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Celebrity sexpert Joan Price, 82, on senior sex, line dancing, and legacy
And finding optimism and humor even when the challenges seem massive
Welcome to [B]old Age, where I’m obsessed with the bittersweetness of growing old, from the blessings to the bullshit. I write revealing personal essays (for paid subscribers), publish popular Q&As with [B]old Women, like this one, and offer discussion posts open to all. More about my bestselling newsletter here.
I have drawers, shelves, and boxes filled with sex toys! Periodically I distribute those I no longer want to my friends. They smile when they see me arrive with a sack! - Joan Price
If I had to credit one person for helping me to think more expansively about the definition of sex, it would be Joan Price. Joan, 82, is a senior sexpert who is renowned for her practical and sympathetic advice. I found her work online almost a decade ago and have been following her ever since. I interviewed her on my podcast several years ago (it was one of the most popular episodes) and got back in touch recently when I saw that she had new editions of her two most popular books1.
Her frank and “spicy” (her word) explanations of desire, sex, and what constitutes intimacy have helped me to understand changes in my 70-something body, especially what to do about the phenomenon of decreasing libido. Don’t wait to feel aroused, she counsels; start fooling around first and desire will come afterwards. That came as a surprise to me and my husband of 53 years; very reassuring.
Four years ago, Joan was quoted in the widely-read New York Times Magazine cover story, The Joys (and Challenges) of Sex After 70. Just last week, she and her 82-year-old boyfriend were profiled in the NYT about their sexual relationship.
And now live, a relaxed and conversational interview with Joan on the NYT Modern Love podcast—that reveals all about her sex life as an older woman!
A Widow’s Guide to Sex (NYT Modern Love Podcast, March 18, 2026)
Here’s the transcript of the podcast with an intro by Anna Martin, host of the Modern Love podcast, and fabulous photos of Joan by Lauren Segal.
Today, we get our very own view behind the scenes with Joan to find out more about her life as a [b]old woman.
Debbie Weil: First, how is your recovery from your car accident?
Joan Price: In April 2025, an unavoidable car crash left me with three neck fractures. You can read more about it on my blog. Recovery is still an ongoing process. Luckily I’m able to do everything I could do before – even teach my line dance classes! I still have discomfort and tire easily. Many thanks to my physical therapist and my wonderful Pilates trainer/ bodyworker for helping me get to this point.
DW: What does [b]old age mean to you?
JP: [B]old age to me means accepting, even celebrating the aging process, adjusting to my body’s ever-changing needs and demands with all the tools I can summon, and trying to find optimism and humor even when the challenges seem massive. One of my mottos: “As long as this is my reality, what can I take charge of?”
DW: You and your partner, Mac Marshall, live by choice in separate abodes in northern California’s Sonoma County. Do you think that distance contributes to a more robust sex life for the two of you?
JP: Absolutely. We see each other when we want to. Living apart gives us solitude and independence. When we come together, we’re ready for connection!
DW: What’s your response to why so many of us are hung up on PIV (penis in vagina) as the definition of sex??
JP: It’s what we were taught was “real” sex. It’s the way that penis owners engage with partners for orgasms. It’s a reflection of the male-centric attitudes we’ve been taught our whole lives. Fortunately, the older we get, the more attentive our partners become to OUR needs and desires!
DW: I know it’s likely hard to pick, but what is just one piece of sex advice you most wish you were given as a young woman?
JP: Yikes, only one piece? “Learn who you are, what you want, and how to stand up for your wants and your boundaries.”
If I may expand, I wish I had been told, “Your curiosity and passion are NOT wrong or shameful.” Embrace life. Indulge your curiosity. Enjoy your passion and sense of adventure and need for connection. But know who you are and your own value. Become savvy at recognizing when someone wants to use you. If something doesn’t feel right in the moment or afterwards, don’t go along or shame yourself – be clear and forceful and proud to stand up for yourself. Stay safe, and within that self-protection, feel free to explore and experiment!
DW: Do you consider yourself ambitious? Has your ambition changed now that you’re in your 80s, a time when many folks might be winding down?
