·S1 E203

The One With 'I Hired A Male Escort For My 70th Birthday' Writer, Gail Rice

January 6

1h 11m

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Episode Description

My guest on Thrive Solo this week is the wonderful Gail Rice, a Canadian born psychologist and writer based in Sydney, Australia.

Gail’s work explores how the stories we carry can hold us back...or call us forward. Her writing shines a light on the unspoken stories around aging, desire, and reinvention, and she’s also currently writing her memoir.

Gail recently wrote an essay for The Times, also featured in the New York Times Modern Love podcast, entitled ‘I hired a male escort for my 70th Birthday’. Because that’s exactly what she did. In fact, Gail didn’t hire just one escort, she hired two, because the first experience was, shall we say, sub-par.

As well as talking about her experience of hiring an escort at the age of 70, Gail and I also talk about some really important topics around ageing, including how so many women start to feel invisible the older they get, the particular kind of urgency that Gail feels as she moves into her later life, and the importance of mindset around ageing.

02:15 Guest Introduction: Gail Rice

02:46 Gail's Story: Hiring an Escort at 70

05:35 The Experience and Its Impact

09:05 Reflections on Ageing and Visibility

17:18 Exploring Tantra and Self-Discovery

20:28 Romantic History and Singlehood

25:42 Regret and Life Choices

33:58 Perspectives on Ageing and Urgency

36:01 Reflecting on Ageing and Gratitude

37:19 The Impact of Mindset on Ageing

38:46 The Power of Female Community

43:34 Embracing Singlehood and Overcoming Loneliness