Up next in 10
Join Caren this week on Aging Like a Fine Wine with her guest, the extraordinary Joan Ryan! The talented actor, singer, and producer discusses how she continues to chase her dreams and thrive in every stage of life. From her captivating roles to her unforgettable performance at Carnegie Hall, discover how Joan Ryan embodies resilience, passion, and the unwavering pursuit of her aspirations. Don't miss out on this compelling and empowering episode!
#carnegiehall #AgingLikeafineWine #joanryan
Click https://www.uncorked.online/napa-guide for your complimentary copy of The Ultimate Napa Travel Guide
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: / @carenglasser
Subscribe to our Spotify Channel: https://spoti.fi/3oXWCL3
Get up to the minute updates, subscribe to our Instagram Broadcast channel: https://ig.me/j/AbZEH4_JmF1rPkDA/
Check out some of our favorite products: https://www.amazon.com/shop/carenglasser
Listen to the Life Uncorked Playlist: https://spoti.fi/3JXij4K
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:03
I'm Karen Glasser here and welcome to
0:05
life on Cork and today we are doing a
0:08
segment called Aging like a fine wine
0:11
and I am sitting here with my good good
0:13
good friend actor singer producer Joan
0:16
Ryan welcome to the show hello there hi
0:20
Karen I'm so happy to be here I am
0:22
thrilled thrilled thrilled thrilled that
0:24
you're here um you know you you have
0:26
said to me many many times that there is
0:29
never an end date to our dreams right
0:33
that fear and doubt are always part of
0:35
the equation when you dream and feel the
0:37
fear do it anyways I have Goosebumps I
0:40
only have Goosebumps when things are
0:42
right so I just got goosebumps right
0:43
right and this is how you've you've LED
0:46
your life so let's talk just briefly
0:48
about the Journey of getting from Little
0:51
Joe and Ryan to where you are today tell
0:55
us a little bit about that well let's
0:57
see I've always always known that I
0:59
wanted to a performer always from the
1:01
time I was four years old as anyone who
1:03
came to our family home would testify
1:05
when I made them sit down and you know
1:07
danced on the furniture um which took me
1:09
to theater school which brought me to La
1:12
um always thought that I would end up in
1:15
New York and I worked here in Los
1:18
Angeles all the time off Broadway Los
1:20
Angeles recording around the country um
1:25
and um and then I met someone and fell
1:27
in love and we raised a family lo and
1:29
behold here in La in La um and so I
1:32
would leave for periods of time to go
1:34
work but what can I say I love being
1:37
with my kids and my husband so I would
1:39
not take a Broadway show um because it
1:41
would take me away for too long so um
1:45
was that hard was that hard to say
1:48
no um no because I always knew that that
1:51
would come got I always had a really
1:53
strong faith that when the time was
1:55
right it would come and when our
1:57
youngest left um for college my husband
2:00
said okay let's go and we went to New
2:01
York and it was pretty incredible within
2:04
um Not only was it so much fun but I
2:07
sang uh and produce a show at Carnegie
2:10
Hall and I sang Center stop for a second
2:12
you just kind of said that you oh yeah I
2:15
did what was that like I mean that's
2:17
pretty incredible to say that singing at
2:20
Carnegie Hall was everything you would
2:24
think it would be it was amazing um and
2:28
it was very exciting because I got to
2:29
produced the evening for um an
2:32
organization very close to my heart um
2:35
Shane's inspiration now called inclusion
2:37
Matters by Shane's inspiration um so it
2:40
wasn't only about me and it's
2:43
interesting how that works right because
2:46
I was having an amazing time living out
2:49
my New York dream and my husband was
2:51
there with me and right um and then this
2:55
came about and it was the culmination of
2:57
everything but it came about through
3:00
something that was not about me so it
3:02
was an incredible experience we had
3:05
major Broadway people and amazing
3:08
amazing I mean first of all a as your
3:11
friend I'm so proud of you I just I just
3:15
so so so amazing what's driving you
3:17
right now at this stage in life and you
3:19
know because things are changing right
3:21
so what is driving you to keep on
3:24
going well I think first and foremost I
3:27
love it so much um about a year ago I
3:31
did I was able to play um it was very
3:34
exciting in a a carrian and louder milk
3:37
Premiere uh Broadway musical I was able
3:39
to play Ruth Bader Ginsburg just as
3:42
everything was getting kind of crazy or
3:44
continuing to be crazy um and I took
3:46
that because I was so excited about
3:50
about what it was and I do turn things
3:52
down at this stage of my life that
3:54
aren't exciting to me so I think what
3:57
what motivates me is if it feels like it
4:00
will be an incredible experience like if
4:02
it feels like it will satisfy you know I
4:04
always talk about that pilot light that
4:06
doesn't go out right from the time we're
4:08
little and I also think that you're
4:11
never too late to go after that pilot
4:12
light because you're God willing you're
4:14
going to turn 90 80 100 anyway what else
4:19
are you going to do you might as well go
4:20
after what you want to do and it just
4:22
might work I love that I love that and
4:25
and I love you so obviously you're
4:28
already being inspirational just in the
4:30
words that you're saying but is there is
4:32
there something that you know if
4:33
somebody were to come to you and say
4:35
Joanie you know how do you keep going
4:38
like this can you give me something to
