"Young People Are Acts of Nature, But Beautiful Old People Are Works of Art" - Dr. Marion

Today we are #LiveInTheHive in Dr. Marion Somers, award-winning and nationally recognized Geriatric Care Specialist, professor, and author of the book, Eldercare Made Easier: Ten Steps to Help You Care for an Aging Loved One.

From the moment I met Dr. Marion, I’ve been captivated by her passion for the elderly, for the death and dying process, and for LIFE! We’ve had many poignant conversations about her life and work, and I’m thrilled to share this extraordinary 85-year-old force-of-nature on #TheEdgeofEverydayPodcast.

(Full disclosure: As you know, we don’t edit on #TheEdgeofEverydayPodcast – we prefer the adventure of being #LiveInTheHive! However, we had some technical problems with our recording, and a bit of editing was necessary on this one.)

In this episode, we touch on…

• What type of person is drawn to stay present to the aging, death, and dying process?
• Marion shares the story of growing up in Harlem, gravitating to the elders in her community and discovering her love of storytelling.
• The power of deep listening.
• How has eldercare changed over the years?
• Technology has separated and isolated all of us, but particularly the aging.
• Discover ways to engage in eldercare, both as an elder and as a caregiver.
• What is important to those who are transitioning.
• The power of planning a funeral with the person who is in transition.
• What does it mean to grieve well?
• A brief review of her exhaustive and resource rich book on eldercare.

For over four decades, Doctor Marion has provided care for more than 2,000 elderly clients while she owned and operated a thriving Geriatric Care Management practice. As a leading expert on elder care issues, topics, and solutions, she’s been featured on The Today Show, Eyewitness News, in The Wall Street Journal, Newsday, and on a host of national radio programs.

Contact Dr. Marion HERE.

Buy Book HERE.

Connect with your host Sandra Bargman:

• Website
• YouTube
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

Happy New Year Everyone! Goodbye 2025 and hello 2026. I have high hopes for 2026. We can all agree 2025 has been quite an insane roller coaster of a ride, to put it mildly.

A Universal 1 Year (2026) is a threshold. It begins a new nine-year story not only for the world, but for each of us. If you imagine the past nine years as a chapter – from 2017 to 2025 – the 1 Year is the moment the next chapter title appears.

The page is blank. The pen is in your hand.

The themes of a 1 Year revolve around emergence: new beginnings, self-leadership, instinct and courage.

And in Chinese Lunar tradition, 2026 is The Year of the Crimson Fire Horse. This year is celebrated for its dynamic energy, symbolizing passion, change, and transformation. Horses represent strength, freedom, and spirited perseverance, and the element of fire magnifies these qualities.

The theme for 2026 is CLEAR. It’s about acceleration. breakthrough and integration.

It is time to step forward with COURAGE!

I share a reading of ‘We Were Made for These Times’ by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes.

“My Esteemed Ones –

Do not lose heart. We were made for these times. I have heard from so many recently who are deeply and properly bewildered. They are concerned about the state of affairs in our world now. Ours is a time of almost daily astonishment and often righteous rage over the latest degradations of what matters most to civilized, visionary people. You are right in your assessments.

The luster and hubris some have aspired to while endorsing acts so heinous against children, elders, everyday people, the poor, the unguarded, the helpless, is breathtaking.

Yet, I urge you, ask you, gentle you, to please not spend your spirit dry by bewailing these difficult times. Especially do not lose hope. Most particularly because, the fact is that we were made for these times.”

Wishing our listeners, guests, and everyone who contributes to and uplifts #TheEdgeofEverydayPodcast a very Happy New Year!

#TheEdgeofEveryday #TheEdgeofEverydayPodcast #HappyNewYear2026 #WeWereMadeforTheseTimes

Connect with your host Sandra Bargman:

• Website
• YouTube
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

What is the relationship between theatre, storytelling, and community?

In a larger sense, what is the role of art in times of resistance and unrest politically?

Today we are #LiveInTheHive with Seth Gordon, author of the new book, Crossroads in the American Theatre: New Leaders in a New Age.

This book is a must read for theatre geeks, theatre lovers and for those who understand the importance of art and the communal experience of live theatre in these dark and challenging times.

The American theatre is at a crossroads. After a worldwide pandemic and the social reckonings that took place just before and around the pandemic, the way non-profit theatres lead their institutions and produce their plays is being reexamined almost from scratch.

