Sheila Solomon Comes Full Circle - Senior Planet from AARP

After decades in print journalism, Sheila Solomon has come full circle to audio storytelling.One year after our last conversation, the host to Aging Rewired has won her first award in audio and is preparing for a third season.Here, she reflects on the transition from print to podcasting, the stories that surprise her most, and why bridging generational gaps has become central to her mission.You recently won The Communicator Award for your podcast work.

How does that feel, especially as someone who transitioned from print journalism to audio?Its such a wonderful surprise, and I especially love this one because its so different from the print awards Ive received over the years.To me, it feels like Ive come full circle.The award feels like someone is saying, Keep going.

We like this.This is information we want to share.Theres a responsibility going into the next season because you want to do even better and reach even more people.Whats driving your excitement as you plan for the third season?A number of episodes now include questions from listeners, which has been awesome.

Its made the show more interactive and responsive to what people actually want to hear about.We have so many ideasI dont know if well ever get to all of them.What themes are calling to you most for the upcoming season?I think a lot about intergenerational friendships and relationshipsboth the ones people have and the ones they want.This is something I experience through other organizations Im involved with that help educate older adults, and by that I mean people 65 and older, though generally people 50 and older have similar concerns.Whether its a 50-year-old thinking about interacting with a 25-year-old colleague, or grandparents wanting to connect with their grandchildren, these conversations keep coming up.Why is bridging generational gaps so important to you?I keep running into people who hear AARP and their face changes.

They think old people.But everybody is getting older, right? Ive found so many things about AARP that I had no idea about, even as someone who was already a big fan attending webinars and doing all those things long before I knew Id be doing a podcast.Theres this perception barrier we need to break down.Younger people can shape this work too, and they should be engaged because theyre going to be older at some point themselves.

Was there someone from this season who sparked something unexpected for you?One guest who comes up all the time now on my Instagram feed is someone who goes by Jet Set Sarah.We did a podcast about travel, and while we absolutely hit on areas of importance to adults older than 60, just as much of the information she gives, the joy she brings in discussing her travels is universal.I bet youd learn something if you listened to that podcast that you didnt know and that would help you the next time youre traveling.Thats exactly how I felt.

Toward the end, she gave us information that none of us knewI wont spoil it, but most of these conversations are like that.You walk away thinking, I never thought about doing that or I never reached out to someone like that.How has your confidence evolved from season one to now?Season one still felt new because it was new.I didnt feel as confident as people may think, despite how I might have sounded.

Going into season two, I felt more confident because Id been given a season two.Now here we are going into season three, with even more confidence and excitement about reaching people and topics we may not even be thinking of yet.What energizes you most about this work?Being part of the podcast helps me see how older people are bucking stereotypes.

The way our society is changing, its so different for some older people now.Its exciting to talk to people and older adults who are helping even other older adults, 80-something, 90-something people still going, still creating.Its energizing.Im always learning something, and thats been a hallmark of the work Ive been blessed to do all these years.

That curiosity drives everything.Youve mentioned having a responsibility with this platform.How do you approach that?I care about the people we interview.I want them to feel good about the experience, and maybe even more so because we want them to share and possibly come back.

I love being able to circle back and see how things have developed.What does aging with attitude mean to you now?It absolutely still applies from when we first talked about it.Making a difference to help someones life be better in some way.YOUR TURNWhat people or topics would you like to learn more about in Aging Rewired? Let us know in the comments!NaBeela Washington, an emerging Black writer, holds a Masters in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University and Bachelors in Visual Advertising from The University of Alabama at Birmingham.She has been published in Eater, The Cincinnati Review, and others.

Learn more at nabeelawashington.com.Photo: Sheila speaking at OATS 20th anniversary & podcast launch party.Jason DeCrow/AP Content Services for OATS from AARP.