337 Mary Ellen Jukoski: Servant Leadership: Nurturing the Spirit Through Communication and Collaboration

As a young academic professional, Mary Ellen Jukoski, age 75, wondered: “Where are the female college presidents? I want to become one.” So, she did, serving the first 20 years as President of Mitchell College in Connecticut where she transformed a struggling two-year institution into a thriving four-year college, inspired by her feminine leadership style of inclusiveness and collaboration. Her special mission has been to mentor young women to seek and succeed at leadership roles. She credits her husband, Matt, for supporting her cherished career while they raised their daughter. In 2024, Mary Ellen and Matt moved to an independent living community where they can be closer to their daughter and her family and enjoy social and intellectual stimulation. Meeting many women in their 90s, Mary Ellen expresses new appreciation for the notion that “age doesn’t’ define the person.” As she contemplates retirement, Mary Ellen looks forward to a new purpose. She says, “It’s all about having a positive attitude and being open to opportunities.” As a leader, I come to serve, not to be served; I am a presence, being there for others. - Mary Ellen JukoskiConnect with Mary EllenEmail: [email protected] Ellen Jukoski, Ed.D. - CT StateSponsor AppreciationPlymouth Place, LaGrange Park, IL., where senior living is redefined with options and opportunities to fit individual needs and preferences. https://plymouthplace.org Plymouth Place is the Diamond Sponsor for our Symposium, October 8, 2025.Podcast CollaboratorThis month’s podcast recommendation (member of Aging-Well Collective) is Host Beverly Glazer, Aging With Purpose and Passion, a weekly podcast inspiring women over 50 to embrace bold life shifts, and unlock their potential, through captivating stories from trailblazing senior women. https://www.agingwithpurposeandpassion.com

You are in for a special treat as Dee Greer displays her creations of exquisite weavings from Alpaca yarn and amulet bags woven Japanese seed beads. She also enjoys watercolor painting. She learns in order to create. This is bolstered by degrees and certifications in the arts, financial planning, hand weaving, and interior design. Dee has created five businesses in rehab housing, five in Alpaca-related products and services, and a unique hand-weaving loom. Hurricane Helene completely destroyed her condo interior and precious belongings, including a specialty loom. Dee has rebuilt and redesigned her unit, along with helping 60 other residents facing the same challenge. She still makes the time to volunteer with arts programs in her community and to enjoy the rich arts culture with her partner, John. Dee’s constant ‘drivers’ are “doing good in the world” and “being in relationship with people, young and old… to enjoy life from completely different perspectives.” Hoping to help find a cure, she has now been accepted into a study sponsored by Eli Lilly to study a new drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Because I have so many interests and very high energy, I’ve had to compartmentalize and prioritize. It will come to me what to do next. - Dedrea (Dee) GreerContact Dedrea (Dee) GreerEmail: [email protected] Former alpaca farmer finds tranquility while weaving | Your Observer  Sponsor Appreciation  Our heartfelt thanks to Women Over 70 sponsor Wells Fargo. Podcast Collaborator This month’s podcast recommendation (Aging-Well Collaboration) is Host Beverly Glazer, who asks: Are you ready to ignite your next chapter? Aging With Purpose and Passion is the weekly podcast inspiring women over 50 to embrace bold life shifts, and unlock their potential, through captivating stories from trailblazing senior women. https://www.agingwithpurposeandpassion.com 

When you listen to Victoria (Vickie) Rock, 73, you would believe her life has never seen a difficult day. Yet, the truth is, at times it has been rocky. Turning lemons into lemonade is the perfect phrase to attribute to Vickie. Always upbeat, charitable, and giving, she works tirelessly to elevate each person, client and company that become part of her network.A career in court reporting led her to create a business of her own. When working until 2 or 3 a.m. in the morning became too much she sold out, along with her 75 member- team of court reporters and again could enjoy the basics of the business - meeting with clients, being in the courtroom and building her vocabulary with new and interesting words. Having been in this world for so many years, Vickie now teaches businesses how to tell their stories and win clients.Vickie is quick to give credit to those organizations along the way who have helped her grow: National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC) and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business program. Her church and Center for Disabilities & Elder Law remain important organizations she supports.Enjoy our lives: How many Thanksgivings do we have left? - Victoria RockCONNECT WITH VICTORIA ROCK:Email: [email protected]: Victoria Rock

David Horton approached us to do an interview with him, and we did not know how to respond. We listened and, after hearing his story, it became clear that this was a story we wanted to share with you. David’s wife, DeeDee Horton, died of brain cancer. She was an accomplished athlete, middle school teacher, and college basketball coach. In the final six years of her life, she poured herself into writing Layer Upon Layer, a novel exploring the challenges faced by ambitious women. Before she died, DeeDee asked David to finish the editing and share her book with the world. Through David, we learn about DeeDee and her life of empowerment, courage, and contribution. As this testimonial by Rita Frey says of the book: “Layer upon Layer is poignant, full of passion and chock full of amazing lessons for women and an overall feeling of hope.” We also learn from David what it means to lose your loved one. (Thank you, David, for your courage in telling DeeDee’s story.)"What if the people most important to you, fail to see and celebrate you?"Connect with David:Email: [email protected]: Layer Upon Layer by Deedee Horton

Maria Cristina Torres, born in Mexico, studied medicine there and has three decades of experience in pharmaceutical-oriented medicine. She continues to work with people in the United States, finding solutions for chronic conditions and assisting individuals in reclaiming their health through alternative methods. The individuals she treats respond well to Chinese medicine, including acupuncture and herbs. Hypnosis is also effective for lifestyle conditions. Maria is thoughtful and progressive. You can expect to spend 1½ hours with her during your first meeting."These are transformation times when we choose to become the best version of humanity, all with the use of science, herbs and food."CONNECT WITH MARIA:Email: [email protected] Websites: IAmVitality.club (coaching)                    integral-clinic.net (in person)Calendly - Book a phone call with Dr. TorresLinked In: Profile

