Welcome to CroneCast

About

Let’s get one thing out of the way. The word: Crone. You may have notions about this word. You might think it’s ugly. You might even think it’s offensive. Above all, you might think this word has no connection to who you are as a woman.

Fairy tales and folklore are replete with ugly old witches, hags and crones whose potions and powders, hexes and hijinks wreak havoc among the pleasant, young, pretty folk. It’s rare that older women possessed of knowledge, wisdom and experience are portrayed as powerful forces for good. CroneCast is here to change that.

Consider this perspective Jann Arden shares on CBC Radio in January 2021 to Shelagh Rogers:

“A crone can be on her own without any problem at all. She doesn’t need somebody propping her up or telling her how to fix herself…. I think people equate being 80, 90 or 100 as a crone, but a crone is just someone with a laser focus and who is unapologetic and doesn’t rely on other people’s opinions to value herself.”

If that sounds like you, then you are very likely a crone, friend. Choose to embrace your inner crone and tap into all the riches this stage of life brings.

Hosts, Trudy Callaghan and Lisa Austin, bring it all — successful C-suite and life experience. And most importantly, the type of experience that can only be earned by living with grace and courage.

We take a good hard look at attitudes toward and assumptions about older women while celebrating the many gifts age bestows upon us: wisdom, perspective, self-actualization, and more.

So, welcome to the podcast where being an older woman is wonderful and weird.

Your Hosts

Lisa Austin

Lisa is a newly retired corporate communications maven. During her 30-plus year career, Lisa worked as a freelance and corporate writer, editor, public relations consultant, and finished her career as chief communications officer in a large organization in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

She also spent a few years doing stand up comedy at some legitimate comedy clubs as well as some less than ideal events. A fundraiser for a daycare stands out as a low point. She eventually leveraged her comedy skills and created a successful public speaking business, offering workshops on humour in the workplace and work life balance.

A lover of languages and learning, Lisa spends much of her free time learning Italian. She has noticed, with some despair, that languages have a lot of words. And tenses. And rules (and exceptions to said rules). She remains undaunted, nonetheless.

She holds a master’s degree in English literature from the University of Alberta and a graduate certificate in executive coaching from Royal Roads University.

Lisa lives in Edmonton with her partner, who has finally agreed to let Lisa adopt another cat.

Trudy Callaghan

Trudy is a business owner, marketing strategist, magazine publisher and now, podcaster. In her professional life she has based her values and her work on a line from U.S. presidential speech writer James Humes who said, “The art of communication is the language of leadership.” She believes that local, principled journalism is essential to any community’s success because it supports diversity and is key to democracy.

She describes herself as an introvert, but others describe her as fiercely optimistic and annoyingly energetic. She strives to be good at everything — but, of course she isn’t. She is, however, persistent.

A keen supporter of the arts, she is the chair of Ballet Edmonton, an art collector and theatre goer.

She resides in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with two dogs (or do they live with her?) and a very long dining room table to gather friends and family for celebrations and conversations.

CroneCast