Dementia, Who Are You and What Have You Done with My Mother?

It is estimated, that in 2023, there are more than 1.5 million Aussies caring for someone living with dementia and given our ageing population, this figure is only set to rise.Dementia is currently the second leading cause of death amongst Australians and the leading cause of death for women in our country.If you haven’t already come face-to-face with this cruel disease, or known someone afflicted, the chances are that sadly, one day you will.In this episode, my guest is Sarah Jones, Author of Dementia, Who Are You And What Have You Done With My Mother? discusses her experience when her Mum was diagnosed with Dementia as well as her research into the disease.Her book explores what it looks like to be living day-to-day with someone who has dementia. This honest and compelling book, chronicles one family’s experience of navigating through the obstacles and changes that follow a dementia diagnosis; coming to terms with this cruel and unrelenting disease.Meet Sarah JonesAlong with Ross - her husband of 30 years - Sarah Jones lives with her three adult children and one teenager, in their home on Sydney’s beautiful Northern Beaches. Combining her passions for travelling, photography and writing, Sarah has authored a travel blog, recounting funny family adventures and family holidays over the past 12 years and gaining for herself an avid readership. Sarah’s Mum, Jeannie Somerville, was diagnosed with dementia in 2014. It was this diagnosis, coupled with the lack of resources and reading material available for those undergoing similar experiences with loved ones, that prompted Sarah to put pen to paper and write about her own journey with her mother’s dementia, in the hope that it would help others. This is her first book.Connect with Sarah wordsbysarahjones.comhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217707218-dementia-who-are-you-and-what-have-done-with-my-motherThanks for reading Women Living Well After 50 with Sue Loncaric! Subscribe for free to receive new posts, podcast episodes and Your Weekly Boost: Living Life in Full Bloom. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit womenlivingwellafter50.substack.com

You’ve just celebrated your 25th wedding anniversary two weeks ago and your 60th birthday four weeks ago. Life seems to be going along fine until one ordinary day out of the blue your husband tells you ‘I’m seeing someone else’. I recently interviewed Jo Peck, author of Suddenly Single at Sixty for a Women Living Well After 50 Podcast episode. She is an intelligent woman, former business owner for over 20 years of a successful ad agency ‘Working Girls Advertising’ and also born in the same year as me. Her book is about how she recovered from those four words and regained her life. She writes about the good times in her marriage with travel, adventure and good friends. But after the ‘declaration’, on reflection, Jo realised that it was not good all the time and she was doing most of the compromising.This is not a pity party book. It’s about Jo carrying on in a new direction, taking risks and being open to new opportunities. Treading into the unknow waters of online dating at 60 after being in a relationship for more than 25 years. She doesn’t sugar coat the bad times she had – the self-doubts which plague us after this type of experience but I found the book funny at times, sad, angry at others but mostly a woman finding her way and regaining her ‘sense of self’.This would be a great holiday read over the summer and then a perfect introduction for the Podcast episode. Put it on you list of 2025 reads.Watch the VideoConnect with Jo PeckJo Peck grew up in Healesville, Victoria. She worked in advertising for thirty-five years, co-running her own ad agency, Working Girls Advertising, for twenty of those years. She lives in Melbourne with her new partner.Jo Peck: https://www.textpublishing.com.au/authors/jopeckSuddenly Single at Sixty (including bio): https://www.textpublishing.com.au/books/suddenly-single-at-sixtyThanks for reading Women Living Well After 50 with Sue Loncaric! Subscribe for free to receive new posts, podcasts and Your Weekly Boost: Living Life in Full Bloom Newsletter. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit womenlivingwellafter50.substack.com

In this week’s episode of the Women Living Well After 50 Podcast, my guest is Peta Gillian founder of Strong Healthy Women. We are discussing goals and how to make our mission impossible, possible.Key Points* The Problem with Traditional Goals* The Mission Possible Alternative* Creating Lasting Change* Future Vision Questions* Key Action StepsWatch the Video Youtube: Turning Your Mission Impossible to PossibleMeet PetaAustralian Women’s Wellness Specialist of the Year Meet Peta Gillian, Australian Women’s Wellness Specialist of the Year dedicated to helping women over 55; age with strength and energy. Being in her 60s, having navigated menopause, various health issues, and life's limitations she intimately understands the impact of aging, – the joys, challenges, and everything in between. As an internationally acclaimed author and speaker, Peta's insights have transformed the lives of women worldwide. She believes in honouring the wisdom and experiences that each woman brings to the world, ensuring they are seen, heard, and respected. Would you like to have a friendly chat about getting stronger and feeling more energetic? I'd love to hear your story and share how we've helped other women just like you. Let's talk - you can book a CHAT with me here. Link: https://link.mycoachengine.com/widget/bookings/coachingcallwithpeta Thanks for reading Women Living Well After 50 with Sue Loncaric! Subscribe for free to receive new posts, podcast episodes and Your Weekly Boost: Living Life in Full Bloom Newsletter. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit womenlivingwellafter50.substack.com

