Rebecca, tell us a little about your backgrounds and what led you to work together.

I’ve worked for over 35 years as a professional voiceover actor in Los Angeles doing voices for film, television, cartoons, video games, and anime. However, Sharone and I met at a local Chamber of Commerce. My husband had died in 2001 from cancer and I had two young children to support.

I started selling skin care and cosmetics for a direct sales company and had joined the chamber to network and find customers. Some of the women in the chamber formed a group called Sweet Charities of the San Fernando Valley that has met every Thursday at a Panera Bread since 2008. Both of us are members so we remained friends.

I moved on to blogging and that led to podcasting. I asked Sharone if she wanted to be my co-host. In addition to her being a chiropractor and cantor, she has also worked in radio as a D.J. and traffic reporter. We’re both active members of SAG-AFTRA. My voice sounds like I’m 8 years old and she has a smooth sultry sound. It’s a perfect combination and you can definitely tell who is who.

 

You speak from the perspective of midlife women. What do you feel are challenges and opportunities unique to women in their 40s, 50s and beyond?

We’re both 62 years old, born in 1953, and are Baby Boomers. I was married and now live with a guy. Sharone is single. We’ve both worked our entire lives freelance without the benefit of a “real” job. Women tend to live longer than men so it’s about survival, baby! How do we make it to 100 (if we’re lucky) without living as bag ladies on the street? We’ve reinvented ourselves numerous times and will probably never stop.

 

 

You sound like you’re having so much fun together! What is your mission with your podcast, 2 Boomer Broads?

We do have fun. Originally, we started the podcast as a way to drive traffic to our websites and to entertain. It gives us our performance fix because we’re both actors and, as you probably know, the film industry tends to focus on the young and cute. However, since we started the show, people or their PR reps have been coming to us asking us to book them on our show. We’ve been able to meet fascinating people of both sexes that cater to the midlife market. They include authors, television personalities, producers, coaches, and even a medium and numerologist. Our mission now is to impart useful information that pertains to our demographic and, of course, make them laugh.

 

What are some of your favorite interviews?

As of this writing, we have over 60 episodes up on our website, available also on iTunes, Stitcher, and other podcast outlets. We did one that was popular with Denny Tedesco, who produced a documentary called The Wrecking Crew . It was about the studio session musicians who played with bands during the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. You can listen to it here.

Another one that we found intriguing was about a woman, Maggie Espinosa, who walked all of California’s missions (over 800 miles) Listen to it here. Of course, everyone will have fun listening to our interviews with humorists Lee Gaitan and Vikki Claflin. We also enjoy recording shows with just the two of us. A favorite is The Funny About Colonoscopy.

 

What advice do you have for women to make the most of their midlife years?

We’ve found there are several things you can do to rock your second half:

1. Keep or develop your sense of humor. Laughter is truly the best medicine. It may be hard these days when you watch the news to keep from jumping off a cliff, but instead of taking anti-depressants, OD on laughter.
2. Prioritize self care. As women, we tend to take care of everyone else first. Sharone, as a chiropractor, offers tips on our show to keep your body and posture in alignment. Once that starts to go, it makes a huge difference in your overall health. Also, treat yourself to massages and other means of self-care.
3. Eat well but forget about food fads and diets. The secret is to eat “real” food that doesn’t come in a package. (Tip: some health foods in packages are really junk.)
4. Stay active. Marketers perceive midlife women as ready for rocking chairs, adult diapers, and medical alerts. The truth is we can stay vibrant and active up through our 90s and beyond if we make a conscious effort to keep our body moving, reduce stress, and treat ourselves well.
5. Keep learning new things. Whether it’s through travel, brain games, reading, or otherwise. Once you stop, you’re a goner.

 

What resources do you recommend for these women?

We have an author’s corner on our podcast website with books from midlife authors we’ve interviewed and a Pinterest board. There are lots of fabulous websites/podcasts online for those over 40 depending on your interests. If you’re interested in blogging, Midlife Boulevard is the go-to place to network and get to know other midlife bloggers and blogs. For podcasting, check out She Podcasts, a community of women podcasters. There, you’ll find everything you ever wanted to know about podcasting as well as podcasts from a women’s point of view for all ages.

 

Contact Rebecca Forstadt Olkowski and Dr. Sharone Rosen at podcast@2BoomerBroads.com

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Rebecca Forstadt-Olkowski has been a Los Angeles-based professional voice-over actor for over 35 years specializing in children’s voices. A long-time member of SAG-AFTRA, her IMDB profile lists 100 credits in film, TV, cartoons, audiobooks, and video games. In 2008, she discovered blogging and became hooked. She founded BabyBoomster.com in 2012 and writes about food, wellness, lifestyle, entertainment and travel for women over 50.

Dr. Sharone Rosen D.C. is a woman of many talents. In addition to being an amazing Los Angeles chiropractor, she works as a radio broadcaster, Jewish cantor, and marriage officiant. She is also a member of SAG-AFTRA. If you’re ever in the Los Angeles area make sure to sign up for her fabulous dynamic stick yoga classes. That woman can really handle a stick! You can find out more about Sharone by visiting her website at SharoneRosen.com.