Building Purpose with  Bob Gift

Building Purpose with  Bob Gift

In this episode of Beyond 60: Unscripted, Ruth Williams-Brinkley sits down with her longtime friend Bob Gift for a warm and thoughtful conversation about retirement, identity, and the search for purpose after a long and demanding career. While Bob’s woodworking provides the frame for the discussion, the episode is really about something larger: what happens when the titles, routines, travel schedules, and professional responsibilities fall away, and you have to decide how to fill your days with meaning. Bob reflects on his career in health care consulting, the transition into retirement, the importance of staying curious, and the satisfaction of creating something tangible after years of work that often felt more abstract. Through his story, Ruth and Bob explore creativity, community, patience, adaptation, and the value of trying something new, reminding listeners that retirement is not an ending, but an opportunity to keep learning, growing, and building a life that feels fully your own.  Meet the Guest Bob Gift is a retired health care consultant, engineer, and lifelong learner whose career spanned more than four decades in and around hospitals, including 30 years traveling the country as a consultant focused on operations, process improvement, and organizational change. In retirement, Bob has found a new sense of purpose and creativity through woodworking, building furniture and meaningful handmade pieces for family, friends, and his community. His story reflects the value of curiosity, patience, and finding something tangible and fulfilling to make your own in life after the “big job.”

Grayfully Becoming: Beauty, Confidence, and Coming Home to Yourself with  Janice Cosby Adams

In this episode of Beyond 60: Unscripted, Ruth Williams-Brinkley sits down with author Janice Cosby Adams for a heartfelt conversation about beauty, aging, self-acceptance, and the freedom that comes with embracing who you are. Janice, whose striking gray hair first appeared when she was a child, shares how what once made her different became a source of confidence, identity, and inspiration. Her new book, Grayfully: Wisdom from My Hair, uses her hair as a powerful metaphor for authenticity, courage, and learning to see beauty beyond society’s narrow expectations. Together, Ruth and Janice explore personal style after 60, the pressure women feel to hide signs of aging, the importance of caring for yourself from the inside out, and the joy of showing up fully as yourself at every age. The episode is a reminder that beauty does not disappear with time. It deepens, becomes more honest, and can help us arrive more fully in our own lives.  Buy Grayfully: Wisdom from My Hair: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gray-fully-janice-cosby-adams/1149891336 Meet the Guest Janice “Jan” Cosby Adams is an accomplished marketing and communications executive, author, community leader, and mentor whose career includes senior leadership roles with Ascension, where she served as Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for Ascension Michigan and later as Vice President of Foundation Marketing. Known for her expertise in branding, public relations, consumer engagement, and community relations, Jan helped lead major brand development efforts across Ascension while remaining deeply committed to civic service, youth mentorship, women’s leadership, and health advocacy. A Wayne State University graduate and accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America, she has been recognized for her professional achievements and community impact, including honors from the Oakland County NAACP and features in publications such as HOUR Detroit, B.L.A.C., Essence, and MORE Magazine.

A Life Abroad: Retiring Overseas with Jennifer Harper

What if your retirement dollars could stretch further and your days could slow down, without shrinking your life? In this episode, Ruth sits down with certified financial planner and expat Jennifer Harper, who now lives and works in Portugal, to unpack what living abroad really looks like beyond the glossy highlight reels: visas, housing requirements, healthcare, taxes, currency swings, travel costs, and the patience it takes when the process does not move on your timeline. Together, they talk through the human side too, what you miss, what you gain, how to build community, and the questions to ask before you leap, including how to plan for emergencies and protect your loved ones with the right documents. You will walk away with a clearer view of the tradeoffs, and a grounded sense of what it takes to design a life you enjoy, not just a budget you can afford. About the Guest: Jennifer Harper Jennifer Harper is a Certified Financial Planner and the founder, principal, and chief compliance officer of A Bridge Financial Planning. She began her career in financial services in 2000, earned her CFP designation in 2006, completed advanced training through the Kinder Institute of Life Planning, and has taught small business finance as an adjunct instructor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. With a deep commitment to financial education and advocacy for women, Jennifer brings both professional expertise and lived experience to this conversation, having relocated to Portugal and navigated the practical realities of working, building community, and planning across borders.

Men's Grief and the Love That Remains featuring Herman Bulls

Grief is universal, but we do not hear enough men speak about it with honesty. In this tender and deeply human episode, Ruth sits down with Herman Bulls to explore loss through a perspective that is often kept private, men’s grief, and the expectations placed on men to stay composed, stay busy, and stay strong even when their world has changed. Herman shares the love story he built with his wife, Iris, and the devastation of losing her to stage four pancreatic cancer after a sudden medical crisis. He reflects on the realities of caregiving, the shock of rapid decline, and the moments of clarity that reshaped his understanding of what it means to keep living. The conversation also moves into healing, including survivor’s guilt, the value of counseling, and the importance of a real support system, with Herman offering candid, practical encouragement for other men walking this road. The episode closes with a reminder that grief is not a moment, it is a process, and that love and memory can become a source of strength as you move forward, one day at a time. About the Guest: Herman Bulls Herman Bulls is Vice Chairman, Americas at JLL and the founder of JLL’s Public Institutions Division, where for more than three decades he has helped federal, state, and local governments, higher education institutions, and nonprofits develop real estate strategies that reduce costs and increase productivity. Prior to JLL, Herman served nearly 12 years on active duty in the U.S. Army, including assignments at the Pentagon and as an Assistant Professor of Economics and Finance at West Point, and later retired as a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves. He is also a distinguished board leader, serving as Chairman of Fluence Energy and Vice Chairman of USAA, along with board service across major public, private, and nonprofit organizations. Herman earned his undergraduate degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point and his MBA from Harvard Business School.

Grief, Loss, and Living On with Teri Fontenot

Widowhood is a reality many people face beyond 60, but it is rarely discussed with the honesty it deserves, and this episode goes there with care, clarity, and hope. In “Grief, Loss, and Living On,” Ruth and Fawn sit down with Teri Fontenot, former CEO of Woman’s Hospital and longtime board leader, who shares her deeply personal story of losing her husband after a rapid, devastating cancer diagnosis and the emotional whiplash that followed. Teri speaks candidly about how grief actually moves, not in neat stages but in waves, sometimes overlapping, sometimes pulling you backward, and she names the parts people often keep quiet, including anger, loss of control, faith being tested, and the exhaustion of managing pain and logistics while your heart is breaking. She also offers practical wisdom that listeners can use immediately: the power of a trusted inner circle, giving yourself permission to move at your own pace, avoiding major decisions until you are ready, and rebuilding a life through purpose, small goals, and experiences that bring joy back in. It is a grounded, compassionate conversation that will leave you feeling less alone and more confident that healing is possible, one step at a time. About the guest; Teri Fontenot is a nationally recognized healthcare executive and governance leader known for guiding organizations through complex, high-stakes environments with clarity and vision. Over a 27-year tenure as CFO, president, and CEO of Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, she helped transform the system into a national leader in women’s health, earning honors including Modern Healthcare’s inaugural Top 25 Women in Healthcare and recognition as one of its 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare. Since leaving the CEO role in 2019, Teri has focused on board service as an independent director and SEC-qualified financial expert, currently serving on the boards of AMN Healthcare Services, Amerisafe, and Bitcoin Depot, and advising leaders on strategy, growth, and effective governance.