Julia Gets Wise with Nina Totenberg

Embracing Age

In a candid discussion, Nina Totenberg and Julia Louis-Dreyfus explore the complexities of embracing one's age. Nina shares her reluctance to disclose her real age, expressing that she feels much younger than her years. She reflects on the challenges and realizations that come with aging, including a recent health scare that required her to relearn how to walk. Julia relates to this sentiment, noting the societal tendency to dismiss older women, while older men are often listened to and respected.

People are very willing, including younger women, to dismiss older women because they think we're fuddy duddies.

--- Nina Totenberg

Both women agree on the importance of maintaining a positive outlook, even in the face of health challenges, as a way to cope and thrive 1 2.

   

Imposter Syndrome

The conversation shifts to the pervasive issue of imposter syndrome, particularly among women. Nina admits that even into her fifties, she often felt like a fraud in her role as a journalist, a sentiment Julia finds relatable. This feeling of inadequacy, they agree, is deeply rooted in societal expectations and the historical undervaluing of women's ambition. Julia's mother, Judith, shares her own experiences, highlighting how women of her generation were discouraged from acknowledging their ambitions.

When we were young women who were born in the thirties and forties, we didn't know what to do with our ambition.

--- Judith Louis-Dreyfus

The discussion underscores the importance of recognizing and overcoming these internalized barriers to fully embrace one's professional identity 3 4.