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Every episode
So Your Parents Are Old
30 episodes
How To Avoid Scams with Patrick Coughlin
Ep 38 · Jun 23, 2026 · 33 min
Cybersecurity expert and author of The Dark Side of the Boom Patrick Coughlin joins Vanessa to talk about the scams coming for our parents and their bank accounts. They get into AI voice cloning, spoofed numbers, why seniors are such major targets, and what to do when someone calls with an emergency that feels terrifyingly real. Check out Scamwise for help spotting suspicious texts, emails, phone calls, and mail.
Senior Living, and When Does Gen X Move In? With Neil Nagraj and Laura House
Ep 36 · Jun 9, 2026 · 35 min
Senior care advisor Neil Nagraj and podcaster Laura House join Vanessa to talk about the impossible math of senior housing: when aging in place stops working, what assisted living actually is, and why so many families wait for a crisis before making a plan. Also discussed: memory care, Medicaid myths, long-term care insurance, and Gen X’s grim future. Learn more about Neil’s company, The Senior Housing Authority. For more from Laura, listen to How’s Your Boomer? or subscribe to the newsletter.
Revisit: No One Should Live This Long with Comedian Lewis Black
Ep 35 · Jun 2, 2026 · 40 min
This is an episode where we get mad! Comedian Lewis Black cared for his late elderly parents, who lived to 101 and 104. He talks about something nobody wants to even think about: what he'll do when he's too old to care for himself. Hear more from Lewis in his podcast, Lewis Black's Rantcast, or read one of his books.
Feeling At Peace with Your Life with Joan Lunden
Ep 34 · May 26, 2026 · 35 min
Joan Lunden joins Vanessa to talk about her new memoir, JOAN: Life Beyond the Script, and the moments that forced her off-script: bringing her baby to work at Good Morning America, living through divorce in public, surviving breast cancer, caring for her mother, and deciding what she wants for her own later years. If you want to hear more about preserving brain health, listen to our episode with Dr. Majid Fotuhi.
The Most Complicated Dad Ever with Jessie Buttafuoco, from The Gratitudeology Podcast
Ep 33 · May 19, 2026 · 60 min
This week, we’re sharing an episode from The Gratitudeology Podcast with Jamie Hess, featuring Jessie Buttafuoco. Jessie opens up about the shocking event that changed her family forever, the media storm that followed, and what it means to revisit a painful chapter with perspective, honesty, and compassion.
Love, ALS, and Life After Survivor with Jonathan Penner
Ep 32 · May 12, 2026 · 37 min
When Jonathan Penner’s wife Stacy Title was diagnosed with ALS, their life changed with shocking speed. He joins Vanessa to talk about caregiving, survival, and the hard-won wisdom of staying present even when everything is getting worse. Connect to resources through Compassionate Care ALS (CCALS). You can also read the Vulture article about Stacy’s fight to make one final movie: Walking Time Bomb. To connect with the team, find us on Instagram and Youtube, or shoot us an email at soyourpare…
Using Rankings to Your Advantage with Ben Harder and Liz Pearce
Ep 31 · May 5, 2026 · 28 min
How do you choose a hospital or senior living community when everything feels impossibly high-stakes? Vanessa talks with two U.S. News & World Report journalists — Ben Harder, managing editor and chief of health analysis, and Liz Pearce, director of senior living — about what those rankings really measure, and what they can’t. See their rankings for Best Hospitals for Rehabilitation, Best Nursing Homes, Best Senior Living, and — their newest report — Best Home Health. Also check out our episode…
Parents During the Covid Era with Jill Bialosky
Ep 30 · Apr 28, 2026 · 26 min
When a loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the grieving starts years before the end. In The End Is the Beginning, Jill Bialosky tells her mother’s story in reverse. Jill and Vanessa talk about what it means to “eulogize” someone while they’re disappearing, and how writing can be both tribute and survival. You can read Jill’s New York Times essay on losing her mother during the pandemic. To connect with the team, find us on Instagram and Youtube, or shoot us an email at soyourparentsareo…
How to Fix Everything with Julie Kashen
Ep 29 · Apr 21, 2026 · 29 min
Elder care and childcare costs are rising fast, while wages and support for caregivers lag behind. Longtime care policy advocate Julie Kashen breaks down how we got here, what it would look like if we treated care as real infrastructure, and offers a surprisingly hopeful framework for what’s still possible. Learn more about Julie's work at The Century Foundation.
Starting a Business in the Care Space with Kim Elliott
Ep 28 · Apr 14, 2026 · 32 min
Kim Elliott’s caregiving story includes a leukemia diagnosis, a stem cell transplant, and some truly deranged insurance battles. She talks with Vanessa about surviving all of it — and building Gray Monster so other caregivers don’t have to start from scratch.
