…the most unflinchingly honest Substack about old age…

Welcome!

I’m so glad you found [B]old Age. I write about the strange contradiction of old age: it’s wonderful… and it also sucks. Even if you don’t like to talk about the “bad” stuff, even if you’d rather focus on the positive, there’s a unique phenomenon that defines old age. I call it the bittersweet.

You know what I’m talking about: it’s the awareness that the years are running out, once you’re in your 70s or beyond; at the same time, you may be savoring each day more than you ever have before. I know that’s true for me.

I like to say that I’m obsessed with the bittersweet, which is why I promise to be radically honest about the blessings AND the bullshit of growing old.

👏 Become a hero!

Paying subscribers (they’re the heros!) are [b]oldly supporting my work and can read all my revealing Personal Essays, as well as my popular Q&As with [B]old Women:

Fearless as ever, Pamela Redmond is a Naked Old Woman

Debbie Weil

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Apr 10

Read full story

Mary Roblyn, 70, on losing her husband and the healing power of writing

Debbie Weil

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May 15

Read full story

Still, my goal is to create a community where [b]old readers’ contributions are as important as my own writing. I hope you’ll join us—sign up free and you can decide later to upgrade.

My point of view, as I turn 75, is that it takes bravery and [b]oldness to meet old age head on, without delusions of living to 100. That’s what I’m practicing here. So be forewarned… this is NOT another newsletter by an old woman who only focuses on the wisdom and freedom that come with old age. That’s too simplistic; I don’t buy that kind of toxic positivity.

Your writing is vivid, supple, and candid, but at the same time brilliantly allusive. I always want to know more! - Richard Russell

Instead, after 50 years as a reporter, editor, author, and podcaster (my bio is at the bottom), this is my moment, and my place, to confront big questions, about identity, purpose, health, ambition, grief, and more. Come explore with me!

What I write about

I write about everything from how sex is different in your 70s, to the ways my self-identity is changing, to how to grieve my parents’ deaths, to learning the best ways to love my adult children.

I write about the nuances of my own experience, as well as the reality of old age in the U.S. and elsewhere.

And as I start my fourth year of publishing, I’m still writing about getting old in real-time.

I love everything you’re doing - and how you’re doing it. You both inspire and inform in a beautiful way.” - Karen Salmansohn

I write about surprises

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

• Self-doubt: wrestling with a lifetime of occasional depression and self-loathing

• Complicated grief: the grief of losing parents who didn’t quite 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 [B]oldWomen 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

Paid subscribers to [B]old Age get:

• 🤓 My revealing Personal Essays, like this one about my late mother and this one on grieving.

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

• 📚 Premium membership in the No Guilt [B]old Women Book Club, my Substack LIVE conversations with [b]old women authors; paid subscribers have access to the replays.

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

• Participate in frank [B]oldWomen discussions.

• Access to my complete archive of 100+ articles about topics related to growing old (what it means, its contradictions, and how to make the most of it).

Free subscribers

Free subscribers can participate in discussion posts and have access to selected personal essays and Q&As. I invite you to upgrade anytime via my low annual rate for complete access. I deliberately keep the annual fee very low because I know there are many other worthy Substack publications asking for your support.

If you absolutely cannot afford to pay, email me at debbieweil @ substack dot com and I will comp you.

I publish once a week, on Fridays. Several times a year, I take time off to regenerate and to work on longer essays.

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, thank you so much for this superb interview with me! Your questions brought out some new ideas that I’d never thought about before. Thank you for the warm and gentle nudging when you wanted more… I love this interview and your editorial comments. - Joan Price

“I absolutely love your writing!!” - Isabel Cowles Murphy

“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!” - Karen Sommerville

I support your work because you’re awesome. 😁 - Erika Andersen

“I care about your work because I’m getting older, too, but so are many of my contemporaries who are struggling. New insights and advice for supporting them are always welcome.” - Barbara McNichol

"I think you are doing a great job of opening up the topic of ageing. And you do it with panache." - Jeffrey Streeter

"I love Debbie's writing and her humorous, honest, thoughtful and wise perspective on aging [B]oldly, the same way I wish to age, now, in my 64th year.” - Amy Brown

“You really speak honestly and brighten my day.” - Elizabeth Lasted

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, well, someone who generally overthinks things.

After 30+ years in DC, I live on the Maine coast and in New Haven, CT with my husband of 53 years, Sam Harrington. We have three children in their 40s and six seven grandchildren. I’ve been called the Queen of Elderstack.1

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.

Meet #7, born in July 2026.