The Year of Being 70 Podcast By Lucy McCarraher & Lisette Schuitemaker cover art

The Year of Being 70

The Year of Being 70

By: Lucy McCarraher & Lisette Schuitemaker
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About this listen

Lucy McCarraher and Lisette Schuitemaker are childhood friends. Born one month apart in 1954, they both hit 70 in 2024. In this podcast they take the long view of their experiences, the changes that have taken place through their 70 years of existence in their own lives, their families, their countries and the world. Lucy is British; Lisette is Dutch. Both are authors, eldest daughters and founders of businesses. Every week they check in on each other, recall their younger selves, discuss an important issue, and laugh a lot. You'll love this podcast if you enjoy: * Honest discussions between good friends * Social history from the 1950s to present day * Memories of growing up in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s * Living and working through the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s * Hearing about families and relationships * Entrepreneurship and business * Writing and reading books * A bit of politics from a personal point of view * Women's issues and the changing face of feminism * What it's like to be 70 in the 2020sCopyright 2025 Lucy McCarraher & Lisette Schuitemaker Art Literary History & Criticism Relationships Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Nostalgia & Pet Peeves - Are We Grumpy Old Women?
    May 29 2025

    In this episode, ''The Year of Being 70 Ep 30: Nostalgia & Pet Peeves - Are We Grumpy Old Women?'' Lucy and Lisette have a wide-ranging conversation covering nostalgia and the grumpiness of older people looking back to their youth. The conversation touches on relatable themes like impatience, changing social norms, thinking 'it was better in my day' and the desire to hold onto the past – an engaging and humorous piece for older listeners and anyone interested in the experience of ageing.

    Key Highlights

    • Exploring Nostalgia and Acceptance.

    Lisette and Lucy discuss the nuances of nostalgia - how it can be a pleasant look back, but also how it's important not to dwell in the past or view youth and earlier times through rose-coloured glasses. They touch on the importance of acceptance - acknowledging what we cannot change, while still striving to improve what we can.

    • Dealing with Irritations and Grumpiness

    The friends delve into the small annoyances and irritations that come with age, like loud talkers, voice messages, and people who speak in clichés. However, they both recognise the value in trying not to be overly grumpy or cynical, and finding ways to stay open-minded and positive.

    • Being a "Grumpy Old Woman"

    Lucy and Lisette wonder whether they qualify as "grumpy old women" now that they are 70 years old. Lisette admits to having some grumpy tendencies, like getting annoyed by inconsiderate behaviour of others in public, but tries to counteract her grumpiness by smiling and being kind to others as much as possible. Both try to avoid being overly grumpy and cynical, as they feel it can make you seem older and less open-minded.

    • Communication Styles

    Lucy explains her preference for thinking before speaking and her frustration with people who speak at length without filtering their thoughts. Lisette gets irritated by people leaving voice messages as it takes so much longer to listen than to read. Both of them note that the underlying resentment of both these habits is feeling their time is being wasted.

    • "Meant To Be"

    They explore the concept of accepting life's circumstances, with Lisette sharing her experience of attending a funeral where the deceased's son said his mother’s death was "written”, reflecting a belief that everything happens for a reason. Lucy, though, finds the phrase "it was meant to be" when used to justify unfortunate events troublingly simplistic in the face of real suffering.

    • Generational Differences and Adaptability

    The discussion highlights some of the generational divides, like preferences for written communication versus verbal, and how technology has changed the way we interact. Both 70-year-olds talk about the importance of having an openness to understanding other people’s and generations’ perspectives and finding common ground.

    Why You Should Listen

    This conversation demonstrates how the two friends navigate the complexities of ageing, seeking to maintain a positive outlook while also acknowledging the frustrations that can come with getting older – or were they there all along? They emphasise the importance of staying open-minded, resisting the temptation to become overly critical, and finding humour in their shared experiences.

    Underlying the whole conversation is the strong, decades-long friendship between Lucy and Lisette, which provides a rich context and sense of shared history. Their honesty offers an insightful, relatable look at navigating the complexities of ageing, while celebrating a willingness to grow and adapt.

    Join the Conversation

    If you are an older listener, do you feel like you’ve become a Grumpy Old Person? Do you enjoy having a moan whatever age you are? Do you look back on your childhood or youth with rose-tinted glasses? Or do you enjoy a bit of nostalgia? What are your pet peeves about today’s world?

    Watch our full playlist (The Year...

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    40 mins
  • Inside Your Mind: Miss Moneypenny, The Librarian & Childhood Conclusions
    May 20 2025

    In this thought-provoking discussion, Lisette and Lucy dive deep into the metaphorical landscapes of their minds. Lucy shares her vivid inner world, where a "Miss Moneypenny" manages the day-to-day while the "Librarian" in the back tackles complex problems. Lisette explores a more interconnected and intuitive approach, where the heart and emotional wisdom take centre stage.

    As they unpack their unique perspectives, the conversation touches on the gendered dynamics in professional settings, the importance of acknowledging our full selves (including our emotions and personal lives), and the power of metaphors to help us understand and navigate our inner workings. This episode is a rich exploration of how we each conceptualise and engage with the workings of our minds.

    Key Highlights

    • Lucy's metaphor of "Miss Moneypenny" and the "Librarian" in her mind, akin to the conscious and subconscious, and how she's learned to "train" her Librarian to work on problems in the Tardis-like background.

    • Lisette's view of her mind as an interconnected "universe" where the heart and intuition play a central role, rather than a compartmentalised inner landscape.

    • The discussion around the gendered dynamics in professional settings, where women's emotions are often dismissed or seen as a liability, while men's anger is more readily accepted.

