better: their definition of success is their own. Where do you want to go? Dare to follow your muse.
Have a creative journey to share? Please get in touch via our website contact page, www.yourcreativemidlife.com
Episodes
31 episodes
Don’t Wait for Retirement to Write That Book, with Chris Shirley, Award-Winning Fiction Writer
Do you want to write a book, either now or in retirement? Rather than put off his writing dreams until retirement, Chris embraced the challenges through courses, mentorship, community, and self-education. He went on to write a debut novel and i...
Make a Movie on Your Own Terms and Navigate Life as an Artist, with Brooke Berman
This week on Your Creative Midlife, I talk with Brooke Berman about her latest film, "Ramona at Midlife," which explores the central challenge of reconciling one's youthful aspirations with the reality of how life actually unfolds. ...
From Medicine to Painting and Finding New Forms of Expression in Retirement, with Bob Veselis
What do doctors and scientists do in retirement? In this week’s episode, Betsy speaks with Bob Veselis, a former anesthesiologist, about his art practice and how he transitioned from medicine to becoming an artist.About the guest:...
Why Music and Performing Arts are Key to Creative Aging, with John-Morgan Bush, Dean of Juilliard Extension School
I am thrilled to share my conversation with John-Morgan Bush, Dean of Juilliard Extension. We talk about creative aging, Juilliard Extension, and how music and the performing arts can help us live more enriched lives.John-Morgan advocate...
From Lawyer to Model & TV Extra, with Deidre Michael
When you watch a movie, do you ever wonder about the people in the background? What would it be like to work as an extra in the movie business and how do you get that work anyway? In this episode, I talk with Deidre Michael, a forme...
What Is Your Creative Midlife Going To Be? My Biggest Lessons From One Year Of Podcasting
While you're learning to be creative, I'm learning how to do a podcast. In this episode, I reflect on the fantastic first year of the show, podcasting as an older woman, what AI means for our creativity, the connection between creativity and br...
She Made Her First Film at 65: Now, at 75, Melissa Davey’s Documentary "Climbing Into Life" is Winning Awards
Few of us would dare attempt to become a filmmaker at 65, but that is exactly what Melissa Davey did when she retired from corporate life. Her second documentary, "Climbing Into Life" profiles Dierdre Wolownick, the oldest woman to climb ...
“I was actually just a storyteller my whole career”: Live from Graham Broyd’s Book Launch for Backpack, Jacket, Surfboard at Scarsdale Golf Club
We've been following the journey that my guest, Graham Broyd, has taken as a first time author from developing a personal story into a manuscript that was published by Forbes imprint Advantage Press. In August, I was honored to be asked by Grah...
Nobody Pays to See Normal, with Stand-up Comedian Jane Condon
What does it take to be a stand-up comedian in midlife? Jane Condon has been at it for several decades and gives us the inside scoop of what it really takes to get in front of audiences, develop material, and even recover when a routine b...
His first book is in the top 10% of books sold in 2025: How Graham Broyd Did It.
Graham Broyd was a popular guest when I interviewed him back in February, as his book, Backpack, Jacket, Surfboard was in the final editing stages. Now his book has launched and is selling very well. Graham, a former ...
Did a Family Ghost Lure Me to Nantucket? A Special Episode with Betsy Bush
For the last Nantucket edition of the year, I’m sharing a personal story that kind of fits with the spooky season of Halloween. It’s the story of my first visit to Nantucket, only five years ago during COVID, when the island was shut down...
Enjoy this Replay with Astrologer and Tarot Reader Suzanne Keating!
Enjoy this Replay with Astrologer and Tarot Reader Suzanne Keating!Summer can offer us time to contemplate the future and imagine life changes. If you are on Nantucket, you might consider consulting Suzanne Keating. She's an astrologer w...
Supporting Midlife Creativity in a Judgement Free Zone: Nantucket Island School of Design and Art
Is there a connection between the relaxed vibe of Nantucket Island School of Design and Art (NISDA) and its way of inspiring creativity in midlife? This farm-turned-art workshop, with its silos and outbuildings on Wauwinet Road, feels lik...
Writing with Purpose and the Magic of Nantucket: How Nancy Thayer Published 35 Bestsellers
Why is Nantucket such a powerful setting for novels about renewal and reinvention? The island seems to be a place where life can change in the course of a summer, especially for those in midlife facing an empty nest or a change in a relationshi...
50 Years of Nantucket Arts and Creativity with Charley Walters
Charley Walters proves that you don’t have to create art to be immersed in it. Over the 50 years he has lived on Nantucket, Charley has become a guiding presence in the island’s evolving arts scene.In this episode, he recounts his ...
The Joys of Rock Music in Midlife: The Story of Cranberry Alarm Clock, Beatles Cover Band
How many of you out there have dreams of forming a rock group with your pals playing the music you love? In this episode, members of the Nantucket-based Beatles cover band, Cranberry Alarm Clock, discuss their recent experience traveling to Liv...
Write Your Memoir So That Others Will Read It with Sarah Saffian
“What an interesting life you’ve led. You should write a book.” Has anyone ever told you that? Or maybe you’ve thought this about your own life? There are many reasons to write a memoir. You may find it cathartic ...
Your Midlife Is Vibrant – Write About It! with Stella Fosse
Stella Fosse retired from her biotech career ten years ago and started writing. Her work encompasses a surprising range, from blogs to novels to non-fiction guides for midlife women who want to write their own stories filled with love and...
Blending Business and Art with John Kneapler, Painter
Discovering your creative outlet can be beneficial on many levels. Just ask John Kneapler, who found that painting helped him through the death of both parents. Then the impact of COVID on his graphic design business led him to move...
A Different Way of Knowing with Astrologer Suzanne Keating
Summer can offer us time to contemplate the future and imagine life changes. If you are on Nantucket, you might consider consulting Suzanne Keating. She's an astrologer with a longstanding practice on the island. With interest in astrolog...
No Rules, Endless Possibilities: Collage Artist Lela Goldstein
Sometimes the first step in your midlife creative journey is to look back at the things you loved as a kid. For Lela Goldstein, it was building on her love of paper, images, colors and patterns that led her to explore the world of collage. As s...
Reliving Nantucket’s nautical past with the Shanty Singers
The popular Shanty Cruise offers a unique experience for visitors and locals alike—evoking the spirit of long-ago ship crews who sang these working songs as they hoisted sails and weighed anchor. For anyone exploring creative pursuits in mid...
Finding Joy in the Creative Process with Photographer Lynn Savarese
Lynn Savarese, a Harvard-trained lawyer, discovered her love of photography when she took a beginner's photography class at Manhattan’s 92nd Street Y. Soon after, she volunteered to photograph taxidermied birds at the American Natural History M...
On the Isle Community Theater with Kathi Loughlin
Your Creative Midlife – Nantucket EditionYour Creative Midlife is visiting Nantucket for special episodes this summer. Nantucket is a beautiful wedge of sand 30 miles off the coast of Cape Cod. Just 14 miles long and 7 miles wide,...
From Lawyer to Playwright: How Dan Moretti Got His Plays Produced
Dan Moretti is a lawyer in New York City who is finding success as a playwright. During COVID, Dan started writing one-act plays, which have since been produced by New York theater workshop groups with professional actors. His plays...