Nancy

Season 1

In each episode you will meet men and women who candidly share their solutions to challenges such as maturing, retirement, new experiences, divorce, financial planning, finding a new job or career, illness, loss of a loved one, loneliness and more.

101_sm.jpg Episode 1: Five people, ages 39-63, share their careful plans to achieve present and past happiness. Chris, age 60, and Bruce Maxson, age 63, bored with retirement, start a new venture -- an art gallery that becomes a national-award winner; Tina, age 39, and Danny Bartlett, age 46, reorganize their lives after his near-fatal illness and successfully work to become debt free; Brigitte and Mac Lopez, ages 48 and 53, tell how he felt "expendable" in the corporate world. They talk about their challenges and have found happiness as artists in their own American Indian gallery; Michael Thomas, age 54, who is fulfilling his life-long dream to become a real cowboy, explains how his careful planning helps him achieve his dream. Click here to watch.

102_sm.jpg Episode 2: Seven people, ages 30-70, relate their personal problems, challenges, and solutions. Julie, age 59, and Don Roy, age 61, start an Alpaca Ranch after Don is "replaced" by a younger employee; Larry Goodman, age 70, a cancer survivor, teaches bridge and "cooking for company" to the blind; Jo Laffranchini, age 65, and her 30-year-old twin daughters, start a health-food store and work together; Patricia Means, age 58, loses a loved one and starts a new career. Click here to watch.

103b_sm.jpg Episode 3: Five people, ages 49-70, discuss their life-changing actions to conquer their problems. Ines Allen, age 49, former poor immigrant from Ecuador, is the founder of a charity that provides medicine and medical care for people in her native land; Robert W. Whitaker, age 63, a veteran, receives appropriate medical and emotional help, and works at the Veterans' Gardens as he improves his life; Pat Clark, age 70, experiences age discrimination and eventually finds a new job and works to make ends meet; Christie Cook, age 59, hardware store owner, relates her positive experiences in hiring "older people"; Barbara Marx shares her experiences and advice on multiple divorces and re-marriages. Click here to watch.

104_sm.jpg Episode 4: Seven people, ages 46-92, describe how they adjust to their difficult problems. Nancy Bricard, age 75, concert pianist and cancer survivor, explains how she copes; Rick Klassen, age 52, professional dog trainer, helps decorated war veteran, Michael McCourt, age 61, find new meaning in his life. Michael, recovering from mental and physical challenges and receives help from "Buddy," his golden retriever; Oliver Walker, age 46, former gang member, prisoner, substance abuser, and alcoholic, now counsels others; three widowed siblings, Elizabeth, age 83, Thomas, age 92, and Rosemary, age 88, find happiness and companionship in sharing a home together. Click here to watch.

105_sm.jpg Episode 5: Four people, ages 31-68, share their personal challenges. "Bob" Parish, age 68, recipient of the Peace Corps highest honor, tells about his extraordinary life after his 29 cancer surgeries; Joy, age 31, and Greg Dixon, age 39, talk about rearing and supporting their five children, togetherness, and financial planning -- Joy works nights as an auditor and Greg works days as a car salesman. Matthew Simmons, age 35, Gulf War veteran shares his experiences with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and his healing process, which involves work in a Bird Sanctuary at the Veterans' Administration Hospital in Los Angeles. Click here to watch.

106_sm.jpg Episode 6: Five people, ages 47-85, tell how they cope with problems. Judy Twine, age 47, explains her survival of a traumatic childhood, and utilizes her creative talents to succeed in many occupations, including police work, modeling, and owning a flourishing makeup studio. Raul Resendiz, age 51, tells about his sudden blindness and how he overcame the despair that often accompanies loss of sight or health. Helen Snider, age 85, former World War II decoding expert, tells of the loss of her spouse, dealing with loneliness, and finding new joy at the Childrens' Discovery Museum; Don Karvelis, PhD, age 71, retires and begins three new careers; Sandi Hutchinson, age 55, refuses an abortion at age 17, works three jobs, raises a successful son, and lives responsibly. Click here to watch.

107_sm.jpg Episode 7: Four people, ages 42-85, relate their solutions to difficult life circumstances. Russ Clarke, age 42, a second-generation plumbing contractor and Buddhist missionary, barely survives surgery after donating part of his liver to his ailing brother; Blanka Rothschild, age 85, a holocaust survivor, describes her will and struggle to survive, her success, and achievements; Suzanne and Larry Bischof, ages 62 and 65, explain why they left his successful career in Los Angeles for a home and work in a small town, home schooling their four children, and living with multiple generations. Click here to watch.

