378 Lynn Larson: Traveling the World—Curious, Confident, and Carefree

378 Lynn Larson: Traveling the World—Curious, Confident, and Carefree

Author: Gail Zelitzky and Catherine Marienau April 29, 2026 Duration: 29:01

For more than five decades, Lynn Larson has followed her curiosity across continents—and she’s nowhere near finished. At 71, she travels light and lives large, forging deep connections everywhere she goes. Her journey began as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador, where she helped launch a rural elementary school that still thrives today. Friendships formed in other parts of South America 40 years ago endure.

With her husband, James, Lynn has recently completed two legs of an ambitious round-the-world adventure, spanning the Americas, Africa, and Europe. Next stop: India, the Far East, and beyond. Lynn’s style? Minimal planning, maximum openness. One suitcase, one backpack, endless possibility. “We’re curious,” she says. “And we have no fear.” For Lynn, home isn’t a permanent place (except for the lake home in Minnesota); it’s a feeling she creates wherever she lands, among family, friends, and the wider world.

“The world is a big, beautiful place; regardless of our differences, we are all the same.” - Lynn Larson

Connect with Lynn

Email: l_k_l@msn.com

Thanking Our Sponsor—Women’ Connection, a vibrant, member-led nonprofit

organization for women who are at least 50 years old. Women connect with each other in chapters around the country to enjoy shared interests, continue to learn, volunteer in their communities, and provide each other with support and inspiration. https://womenconnecting.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. www.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
386 Kathy Bresler: The Magic of Intergenerational Connection [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:22
Kathy Bresler, founder of ALTAR Community in Chicago, has created a welcoming space where women of all ages come together to be seen, heard, and supported. ALTAR is a third space for women centered around meaningful gath…
385 Regan Burke: Using Your Voice for Good [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:16
At 80, Regan Burke is still organizing, advocating, and speaking out.But her path to becoming a respected activist, columnist, memoirist, and political influencer was anything but straightforward. Before she found sobrie…
384 Sybil Kolon: A Lifelong Commitment to Legacy and Conservation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:23
For nearly fifty years, Sybil Kolon has devoted herself to protecting 79 acres of family land in Michigan’s Irish Hills. Originally owned by her grandparents, the property was placed under option with Legacy Land Conserv…
383 Jill G Hall: Shaped by her Past: Creativity Unleashed [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:50
Author and artist Jill G. Hall, 71, joins us with her luminous new novel On a Sundown Sea, inspired by the mysteries surrounding the visionary woman who built Lomaland—a utopian community near the home Jill grew up in. F…
382 Sandra Sokol: Championing social justice through social service [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:34
For more than six decades, Sandra Sokol has devoted her life to building stronger, more equitable communities. Although she once imagined a career teaching in schools serving children of color her path evolved into groun…
381 Joan Greene: A Lifelong Advocate for Aging and Mental Health [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:16
Joan Greene, 84, trained to be a teacher but found her true calling as a social worker and innovative advocate for older adults. In New York State, she helped create programs from the ground up—from nutrition services an…
380 Mindy Greiling: Schizophrenia: Three Moms in the Trenches [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:47
This episode, first released in 2021, is a reminder that Mental Health Awareness Month requires all of us to tell our stories. We checked back in with Mindy and learned that, even though she is now retired, she continues…