Growing Older Together | Facing Fears, Embracing Resilience
How do we remind others—and ourselves—that we may be older, but we still matter?
Growing Older Together is a podcast for older adults, centered on the stories, memories, and changes that shape how we see ourselves over time. Most episodes are under 15 minutes and explore themes like identity, fear, aging, and personal growth.
I started this podcast because society often treats aging like the end of the story—like we no longer count. And sometimes, we start to believe it. But our stories still matter, and they deserve to be heard.
Season One, Echoes of the Past, Visions of Tomorrow, includes 16 episodes about the experiences that stay with us—through uncertainty, silence, resilience, forgiveness, and how our relationships evolve over time.
Season Two, Silent Struggles: Finding Strength in Our Fears, centers on fear—how it shows up in everyday life, keeps us quiet, and what it means to speak about it. This season also introduced Whispers of Regret: Women Finding Peace in Silence, a recurring interview series where women share stories they’ve carried for years.
Episode 9 was published on December 12, 2024. After that, I stepped away from recording to care for my mom, who passed away on March 17, 2025.
I missed preparing, hosting, and recording the podcast, but my mind and energy were with my mom. Thank you for staying connected and for your patience. I’m ready to return with Episode 10: Invisible With Age: Fighting Ageism. As I find my rhythm again, I'll be sharing new episodes every 2 to 3 weeks.
If this speaks to you, I invite you to listen and maybe recognize a piece of your own story in someone else’s.
Let’s keep growing older and wiser together.
Growing Older Together | Facing Fears, Embracing Resilience
S1 Ep 1 Introduction
In Season One of the first episode of "Growing Older Together," Lourdes introduces a series about getting older and the lessons that come with it. This version of the episode includes captions to ensure accessibility for all listeners.
Lourdes talks about her learning journey and understanding how getting older has changed her view of the world and her relationships. The show features stories from Lourdes and others who have faced tough times but keep moving forward.
The first season is "Echoes of the Past, Visions of Tomorrow," and it explores how our history shapes our future, with each episode offering short, meaningful stories.
Lourdes welcomes listeners to share their experiences and stories, making sure everyone feels included. Listeners can communicate in English or Spanish.
The upcoming episode, "When the Past Knocks," will examine why old memories suddenly come back.
Lourdes invites listeners to reach out and share, highlighting the importance of community in our journey of getting older.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Remember to subscribe and rate the podcast on your favorite platform. You can watch all episodes on my YouTube channels, access show notes, and enjoy captioned content in English and Spanish. Here's the link: https://linktr.ee/growingoldertogether.
You can also email me at podcast@lourdesdirden.com. Thank you for listening.
[00:00:00]
Welcome to Growing Older Together. I'm Lourdes, and it means a lot to me that you're here today for my first episode. I specifically chose this day to honor my mom's 95th birthday, which we celebrated yesterday. Feliz cumpleaños, Ama. We all have stories as we grow older.
Stories that connect us. There is so much in our past that we carry, and sometimes we're not even aware of it. As I've gotten older, I noticed changes with friends and family who have also gotten older. But what [00:01:00] I've learned the most is about me. And I realized it was not them who were changing, it was me.
I wanted to start this podcast years ago when I started to find what made me tick. What was I really upset about and why did certain things trigger me so darn easily? So when I started figuring that out, I decided I wanted to help others find themselves too. I'm going to share how I learned to see my life with different eyes and I was able to make peace with myself.
It helped me realize that if it wasn't for my past, I wouldn't be the woman I am today. This podcast is not just about my stories. It's about people who have gone through tough times and continue to do so. Yet, [00:02:00] they still put one foot in front of the other and will not give up. These fighters will be sharing their stories on this show.
Each week, you'll listen to short stories. Perfect for a quick listen. Take a break. Whether you're enjoying a quiet moment alone or on the go. You can pause, listen, and maybe this show may help you see things differently. This season is titled, Echoes of the Past, Visions of Tomorrow.
It's about how our past shapes our future through personal stories and ideas. Each story and each memory holds a key to who we are and who we want to be. Once a month, I'm inviting a guest to join us. It could be someone like you sharing their story. Or someone who can shed some light on things that we go through as we get older.[00:03:00]
I would love for you to be part of this podcast. In next week's episode, When the Past Knocks, I'll talk about how old memories pop up all of a sudden. What triggers these memories? I'll share my experiences and offer simple ways to make sense of those moments. I want to hear from you. Your stories are the heart of this podcast.
Share them in English or Spanish. You can email me at 2growingolder at gmail. com That's the number two, growing older, one word, at gmail. com. And yes, I said Spanish. Mándenme sus historias y las voy a traducir. Thank you for joining me today. I am honored. There's a whole world of experiences out there.
And together, we'll uncover [00:04:00] them one story at a time. Please don't forget to hit subscribe wherever you listen to your podcast. And if there's something you want to talk about, let me know. For episode notes and more, visit my website at www. Lourdes Dirden. com and Durden is spelled D I R D E N. That's it for today.
But I'm gonna leave you with a quote by Zig Ziglar. Life is an echo. What you send out, comes back. What you sow, you reap. What you give you get. What you see in others exists in you. Until next week, Let's Grow Older and Wiser T ogether. [00:05:00]
