What has your ‘biggest’ birthday been so far? How did you celebrate – with a big community party, or a select group of friends and family? And did it feel like a new phase of life – a milestone or a reset?

In this episode of The Year of Being 70 Ep19 - Turning 50: A Milestone of Celebrations, Friendships, and a Life Reset, Lisette and Lucy, childhood friends who were born a month apart in 1954 and turned 70 in 2024, each share their 50th birthday parties, their thoughts on friendship and the feeling that at 50 they had reached a midpoint. As ever, their conversation makes for surprising revelations – for each other and themselves.

Key Highlights:

• Birthday Parties

Lucy, having recently moved from London to the countryside, had a whole new group of "mum friends" from her daughters' local school. Her 50th party was held at the village hall with her new local friends, as well as some of her family and long-time friends. She notes how new friends were surprised by her age, assuming she was younger since she had young children.

Lisette had a very different kind of 50th birthday: she organised a dinner party with only men as guests, with the idea of being "the princess" among them. Her girlfriends later surprised her with a separate birthday party, feeling a bit slighted that Lisette didn't think they were as important, but Lisette enjoyed the men's dinner party and shared some of the touching speeches given at the event.

• Good friends / Bad friends

The discussion touches on the challenges of maintaining friendships, with both Lisette and Lucy admitting they are not the best at regularly keeping in touch with friends, preferring to focus more on work and family. They ponder how that may impact them as they get older.

The conversation also covers how events like the rise of Facebook and the end of the TV show 'Friends' in 2004 affected social dynamics and friendships around that time. Lisette and Lucy also discuss how their eldest daughter status has shaped their approaches to friendship and caring for others.

• The Counterclockwise Study

Lucy points out that at the age of 50 she had just adopted two young children so was back to the school runs and mother role she had been through in her 20s and 30s. She recalls psychologist Ellen Langer’s ‘Counterclockwise’ experiment of taking older people back to a closed environment designed to recreate the era of their youth, and how they seemed to rejuvenate in that setting. Lucy wonders whether she ‘reset’ her timeline aged 50 in this way.

• Reaching the Midpoint

Lucy and Lisette both felt that turning 50 was a midpoint and a milestone in their lives, in various ways. Lisette was embarking on a whole new spiritual life, including her involvement with the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland, while Lucy was working with big corporations and government departments on the new concept of work-life balance.

Why you should listen

Overall, this episode provides a reflective look at the significant life milestone of turning 50, the nature of friendships, and the personal insights Lucy and Lisette gained about themselves through this journey.

This intimate and revealing conversation will move and inspire you to reflect on your own life stage, celebrations and friendships, and know that being 50, 60 and even 70 is full of exciting possibilities.

Join the Conversation

What kind of birthday celebrations do you prefer? Are you a good friend who keeps in regular touch with people from all stages of your life? Or do you rely on other people to make that happen? Do you enjoy social media to keep in contact, or prefer IRL connections?

If you enjoyed this discussion of a fascinating 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...

What are you most proud of achieving in your life? Is it something you did, or didn’t do? Is it a choice you made, a project or piece of work you created? How your children have turned out or your decision not to have a family?

In this episode,The Year of Being 70 Ep 18: Our Greatest Hits – Achievements, Life Choices, and Personal Growth ,Lucy and her longtime friend Lisette, born a month apart in 1954 and having turned 70 in 2024, each share three things they take pride in having accomplished over their lives. As ever, their conversation makes for surprising revelations – for each other and themselves.

Key Highlights:

• Staying fit and well post-70

Lisette starts the conversation by sharing that she is proud of going to the gym every week, and today going through her fitness routine, even though her trainer wasn't there. She feels that staying fit is ‘part of the job’ as she gets older.

• Being the mother of two great fathers

Lucy shares how proud she is of how her two sons have become wonderful fathers, fully involved in sharing equally the childcare and domestic responsibilities with their partners. She says she takes no credit for this, as she did not model that behavior herself, so she can simply be proud of the men they have become.

