[B]OLD AGE with Debbie Weil
[B]OLD AGE With Debbie Weil
Jane Brody on Life and Lessons from a Half Century at The New York Times
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Jane Brody on Life and Lessons from a Half Century at The New York Times

Debbie Weil
Jan 06, 2023
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Today, Debbie talks to Jane Brody, the renowned New York Times columnist who until last year wrote the popular weekly Personal Health column. 

In this episode, she reflects on her 57-year career at the Times. They talk about how she moved from biochemistry to journalism and how she got hired by the Times at age 24.

Instead of wilting under discouraging words from the editor who was interviewing her for a job, she responded, "Mr. Rosenthal, if I didn't think I could do this job, I wouldn't be here." Abe Rosenthal was the managing editor and later the legendary executive editor of The New York Times. 

Jane applied her no-nonsense style to reporting, writing with a distinctive mix of personal anecdotes, interviews with experts and scientific fact.

 She started the Personal Health column in 1976 (right when Debbie was starting work as a reporter). She  invented the topic of personal health with the goal of teaching readers how to lead better, healthier lives. The column covered everything from common diseases to cancers to death and dying, as well as wellness, exercise, and nutrition.

Jane talks about what it was like to be a woman in an almost all-male newsroom and how squeamish editors wouldn’t let her use the words sexual intercourse or penis. She changed that. 

She also tells us why she decided to retire at age 80 and what her new retired life looks like. 

Debbie hopes you'll enjoy listening to this episode as much as she did recording it. Jane Brody does not disappoint on the topic of making the most of growing older.

Mentioned in this episode or useful:

Articles by Jane Brody

Articles about Jane:

Mentioned writers and editors:

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[B]OLD AGE with Debbie Weil
[B]OLD AGE With Debbie Weil
A podcast about [b]oldly moving from midlife to old age in a society that devalues and/or misunderstands old people. Debbie interviews authors, experts, and exceptional individuals. Now in their early 70s, she and her husband, physician author Sam Harrington, have been exploring an un-retired life for the past decade on an island off the coast of Maine. LISTEN HERE OR ON APPLE PODCASTS.
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