As we witness the collapse of institutions and systems nationally in real time, media, financial, education, religion, etc. the American theatre, too, has been called to evolve, and to re-connect with the greater community it serves. Seth Gordon, and the artistic leaders he interviews for this book, reflect deeply on the future of American theatre and it’s supporting structures. And they offer hope for emerging theatre-making.

In this illuminating episode…

• Seth offers a brief history of theatre in the USA, in particular the emergence of our national non-profit theatre institutions – the move from a strictly business model into a model that served the creation of art and it’s relationship to community, rather than the creation of profit. The ideal of non-profit theatre vs commercial theatre.
• Theatre is an instrumental element of a thriving TOWN SQUARE that supports and enriches the community it serves.
• How did the pandemic affect the faltering existence of non-profit industrial complex? Did it cause it, or simply illuminate it?
• How have streaming services contributed to the disconnect from live theatre? We must reinvigorate the loyalty of the theatre to its community AND vice versa.
• Theatre is an “essential form of democracy” and the massive IRONY of the attack on and erosion of democracy ushered in by 47 and his regime and the pulling of federal funding coinciding with reevaluation of live theatre institutions (artistic institutions in general). Art is RESISTANCE.
• A social message vs. entertainment While the classics are relevant, is it time for brand new voices and different play structures?
• Does the Board of Directors’ role need reimagined?
• Theatre will always survive, but it may not be structured in the same way.
• All this and so much more…

Full bio/resources:

https://www.ou.edu/finearts/drama/about/people

https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-gordon-619b165/

Buy HERE. Also available at The Drama Bookstore, NYC.

Connect with your host Sandra Bargman:

• Website
• YouTube
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

What is Gratitude?

How do we connect with Gratitude in challenging times?

Today we are #LiveInTheHive with your host, Sandra Bargman, to share her thoughts on Gratitude and what the Thanksgiving holiday means to her. Hint: It’s her wedding anniversary!

In this solo special episode, Sandra…

• Talks about the inherent paradoxes of Thanksgiving Day. The emotional nostalgia that edges up to the myth upon which the holiday is based.
• Reads a story written a few years back about her Thanksgiving wedding.
• Shares her understanding of gratitude and the practices she uses to ground herself in gratitude.
• Science and bioresearch of the frequency of gratitude.
• Power vs Force by Daniel R. Hawkins
• Gratitude is good for your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health.
• Concise summary: Focus on what you have, not what you lack.
• Closing prayer: This Land Belongs to No One by Hila Ratzabi

Connect with your host Sandra Bargman:

• Website
• YouTube
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

Today we are #LiveInTheHive with Transformational Guide, Medium, and Author, Deborah Hanlon.

What can our connections to death, loss, and grief teach us about living more fully?

Deborah is committed, in all of her work, to the understanding that Intuition is not a mystical gift reserved for only a few - it is our human birthright AND, by learning to tap into it intentionally, it becomes an extremely helpful tool in addressing our current levels of societal and cultural polarization, as well as contributing to the expansion of our global consciousness.

In this juicy conversation, we touch on…

• What is fake humility and the power of sharing your talents with joy.
• How we can raise our consciousness on what “dead people” really means. Who and what they become when they pass…
• Deborah shares her story of the discovery and growth of her abilities.
• Intuition and mediumship is a natural skill for everyone.
• Her upcoming book: Reassembling Yourself: The Alchemy of Grief. Deborah shares her relationship with grief and how it informs her work – and – her 9-step process of turning grief into gold and growth.
• The science of mediumship – consciousness exists after death and mediumship to coming into resonance with that energy.
• Can someone experience fractured energy?
• How we must look inward to find strength and clarity in these challenging times.

Deborah Hanlon is an intuitive, author, and teacher with a master’s degree in psychology and multiple mindfulness-based certifications. She is based in New York's Hudson Valley and holds workshops online for people all over the globe. For over 2 decades, she has guided thousands through grief, transformation, and personal awakening using her unique style of authenticity and intuitive knowing. She offers one-on-one intuitive coaching, live events, and international retreats. Her books include In the Presence of Proof and The Little Girl Who Asked Why. Her third book, ReAssembling Yourself, explores grief as a catalyst for healing and growth.