• Choosing an unconventional life path

Lisette reveals how proud she is of having flowered from the awkward and gauche little girl she was and having had the courage to break off an engagement that would have taken her into a marriage and family life she did not want. She fought to find her own independent path in life against societal and family expectations, including overcoming feeling different for not wanting children.

• Books that have inspired others

Lisette’s most successful book is ‘The Eldest Daughter Effect’, which many readers, including Lucy, tell her changed their lives. But she is perhaps most proud of ‘Childless Living’ which is finding increased audiences as that choice becomes more popular.

Lucy shares that she is proud of writing a book called 'A Book of One's Own', which aimed to encourage more women to write and publish their own books, after she noticed a gender imbalance in the Business Book Awards. The book and her campaign to get more women to write their books helped to equalise the number of women- and men-authored books being submitted and short-listed. Her women-only book-writing programmes led to her annual ‘Mission Mastermind’ programme for women entrepreneurs and how both Lucy as a mentor and Lisette in a coaching role, have learned to listen and empathise rather than make conversations ‘all about them’.

Why you should listen

Lucy and Lisette also discuss the challenges of being proud of their achievements as they get older, the difficulty of accepting compliments gracefully, and how conversations like this help them gain perspective on their lives. They are both proud simply of reaching the age of 70 and being comfortable in their own skin. This intimate and revealing conversation will move and inspire you to make your own choices, achieve your goals and look forward to being 70 (or 80, or 90).

Join the Conversation

What are you most proud of in your life so far? Have you had to make difficult or unconventional choices? Are your children your greatest pride and joy? What skills or abilities have you learned or developed over your lifetime however long or short?

If you enjoyed this discussion of a fascinating 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 #ep18 #personalgrowth #imsoproud #mygreatestachievements #difficultchoices #mothers #fathers #parenting #children #childfreelife #childlessliving...

Where were you when the clocks struck midnight on 31st January 1999 and ushered in the first minutes of the new Millennium? If you are old enough to have been there, or remember, that is! Do you recall worries about the Y2K bug deleting all our data? Or where you were when the twin towers fell on 9/11/2001?

In this episode of The Year of Being 70 Ep 17, ‘Millenium Memories, Y2K, 9/11 and our travels to the US and Russia’, two lifelong friends, Lucy and Lisette, who turned 70 last year, revisit their first moments of the year 2000, their different experiences of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 2001, and their international travels over the next few years.

Key Highlights

• Celebrations and fears at the start of the new Millennium

Lucy watched the fireworks on the Thames while Lisette was on a roof in Amsterdam when the clocks chimed in the year 2000. They recall the real – or was it manufactured – anxiety that when the year settings on computers clicked through from 1999 to 2000, the IT system would collapse and we would lose all our data and comms. Spoiler alert – it didn’t happen!

• Memories of 9/11

While Lucy sat and watched the planes crash into the twin tours of the World Trade Center from her home in London, Lisette was actually in New York City and witnessed firsthand the destruction and horror. She describes feeling the physical impact of the second plane hitting the World Trade Center and walking amongst the traumatised residents of the city.

• Travels to and adoption from Russia

Lucy describes her experience of adopting two young children from two different children’s homes in Russia over several years in the early 2000s. This was a long, complicated process involving a lot of bureaucracy and travel between the UK and Russia. Lucy’s daughters were 11 months and 18 months when she brought them home to their new family

• Learning at the School of Healing in Miami

Lisette felt called to enrol in studies at the Barbara Brennan School of Healing in Miami, Florida, which took place over a 4-year period. She focused on psychology, energy healing, and the theories of psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich, developing a new understanding of herself and others. This resulted in her book ‘The Childhood Conclusions’.

You can take Lisette’s test for your Childhood Conclusions on her website here: https://lisetteschuitemaker.com/test-your-childhood-conclusions/

Why You Should Listen

Both Lisette and Lucy went through major life changes and transitions in their 40s, with Lisette exploring her inner self and Lucy taking on the challenges of international adoption. Their overall sense that their 40s were a transformative period in their lives, with both women embarking on new personal journeys and projects, makes fascinating listening, along with their personal memories of the year 2000 and the 9/11 terrorist attack.

