Grandma Magic: A podcast from the Grandmother Collective

Rosemarie Mollinedo: Fostering Resilience, Self-Compassion and Growth

Rosemarie Mollinedo has dedicated her life to fostering resilience, self-compassion, and growth in children, families, and communities. With a career spanning over four decades, Rosemarie has worked in early childhood education, family counseling, and community-based interventions, leaving an indelible mark on organizations like the Dubnoff Center for Child Development, El Nido Family Centers, and the East Los Angeles Women’s Center.

In this episode, Rosemarie shares her journey of overcoming personal hardships, finding healing through an education and career in service, ultimately embracing a “divinely engineered treatment plan” that has shaped her life. As a proud mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Rosemarie also reflects on how her experiences inspire her to pass down lessons of resilience, self-compassion, and trust, and the importance of family history to future generations.

Ruth Ochieng: Women Make Peace

Ruth Ochieng is a Ugandan peace activist, gender justice advocate, and expert in post conflict transformation. She served as the executive director of Isis Women’s International Cross Cultural Exchange (Isis-WICCE, now WIPC), a Kampala-based women’s resource center that moved from Geneva to Uganda in 1993 to address the root causes of gender-based violence and conflict. She and her team documented cases of sexual violence and pioneered holistic survivor centered programs, integrating medical, psychological, and economic support to help women heal and rebuild their lives. Our contributor, Nina Valenbreder, recently interviewed Ruth about her trajectory to a career in peace building initiatives, lessons she has learned about the role of grandmothers in restoring resilience in post-conflict environments, and the legacy she plans to leave behind.

 

Madhu Bala Nath: The Importance of Unlearning

Madhu Bala Nath is an inspiring leader and advocate for women’s rights, gender equality, and public health. Her career has spanned multiple organizations, including the Swedish International Development Authority, UNIFEM, UNDP, and EngenderHealth and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). In this podcast episode, Madhu highlights unlearning as a guiding principle, drawing from her experiences in HIV and AIDS prevention in India. She also reflects on the collective strength of women and the importance of pausing to witness one’s own work as a grandmother changemaker. If there’s one lesson to take away from the remarkable Madhu Bala Nath, it is: “Dissonance is the word.”

 

Stella Fosse: Empowering the Creative in Later Life

In this episode, we introduce the inspiring Stella Fosse, a writer who transitioned from a career in biotech to championing creativity and empowerment for older women. With encouragement from her children and a supportive network of changemakers, Stella discovered the political power of her writing in response to ageist and sexist norms in the publishing industry. Through her books, blogs, and workshops, Stella actively challenges social constructs surrounding aging and advocates for women’s continued growth and exploration of their own stories. Speaking on the importance of intergenerational connection, Stella shares, “No matter what age you are, if you’re lucky, you’re going to get to be an older person.”

 

Pat Sabiston: "Can't Never Could" and the Power of Grandma's Legacy

Pat Sabiston is passing on her grandma magic as a successful author, motivational speaker, writing instructor, and proud great-grandmother. Through her work, she encourages other elders to share their rich legacies of wisdom and life experiences with future generations, offering lessons to learn from and lean on. With Pat’s warm humor and insightful anecdotes — including the inspiration to write her recently published children’s book, Can’t Never Could — this episode will leave you eager to go “totally unplugged” at Gram’s Camp!

 

Sarah Thompson and Elayne Richard : Reproductive Rights, Storytelling, and the Power of Intergenerational Activism

Sarah Thompson and Elayne Richard bring decades of experience and unwavering dedication to reproductive rights and social justice advocacy. As active members of Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights (GRR), one of our newest member organizations, they are working to challenge the shame and stigma surrounding abortion access as healthcare while empowering elders to harness the power of their voices. Their experiences have deepened their appreciation for the impact of sharing lived stories from the pre-Roe v. Wade era and, as Elayne puts it, the “wicked cool” intergenerational relationships fostered by grandma magic.

Christine Crosby : The Art and Magic of Grandparenting

Christine Crosby’s grandmother left a lasting impression on her as a role model for purposeful living and community service, which she continued well into her 90s. Now, as a proud grandmother of five, great-grandmother of one, and CEO of GRAND Media, Christine is paying that “grandma magic” forward. She shares the beauty of grand-parenting with optimism, describing it as an experience defined by empathy, the absence of ego, and the privilege of sharing wisdom with “little people hungry to learn about life.” In this episode, Christine also reflects on her aspirations for her 80s, including supporting her local government and guiding the transition of GRAND Media, all in the spirit of a true grandmother changemaker.

Philomena Anywanu: Defining Elder Care for Rural Nigeria

Philomena Anyanwu is a gerontologist and social worker who has dedicated over 14 years to bringing about systemic change in the physiological, social, spiritual, and economic well-being of the ever-growing demographic of older persons in Nigeria. Her work has involved navigating and rethinking cultural stigmas, inadequate healthcare information and access, and limited financial support, all of which ultimately isolate the elderly in rural communities. By fostering organic, mutual support networks, her NGO, El-Aged Care, and healthcare coalition, ACSPOPIN, are changing the narrative in rural communities to one where the elderly, particularly grandmothers, are valued as focal points. On a personal front, Philomena also prioritizes her own self-care, for instance, by returning to the city to take long walks, or even by graciously letting us interview her here on the Grandma Magic Podcast.