    • The importance of acknowledging our full selves - including our emotions, personal lives, and inner processes - in professional contexts, and how this can lead to more authentic and productive interactions.

    • The power of metaphors and personality assessments to help us understand and navigate our inner workings, and how these tools can be both illuminating and limiting.

    Why You Should Listen

    This conversation offers a rich and nuanced exploration of how we each conceptualise the workings of our minds, and the ways in which our personal histories, emotions, and societal biases shape these perspectives. Whether you're interested in personality tests, the psychology of thought processes, the dynamics of gender in professional settings, or simply seeking a deeper understanding of your own inner world, this episode provides valuable insights and food for thought.

    Join the Conversation

    Do you have a visualisation of what or who is inside your mind? Is your mind full of characters, like the movie Inside Out? Or do you have a landscape like Lucy’s front office and cosmic library, or Lisette’s carpark? Have any personality tests, like MBTI or Insights, given you new awareness of who you are and how your mind works? We’d love to hear about your interior landscape, character list or metaphorical environment and how that helps you process and operate in the outside world. Tell us in the Comments.

    Take Lisette’s Childhood Conclusions Fix Test at https://lisetteschuitemaker.com and let us know your results.

    Watch our full playlist (The Year of Being 70): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzDmlsx6mhXmqlFJFZEEvaOwytbeAMFCm

    If you enjoyed this discussion of an engaging subject, as well as the personal journeys of these old (in every sense) friends, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and tap the bell icon to stay updated on new episodes of The Year of Being 70. Subscribe now and join the journey!

    #yearofbeing70 #yearofbeing70 #lucyandlisette #podcast #mccarraherpodcast #ep29 #MindMetaphors #InnerLandscapes #EmotionalIntelligence #GenderDynamics #SelfAwareness #MBTI #MyersBriggs #Insights #TheChildhoodConclusions #BookMagic #Conscious&Subconscious #ThinkingFastThinkingSlow #Jung #jungianarchetypes #allinthemind #inthemind ##psychology #thinking #emotions #woowoo #meetings #chairingmeetings #thechair #childhoodinfluences #missmoneypenny #librarian #tardis #cosmos #intuition #70yearolds #lifetransitions #memory #babyboomers #truestories #memories #storypodcast #lucylisettepodcast #theyearofbeing70podcast...

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    45 mins
  • From Memory Loss to Magical Thinking - Growing Older & Being 70
    May 13 2025

    #yearofbeing70 #lucyandlisette #podcast #mccarraherpodcast #ep28 In this 28th conversation between childhood friends Lucy and Lisette, the two women delve into the real experiences and challenges of reaching 70 years old. With both having celebrated their 70th birthdays in the past year, they openly discuss the physical and mental changes they've noticed, as well as the bittersweet awareness that comes with growing older - the loss of loved ones, the fading of certain abilities, and the need to get one's affairs in order.

    Throughout their candid discussion, Lisette and Lucy offer insights and perspectives on topics like memory loss, physical ailments, managing an aging parent, creating a will, and finding meaning and purpose in the later stages of life. Their conversation is both poignant and uplifting, as they acknowledge the difficulties of ageing while also emphasising the importance of living each day with grace and gratitude.

    Key Highlights

    * Coping with the loss of loved ones as they get older: The women discuss the challenges of losing family members and close friends as they age, and how to deal with these losses.

    * Changes in cognitive abilities: They both note experiencing issues with memory, like forgetting names and faces of people they know, where they've put things, and how these are concerning signs of ageing.

    * Preparing wills and estate planning: The friends recognise the importance of updating their wills and making plans for how their assets will be distributed after they pass away.

    * Fears and concerns about physical/mental decline in old age: They share their worries about potentially losing independence, senses like sight, hearing and the ability to do things for themselves as they get older.

    * Redefining priorities and perspectives on legacy/impact: Lucy and Lisette discuss letting go of concerns about leaving a grand legacy, and instead focusing on living each day positively and having a positive influence on those around them.

    Why You Should Listen

    Lucy and Lisette share a very open discussion with you about the joys and challenges of being 70 years old, providing a thoughtful and relatable perspective on this stage of life. They talk about their experiences with memory loss, physical ailments, and the loss of loved ones that come with aging, which many listeners may relate to.

    The conversation touches on important topics like creating wills, managing inheritance, and finding purpose and meaning later in life - practical considerations that listeners may also be grappling with.

    Overall, this episode offers an honest, nuanced look at growing older, and could provide comfort and inspiration to listeners who are going through similar experiences themselves or with older family members.

    Join the Conversation

    If you are an older listener, do you share Lisette and Lucy's concerns and experiences? Does growing older worry you, or are you happy with this phase of life and to grow old gracefully? If you are younger, does this give you pause for thought, or make you empathise with older friends or relations?

    Watch our full playlist (The Year of Being 70): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzDmlsx6mhXmqlFJFZEEvaOwytbeAMFCm

    If you enjoyed this discussion of an engaging subject, as well as the personal journeys of these old (in every sense) friends, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and tap the bell icon to stay updated on new episodes of The Year of Being 70. Subscribe now and join the journey! #yearofbeing70

    #lucyandlisette #podcast #mccarraherpodcast #ep28 #growingold #growingolder #70yearolds #lifetransitions #backache #achesandpains #feetpain #anklepain #backpain #hippain #sightloss

    #goingblind #independence #dependence #makingawill #updatingwills #orphan #memory #failingmemory #facerecognition #legacy #funeral #funeralplanning #babyboomers #elderly #gettingolder #gettingold...

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    42 mins
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