4:40
motivate me to maybe do something
4:42
different in this next stage what would
4:44
you be telling people well it's not like
4:47
it's easy and I also think it's really
4:50
really really important to surround
4:52
yourself with people that help you get
4:54
there coaches inspirational people Rel
4:59
whatever ever it takes you know I
5:01
personally work with a coach um and I
5:04
don't always stay with the same coach I
5:05
might work with one coach and then I
5:06
might move to another coach but it it's
5:09
who is going to help me get to the next
5:11
place at the time and also for me
5:14
personally this is not necessarily
5:17
correct for everyone I'm really grateful
5:19
I have a family that I've work really
5:21
hard to um for and um and there are
5:27
times when my career didn't always come
5:28
first and my family knows that there are
5:31
times when my career comes first right
5:33
and so they kind of drive me because
5:36
they're like okay what's next time for
5:37
you to do something because they know
5:39
what that is for me so would you say
5:41
you're Bic Coastal at this point you're
5:43
you're spending part of your time of the
5:44
year in New York and part of the time
5:46
here in Los Angeles absolutely um go
5:50
ahead sorry I said to my husband last
5:52
night you know It's tricky because in
5:54
New York what I love it's go go go and I
5:56
can go sing and then go out for dinner
5:58
with people and visit with all my
6:00
friends and it's nonstop and then I come
6:03
home and it used to be I would say
6:06
re-entry is really hard um but then I
6:09
was able to embrace it because that
6:11
would be my downtime where I could
6:13
recharge be with my family be with my
6:15
friends that are here and then go back
6:18
and do that non-stop pace and I used to
6:20
feel guilty about not being at either
6:23
place and then I said you know what it's
6:26
really okay it works for me it works the
6:29
family would would you say that this is
6:32
the best time of your
6:35
life
6:36
wow well aside from losses because
6:39
there's lots of right losses at this age
6:44
thise dying parents dying which sort of
6:47
colors things no kidding um it's one of
6:52
the best times in my life I don't uh I
6:56
don't think I I can quantify that
6:59
because going for Carnegie Hall was the
7:00
best time in my life raising my kids was
7:02
the best time in my life having babies
7:05
um when the kids were small like so
7:08
important really good question Joan what
7:11
you're saying is that every moment can
7:13
be the best moment of your life it's all
7:17
how you how you decide to show up and
7:19
you are always showing up very very big
7:22
I mean because you first of all you for
7:24
anyone who has never heard Joan sing
7:27
shame shame shame you are known for your
7:30
big voice you have a very big Broadway
7:32
voice you did ruthless you were you know
7:36
that was your your show here you you've
7:39
been on television Young and the
7:40
Restless you do voice you do everything
7:43
and you do it in a very big way but very
7:46
humble way you're very humble about your
7:49
talent because you are extremely Talent
7:52
so I guess the next question really
7:54
leads us into what's next for Joan Ryan
7:57
what do you what do you have on your
8:00
well you know I I am Hy Louie and I do
8:03
visualize all the things that I want and
8:04
they seem to come to come true um I want
8:08
another musical whether it's in LA or
8:11
New York I'm ready but I'm going to be
8:13
very specific because I did get one that
8:15
I didn't choose to do but it was um but
8:18
I did get it um I want a really fun
8:23
fabulous part in a new
8:26
musical and it could be La it could be
8:28
New York that is what I want that's
8:31
what's next in my and you want to have
8:33
fun and you want to enjoy because when
8:36
we get to this this age whatever age
8:38
you're at I mean we're talking to people
8:40
that are 50 60 70 80 whatever age you're
8:43
at enjoy the stage that you're in that's
8:47
right Joan I know that people are going
8:48
to want to follow you if they aren't
8:50
already again I'm GNA say shame um they
8:52
need to go check out your website it's
8:54
all new I know that you've totally
8:56
redone it and it's joanes website at
8:58
Joan Ryan .c you're also on Facebook
9:02
atth officialj Ryan and also on
9:05
Instagram at the official Joan Ryan any
9:11
last thoughts you want to share with
9:13
everyone who's listening to your amazing
9:15
story I think the thing that I've had to
9:19
work really hard
9:21
against um and that I think so many of
9:24
us have to be quite honest is self-doubt
9:27
and if all the work in your life or a
9:28
lot of the work goes there then
9:30
everything else seems to materialize
9:32
because maybe it takes getting to this
9:35
age where you get to see the truth that
9:37
everybody has self-doubt everybody has
9:40
confidence it just depends on where you
9:41
are at the time um I think I could have
9:45
shortcut a lot of things or or had more
9:48
fun when I was doing them because now
9:50
it's kind of gravy now that's in my
9:53
bones it's amazing how even my
9:57
performances are different cuz there's
9:59
not that Push Pull so I think that's
10:02
where the desperation you're you're now
10:05
you're now in it yeah I'm now in the
10:07
good stage and then everything else is
10:09
Right blessings well we've been talking
10:12
to Joan Ryan who is aging like a fine
10:14
wine and we are all here
10:17
on on live onc uh go out give somebody
10:20
an awesome day and we'll see you next
10:22
time thank you so much Karen thanks bye
10:27
[Music]
#Acting & Theater
#Seniors & Retirement
#Broadway & Musical Theater