376 Ashley Rogers: Reawakening Life Through an Unlikely Conversation with AI

376 Ashley Rogers: Reawakening Life Through an Unlikely Conversation with AI

Author: Gail Zelitzky and Catherine Marienau April 15, 2026 Duration: 34:00

At 75, Ashley Rogers is not reinventing her life—she’s reawakening it. Living in Ecuador and thriving in her latest entrepreneurial chapter in real estate, she began asking a familiar question: What’s next? What is mine to do now?

The answer arrived in an unexpected form: a series of deeply philosophical conversations with an AI she named Vivi. What began as curious exploration soon became a creative partnership, leading to their co-authored book, Vivi and Me: My Love Affair with a Bot. Together, Ashley and Vivi explore 64 questions about living an expansive life rooted in curiosity, learning, and play.

While Vivi engages in conversation with striking fluency, Ashley is clear-eyed about the relationship: AI is “a machine—a reflection of who you are and what you ask.” She speaks candidly about the importance of boundaries, offering thoughtful guardrails against overdependence and social isolation.

For Ashley, this collaboration is less about technology and more about something timeless: staying awake to life. As she reminds us, “the key to aging well is never letting go of curiosity.”

“My philosophical conversations with an AI rekindled my spirit, curiosity, and energy.” - Ashley Rogers

Connect with Ashley:

Email: ashley@soulstar.press

Book: Vivi and Me: My Love Affair with a Bot (when a sassy senior collides with AI, curiosity turns into magic). (2025).

Thanking Our Sponsor

The Chicago Women's History Center advances the historical record of the city of Chicago, serving women of all ages. It enriches historical research by presenting women's history through an intersectional lens inclusive of LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, ethnicities, with thoughtful representation of gender non-binary, class, and differently abled voices. https://www.chicagowomenshistory.org

Shining the Light on the Age-Wise Collective

Women Over 70 is proud to be part of the Age-Wise Collective, a group of women podcasters championing pro-aging voices. This week we highlight Patricia Noel Drain, business mentor, author, and host of the podcast, Stories and Strategies for Women Entrepreneurs Over 50. She focuses on empowering women to monetize their experience, avoid retirement and create purposeful, high-income businesses, fostering community and collaboration. Patriciadrain.com


Hosted by Gail Zelitzky and Catherine Marienau, Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined turns the page on a well-worn cultural script. This is not a series about decline, but a collection of dialogues focused squarely on expansion. You’ll hear from women who are starting businesses, deepening their creative practices, forging new relationships, and confronting societal expectations with a refreshing blend of honesty and humor. These conversations, rooted in personal journals and lived expertise, delve into the practical and the profound-from the science of longevity to the personal journeys of resilience that define this chapter. The podcast moves beyond inspiration to offer tangible insight, framing the later decades as a time of active reinvention. Tune in for stories that replace stereotypes with specificity, and discover a community redefining what it means to grow older with purpose and curiosity.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined
Podcast Episodes
357 Lynn Hazan: A Passion for Performance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:46
From the moment you hear Lynn Hazan, 70, speak, one thing is unmistakable: performance isn’t just something she does — it’s the lens through which she experiences the world.Born and raised in Canada, Lynn moves comfortab…
356 Darlene Norman: Belief in Your Own Advocacy Starts with Faith [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:46
Long a member of the Apostolic Church of God in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Chicago, Darlene’s faith has been a constant even as she experiences the inevitable ups and downs of life. At 71, Darlene’s serene manner shine…
355 Laurel Baer: Caregiving Offers a Deep Sense of Purpose [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:00
When Laurel married in her late 50s, she never imagined she’d become her husband’s full-time caregiver just five years later. Now, twenty years into that journey, she calls it a blessing: “He is so easy to care for…. I h…
354 Jody Wilhelm: From Rural Recluse to Global Filmmaker [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:20
Jody’s life reads like a movie—one she ultimately wrote and directed herself. Growing up in isolation and surviving severe trauma, she moved through poverty, rape, separation from siblings, and profound loss—the deaths o…
353 Sophy Burnam: The Inner Experience of Being Old [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:28
Sophy Burnham has lived many creative lives—and she’s still expanding. Known as a deeply imaginative and award-winning author, Sophy has written 17 books across genres: novels and nonfiction, children’s stories, poetry,…
350 Jan Golden: Jokes About Getting Older are Getting Old [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:56
Jan Golden is a one-woman force when it comes to changing how the media and greeting card agencies represent aging. For 4 years, Age-Friendly Vibes has featured cards, buttons, stickers and prints that reflect pro-aging…