Episodes

Monogamish 101 with Dan and Mary (Season 3 | Episode 128) [TESSA] This week: Mary and Dan, two people who are living their best lives… after the kids have left the nest. To me, it seems like these two are “finally” living their best lives. And I appreciate the lives they lived before finding each other. Marriages and child-rearing are all-encompassing and absolutely worthy of our admiration. It’s tough. That said, finding ecstatic, conscious, dance, exploring new partners and a monogamish l...

The Precipice of Readiness with Nancy Colier NOTE: THIS ONE IS FOR MOMS (Season 3 | Episode 127) [TESSA] We are so pleased to introduce to you the psychotherapist, interfaith minister, and author Nancy Colier. And let me say this too, as you will hear in this episode, Nancy is an incredible mom of a 12 and 20-year-old (both girls). A Mother’s Individuation And we start there. How to create space for your older children to move ahead ON THEIR OWN with life as opposed to clinging to them? Yet...

Aligning Our Values in Act III of Life (S3 | E126) Series: Are You Ready for Act III? (Season 3 | Episode 126) [TESSA] This is the beginning of a new series that we will return to over many months. In the three years that we have been working on this podcast, we have learned a lot about the third act of life. We’re there now as are so many of our guests. But what about you? Are you ready for Act III? In this first episode, you get us… Tessa and Amir working our way through our core values a...

Laughing and Dancing with Life and Death with Lynnea Brinkerhoff (Season 3 | Episode 125) [TESSA] Lynnea Brinkerhoff played an important role in my life. Specifically when my mother died. Lynnea was there to help manage the impact of this incredibly challenging and momentous occasion. I asked Lynnea to join me on this program to talk through “Laughing and Dancing with Life and Death.” In Lynnea’s own words, “I am not really afraid to touch the depths of my grief and sadness and loss. I’ve l...

Open Bi Kinky Over 50 with CJ and Linwood (Season 3 | Episode 124) [TESSA] Many years ago CJ and Linwood by chance met online. And that could have been it. But… there… was… something… Now they are together. Truly a grand partnership. After 7+ years. Across the globe. From Australia to California. A dominant and submissive relationship. A non-monogamous relationship. With one partner exploring bisexuality along the way. Each with children. Right? So many layers here. If that sounds complicat...

Josh Miller Changemaker (Season 3 | Episode 123) [TESSA] We’re all about the 50+ crowd… right? Well, yes. We are. Certainly. That is until we turn the eye of The Open Nester Podcast to the lives, missions, relationships, love, and romance of our children. Welcome to Voices of Millennials and Gen Z. A new category (and a new series) for The Open Nesters Podcast. And I could really not, from all of the myriad choices in this world, have a better guest to launch this new component of TON. Mee...

Paradise on Earth with Sharman Hawk (Season 3 | Episode 122) [TESSA] I met Shaman Hawk on the beach in Florida. I am so grateful that I did because I can now introduce this remarkable man to you, dear Open Nester Podcast listener. I called this episode ‘Paradise on Earth’ to try to capture the point of view of Shaman Hawk. In this brief episode, Hawk and I cover a lot of ground, from his militaristic upbringing to the incredible careers of his three adult daughters and his “wild child” 18-y...

Love’s Not Color Blind with Kevin & Antoinette (Season 3 | Episode 121) [TESSA] Kevin and Antoinette are a couple. A polyamorous couple… with children. And from what you will hear in this episode… this all works… just fine. When they were first carving out this lifestyle for themselves they didn’t even know it was a “thing.” Then they found the polyamory community in Philadelphia. And that really opened up their eyes to so many possibilities. And, just for the record, the kids are well aware...

Dance Love Heal with Toni & Antoinette (Season 3 | Episode 120) [TESSA] This week I finally can share a conversation with Toni Bergens and Antoinette Sims. We cover a lot of ground, but center our discussion on conscious dance, movement, and healing. And yet. These two women are so wise. Later in this episode, you will hear such a healthy point of view on the end of our lives… the “letting go.” It is so worth hearing. One more thing. How welcome is it to hear an appreciation for, and the ...

The Open Nest EVOLVING and REVOLVING Door with Tessa & Amir (Season 3 | Episode 119) [TESSA & AMIR] Every once and a while we get to treat ourselves to an episode with just the two of us. And it is such a joy (!) to get some ideas out into the open that have emanated from our recent podcast work. In this short podcast entry, we reach way back to our earliest episodes (could that really have been two years ago? !!!!) and share some of our favorite quotes and learnings. And, of course, we talk ...

Adventures and Fun without Dick and Jane When kids are part of life, but not the center of life. with Christie Mellor (Season 3 | Episode 118) [TESSA] Christie Mellor and her husband Richard have an unusual and beautiful open nest. She is a writer, an actor, and a painter – I’d call that a “triple threat.” And Christie is our guide to a delightfully empty (and possibly open) nest. You may have heard of Christie as she is the author of The Three Martini Playdate, The Three Martini Family Vac...

About Motherhood with Tessa (Season 3 | Episode 117) [TESSA] With Mother’s Day in the Air… I want to focus attention on the state of motherhood in the open-nester stage of life. How can we not let our own scars get in the way of our relationships with our children? And how can we let our children lead their own lives (with a sense of our own detachment) while caring for them in a new supporting way (maintaining our attachment). I believe as I grow older I do grow wiser. And I want to refere...

