Choose Positive Living with Sara Troy and her guest Edward J. Zinkiewicz (Ed), on air from September 1st
Ed sees his job as helping retirees meet the surprises, face the challenges, and learn the skills needed to thrive. Retirement is not just about how many cruises retirees can take or golf games they can play; it is about defining a new vision of purpose, creating a new supportive network, and learning to become as physically able as possible. Lately, Ed has been helping older retirees deal with the realities of downsizing and giving up driving.
Ed Zinkiewicz’s retirement didn’t start out well. His initial plan was to join his wife in the kind of retirement success she had; they had to invent a new path when her plan fell apart. Ed brings a practical, story-driven approach to retirement. After years of working with people to solve problems as a software engineer, Ed now helps retirees and pre-retirees understand and meet the real-life challenges that can appear after work ends: loss of purpose, loneliness, uncertainty, fears of aging, and concerns about independence. Ed focuses on your finding a new purpose, building a network of friends to combat lonelinC26-Edward J. Zinkiewicz (Ed)ess, and tackling the fears of aging so you can have a retirement that is vibrant, active, and meaningful.
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Sara’s View of Life, with Sara Troy. On air from August 18th
I recently saw the Van Gogh exhibit with Monet and I was transformed. The colours, the hues, the flow, the storytelling. If it comes to your neighborhood, please go and see it. I was so moved I wanted to do a show on them and Leo.
Van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci, and Claude Monet did more than create extraordinary paintings—they changed how we see and understand the world. Van Gogh expressed deep emotion through colour, Leonardo united art with science and an endless curiosity about life, and Monet captured the ever-changing beauty of light and nature. Each faced hardship, criticism, and resistance, yet remained devoted to his unique vision. Today, we explore the men behind the masterpieces and discover what their lives can teach us about creativity, perseverance, curiosity, and remaining true to ourselves.
Vincent van Gogh: Painting what he felt
Vincent van Gogh was born in the Netherlands in 1853. Before finding his artistic direction, he worked as an art dealer, teacher, bookseller, and lay preacher. He did not seriously decide to become an artist until he was 27. Van Gogh Museum
Van Gogh experienced emotional and mental distress, loneliness, poverty, and periods of serious illness. His brother Theo supported him financially and emotionally, and their letters provide a remarkable window into Vincent’s inner life.
His early paintings were dark and earthy. After moving to France, his work became brighter and more expressive. He used bold colour and swirling brushstrokes to paint what he felt, not merely what he saw.
His best-known works include:
The Starry Night
Sunflowers
Irises
The Bedroom
His many self-portraits
Van Gogh created roughly 2,000 artworks, including about 900 paintings, yet achieved little financial success during his lifetime. He died in 1890 at only 37. His work later became some of the most recognized and valuable art in history. Van Gogh Museum
It is important not to romanticize his suffering. His illness did not make him a great artist; he created great art while struggling with illness. Painting gave him purpose, expression, and moments of healing.
What Van Gogh teaches us: Recognition does not determine the value of what we create. Sometimes the world takes time to understand a unique soul.
Claude Monet: Capturing light and change
Claude Monet was born in Paris in 1840 and grew up in Le Havre, Normandy. The artist Eugène Boudin encouraged him to paint outdoors and study nature directly.
Monet became one of the founders of Impressionism. The movement received its name from his painting Impression, Sunrise. Instead of painting every object with exact detail, the Impressionists captured light, atmosphere, colour, and the feeling of a passing moment. Musée de l’Orangerie
Monet often painted the same scene repeatedly at different times of the day and in different weather. His subjects included:
Haystacks
Poplar trees
Rouen Cathedral
The River Thames
His garden and Japanese bridge
The water lilies at Giverny
Monet endured financial hardship, grief, and failing eyesight. Cataracts altered his ability to see colour, yet he continued painting. His later water-lily works became increasingly expansive and almost abstract.
After moving to Giverny in 1883, Monet created the garden and pond that inspired his most famous paintings. His monumental Water Lilies panels were offered to France as a symbol of peace following the First World War.
What Monet teaches us: Nothing remains exactly the same. When the light changes, our way of seeing can change with it.
Leonardo da Vinci: The Man Who Wanted to Understand Everything
Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452, near the small Tuscan town of Vinci in Italy. This is where his name came from—Leonardo da Vinci simply means “Leonardo from Vinci.”
He was born outside marriage to a wealthy notary father and a young mother named Caterina. Because of his birth status, Leonardo did not receive the traditional classical education available to many wealthy boys. Yet this may have allowed his mind to develop more freely. Instead of accepting what books told him, he observed life directly.
As a child, Leonardo was fascinated by water, birds, animals, plants, rocks, light, movement, and the human body. Nature became his first teacher.
Becoming an artist
As a teenager, Leonardo moved to Florence and trained in the workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio, one of the city’s leading artists. There, he learned painting, sculpture, metalwork, mechanics, and engineering.
According to a famous story, Leonardo painted an angel in one of Verrocchio’s paintings so beautifully that his teacher declared he would never paint again. The tale may have been exaggerated, but it reflects how exceptional Leonardo’s talent appeared to others.