Join the Conversation

What are your recollections of the turn of the 21st century – if you were old enough to be there? If you enjoyed this discussion of a fascinating era, 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 #ep17 #personalgrowth #startofthe21stcentury #endofanera #socialchange #2000s #9/11 #worldtradecenter #fireworks #newyearcelebrations #newmillennium #Y2K #transformation #adoption #intercountryadoption #russianadoption #moscow #bryansk #petrazavodsk #newbabies #toddlers #learningtowalk #internationaltravel #miami #florida #barbarabrennan #barbarabrennanschoolofhealing #childrenshomes #Russianchildrenshomes #spirituallife #thechildhoodconclusions #eldestdaughterexperience #bookmagicai #bookmagic #storypodcast #lucylisettepodcast #TheYearOfBeing70Podcast...

Do you remember the last years of the 20th century just before the Millennium, when everything seemed to change? Is Yoko Ono a name you recognise – do you remember her Amsterdam honeymoon ‘Bed In’ with John Lennon?

In this episode of The Year of Being 70 Ep 16, two lifelong friends, Lucy and Lisette, who turned 70 last year, reflect on their personal changes in the period of their lives from 1994 to 2000, the political and social environment of that time, as well as recalling the rise of The Beatles and the social revolution they personified in the 1960s.

Key Highlights of this Episode

• Turbulent times for Lucy

Lucy experienced significant personal life changes in this period, including getting divorced, remarried, moving house several times, eventually to the country, and dealing with the death of her father who went blind in his later years.

• Transformation for Lisette

Lisette had a transformative experience playing a "game of transformation" which helped her gain insights into her own struggles with depression and led her to discover the Findhorn community. This was a major turning point that put her on a new spiritual trajectory.

• The last era of hope and renewal?

Both women discuss the social climate in their respective countries (UK and Netherlands) during this time, recalling a sense of hope and progress that they feel has not been replicated in more recent years. They look back on the broader political context, including the Labour government’s victory in the UK, a sense of prosperity and renewal, and the Netherlands' approach to tackling challenging societal issues like euthanasia through inclusive dialogue and consensus-building.

They compare the differences in the education systems between the UK and Netherlands, with the Netherlands seeming to have a more egalitarian and multilingual approach.

• Celebrating an Eldest Daughter

It was artist Yoko Ono’s 92nd birthday today, and in celebrating her ground-breaking work – and questioning whether younger people even know her name – Lucy and Lisette explore the legacy of Yoko Ono. It includes her relationship with John Lennon, their ‘Bed In’ in Amsterdam to ‘Give Peace A Chance’, and the impact of the Beatles, the music and cultural shifts of that era that have resonated through the decades.

Why You Should Listen

If you enjoy hearing about recent social history, from people who lived though it, this episode provides a thoughtful, personal, and historical lens on the period from 1994 to 1999. Lisette and Lucy look back to the rise of the Beatles and recall the innovative creativity of Lennon and McCartney, and the hysterical response of their fans. They remember how Yoko Ono, a pioneering artist in her own right, was blamed for the breakup of the Fab Four.

Join the Conversation

What are your recollections of the end of the 20th century – if you were old enough to be there? If you enjoyed this discussion of a fascinating political era, 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 #ep16 #personalgrowth #endofthe20thcentury #endofanera #Johnlennon #thebeatles #yokoono #socialchange #1990s #1960s #depression #transformation #fathersdeath #divorce #remarriage #education #privateschool #publicschool #stateschool #freeeducation paulmccartney #ringostarr #givepeaceachance #amsterdambedin #findhorn #spirituallife #eldestdaughterexperience #movinghouse #escapetothecountry #goingblind #visualimpairment #storypodcast #lucylisettepodcast

Two lifelong friends, now 70, take a fascinating journey through decades of food—from post-war rationing to modern diets like Mounjaro. How have eating habits, body image, and food culture changed over the years? Let’s dive in!

