A Story of Lifelong Curiosity: Learn, Dream, and Imagine
With Jennifer Manocherian
Season 9, Episode 4 | September 24, 2024
Learning is not something meant to be limited to our school-age years — if we can be curious and find new ways to learn, dream, imagine, and try throughout our lives, then we stand to be happier and more fulfilled in the long run. Lifelong learner Jennifer Manocherian, age 85, joins us to share how she’s done this throughout her life and the ways she’s continuing to take on new challenges.
Jennifer Manocherian released her first novel, Alpha Bette, in September 2023 at the age of 84. She wove many of her personal life experiences into the story, having worked as a family therapist, divorce mediator, Broadway and Off-Broadway producer, musical book writer, and screenwriter and producer. In 2023, Jennifer also wrote and produced an independent feature, Boundary Waters, which is being released the fall.
Jennifer is a wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother — which she says is great source material. She also serves on the board of directors for 18byvote, The Peace Studio, and New York Stage and Film. She is currently working on her second novel, as well as writing the book of an episodic musical made for streaming.
Taking on new challenges like writing a novel, as Manocherian has, may seem so daunting that you’re hesitant about taking the first steps toward it from the start. Yet no matter what your dream, goal, or interest is, Manocherian advises starting small, insisting that if she had thought about her writing as a novel, she wouldn’t have written two pages.
“Start in baby steps,” Manocherian suggests. “I will help people knit and they’ll say, ‘I want to knit a sweater.’ I think, No, you’re going to make a little scarf for somebody. You’re going to get big needles and wool, and you’re going to do something really easy. And then through that, you’re doing to grow. You’ll just kind of grow in steps. I think people have to parse it and not expect that they’re going to get to the place they see other people at. Start small. Do you want to take an art class? Take a writing class? Find out what’s fun for you. Find out what you enjoy doing.”
- JenniferManocherian.net
- @jennifermanocherian on Instagram
- Jennifer Manocherian on Facebook
- Jennifer Manocherian on Linkedin
- Jennifer Manocherian on X
- @alphabetteauthor on TikTok
- Boundary Waters, the upcoming film produced by Manocherian
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Transcript: A Story of Lifelong Curiosity: Learn, Dream, and Imagine
Season 9, Episode 4 | September 24, 2024
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