Do you love to travel but have no one to travel with? My guest in this episode is Sinead Phillips founder of SheVentures, offering escorted small group tours for women. SheVentures is all about inspiring women to embrace life after 50 and travel with other like-minded women. During the conversation we discussed:* Sinead’s story and why she started Sheventures* Why she thinks so many women over 50 are wanting to travel solo* What Sheventures offers and how it works* Women’s Wellness Retreats and why they are becoming more popular* Two trips in 2025 on offer can you tell as about them. Where they are and what women can women* Sinead’s thoughts on what being a women living well means to herMeet Sinead PhillipsLiving in the picturesque Dandenong Ranges with her husband and children, Sinead followed her passion for women’s empowerment through wellness and travel, and established SheVentures.  SheVentures offers escorted small group tours for women.A travel agent for close to 20 years, Sinead loves hosting groups of women on wellness retreats and travel adventures.  Sinead believes that the desire to travel does not diminish with age; in fact, women over 50 have been showing an ever-increasing interest in exploring the world!  Providing an inclusive, comfortable and supportive service, Sinead hopes to spread the word that ‘adventure knows no age limits!’.Outside of SheVentures, Sinead loves to cook for her friends and family, take lots of photos of daily inspirations and tries to practice the self-care that she passionately promotes.Connect with SineadTwo 2025 trips to consider:Vietnam Wellness Week – https://sheventures.com.au/vietnam-2025Immersive India – https://sheventures.com.au/india-2025Sinead does do more trips and retreats, etc. but we will keep it nice and simple.  Everything she hosts is on our website – https://sheventures.com.au/Are you ready to embrace adventure and rediscover yourself?Thanks for reading Women Living Well After 50 with Sue Loncaric! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit womenlivingwellafter50.substack.com

If you are a woman over 50, you know the frustration of changing bodies and excess weight gain post-menopause. You may find weight loss strategies you’ve used in the past just aren’t working any more.My guest today is Wendy Hodge founder of Wendy’s Way to Health. During the interview we discussed weight gain and hormonal changes that occur post menopause and why we need new rules for weight loss.We discussed Wendy’s signature program, the Midlife Mojo Reset and why she felt there was a need to create it for women like you and me.Meet WendyWendy is a Precision Nutrition certified coach and founder of Wendy’s Way to Health. She helps women over 50 regain their confidence and vitality through her signature program, The Midlife Mojo Reset. Delivered as part of her Better Than Ever membership, Wendy’s program empowers post-menopausal women to transform their health by focusing on nutrition, exercise, and key lifestyle shifts like sleep, rest, and recovery.Start the New Year with WendyWendy is having two offerings in January 2025 - The 3-Week Nutrition Makeover and the January Challenge a free 7-day challenge which is all about kickstarting your mornings the right way!The 3-Week Nutrition Makeover is designed specifically for women over 50 who want to lose stubborn weight and feel energised without resorting to restrictive dieting. This program teaches you how to nourish your body by working with the hormonal changes of menopause, not against them (like traditional diets.) You'll discover simple, sustainable strategies to improve your health and achieve results that last. It's a practical and empowering first step to finally getting back in control and feeling like yourself again. Transform your health with the 3-Week Nutrition Makeover! Balanced, flexible nutrition for women over 50 – no restrictions, just real results.The 7-day Reset will be a 7-day challenge and you can find all the details on the website and join the list. Connect with WendyMidlife Mojo Reset Program: https://wendyswaytohealth.com/midlife-mojo-reset-program/Free Belly Fat be Gone Kickstart Guide: https://wendyswaytohealth.com/belly-fat-be-gone/Website: https://wendyswaytohealth.comFacebook page: https://www.facebook.com/wendyswaytohealthInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendyswaytohealth/Thanks for reading Women Living Well After 50 with Sue Loncaric! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit womenlivingwellafter50.substack.com

