After meeting in a Senior Planet class on Instagram and bonding over shared passions for museums, photography and walking, Debbie (67) and Yuko (62) decided to channel the diverse tech skills they’d acquired into launching a podcast on YouTube.

Aging with Grace and Purpose is an interview-based podcast “where seniors meet seniors, amplifying the joy of challenging the misconceptions of aging and enriching our second phase of lives with their substantial experience and wisdom.” 

How did the idea of doing a podcast together come up?  

Debbie: I was talking to Yuko, who told me she was taking coding classes at the New York Public Library on 40th Street.  

Yuko: And this library offered free access to a professional level studio, Studio40. I saw people going in and out of the studio and I asked, “What’s happening there?” They told me, “Take the orientation, pass the access test and you can use the studio too.” 

Debbie: We were talking about how there aren’t many resources for seniors who enjoy using YouTube. So, we thought, why not create something ourselves? Plus, we both wanted to meet new people, folks we wouldn’t otherwise cross paths with.

What tech skills have come in handy for you throughout this process?  

Yuko: The tech skills I learned at Senior Planet were invaluable. Before the Instagram class, I took the Google Suite class. Now, when I send questionnaires to guests, I use Google Docs. We also share the audio files through Google Suite. The Canva class I took at Senior Planet helped me create video thumbnails.

Debbie: I’m teaching myself GarageBand, which is meant for music but works great for our podcast audio. I’ve also been sitting with Yuko and watching her edit our videos in iMovie.

Yuko: Editing can be tiring and isolating. It was nice when Debbie and I spent one Sunday working on some edits for a particular episode. We bounced ideas off each other, and it became a collaborative effort.

Did you know Senior Planet hosts its own podcast?  Check out the latest “Aging Rewired” podcast with Joan Price and Virge Randall – and all our podcasts – here. 

Do you have any goals for the podcast?  

Yuko: We just want to keep going and not give up.

Debbie: We aim to grow our audience slowly because that’s the most sustainable way to do it.

Yuko: Something that’s happening organically is that we’ve become close to our guests. Our social network is expanding as a result.

Debbie: We’re meeting different kinds of people we wouldn’t normally encounter.

Yuko: Everyone has something to tell, their own story to share. We’re enjoying not only listening to those stories but also learning from them. 

What aging with attitude mean to you? 

Yuko: Aging with attitude is very similar to our idea of aging with grace and purpose. It means having the mindset of not giving up. That I’m not invisible. I’m still here. 

Debbie: To me, it’s like approaching every day like a little mystery box. Opening it up and saying, “Let’s see what life has in store for me today.”

You can access the Aging with Grace and Purpose podcast on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Pam Hugi is Senior Planet’s Community and Advocacy Manager. Based in Brooklyn, she is a contributing writer for this site.