JP: I’m nowhere close to winding down. I’ve always been self-propelled, motivated, eager to learn.
I admit that my frequent and often serious health issues lately can be demoralizing. There are times I wonder, “Is this the best it will be from now on?” But then I have days filled with energy and new ideas and I’m rocking my life again. I’m not going to sugarcoat it – as Bette Davis said, “Old age isn’t for sissies.” But in my view, it sure beats the alternative!
DW: I’ve read that you are a little obsessed with line dancing. What do you love about it?
JP: It’s a joy, not an obsession! It’s physical exercise coupled with learning, memory work, social connection, music – what’s not to love? I call it the most fun you can have with both feet on the floor. Besides the fun of dance, I get great joy from teaching others. Newcomers sometimes enter shyly, saying, “I have two left feet.” I tell them, “That’s ok, I’ve got a collection of right feet in the closet.” I love watching them open to the delights of dance as they experience it. I also tell them, “You’re not expected to get it all the first time – just get enough to know that you want to come back!”
DW: Does this apply to senior sex, too? Newcomers are shy, they may not understand how to do it the first time, but they’ll want to come back for more.
JP: It’s not an easy “yes” because those are very different activities. But I can say this:
Even though the process and the goals are very different, learning to line dance is like learning to have satisfying sex as an older person in the following ways (and thank you, Debbie, for pushing me to think about the similarities!):
Forget what you used to think – this is a brand new experience!
Don’t be impatient when a different way of using your body feels awkward or clumsy at first.
Laugh at mistakes!
Take it one step at a time, and repeat until it feels right to your body.
Make the learning itself fun, not just the path to a goal, but joyful at every stage.
Enjoy the connections with people who share the dance floor – or your bed!
DW: Joan, just for your ears, when you say that you have a closet full of right feet, all I could think about was a closet full of sex toys - ! (We won’t include that.)
JP: Sure, include that! I have drawers, shelves, and boxes filled with sex toys! Periodically I distribute those I no longer want to my friends. They smile when they see me arrive with a sack!
DW: What are you most proud of lately?
JP: Right now I’m proudest of the article that just came out in the New York Times celebrating my sex life with my partner Mac! In general, I’m most proud of my senior sex books, especially Naked at Our Age and Sex After Grief. They are the best work I’ve ever done over my long life – my love children! I love how much they’re helping people. That’s my legacy: helping others enrich their own sex lives.
Joan, thank you for going the extra mile on this Q&A. It was so much fun hearing from you! - Debbie
Joan Price is an award-winning author, aging advocate, and senior sex educator who’s been dubbed a "senior sexpert" and—her favorite—"wrinkly sex kitten." She is the author of four books about sex and aging, including the newly updated Naked at Our Age and Sex after Grief. Watch quickie videos about Naked at Our Age on her YouTube channel. Her blog has been offering senior sex news, views, and sex toy reviews from a senior perspective since 2005. She writes a monthly Q&A column for Senior Planet and was the co-creator, with Jessica Drake, of the educational film: Guide to Senior Sex: Wicked Sex. Now in her 80s, Joan continues to talk out loud about senior sex, partnered or solo.
Questions for readers
What is one piece of sex advice you most wish you were given as a young person?
Do you live with your partner or apart—and do you ever wish your living arrangement was different?
I’ve admitted to being hung up on PIV as the definition of sex; what about you?
Naked at Our Age: Talking Out Loud About Senior Sex (15th anniversary edition, Jan. 2026) and Sex After Grief: Navigating Your Sexuality After Losing Your Beloved (expanded edition, 2024)
Joan, what a fun interview! I loved this so much. And Debbie, I’m with you—in fact, that’s the advice I wish I was given: PIV is not the gold standard for people with Vs! Pressure, grinding/rubbing… all often much more pleasurable and erotic than the kind of hetero sex we were all taught to have. A more expanded definition of sex = more expanded pleasure!
Debbie, thank you so much for this superb interview! 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 from my answers – you were right! I love this interview and your editorial comments. Thank you so much.