The Gift of Age Podcast

Over more than four decades, Deborah Conway has built an extraordinary career as a singer, songwriter, performer and storyteller , marked by emotional honesty, creative reinvention, and a deep commitment to truth. Deborah Conway is not an artist we visit in retrospect. She is an artist who has stayed active, present, and creatively alive.In this conversation, we explore creativity across a lifetime, reinvention, feminism, identity, resilience, family, and what it means to remain artistically alive as we age.From Man Overboard and Do-Ré-Mi to her acclaimed memoir Book of Life and recent album Right Wing Propaganda, Deborah reflects on the personal and creative forces that have shaped her life and work.We also speak openly about public hostility, Jewish identity, ageing, partnership, sustaining creativity over decades, and the clarity that can arrive later in life.This is a conversation about voice, truth-telling, and the courage to remain intellectually and creatively fearless with age.You can also listen to this and other Gift of Age Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drlindafriedland.substack.com

There is something about water that calls many of us back as we age.In this episode of The Gift of Age Podcast, I speak with champion open water swimmer and coach Ceinwen Roberts about why swimming, whether in the ocean or a pool, can become one of the most powerful practices for strength, calm and vitality in midlife and beyond.“You never regret a swim.”— Ceinwen RobertsShow NotesSwimming is one of the rare forms of movement that strengthens the body, while also calming the mind. As we age, many people rediscover the water not only for fitness, but for the sense of rhythm, resilience and freedom it brings.In this episode of The Gift of Age, I speak with long distance swimming champion and coach Ceinwen Roberts about the beauty and benefits of swimming across the lifespan. Our conversation explores how time in the water can support strength, endurance, mental clarity and emotional wellbeing.Watch the full conversation with CeinwenCeinwen shares insights from decades spent both competing and coaching in the water. We talk about the unique physical advantages of swimming, the mental discipline it cultivates, and the powerful sense of connection many swimmers feel with the ocean.Importantly, this conversation is not only for ocean swimmers. Whether you swim in a pool, occasionally dip in the sea, or are simply curious about new ways to support healthy aging, swimming offers a form of movement that is sustainable, restorative and deeply joyful. In this conversation we discuss• Why swimming is such a powerful form of exercise in midlife and beyond• The physical benefits for strength, mobility and endurance• How the rhythm of breathing and movement in water can calm the nervous system• The unique beauty and challenge of ocean swimming• The mental resilience and confidence that swimming can build• Why swimming is not only for elite athletes but for anyone seeking health and vitalityAbout my guestCeinwen Roberts is one of Australia’s leading open water marathon swimmers and a member of the Australian Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame. She has completed many of the world’s most iconic endurance swims, including the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming where she holds world records, and is widely respected in the international marathon swimming community.Beyond her own achievements, Ceinwen is a passionate coach and mentor who helps swimmers of all levels pursue their endurance goals. She is also co- founder of the Port to Pub Ultra Marathon Swim, now a major event on the global open water calendar.Ceinwen’s life in the water reflects not only extraordinary endurance, but also a deep commitment to resilience, community and expanding what people believe is possible.This conversation feels especially timely for me, as I will be swimming in a team in the Port to Pub Swim this weekend, my first team crossing from Leighton Beach to Rottnest Island. The 19.7 kilometre journey across the Indian Ocean will be shared amongst the six of us. Our fabulous team of swimmers is called Swim4Kids as we are helping raise funds for the Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation (PCHF). The event was founded by Ceinwen and has become one of the great open water swims on the international calendar.Why this conversation mattersIn a world that often promotes increasingly complex approaches to health and fitness, swimming remains beautifully simple. It is low impact, accessible across our lifespan, and uniquely capable of supporting both physical vitality and mental calm.Whether in the ocean, a lake or a local pool, time in the water can become one of the most sustaining practices for healthy aging.If you enjoy conversations about longevity strength and living well, consider sharing The Gift of Age with a friend. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drlindafriedland.substack.com

Welcome to the Gift of Age Podcast. This very short introduction gives you an insight into the forthcoming exciting series - conversations about ageing with vitality, passion and purpose: the science, the secrets and the strategies. Episodes will include conversations with inspiring experts, thought leaders and practical effective tools to support longevity, women’s health and live stronger and with meaning. Thank you for joining the conversation! Dr Linda Friedland This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drlindafriedland.substack.com

To my loyal and wonderful Substack subscribers. Forgive me the sidetracking from Gift of Age. Going into 2026, I do promise you much scientific as well as inspiring material on all things midlife, aging, vitality, longevity life hacks and meaningful living. My Gift of Age podcast too, will be launched in the new year. But for now our community is grieving deeply and we are trying to make sense and process the way forward. I bring you an amazing powerful voice in this deeply honest and heart wrenching video conversation. Joanne Fedler, my dear friend (and actually a cousin once removed) is the author of 16 books. She's a writing mentor and a retreat facilitator. She holds an LLM from Yale University and has been a woman’s and human rights activist for decades. This was not the conversation Joanne and I had planned to have.We were meant to speak about writing, identity, meaning, and a life well lived, as part of the launch of The Gift of Age podcast. But in the aftermath of the Bondi massacre, we felt compelled to address some painful and challenging questions.This is not a political conversation.It is a human, historical, and moral one. It is about what happens when an ancient hatred resurfaces and brutal targeted violence occurs and what this asks of those willing to see clearly.Mindful of your busy life, I have edited this powerful video to just 34 minutes . Don’t miss this painfully honest and profoundly powerful interview!Wishing those of you who celebrate Christmas- a peaceful, joyful and meaningful one.With blessings for light and love to shine through, Linda This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drlindafriedland.substack.com