Today one in five adults infected with COVID-19 is still suffering its effects, months after their diagnosis.In fact, it’s now understood that COVID-19 is much more complex than we first thought. Long Covid has more than 200 potential symptoms, spread across 10 different organ systems, all of which you can experience in different stages of the disease.For clinical nutritionist, Lee Holmes, usually the picture of perfect health, a bout of Covid left her struggling to get out of bed, barely able to muster enough energy to seek help for herself.In this episode of the Women Living Well After 50 Podcast, my guest, Lee Holmes, describes her experience with long COVID.We discussed:* What the definition of long COVID is?* Lee’s new book Nature's Way to Healing - A Long Covid Guide what prompted her to write the book and what can readers expect?* Lee’s approach to managing long COVD* Some of the symptoms in Long COVID are also experienced during peri menopause such as foggy brain, lethargy.  Could those going through peri menopause also adapt some of your holistic lifestyle practices?* Some of Lee’s favourite recipes in the book and how they help* What being a Women Living Well Means to LeeNature’s Way to Healing can be purchased on Amazon, Booktopia and at www.superchargedfood.comWhat this book does:- Shorten the duration of Long Covid and recover faster- Ease brain fog, fatigue, and other debilitating symptoms- Lower inflammation and regulate immune function- Nurture your mind-body connection for optimal healingMeet Lee HolmesMeet Lee Holmes, the force behind all things supercharged. She’s a qualified clinical nutritionist, yoga and meditation teacher, wholefoods chef and author of the bestselling Supercharged Food series. Her ten books include Eat Yourself Beautiful, Heal Your Gut, the page-turner Supercharge Your Life and now Nature’s Way to Healing.As a little girl, Lee remembers foraging the British hedgerows with her mum and two sisters, looking for tasty treats to add to the family’s diet. She would also spend weekends and holidays fruit-picking on the local Kent farms to help supplement the family’s income and so, she says, she had a humble and rural upbringing until the age of six when her single mother decided to move the family to Australia.Wanting to travel as a young woman, Lee left school, went to hospitality and cooking school to become a chef and then became a flight attendant. She spent some time back in the UK teaching English as a foreign language, before working full time in teaching.Then one morning, she woke up and decided she’d like a change of career and fancied working in the music business. For most people this would probably remain a pipedream, but this is Lee Holmes, businesswoman, successful author and now a qualified clinical nutritionist. And as someone who believes ‘if she can think it, she can do it’, Lee found herself running the children’s music department at the ABC. She became an even busier, driven career woman and single mum to daughter, Tamsin, now 28.When Lee became unwell at 44, with what was eventually diagnosed as an autoimmune disease, she gave up her job in the music industry and decided to pursue her other dream of becoming an advocate for natural health and a wholefoods lifestyle.These days, when she’s not whipping up gut-friendly concoctions in her kitchen, you’ll find Lee running her successful online health programs, ‘Heal Your Gut’ and ‘Fast Your Way to Wellness’.She’s a regular columnist for Wellbeing and Eat Well magazines, and a regular on ABC Radio in Australia. Lee’s articles have been published across the globe in prestigious publications, including The Times, The Telegraph, The Guardian, The Daily Express and The Australian.She was a keynote speaker at the Nordic Organic Food Fair and Eco Scandinavia, engaging a global audience of over 1,200,000 people.Lee’s website, superchargeyourgut.com, is a gut health haven offering powders, blends and the popular Love Your Gut capsules. The range has expanded to include 20 different products, which you can buy online and in health stores around the world.Her award-winning cooking blog, superchargedfood.com, is a treasure trove of SOLE food: sustainable, organic, local and ethical.Lee created a petition to improve food in hospitals in Australia and as a result a healthier menu has been introduced by the federal Minister for Health. In addition to passionately creating change at government and policy level, in 2013 Lee’s blog won the title of Health Influencer Blog of the Year.Lee is also a patron and an ambassador for the College of Naturopathic Medicine (CNM) in London.Lee’s Social Media:Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/leesupercharged 58k followersFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/superchargedfood  33k followersLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leesupercharged/ 8k followers This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit womenlivingwellafter50.substack.com

What do you do when your husband runs off with your teenage goddaughter? You write some songs, dye your wedding dress black and – make a show.In this episode, my guest, Tracey Yarad shares her story of loss after an unexpected divorce and starting over after 50 to write a successful one-woman musical memoir – All These Pretty Things.Tracey shares her story including her devastating marriage breakdown and how she rose again, starting over to rediscover herself and her passion.Meet TraceyAustralian-born, New York-based vocalist and pianist Yarad, who had a top 40 hit in the 1990s, will perform several deeply personal and emotionally resonant original songs drawn from her experiences.  Audiences will hear about the couple’s experience as a travelling juggling and music duo, the gruelling but star-studded life of working seven years as a cover band in five-star Tokyo hotels, to running her own music school in the Blue Mountains of Australia. In the aftermath of the divorce, she started again in her 50s, leaving Australia and travelling the world as a solo musician for the first time. However, it was settling in New York, a move that brought about a transformative change in her life, that truly helped to restore her.Connect with Tracey Yarad This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit womenlivingwellafter50.substack.com