Leonardo eventually moved to Milan, where he worked for Duke Ludovico Sforza. He presented himself not only as an artist but also as an engineer who could design bridges, weapons, canals, and buildings.
While in Milan, he painted The Last Supper, which captured the emotional moment when Jesus told his disciples that one of them would betray him. Unfortunately, Leonardo experimented with an unusual painting method, and the work began deteriorating within years of its completion.
The artist and scientist
Leonardo did not see art and science as separate. To paint the human body truthfully, he studied anatomy. To capture movement, he examined muscles, bones, animals, and flowing water.
He dissected human bodies and produced remarkably detailed drawings of the heart, spine, muscles, organs, and a baby developing within the womb. His investigations of the heart led to important observations far ahead of his time. Royal Collection Trust
Thousands of pages from his notebooks survive. They contain ideas for:
Flying machines
Parachutes
Bridges and canals
Military machines
Mechanical devices
Human anatomy
Plants, water, geology, and astronomy
Many designs were never built, but they reveal a mind constantly asking, “How does this work?”
Leonardo often wrote in mirror writing, moving from right to left. We do not know exactly why. It may have felt natural because he was left-handed, or it may have helped prevent the ink from smudging.
The mystery of the Mona Lisa
Around 1503, Leonardo began painting the portrait now known as the Mona Lisa. The woman is generally identified as Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocondo.
Leonardo used a technique called sfumato, applying very thin layers of paint to create soft, smoky transitions without harsh outlines. This helped make her expression appear to change as we look at her.
He apparently kept the portrait with him for many years and continued refining it. King Francis I later acquired it after inviting Leonardo to France. Today, it is housed in the Louvre and is considered the world’s most famous portrait. Musée du Louvre
A brilliant but restless mind
Leonardo imagined far more projects than he completed. His curiosity repeatedly pulled him from painting into anatomy, engineering, architecture, mathematics, and nature.
He produced relatively few completed paintings. Some patrons became frustrated by his slow pace and unfinished commissions. However, Leonardo was not simply procrastinating. He was continually investigating, reconsidering, and searching for a deeper understanding.
He did not want merely to paint the appearance of life—he wanted to understand the forces that created it. The Louvre describes his investigation of the world as the “science of painting,” through which he attempted to bring life into his art.
His final years
In 1516, King Francis I invited Leonardo to France and gave him a home at Clos Lucé, near the royal château at Amboise. Leonardo brought several treasured paintings with him, including the Mona Lisa.
His health declined, but he continued drawing, teaching, designing, and sharing his ideas. He died in France on May 2, 1519, at the age of 67.
What Leonardo teaches us
Leonardo reminds us that curiosity has no boundaries. He did not allow himself to be defined as only an artist, scientist, engineer, or inventor. He followed every question that awakened his imagination.
His life also shows that unfinished work does not necessarily represent a wasted life. Leonardo completed only a small number of paintings, but the depth of his observation changed how people understood art, nature, and the human body.
Leonardo’s deeper message: Never stop observing, questioning, learning, and wondering. The desire to understand something can be as valuable as the final creation.
In reflection
Leonardo da Vinci saw connections where other people saw separate subjects. Art led him to science, science returned him to nature, and nature deepened his understanding of humanity. Perhaps his greatest masterpiece was not any individual painting or invention—it was the extraordinary way he taught himself to see.
Self Discovery Wisdom is sustained by those who believe in conscious conversation. If this episode resonated with you, subscribe and, if you feel called, make a donation. Your support helps us keep amplifying voices that inspire growth, courage, and compassion. Thank you. Please join Our Forgotten Seniorsanthology and help to bring this book to awareness.
Choose Positive Living with Sara Troy and her guest Laura Doman. On air from July 28th
For years, I thought success meant climbing the corporate ladder and checking all the right boxes. Although I had a successful career, something inside me kept whispering that there was more I was meant to do. In my fifties, I made the terrifying decision to reinvent myself, becoming a professional actor, voice actor, and eventually a communication coach. What I discovered wasn’t just a new career. It was my authentic voice and the confidence to finally become the person I was always meant to be. Today, I help others communicate with greater trust, confidence, and authenticity because I’ve learned that reinvention isn’t about becoming someone new; it’s about having the courage to become who you’ve been all along. My hope is that anyone listening who feels “too old,” “too late,” or “too comfortable” will realize that their next chapter may be their most meaningful one yet.
Laura Doman knows firsthand that life doesn’t always unfold according to plan — and that’s often where the best stories begin. After building a successful career in corporate sales and leadership, she made the bold decision to pursue acting, eventually becoming a professional film, television, commercial, and voice actor. Along the way, she discovered that the skills actors use to build genuine human connection could transform the way professionals communicate. Today, Laura helps executives, entrepreneurs, speakers, and business leaders become more believable, trustworthy, and influential, both on camera and in person. Her work is built on one simple belief: it’s never too late to reinvent yourself, and the life you’re meant to live often begins just beyond the one you’ve outgrown.