In this new episode ‘’The Year of Being 70 Ep 15 - Food, Glorious Food: Two Friends Stories from Rationing to Mounjaro’’ is a conversation between Lisette and Lucy, two childhood friends who recently turned 70, about their experiences with and relationship to food throughout their lives.

Key Highlights of this episode:

What we ate in the 1950s

Lucy and Lisette talk about the differences in food availability, quality, and preparation between the UK and Netherlands in the post-WWII years, with rationing and limited food options in the UK versus more dairy-based diets in the Netherlands.

They remember daily food routines, such as grocery shopping for fresh food every day or the week, and the milkman and baker delivering to homes - Lucy even recalls their milkman having a horsedrawn cart when she was very young.

Lucy and her brothers ate separately, with different food at different times, to her parents

Lisette always went home from to school for lunch, while Lucy had school lunches and then all meals at school when she was at boarding school, which were not great!

Vegetarians

Lisette became a vegetarian at a young age out of ethical concerns, while Lucy more recently adopted a vegetarian diet. She has been married to a vegan for thirty years, so is used to cooking flexible meals that can be adapted for different tastes. Lisette doesn't cook, but enjoys shopping for fresh produce at her local market for her husband to make whatever meals he can from.

Body image

The women discuss how food, eating habits, and body image have changed drastically over their lifetimes, with increasing obesity linked to the prevalence of processed and unhealthy foods. Lisette has always been tall and slim - so skinny as a child that people feared her legs would break if she ran - but has always eaten well. Lucy didn't enjoy food as a child and was very slim up to her mid forties, but put on weight after perimenopause. She admits to having become too overweight in the last few years and has been taking a weight loss drug, Mounjaro for the last six months. She has lost three stone - nearly 20 kgs - feels much healthier and better for having done so.

Why You Should Listen

This episode explores how food, eating habits, and attitudes towards food have changed over their lifetimes, with increasing availability of processed foods and a rise in obesity. The two friends reflect on how their long lives have spanned major transformations in the food landscape, and the changes in availability of food have changed, from very basic when they were young to global cuisine

Join the Conversation

What are your experiences with food and eating? Do you try to eat ethically? Have you tried to lose weight at some point? Or are you lucky like Lisette and stayed slim all your life? Share your thoughts and stories in the comments below.

If you enjoyed this conversation about the development of food, eating and cooking over the last few decades, 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!

If you enjoyed this episode of The Year of Being 70, be sure to:

Like this video to support our channel Subscribe and turn on notifications to stay updated on our latest episodes Share this video with anyone who loves a good conversation about food, history, and life experiences!

#yearofbeing70 #being70 #food #foodies #foodnoise #vegetarian #vegan #pescatarian #lucyandlisette #podcast #obesityepidemic #mounjaro #ozempic #dietstruggles #diet #milkman #groceries #marketshopping #freshfood #processedfoods #1950s #schoolfood #schooldinners...

What makes us spiritual, religious or none of the above? And how do unexpected events or communications change our view of the universe and our place in it?

In this fascinating episode, The Year of Being 70 Ep 14 - Our Changing Beliefs, Spirits and a Ghost Story, Lucy and Lisette, two childhood friends who recently turned 70, discuss their personal and spiritual journeys as they reflect on their experiences with religion, spirituality, and beliefs about the afterlife during their lives.

Lisette grew up in a non-religious household but had a strong yearning for spiritual connection and exploration from a young age, exploring concepts like reincarnation and having vivid past life experiences. In contrast, Lucy had a more traditional Christian upbringing, became an atheist in her late teenage years, then later in life had a supernatural experience that caused her to question her previous beliefs about the afterlife.

Key Highlights of this Episode:

The Queen's Chapel

Lisette's family were non-believers so did not attend church, but alone among her family she craved celebration and communication with a world beyond the physical. Lucy's father was a 'member of the Royal Household' so her parents attended services at the Queen's Chapel in St James' Palace (the Queen herself was not in attendance - Lisette checked!). Lucy and her brothers went to a children's service every Sunday and had the Bible and Pilgrim's Progress read to them by a devout Nanny.