In this episode, my guest, Dr Kathryn Tapper, also known as Dr KTap, discusses her holistic view of health. During the conversation we chatted about:* Her story of chronic illness and how she overcomes daily life* Breaking the stigma of how women view their health * Her upcoming book ‘You are greater than your diagnosis’* The different types of health in our lives and it isn’t just physical health* How to GLOW again and find your inner radianceMeet Dr KTapDr. Kathryn Tapper aka Dr. KTap is a Mayo Clinic-Trained, Board Certified Family Medicine Physician, Speaker and Holistic Health and Lifestyle Expert. With over a decade of experience in the health and wellness industry, she uses her passion to positively impact the lives of others by teaching the wisdom gained as a chronic illness patient coupled with her professional expertise as a physician and coach.The mission of her company, GLOW Coaching is to empower ambitious women to GLOW in their wellness from chaos to calm by rediscovering their wholesomeness in mind, body and spirit. Some of her services include individual and group coaching, holistic health consultations, organizational wellness training, and luxury wellness retreat experiences.Dr. KTap has recently been featured on MSN as one of the "Top 15 Health Experts You Need To Know", and her first book titled, “You Are Greater Than Your Diagnosis" will be published this summer.Connect with Dr KTapWebsite: www.drktap.comLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/drktapIG: @drktap This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit womenlivingwellafter50.substack.com

In this episode by guest is Dr Tayo, founder of ‘Back to Sassy Inc’ and creator of the Synergistic Hormone Balancing System.During the conversation we discussed:* Dr Tayo’s background as a physician* The Synergistic Hormone Balancing System* Sleep and other Menopause Mistakes* What being a woman living well means to herDownload your copy of The Dynamic Woman’s Sleep and Fat Burning Menopause Power Pack: https://getyoursassyback.com/sleep-fatb-ppAs the founder of “Back to Sassy Inc.,” Dr. Tayo turned her own perimenopausal struggles into a transformative initiative for women in midlife and beyond.She created The Synergistic Hormone Balancing System ™, a natural, total woman and science-backed framework. This supports women struggling on their menopause journey, and is based on a concept she calls Menopause 3.0, which is the powerful cutting-edge way that ensures management is centred around each woman’s requirements as an individual.Her charismatic demeanor in discussing this complex subject has garnered attention from networks like ABC, CBS, NBC and Google News.Dr Tayo’s innovative approach equips high-achieving women to quickly and safely reignite their vitality, boost their productivity & confidence so that they continue to excel in their professional lives and enjoy rich personal lives.Connect with Dr TayoGet Your Sassy Back Home This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit womenlivingwellafter50.substack.com

In this episode, my guest is Carole Murko, founder of Love, Eat, Heal. Carole shares her personal experiences from starting her career in the financial world of Wall Street to becoming a Mindset Expert and following a different life path. Carole discusses her how neurochange solutions can heal our bodies through self-love and conscious eating.During the conversation we discussed:* Carole’s personal journey* What a Mindset Expert* What Neuro change solutions mean* How Love, Eat, Heal help us to thrive in life* Tips for making changes todayMeet CaroleCarole Murko is a Certified Health Coach, Mindset Expert, Neurochange solutions consultant, qigong instructor and found of Love, Eat , Heal.Carol believes that love will save the world. After 15 years in a competitive dog-eat-dog environment in the late 90s,  she a created a company Dodo Unlimited, using the dodo bird to represent – ‘Don’t let your individualism become extinct, dare to be different.’When her body started to show signs of imbalance and some facing some major life setbacks she knew something needed to change.  Through her own learnings and experiences, Carol works to help others feel happiness, joy, wholeness, freedom and love through self-love, conscious eating which in turn leads to healing and living well.Connect with CaroleLove. Eat. Heal. | Mindset & Self-Mastery Coach: Change/Healing is an Inside Job (loveeatheal.com)Facebook Carole MurkoCarole Murko | LinkedInhttps://linktr.ee/loveeatheal**Share Your Story:**I would love to hear from you! Share your health and wellness journey, tips, or success stories with me or be a guest on the Women Living Well After 50 Podcast. Your experiences can inspire and motivate others in our community.Thanks for reading Women Living Well After 50 with Sue Loncaric! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit womenlivingwellafter50.substack.com