Putting Your Parents on Videotape with Michelle Boyaner
Apr 6, 2026 · 41 min
Michelle Boyaner reflects on lives and relationships while sharing insights from her acclaimed film It’s Not a Burden: The Humor and Heartache of Raising Elderly Parents, which explores the joys and struggles of caring for aging loved ones. To connect with the team, find us on Instagram and Youtube, or shoot us an email at soyourparentsareold@gmail.com. We want to hear from you! Our production team is Shoshi Shmuluvitz, managing producer and editor; Lily Houston Smith, senior producer; Ashle…
Selena Gomez’s Mommy Issues
Mar 31, 2026 · 41 min
In this episode of Infamous, Vanessa and her co-host Natalie Robehmed learn about a wild family drama from The Cut writer Angelina Chapin. It’s about Selena Gomez and her mother Mandy Teefey’s mental-health startup, Wondermind. They discuss the pressures created when celebrity and mental health advocacy become a business. Read Angelina’s story, “What Happened at Wondermind?” Read Vanessa’s book, Blurred Lines: Sex, Power and Consent on Campus, and check out Natalie on Instagram at @natrobe To co…
Perimenopause and Brain Fog with Anna Holmes
Mar 24, 2026 · 28 min
Anna Holmes joins Vanessa to talk about the unnerving overlap between having a parent with dementia and experiencing perimenopause brain fog, and the terrifying question that raises: is this just aging, or the beginning of something worse? It’s a candid, darkly funny conversation about how to stay present, even when we’re afraid. For more from Anna, you can read her New Yorker article, My Mother’s Memory Loss, and Mine or order one of her amazing books. Also discussed: read about the new AI deme…
A Presidential Legacy of Care with Josh Carter
Mar 17, 2026 · 26 min
Josh Carter, grandson of President Jimmy Carter, grew up in a family where caregiving wasn’t just a value — it was a way of life. He talks with Vanessa about caring for a grandmother with memory loss, supporting a father with Parkinson’s, and parenting a child with serious medical needs. Learn more about the VEO-IBD Foundation. To connect with the team, find us on Instagram and Youtube, or shoot us an email at soyourparentsareold@gmail.com. We want to hear from you! Our production team is Sh…
Curing Grief with Cody Delistraty
Mar 10, 2026 · 35 min
Writer Cody Delistraty joins Vanessa to talk about his book The Grief Cure, a quest narrative through loss, myth, medicine, and modern grief culture. From the controversial diagnosis of Prolonged Grief Disorder to the American obsession with “getting over it,” Cody argues against the promise of closure, for something far messier (and more human). Also discussed: Cody’s articles on mourning in America, the “magic” of AI, and techno-spiritualism; and How to Change a Memory by Steve Ramirez. To con…
How You (Yes, You) Can Live a Long, Healthy Life with Dr. Majid Fotuhi
Mar 2, 2026 · 33 min
What if cognitive decline isn’t inevitable? Dr. Majid Fotuhi, author of The Invincible Brain, explains why the brain is more changeable than we think, and how daily habits can affect blood flow, inflammation, and the memory center of the brain. Vanessa and Dr. Fotuhi cover the difference between normal aging, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia, plus the “five pillars” of brain health. To connect with the team, find us on Instagram and Youtube, or shoot us an email at soyourparentsareold…
Your Parents' Finances with Beth Pinsker
Feb 23, 2026 · 33 min
Vanessa talks with certified financial planner, MarketWatch columnist, and My Mother’s Money author Beth Pinsker about the maddening reality of financial caregiving. They cover long-term care insurance, reverse mortgages, and why all this is ultimately about love, not control. To connect with the team, find us on Instagram and Youtube, or shoot us an email at soyourparentsareold@gmail.com. We want to hear from you! Our production team is Shoshi Shmuluvitz, managing producer and editor; Lily…
Soap Operas and Aging with Mal Young
Feb 16, 2026 · 46 min
Mal Young, the British television producer and writer best known for his work on The Young and the Restless, joins the show to talk about his parents. With warmth and candor, he reflects on their influence, quirks, and the lessons that shaped both his life and career. Learn more about Mal in this interview. To connect with the team, find us on Instagram and Youtube, or shoot us an email at soyourparentsareold@gmail.com. We want to hear from you! Our production team is Shoshi Shmuluvitz, mana…
Savannah Guthrie and Other Good Daughters with Allison Alford
Feb 9, 2026 · 32 min
If you’re the one keeping the family together—texts, holidays, appointments, feelings—you’re probably “daughtering.” Vanessa talks with Baylor professor and communication expert Allison Alford, author of Good Daughtering, about the invisible work adult daughters do. They dig into guilt, burnout, “daughter rage,” and how to set boundaries that still feel loving (and are actually sustainable). To connect with the team, find us on Instagram and Youtube, or shoot us an email at soyourparentsareo…
You Deserve More with Ai-Jen Poo
Feb 2, 2026 · 28 min
Vanessa talks with labor leader and care advocate Ai-jen Poo about the panini generation, and what happens when government fails to invest in care infrastructure. To see what you can do to help, check out Ai-jen’s organization, Caring Across Generations. To connect with the team, find us on Instagram and Youtube, or shoot us an email at soyourparentsareold@gmail.com. We want to hear from you! Our production team is Shoshi Shmuluvitz, managing producer and editor; Lily Houston Smith, senior p…