Past Lives

In her 30s and 40s, Lisette took an active route to learning to communicate with the 'interbeing universe' she had always been aware of. She accessed past lives she believed she had led, including as a young Chinese boy and an African child. Around the time of her divorce, Lucy went on an Alpha Course, and enjoyed the community and kidness of evangelical Christians, but didn't change her views in the long term.

Lucy's Ghost Story

When Lucy moved into an old farmhouse in the country, she was contacted, through a psychic friend, by the spirit of a man who had lived in her village during World War 2 and wanted her to clear his name of a baseless accusation that had forced him out of the village. He provided some specific details and, after a lot of detective work, Lucy found that Ernest really had existed, found his gravestone, records of his children at the school her daughters now attended and eventually contacted members of his family. She wrote a novel called 'Kindred Spirits' to give her ghost closure.

This led Lucy to become more open-minded about the possibility of life after death and other non-physical realms.

Conclusions: Why You Should Listen

Both Lisette and Lucy express fascination with the idea of spiritual realms, the nature of consciousness, and the ability to communicate with those who have passed on.

They discuss the challenges of being open to such experiences when the mainstream culture emphasises rational, scientific worldviews.

Overall, this episode explores the deeply personal and nuanced journeys that individuals can take in developing their spiritual beliefs and connection to the metaphysical aspects of existence.

Engage with Us!

What are your spiritual and religious experiences - or are you a confirmed materialist? Do you have a ghost story or an experience of a past life? We’d love to hear about them! Whether you’re young or old, share your thoughts in the comments below. Don’t forget to hit the like button if you enjoyed this reflection, and make sure to subscribe to The Year of Being 70 for more inspiring conversations.

Join the conversation and be part of this thought-provoking journey through our lives and memories.

#yearofbeing70 #being70 #religion #atheists #spirituality #past lives #spirits #ghosts #ghoststories #beliefs #consciousness #metaphysical #celebration #church #chapel #thequeen #memories #kindredspirits...

In this podcast episode, Lucy and Lisette, two childhood friends who recently turned 70, reminisce about the evolution of communication technologies in their lifetime.

They discuss their early memories of rotary-dial telephones, the cost and challenges of long-distance calls, the introduction of first black and white, then colour televisions, and the progression from clunky computers to mobile phones and email. The conversation covers how these technological advancements transformed daily life and social interactions, reflecting on the significant changes they have witnessed over the past 70 years.

*The telephone in the hall*

Lucy and Lisette recall how the main – or only – phone in the house would always be in the hall when they were young. This meant lack of privacy and parents telling you to ‘Get off the phone’ when you were calling friends or boyfriends. They can recall exactly how it felt to dial a number on the old rotary dials and the sound of a 'real' phone ringing. Later, wall phones and cordless phones were exciting innovations that changed how and where you could call people.

*Social etiquette around phones*

The friends share memories of the social etiquette around using shared phone lines and the juggling involved in making calls to friends or family. Unlike calling an individual’s mobile these days, when you called from a landline (in the hall!) you never knew who would answer the phone and how long you would have to make polite conversation before asking to speak to the person you were actually tyring to call.

*The cost of communication*

Parents were always worried about the cost of phone calls, and especially international phone calls. When Lucy went to live in Australia in the late 1970s, she could only call home once a month and everyone would crowd round the phone to talk. So different from today when you can always catch up with someone on a mobile or other app on your phone, Zoom and video call at any time and keep in touch across distances so much more easily.

*When TV came along*

Lisette and Lucy’s families were both late adopters of television, so both were about 8 years’ old when a heavy box showing programmes in black and white appeared (was rented) in each of their houses. They recall how there were only a two and then three or four TV stations, how children’s TV started at 4pm and ended at 6pm, and that there was nothing on before that, or after 10pm except the ‘Test Card’. In the Netherlands and the UK, both girls watched and loved ‘The Avengers’ with Diana Rigg as Emma Peel – luckily colour television had been introduced by then.