Wild Monogamy Like when you go to a play party and just play with your partner. with Mali and Joe (Season 3 | Episode 116) [TESSA and AMIR] Getting sexy in this one! And very loving. Imagine this. You worry about your aging body and have lost touch with what your partner thinks of it. After all those sexy years you are over 60 and, just saying it out loud, sagging a little bit. And your partner says… let’s fix this… Right here. Right now. And so you spend the day being photographed. Your na...

Let’s Talk Money Getting our financial longevity on track! with Joe Soricelli and Jim Licata (Season 3 | Episode 115) [TESSA and AMIR] We are on our third year of this life-changing podcast adventure. And all of us are the lucky ones. We’ve explored so many life paths, human stories, strategies, tips and plans. Each one has offered us the opportunity to grow. To find ourselves. To make the next act of our lives all the better. If you sense a bit of pride here, you are right. And by the fact t...

Dating and Living in Midlife and Beyond with Junie Moon (Season 3 | Episode 114) [TESSA] Junie Moon has had one interesting journey so far. Marriage. Monogamy. An evolving relationship with options open. A Child. The early emptying of the nest and then a divorce. And then… Open Nesting and all that comes with that. All the possibilities. Junie and I focus on ‘midlife,’ that time over 40 when the kids are gone. The operative word is “REBOOT.” The rebooting of our lives. In Junie’s own words, ...

Life as a Polyamorous Elders with Kathy Labriola (Season 3 | Episode 113) [TESSA] So what happens as we get older? What happens to the libido? What about poly people? Do people become more open? Do they just maintain their relationships with multiple partners? Do they become more conservative sexually? We consider these questions with our guest this week, Kathy Labriola. We discuss the practical value of multiple partners later in life, finding your community, and our different views today v...

Becoming Beloveds with Kari and Steven Cardinale (Season 3 | Episode 112) [TESSA] This week we have Kari and Steven Cardinale. About This Episode You are going to hear about the concept of a “beloved.” You’ll hear that Steven is a Tigger and Kari is an Eore… at least sometimes. And you’ll hear about casting spells. And some chat about long-range decisions. Both Kari and Steven live and work in the realm of coaching and thought leadership (both are avid readers). Using assessment tools, they...

Micro-Bursts of Connections with Laura Silverstein (Season 3 | Episode 111) [TESSA] What fun to have Laura Silverstein on our show this week! Laura is a recognized thought leader in the field of relationship wellness, sought out for her expert advice from media outlets such as The New York Times and The Today Show. Author of Amazon Best Seller, Love Is an Action Verb, she is one of today’s most original and insightful experts on modern relationships. Her advice is evidence-based, inclusive, ...

What’s Tik Tok Got to Do With It? with Mel the Podcaster and Maryjane Fahey from Glorious Broads (Season 3 | Episode 110) [TESSA] Love, Relationships, Sex in a Rapidly Changing World I bring to you today two women who are open about their lives – from all angles. How to handle children who are finding themselves (politically, professionally, emotionally). How to understand and deal with the body’s changes when it comes to sex (and male partners’ changes as well). How to look at friendships t...

How to Slow Down with Carl Honore (Season 3 | Episode 109) [TESSA] Magical Time? Magical Times? The children are adults. They are not yet in long-term relationships. They live away from home. They may return home for stretches of time. Our guest this week, Carl Honoré, describes this time as magical. When children and parents become peers. Politics, lifestyles, career paths… it is a time of wonderful fertility. For Carl’s family there are no phones at the table even now. The exchange of idea...

Polysecure with Jessica Fern (Season 3 | Episode 108) [TESSA] What is a “polysecure” relationship like? Is there trauma (from childhood or adulthood) that can stand in the way of the “secure” poly relationship? What if one of the partners wants to pull back, keeping their partner at arm’s length? How do you deal with a “flight response” from one of the partners? Jessica, Amir and I discuss all endpoints of the poly spectrum in this highly useful guide to building a secure poly relationship....

The Friendship Series: Our Recap and Conclusion with Tessa and Amir (Season 3 | Episode 107) [TESSA & AMIR| Amir and I wrap up this series with joy – we bring our series to a close with so so many resources for you. Books, articles, podcasts. We’re very proud of our mini-series on friendship, and in particular, this specific episode. We Start with a Quote “I’ve learned it’s ok to recognize that self-worth comes wrapped in vulnerability. And that what we share as humans on this earth is the i...

Magic and Mutuality with Jonathan Pillot (Season 3 | Episode 106) [TESSA] Friendships can be family. Jonathan Pillot is such an eloquent speaker and true intellectual on many topics, including the topic of friendship. Jonathan and I met on a dating app. And we found that we have very deep soulful connection. It is such fun to have Jonathan on the podcast for a second time. To listen to our first interview about labeling and unlabeling click here. Some Concepts from Jonathan Friendships ca...

Men Take Down Your Armor with Carl Honoré (Season 3 | Episode 105) [TESSA] The Friendship Series. Ahhhh… all is right in the world! Truly. “Why?,” you ask. Well, I have a VERY good answer to that one… because my friend (and man I admire so so much) is back on the show. Our first show with Carl Honoré in season one was a true highlight and listener favorite. We began our path “into the weeds” of roles, and perceptions of men (and women) in that first interview. And we have not looked back s...