When Your Parents Are Too Prepared with Ryan Beck
Jan 26, 2026 · 34 min
Comedian and filmmaker Ryan Beck's parents are just starting to get old, but that hasn't stopped them from getting rid of nearly all their worldly possessions and creating a death binder full of useful information in case they die or lose their faculties. But Ryan wonders if they've gone too far with their Swedish death cleaning. Check out Ryan Beck's hilarious short film about his parents' death binder, A Few Days Home in Johnson County and his podcast, The Meaning of Life. To connect with the…
Getting a Good Lawyer with Candace Dellacona
Jan 19, 2026 · 26 min
What documents matter most when your parents start needing help? Attorney Candace Dellacona, who calls herself a “family’s lawyer," walks through wills, powers of attorney, healthcare proxies, and the mistakes families make when they wait too long. Check out her podcast, The Sandwich Generation Survival Guide, for even more tips, and you can find Candace for all things estate and elder and sandwich planning here. To hear more from Candace, listen to her podcast, The Sandwich Generation Survival…
Redefining Being a Provider with Chris Punsalan
Jan 12, 2026 · 42 min
Musician and caregiving influencer Chris Punsalan talks with Vanessa about going straight from college to becoming his grandmother’s full-time caregiver. He explains the schedule, strength, and tenderness it took—and why gratitude became his North Star. Learn more about tendercare at trytendercare.com To connect with the team, find us on Instagram and Youtube, or shoot us an email at soyourparentsareold@gmail.com. We want to hear from you! Our production team is Shoshi Shmuluvitz, managing p…
It's a New Year! Get Ultra-Organized with Pamela Wilson
Jan 5, 2026 · 40 min
If you’ve ever felt like you spend more time buried in paperwork than with your loved one, you probably do—and it’s exhausting. Caregiving expert Pamela Wilson walks Vanessa through the practical legal and financial steps every family caregiver should know. For more from Pamela, you can check out her website or pick up a copy of The Caregiving Trap: Solutions for Life’s Unexpected Changes. To connect with the team, find us on Instagram and Youtube, or shoot us an email at soyourparentsareold…
Our Producer Chats with Vanessa
Dec 29, 2025 · 15 min
Producer Shoshi Shmuluvitz turns the mic on Vanessa to unpack the personal story behind So Your Parents Are Old—and to talk about what it’s been like turning the messiest chapter of life into a podcast. To connect with the team, find us on Instagram and Youtube, or shoot us an email at soyourparentsareold@gmail.com. We want to hear from you!
My Dad Was in the Mob with Barry Rothbart
Dec 22, 2025 · 37 min
Vanessa is joined by Barry Rothbart, whose relationship with his father was fraught for many years. What do you do when your dad is both as bad as he seems, and worse—and you love him anyway? For more from Barry, listen to Searching for Allan Rothbart. To connect with the team, find us on Instagram and Youtube, or shoot us an email at soyourparentsareold@gmail.com. We want to hear from you!
Balancing a Professional Lady Life with Caregiving, with Corinne Low
Dec 16, 2025 · 38 min
Economist Corinne Low maps the math of women’s time to understand why “having it all” isn’t really possible, especially when aging parents enter the equation. She gives practical advice on how to buy back time, outsource guilt-free, and make choices your future self will thank you for. Read Corinne's bestselling book, Having It All: What Data Tells Us About Women's Lives and Getting the Most Out of Yours. To connect with the team, find us on Instagram and Youtube, or shoot us an email at soy…
Living in a Time of 'Anti-Compassion' with Alissa Quart
Dec 8, 2025 · 32 min
Journalist and author Alissa Quart joins Vanessa to talk about how to turn a parent’s art into a living legacy while navigating the impossible “third shift” of caregiving. They also zoom out to discuss the economics of aging in America and what it’s like to live in an “anti-compassion time.” Read Alissa’s books Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream and Squeezed: Why Our Families Can't Afford America. You can also check out her NY Times Op-Ed, My Mother, the Artist, Discovere…
Collin Moulton's Clean Comedy
Dec 2, 2025 · 29 min
Collin Moulton’s parents hadn’t spoken in decades—until their failing health forced a reunion no sitcom could script. The comedian joins Vanessa to talk about the chaotic final years of his parents’ lives and what it means to truly grow up when your parents are old. Follow Collin on Instagram to find Collin’s tour dates. To connect with the team, find us on Instagram and Youtube, or shoot us an email at soyourparentsareold@gmail.com. We want to hear from you!
Singing To My Mom with Amara Walker
Nov 25, 2025 · 42 min
Journalist and former CNN anchor Amara Walker opens up about her mother’s Alzheimer’s—how she found support in community, how she talks to her children about their grandmother’s illness, and how she arrived at the difficult decision to move her mother to a nursing home. Find out more about the Alzheimer’s Association on their website. The book Vanessa read to her son is called Nana Nana by Nate Bertone and illustrated by James Claridades. To connect with the team, find us on Instagram and You…
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