*The internet changed everything*

Lucy and Lisette were both working when computers arrived to disrupt the business environment. Email also changed communications, as did fax machines, from paper-based communications that had to be typed up and posted or couriered to recipients. Mobile phones and car phones were big and clunky for their first few years, until everything got smaller and now a slimline mobile contains every kind of communication that’s currently available.

*Key highlights in this episode*

# Memories from a bygone era of bakelite phones with plaited cords taking centre stage in the hall of a home. Of huge square televisions with inefficient aerials and fuzzy black and white screens that were rented rather than bought.

# How Lucy and Lisette have lived through 70 years of changes in technology that have revolutionised communication in personal life and the world of work.

# Swings and roundabouts - they reflect on how communication has become much more instantaneous and ubiquitous with the rise of mobile phones, email, and messaging apps, but also how some of the intimacy and intentionality of past communication methods has been lost.

*Conclusions: Why you should listen*

Overall, the conversation provides a rich and nostalgic look at the technological...

In this captivating episode of The Year of Being 70 Ep 12: Three Surprising Confessions from Lucy & Lisette, we delve into the unexpected and intriguing world of two lifelong friends, Lucy and Lisette, both 70 years old. These remarkable women share three secret pleasures and aversions that most people don’t know about them, revealing sides of themselves that are rarely seen by others.

What You Didn’t Know About Lucy and Lisette:

Lucy, a book mentor and author, confesses to an aversion that might surprise many—she doesn’t enjoy music, and never has, even as a child. This lack of connection to music could be attributed to a condition known as Musical Anhedonia, a neurological condition affecting 3-5% of the population, where dopamine receptors aren’t wired to the music audio circuits. On the other hand, Lisette has a strong dislike for Coca-Cola and has only tried it once in her life. Her experience in Amman, where she couldn’t refuse a glass of Coke from a generous taxi driver, adds a layer of complexity to this confession.

Lucy reveals her love for TV soap operas, game, and quiz shows like EastEnders, Neighbours, and The Archers, despite her professional image as an intellectual. Her fondness for these shows reflects a side of her that contrasts sharply with her highbrow persona. Lisette enjoys shopping at local markets but admits that she rarely cooks the ingredients she buys. Their confessions extend to everyday habits—Lucy loves to swear, finding a kind of joy and release in it, while Lisette showers only every three days, sparking discussions about hygiene and societal norms.

Will They Be Judged?

Both friends feel they may be judged for their unusual or unexpected predilections or aversions. Lucy’s lack of interest in music once led someone to suggest she had no soul, while Lisette's infrequent showering raises concerns about being perceived as unhygienic. These intimate revelations open a window into the societal pressures and personal insecurities they navigate.

Soaps and Soap:

Lucy feels that people may be surprised by her love of soap operas, as professionally, she's mostly seen as an author and book mentor, so perhaps more highbrow than a lover of EastEnders and Neighbours—not to mention The Archers—suggests that she is. Lisette's very practical reasons for not showering every day—killing off the important microbes on our bodies, wasting water, putting excessive soap chemicals into the water system—might just look like she's unhygienic. This leads to Lisette and Lucy discussing the state of their fridges and whether they would pick up dropped food and eat it off the floor (spoiler alert—yes, in their own homes).

Key Highlights in This Episode:

• Not Liking Music Isn’t a Sin: Musical Anhedonia is a neurological condition—not just Lucy being weird. It means a person's dopamine receptors are not wired up to their music audio circuits.
• To Swear or Not to Swear: Lucy also claims that swearing, which she enjoys, has a useful biological function, as tested in an experiment by @Stephen Fry. You can check the experiment here: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4d.... She is always surprised when people apologise for swearing in front of her and feels she is somehow not presenting her true self.
• Introvert/Extrovert: Lisette also feels misjudged at times when others see her as highly social and extrovert, but actually, she has a strong need to spend considerable amounts of time on her own and likes the term 'integration' for what introverts...