The New Maturity

Michelle Maccarone is a 41-year-old New York City playwright, performer, and podcast host who found her creative voice by celebrating the wit and wisdom of mid-century women. Her latest play, "The Leopard and the Lynx," premiered at the New York Theatre Festival in January 2025.
How her obsession with "Auntie Mame" led to discovering Pat Tanner's real-life story of bisexuality and lavender marriage

Why she believes people in the 1970s had more freedom to create their own identities than we give them credit for

The challenge of directing your own writing: "It's just too much, you get stuck in your own head"

How perimenopause is teaching her not to recognize her own body anymore

Why she's working on a one-woman show about Elsa Maxwell, the queer party planner who invented the scavenger hunt

Her philosophy: "Not everyone has to like you and that's okay"

Instagram/Facebook: @vintageoldbiddy Podcast: "Vintage Old Biddy"

Connect With Us:
Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com
Instagram: @thenewmaturity
Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com
Email: [email protected]
New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

This week we welcome Dr. Joe Eviatar, who spent 30 years as a highly respected oculofacial plastic surgeon before experiencing a profound pandemic awakening. At 63, he traded his medical practice for life coaching, launching Best Face Forward Coaching to help clients—particularly gay men—embrace aging with radical self-acceptance.
Episode Highlights:
Joe's groundbreaking work with AIDS patients suffering from facial lipoatrophy in the 90s

The pandemic moment when he realized he felt like a "drug pusher"

Why patients asking to look like celebrities became his breaking point

The mirror technique: rewiring your brain for self-love in two minutes daily

Unique challenges gay men face aging without elder role models

His complete career pivot at 60—from doctor to life coaching certification

Joe’s six pillars of wellness and finding peace 

Discover how a doctor who helped people chase youth learned to champion authenticity, why perfectionism plagues the LGBTQ+ community, and how neuroplasticity can transform your relationship with your reflection.
Connect With Dr. Joe:
Website: https://www.bestfaceforwardcoaching.com

Connect With Us:
Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com

Instagram: @thenewmaturity

Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com

Email: [email protected]

New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

Revolutionary artist Miss Peria joins host Heath Brockwell to discuss founding Roblox Music as a genre and creating space for authentic queer expression in digital realms. Since her debut in June 2020, Miss Peria has transformed the gaming platform through her distinctive fusion of hip-hop, disco, and pop.In this episode, Miss Peria shares:
The influence of London's creative community on her musical development
How her identity as a trans woman shapes her art while her digital avatar allows her to reach diverse audiences
Her evolving creative inspirations, from Cupcake to Daft Punk
Strategies for setting boundaries and navigating digital criticism
The advantages of aging as a digital artist and "ageless sex robot"
Her vision for the future of queer digital artistry
Connect With Us:
Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com

Instagram: @thenewmaturity

Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com

Email: [email protected]

Follow Miss Peria: Instagram: @MissPeriaMusic Spotify: Miss Peria
Email: [email protected] New Maturity celebrates queer aging with pride, featuring conversations with artists, thinkers, and creators who are redefining what it means to grow older in queer communities.New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

This week we journey into the sensory world of fashion publishing with Dennis Golonka, who witnessed Harper's Bazaar's spectacular rebirth under Liz Tilberis in 1992—a transformation that redefined the industry forever. Dennis unveils fashion's Camelot with revelations kept quiet for three decades, from Tilberis's "angel in Chanel" leadership style to her strategic rivalry with Anna Wintour and meaningful friendship with Princess Diana.
The spectacular rebirth of Harper's Bazaar that redefined fashion publishing

Inside Liz Tilberis's revolutionary "angel in Chanel" leadership approach

The strategic rivalry with Anna Wintour that insiders still discuss 

Princess Diana's friendship with Tilberis and their Met Gala moment

Dennis's evolution from nervous assistant to influential photographer

How radical trust—not fear—creates truly transformative leadership

Preserving print's cultural influence in today's algorithm-driven landscape

Connect With Us:
Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com

Instagram: @thenewmaturity

Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com

Email: [email protected]

New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.

This week we explore how getting older might actually mean getting better with Richard Faraino, whose life chronicles New York's most pivotal moments. From fighting on the frontlines of the AIDS crisis as both a medical librarian and ACT UP activist to his stunning midlife career pivot into horticulture, Richard now creates spaces of beauty in Battery Park's gardens for 12 million annual visitors—a poetic evolution for someone who once fought to distribute life-saving medical information.
Richard's journey from medical librarian to ACT UP activist during the AIDS crisis

Finding love through "The Back Room," an early digital dating service, despite policies against dating HIV-positive men

How his pattern of seeking solace in gardens evolved into a second career

Creating Battery Park's stunning gardens and their impact on 12 million visitors annually

The psychological liberation of abandoning external validation in midlife

Why embracing change becomes easier—not harder—as you age

Richard's philosophy on genuine community impact versus performative activism

Connect With Us:
Website: https://www.thenewmaturity.com

Instagram: @thenewmaturity

Newsletter: https://thenewmaturity.substack.com

Email: [email protected]

New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation that might just change how you see growing older.