DeborahHanlon.com

hello@DeborahHanlon.com

www.facebook.com/DeborahHanlonIntuitive

www.tiktok.com/@deborahhanlon

Connect with your host Sandra Bargman:

• Website
• YouTube
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

Happy Anniversary to #TheEdgeofEverydayPodcast!

This month marks the 4th ANNIVERSARY of when I started this podcast at TalkRadio.NYC and the 2nd year Anniversary of moving the podcast to MaximizeU.Life. Of course, also streaming on all your favorite podcast platforms.

Happy Halloween – Happy Samhain - Happy Witches New Year!

On this night, in the place between the old and the new, all is possible. It is in this place of paradox where transformation lives.

And that place is the edge, the edge of everyday.

Today’s episode is a replay of one of my MOST favorite episodes, my special Halloween and Anniversary episode from last year, featuring my dear friend, Leslie Ellis, grammy award winning singer/songwriter and actor.

I share a bit about the history of Samhein, and about my own spiritual journey and pagan leanings. This episode was recorded right before the 2024 presidential elections - so it’s fascinating to revisit that headspace now that we are a year into this new regime.

And my conversation with my uber talented friend, Leslie, is absolutely divine. Let’s dive in.

Again, thanks for listening.

• What is Halloween based on?
• What is witchcraft?
• What is the witch archetype?
• My own spiritual journey and pagan leanings...
• AND our special GUEST - Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter - and one of my best friends - LESLIE ELLIS!
• Her journey playing Grizabella on Broadway in CATS, arguably a witch archetype in her own right.

We share Leslie’s song, We ARE WARRIORS. What does it mean to be a warrior for truth, for freedom?

https://music.apple.com/ca/album/we-are-warriors/1631590513?i=1631590514

• All this and SO much more...

#TheEdgeofEveryday #TheEdgeofEverydayPodcast #TheFeminineRises #WitchesAreTheVeil #Halloween

Grammy® Award winning vocalist Leslie Ellis performs live across the USA and Europe with hit songwriter Casey Kelly in duo Kelly&Ellis. Leslie has sung with many artists including Celine Dion on “My Heart will Go On” – from the movie “Titanic” (for which Leslie won the Grammy) and Thomas Dolby on his latest album “Forty” (featured on “Hyperactive”). She sang the original soundtrack song, “Six Times Around the Sun” for the CBS mini-series, "Perfect Murder, Perfect Town" and she’s done countless TV/radio jingles and song demos for SONY Music.

In 2007 her self-penned “Flyer Song” was adopted by the US Navy and made into a video as a tribute to the troops and their families. She’s also written songs, dozens of which have been cut by artists including The Bellamy Brothers and NYC based recording artist David Ippolito.

Leslie has appeared on television and the Broadway stage - CATS, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES and CITY OF ANGELS, among others - and in the films "The New True Charlie Wu" , "Happy New Year Mr. Kates" and the feature film "Unconditional" In 2007 she starred in an independent film called, “My Name Is Wallace” which was invited to the Cannes Film Festival.

Leslie also has a successful career as a voice over artist and a book narrator.

Watch on YouTube: https://app.maximizeu.life/podcast/edgeofeveryday

Find Leslie:

www.LeslieEllis.com | @asongliveshere

Connect with your host Sandra Bargman:

• Website
• YouTube
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

Today we are #LiveInTheHive with award-winning author, book mentor, editor and leadership coach, Cynthia Gregory.“Allow your story to take up space in the world.” - Cynthia Gregory

The power of storytelling and the power of finding and sharing your VOICE in the world is at the heart of every aspect of Cynthias work. Sound familiar? No surprise that from the instant I met her, I was completely drawn to Cynthia and her soulful and creative work.

I’m thrilled to announce that I am a contributing author to Cynthia’s next book project, LOVE NOTES ANTHOLOGY 2.0 – Stories of Healing and Hope launching on November 1st.

My chapter is titled Ferocious Compassion. What is ferocious compassion? And how does compassion relate to finding your voice and sharing your story? Quite a lot, as it turns out.