108_sm.jpg Episode 8: Five people, ages 47-79, describe how they needed to adapt to unexpected changes to achieve success. Joel Cohen, age 58, becomes bored with retirement, and with little savings, starts a new successful career. Kathy Lewis, age 47, describes the despair of not being able to have a child and the joy when she and her husband adopt a baby. Hee Sook and Chon Kyu Yang, age 60 and 64, immigrants from Korea, describe their hard work to succeed and how their children adjust to two cultures. Viola Golden, age 79, a former teacher and recent amputee, tells about her survival despite inadequate health insurance and income, and shares her struggle to resolve financial problems. Click here to watch.

109_sm.jpg Episode 9: Nine people, ages 14-80, share their difficult life experiences and learn how perseverance and a positive attitude improved their lives. Van Wyatt, age 59, HIV negative and Luther Symons, age 46, HIV positive, devote their lives to one another and find new ways to deal with the challenges of homosexual partners. Roy Daniels, age 80, a widower and father of three adopted children, plays on a softball team with men ages 50-88. Roy shares the importance of team camaraderie with team members Don Staub, age 73, Herman Mack, age 76, and Marshall Stone, age 70. Sheila Zacker, age 57, adopts and raises a child, Julia, as a single mom with limited income. Julia, age 14, discusses being an adopted child. Bill Marx, age 71, adopted son of "Harpo" and Susan Marx, shares his story of living with famous parents, and what he will do with the rest of his life. Click here to watch.

110b_sm.jpg Episode 10: Five people, ages 61-86, relate their past, present, and future goals and their plan of action to find new happiness. Aldo Cerny, an 86-year-old barber, explains why he never wants to retire, works all day, and dances almost all night. Art Himmel, age 81, depressed at the deaths of his contemporaries, finds a new interest singing Karaoke. He and his wife Esther, age 74, a dental hygienist, talk about raising children with good values. Karen Patterson, age 61, deals with divorce, remarriage, and her son's death. Karen completed college as an older student, and takes pride in her new job as director of a HELP organization for the needy. Jim Graham, age 61, describes his happiness as a volunteer to help the homeless. Click here to watch.

111_sm.jpg Episode 11: Five people, ages 34-85, tell how they used their intelligence, and their moral and ethical values to overcome adversity and create new, inspiring, and productive lives. Mary Balingit, age 58, a Philippine immigrant, her father Manuel Fajardo, age 85, a World War II veteran and Death March survivor, and Mary's daughter, Rafunzel Carreon, age 34, cope with money challenges and a multi-generational household. Jane Stonehill, age 65, twice widowed, had four children die before the age of one year. She tells what she has done to save herself by opening an animal rescue service. Lusanna Lawson, age 53, shares her feelings of frustration about becoming blind, and how she overcame depression to lead a new, happy life. Click here to watch.

112_sm.jpg Episode 12: Five people, ages 54-70, share their difficult life-changing events and how they are coping with their challenges. Nancy Ackerman, age 57, a psychotherapist, describes the different concerns and stresses of people in age groups from 30 to 90. Mary and Doug Austin, ages 60 and 61, cope with his long recovery from multiple strokes and her battle with pancreatic cancer. Both are working in the community to establish a scholarship fund for children and a class in theater performance for stutterers. Shirley Bigna, age 70, a widow, sets and achieves high goals while raising her family and finds a new career along the way. Kathy Halkin, MPH, age 54, returns to college to obtain her masters degree in public health and helps her community’s poor and homeless. Click here to watch.

113_sm.jpg Episode 13: Eight people, ages 11-89, adjust to unexpected events that alter their lives. Joan Busick, age 57, obtains a divorce, goes back to college, and achieves independence and a new career. She also co-founded an organization that helps other women obtain college educations and find careers. Jane Curnutt, age 60, a recent widow and former postal employee, goes back to college and now works on NASA projects. Frank Gorzny, age 89, discusses raising his great-granddaughter, Melissa, age 11, and still finds time to ride motorcycles and climb trees. Melissa talks about life with Frank. Phyllis and Phil Sansone, both age 70, a homemaker and successful grocery chain owner, talk about how they have restructured their retirement plans and have adapted to a new life, with the help of their children. Shirley and Merle Harris, age 75 and 80, share the joy of Shirley getting her college degree in her 60s, Merle's lessons learned during many careers, and their charitable efforts. Both spend time working to help others, and share their wisdom in regards to retirement and future generations. Click here to watch.

For all Season 2 episodes, please click here.