Ep 7. Joanna Maxwell: What’s Age Got To Do With It?
Ageism affects how others see us and how we see ourselves. Researcher and author Joanna Maxwell has spent years studying age beliefs and their impact on women’s work, confidence, and identity. In this conversation, she unpacks myths about ageing, internalised bias, and why it’s time to challenge the idea that life peaks before fifty.
In this episode, we also discuss:
How gender and age intersect to create a unique “double whammy” for women over 50.
The three main forms of ageism—systemic, interpersonal and internalised—and how they shape everyday experiences.
Why our own age beliefs can influence health, happiness and even longevity, and how to start reshaping them.
Every day ways women can push back on ageist comments, medical dismissiveness and “invisibility” moments without being confrontational.
The power of ordinary, honest stories of women living full lives, rather than only “super-achiever” examples of ageing.
How changing the stories we tell about ageing can benefit everyone, because ageism ultimately targets our future selves.
Joanna Maxwell
Researcher and Author of 'Rethink Your Career In Your 40s, 50s and 60s'
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Email: sue@flourishafterfifty.com.au
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