I absolutely loved this conversation. We touch on…

• Cynthia’s life-long love of stories and writing and the neuroscience behind storytelling.
• Do NOT wait to tell/write your story. When your voice is gone, your stories are gone.
• The 2 types of storytelling: Our vulnerable presence filled stories that empower VS. the negative self-narratives, the stories we tell ourselves that disempower.
• Her first foray out of fiction into writing non-fiction, sharing her love of journaling in Journaling As a Sacred Practice.
• What was her inspiration for Love Notes from the Soul Anthologies.
• I share how I joined with Cynthia, choosing to be a part of Love Notes in writing my chapter, Ferocious Compassion, based on the incident with a friend that inspired the phrase.
• Making Nice VS Being Kind.
• I read the opening of Ferocious Compassion.
• What is the highest expression of compassion? How does it support finding and sharing one’s voice.
• The repercussions of the phenomena of reality tv on our political and cultural landscape.

LOVE NOTES ANTHOLOGY 2.0 launches on November 1st. To register for the virtual launch, go to https://bit.ly/4nuVich

Cynthia Gregory is an award-winning writer and author of Journaling as Sacred Practice: An Act Of Extreme Bravery, What Is Possible From Here, and LOVE NOTES Anthology. She was also editor of the California Writers Club, Redwood Writers’ Annual Anthology: ON FIRE (2023).

With a bachelor's degree in journalism from Gonzaga University and a master's degree in literature from Mills College, Cynthia’s mission is to expand the body of modern literature. When she’s not helping execs and entrepreneurs write their professional memoirs, she helps business leaders use digital media to easily and strategically expand their brand to new audiences.

Cynthia’s enigmatic short stories have appeared in a range of publications, including The Sun, Glimmer Train and The Briar Cliff Review, among many others. She took second place in the Writer's Digest Fiction Contest and first place in the Glimmer Train family matters competition for “Melting at Both Ends,” and first place in the Mark Twain Short Fiction Prize for her story, “Baby Blood.”

She is a member of the California Writer’s Club, Redwood Writers Chapter, and the International Coaching Federation.

CoachCynthiaGregory.com, https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregorycynthia/

Connect with your host Sandra Bargman:

• Website
• YouTube
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

I’m very happy to be back in front of my mic, having been away from #TheEdgeofEverydayPodcast for 6 weeks. I didn’t plan to take a break. But because of a slew of unforeseen conflicts and guest scheduling issues, and because I was off doing a play…it just happened.

Happy Fall!

Today we are #LIVEintheHIVE with two special guests, multi-award-winning guitarist and singer/songwriter, Sean Harkness - and Liz Picolli, SDC director/choreographer, and founder/artistic director of Queen of Rogues Arts Space in Woodstock, NY.

Sean is returning to The Plum at Traver Hollow House (www.ThePlumTH2.com) on Saturday October 18 th with his SOLO show, Just Me: Solos, Songs, and Stories. He will also be performing at Queen of Rogues Arts Space in Woodstock on Friday, October 17 th .

Today’s episode is of course, about plugging these upcoming shows, but more importantly, it’s a conversation about the power of ART – theatre, music, visual art, storytelling– to uplift and inspire – not only an audience, but also the performers themselves – in these challenging times.

It’s a conversation about building new performance and gathering spaces, creating and sharing safe, supportive and inclusive communities, and about RESISTANCE to authoritarianism through art, music, truth-telling, and storytelling.

We touch on…

• As you know, I always ask my guests, “What identity do you lead with”? And Sean and Liz have unexpected and wonderful answers to kick off this delicious and rich conversation.
• What inspired Liz to create and run Queen of Rogues Art Space.
• The importance of building community and being a part of many communities.
• Sean is most known for being a collaborator with other musicians and singers. What inspired him to create a solo show? And why now? Sean shares his goals, and the obstacles he overcame in sharing his own voice in a solo show.
• How creating/performing/artistry is keeping us sane and connected to joy in these challenging times.
• All this and SO MUCH MORE.

Sean Harkness in Just Me: Solos, Songs and Stories

Friday, October 17 | 7pm | Queen of Rogues | Woodstock NY

For more info and tickets: www.QueenofRogues.com

Saturday, October 18 | 4pm Doors Open | 5pm Show | The Plum @ TH2

For more information + receive an invitation to the Salon:

www.ThePlumTH2.com

Full bios, schedules, events, etc.:

www.SeanHarkness.com

@harksongs

www.LizPiccoli.com

@queen.of.rogues

Connect with your host Sandra Bargman:

• Website
• YouTube
• Instagram
• LinkedIn