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Please join Our Forgotten Seniorsanthology and help to bring this book to awareness.
Ignite your heart and soulwith Sara Troy and her guest Patrick Marando, on air from July 28th
I am a psychologist, spiritual teacher, and author passionate about helping people reconnect with their authentic selves and cultivate greater peace, clarity, and emotional wellbeing. Drawing on both my professional expertise and my own journey of inner growth and transformation, I combine evidence-based psychology with timeless spiritual wisdom to share practical tools that help people navigate anxiety, stress, uncertainty, and the challenges of everyday life. Through my books, teachings, and healing work, my aim is to inspire people to move beyond limiting beliefs, reconnect with their inner wisdom, and live with greater purpose, freedom, and authenticity. My message is that lasting fulfilment comes not from trying to become someone else, but from awakening to the truth of who you already are.
My path to this work has been shaped by both professional training and a lifelong search to better understand the human mind, the nature of suffering, and what it truly means to live a fulfilling life. Along the way, my own experiences challenged me to look beyond conventional approaches and explore the deeper connection between psychology, spirituality, and self-awareness. Those experiences continue to inform the way I teach, write, and work with others today. Beyond my professional roles, I am someone who has always been driven by a desire to discover and express my own truth. This search for authenticity has flowed into every part of my life, from acting and screenwriting to writing, storytelling, and creating meaningful connections with others. Through creativity and human connection, I continue to explore what it means to be fully present, to embrace who we truly are, and to inspire others to discover and express their own unique truth.
Waking Up To Your Self: A Guide to Living Your Truth
Self Discovery Wisdom is sustained by those who believe in conscious conversation. If this episode resonated with you, subscribe and, if you feel called, make a donation. Your support helps us keep amplifying voices that inspire growth, courage, and compassion. Thank you. Please join Our Forgotten Seniorsanthology and help to bring this book to awareness.
Choose Positive Living with Sara Troy and her guest Ilene Dillon. On air from July 28th
Emotional Realignment is about developing the ability to work with the emotions we feel the way they are designed to work for us. My investigation began 55 years ago when my husband decided to divorce me, leaving me with a 10 month old child. I was incredibly angry—and alone with a small child. I couldn’t subject her to the on-going anger I was spewing. I set out to find answers: “What Causes Anger? Why do we have anger? Does Anger have a purpose? Can we get rid of it?” There were NO answers (social scientists did not study emotions separately from psychiatric diagnoses, I discovered), After nine years, I had found answers, tried them for myself, then shared with my psychotherapy clients who volunteered to try them. What I discovered worked for all of us! That led me to discover an entire system for how emotions work, which I’ve been working with, teaching and sharing ever since. Published my book in 2019 (Emotions in Motion: Mastering Life’s Built-in Navigation System), which talks about 12 different emotions. I’ve also developed proprietary understandings and systems for “Outgrowing Manipulation” and “Parenting Consciously.” I’ve been sharing my discoveries with the world for 45 years. I’m now 83 years old, still writing, broadcasting, speaking and appearing on podcasts, spreading the word!
I’m a “Recovered Angry Person,” something I became as a result of my quest to get in charge of anger that spewed from me for nearly two years back in 1971. Already licensed as a Clinical Social Worker and Marriage and Family Counselor, I developed an understanding of what emotions are, what they’re for, and how they work, which I’ve been teaching to myself and thousands of others for the last 45 years. For 27 years I was an International Professional Speaker (NSA member), for 15 years a podcaster (Full Power Living and Building Conscious Families), and now for 54 years a therapist/Counselor/Coach—still working! I published “Emotions in Motion: Mastering Life’s Built-in Navigation System” in 2019 and am currently writing “Outgrowing Manipulation.” Through collaborative books I’m also a nine-time Amazon best-selling author. In April/May of 2026 I spoke at the “Soul Treat” Conference of The Wellness Universe, speaking about “Outgrowing Manipulation.” And for Hawk’s Nest parents (a private school in Jupiter, Florida) I gave a series of talks on “Parenting Consciously,” “Life Tasks for Children’s First Nine Years of Life,” and “Protecting Self-Love.” My husband, neurosurgeon Dr. Robert Fink, died in 2016. In 2017 I sold our home, bought a 24 foot RV and have been roaming North American in that van ever since. I’m mother of 6 adult “children”—2 birth, one adopted, three step—and grandmother of 5. Since 2017 I treated a breast cancer for a year, attempting to heal it (I didn’t heal it; but it did not grow—at all—and was surgically removed without chemo or radiation). I also traveled to Jordan, Egypt, Japan, Viet Nam and Cambodia in 2021 and 2022. I’m an organic veggie/fruit gardener (when I stay in one place long enough), and am an alternative medicine person who, at age 83, takes no prescribed drugs and has only had a cold/flu twice in the past 11 years.
Self Discovery Wisdom is sustained by those who believe in conscious conversation. If this episode resonated with you, subscribe and, if you feel called, make a donation. Your support helps us keep amplifying voices that inspire growth, courage, and compassion. Thank you. Please join Our Forgotten Seniorsanthology and help to bring this book to awareness.
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