This is [B]old Age and I write about…

…the blessings and the bullshit.

Welcome! I write about what it’s really like to get old, from the blessings to the bullshit.

After 50 years as a reporter, editor, author, and podcaster, I’ve paused… not to step out of the fray, but to take more time to look inside my heart, and uncover what matters most for me right now, AND that also resonates with you, dear reader. This includes confronting big questions about identity, purpose, ambition, grief, and more.

Of course, it’s a blessing to get older, wiser, and more at ease; at the same time, it's bullshit for me or anyone else to deny the realities and the hardships. Maybe you’re filled with questions about old age (sex? health concerns ? finances? retirement?), or maybe your experience is better—or worse—than you expected. (It’s both, for me.)

Join me as I write curiously, vulnerably, non-judgmentally, and a little [b]oldly, about tiptoeing into the foreign land of the old. I’m learning so much more about myself, [b]old age, and what comes next, for all of us.

I write about surprises

At 73, I find myself most interested in the aspects of aging that no one prepared me for. Things like:

• Living through today’s political chaoes: does [B]old Age even matter right now?

• Ambition: the complexities of ambition as you get older

• Sex: what sex is like with my long-time husband

• Self-doubt: depression and self-loathing

• Complicated grief: the grief of losing parents who didn’t accept me but I still long for

• Unexpected injuries: I fell smack on my face

• A writing crush: my writing crush on a younger man

I ask a lot of questions

About things such as:

• Learning to love yourself, if you’ve had a lifetime of self-doubt

• Defying ageist stereotypes you may be holding yourself

• Redefining your purpose, if you are of retirement age

You’re invited to reflect on your own aging here, too… no matter how old you are. Through open-forum discussions and Q&As with esteemed [B]old Women writers, my Comment sections are consistently filled with personal shares that remind me how valuable a conversation is AND why I publish this newsletter.

“You are always asking the big questions, seeking how we can best live with vitality and wisdom. Whether it's sharing your own story or bringing us amazing interviews I always learn something." - Donna McArthur

Free subscribers to [B]old Age get:

• Selected personal essays examining what it’s like to grow [b]older

• Q&As with [B]old Women about age, ambition, life, and writing

Paid subscribers to [B]old Age get:

• My most personal essays, like this one about my late mother and this one on grieving

• My in-depth essays answering Ask Debbie questions such as, What if I get Alzheimer’s? and How will I cope if my husband (partner) dies?

• Q&As with [B]old Women about age, ambition, life, and writing

• Monthly [B]oldChat discussion posts

• Access to my complete archive

• My sincere thanks for supporting [B]old Age!

I publish once a week, on Fridays. Occasionally I take a week off.

As a paid subscriber, you are supporting writing that matters—to you, and to me.

What subscribers are saying

I think our ability to be honest with ourselves about the personal shifts and adjustments we need to make is the definition of your Stack: BOLD. It's courageous to grieve what once was. -

Paulette Bodeman

“Debbie, I love what you’re doing for those of us in our 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond! Our bodies might be aging, but you’re a great example of who we can be when we remain curious, creative and open to new ideas. Thank you for being [B]Old!" -

“I absolutely love your writing!!” -

Isabel Cowles Murphy

Thank you so much for modeling how to live a great third act that is both forward looking and fully present." - Julie J.

Who is Debbie? (she’s been called “the queen of elderstack”)

I’m a 70-something podcaster, writer, author (I wrote one of the first books on business blogging for Penguin), editor (a nonfiction book coach), storytelling director (I founded a multigenerational women’s storytelling event), former reporter, Web pioneer (I coded my first website in 1996), nonprofit volunteer, wife, mother, grandmother and more.

After 30+ years in DC, I live on the Maine coast and in New Haven, CT with my husband of 52 years,

For honest dispatches from a badass [b]old lady, subscribe to [B]OLD AGE. Omg, did I just call myself badass?? More about that here. And thanks to