Donna Younger, EdD, age 72, has dedicated her professional life to mentoring and teaching diverse people in various higher learning settings. These experiences expanded her world view and fed her “rabid curiosity about what binds us together—the sparks that connect us.” Donna’s intentional spiritual journey began at age 50 when she set out to resolve a critical religious question: “What’s the big deal with Jesus?” While staying connected with a church and working with a spiritual director, Donna’s question evolved to “What binds religious systems together?” She sees spirituality as the canopy and religion as a dimension of spirituality that can be a useful tool for those who choose it. Donna is now immersed in guided instruction for Spiritual Direction, a role congruent with her faith that “everyone has a spiritual side, whether they attend to it or not.” Her goal is to help people experience the gifts of spiritual awareness. "As a spiritual director, I want to be a companion to people as they open up to their spiritual nature." Connect with Donna Email: [email protected]  

Josephine (Jo) Alexander (1909-1993) was Nancy Manahan’s dearest friend and Natalya Lukin’s beloved grandmother. The world knew Jo as a prize-winning journalist and photographer, social justice advocate, and author of America Through the Eye of My Needle (1981), a critical analysis of business conglomerates. But no one knew details about the fourteen years Jo spent as an impoverished Arizona homesteader and rancher during the Depression—-that is, until after Jo’s death, Natalya found Jo’s “messy” unpublished memoir among boxes of unpublished essays. Natalya and Nancy (also Jo’s literary executor)formed a bi-coastal collaboration to edit and publish Jo’s memoir: At Sea on the Range: From Berkeley Radical to Arizona Homesteader 1934-1948. Nancy “fell in love with the story of this extraordinary woman who was courageous, adaptable, self-confident, and capable of surmounting impossible barriers.” Natalya values her grandmother as a timeless role model for courageous, capable, and enterprising women. At Sea on the Range won Best Memoir in the 2025 Great Southwest Book Festival."We felt compelled to share the story of how a city girl with studies in literature and anthropology fell in love with an impoverished rancher in Arizona, adapted to grueling circumstances, and grew to appreciate the desert and its people."Connect with Nancy and Natalya  Email: [email protected]:  At Sea on the Range: From Berkeley Radical to Arizona Homesteader 1934-1948. (2024) by Josephine Alexander, Natalya Lukin, & Nancy Manahan. Thanks to our Sponsors for this episode:Compass Navigation Group, [email protected], creams for mature skins, https://www.skintensive.com/

During 15 years in menopausal transition, Carol Remz, age 80, experienced increased vaginal dryness and decreased libido. She and her younger husband mourned their waning sex life. Upon researching relief from radiation treatment for breast cancer, Carol’s discovered sea buckthorn for skin protection and its added benefit of improving the integrity and function of women’s vaginal epithelium.She also found that medical cannabis stimulated her libido. After eight years of research and revival of her sexual pleasure, Carol wrote a book to empower “postmenopausal women who want to continue having sexual pleasure’s well-being benefits.” Written with help from medical health writer and intimacy coach, Molly Carter, Best Sex Ever After Menopause “unlocks empowering knowledge and skills and how to actualize them with love.”Sexual pleasure can be arousing, sensual, erotic, orgasmic, blissful, transcendent—-What do YOU want? - Carol Remz, PhDConnect with Carol:Website https://drcarolremz.comBook Best Sex Ever After Menopause: Transforming Your Sexual Pleasure Through Mindset with Healing and Aphrodisiac Plants (2025) Acknowledgements:Sponsor: Compass Navigation Group. [email protected] Collaborator: Jennifer Fink. http://www.fadingmemoriespodcast.com

Michelle Kalisz started studying piano at the age of 4. Today she owns a piano studio and delights in teaching older adults. She extensively studied chemistry and psychology, all the while playing music which added depth to her understanding of how we learn and benefit cognitively from studying piano. She believes that brain plasticity needs an update. Science shows we can learn new skills well into our 90s because the process of learning leads to growth in brand new neurons. “Chords are like chemical compounds - they have predictable behavior.” Additionally, the current wisdom of the importance of muscle mass aids in providing the dexterity needed to use our hands to play piano.We hope you enjoy learning from Michelle."Chemistry, Psychology & Music - Older Adults Benefit from Playing the Piano"CONNECT WITH MICHELLE:Email: [email protected] In: www.linkedin.com/in/michellekaliszMichelle’s Newsletter: https://www.michellekmusic.io/newsletter

Ann Lousin, 82, the first woman in the United States to be appointed staff parliamentarian for the Illinois House of Representatives, as well as the first woman parliamentarian for any American legislature, continues her fierce journey to remove women’s cloak of invisibility. Since 1970, Ann has been recognized for her work with the IL Constitution and ongoing activism. She has taught commercial law at the John Marshall Law School, now UIC Law School, for 50 years, and holds classes on the IL Constitution. Ann believes dearly in helping pass into law the legal provision for the medical right to die. Her powerful statements attest to her commitment to all these causes and inspire us to act.I like group decision-making when people can openly express different views and accept that the final decision can be one’s 2nd choice. - Ann Lousin Connect with Ann:Email: [email protected] Ann cares about:1970 IL ConstitutionKitihawa DuSableMedical Aid in DyingIf you enjoy Women Over 70-Aging Reimagined, we recommend Jennifer Fink, host of 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. Home - Fading Memories Podcast