Healthy Aging And The Role Your Mindset Plays In Staying Young

Real quick before we start this podcast episode, who was your favorite character on The Waltons, the TV series that started in 1971? And a little trivia, did you know that it started in 1971? All right. Well, if you didn't answer Mary Ellen, you're in for a treat because you are going to get to talk to her anyway. I I have on this episode Judy Norton from The Waltons in the '70s. And I have chills even talking about it after the interview. But, you know, for me, I— it took me back. It took me back in preparation for this podcast episode and even in talking with her. The, you know, the way that that show was such a family show and probably flooded, I'm guessing, and I really want to hear from you. flooded everybody's living room. And the values in it were something that no parent had to worry about this being broadcast in the living room. And I'm thinking what a different time that we live in now. And no wonder it's still on. And you'll hear Judy say, I believe it's still on 3 times a day in some places. And I think that shows How much we crave something like this. But if you ever wondered about the characters behind the scenes or the actors, the person behind the actor, this is your opportunity to see behind the scenes. And I think you're gonna love it. You're in perimenopause, menopause, or postmenopause, and you're not slowing down. You're just getting started. But the old rules don't apply anymore. The workouts that worked before, they're working against you now. The advice you've been given, incomplete at best. I'm Debra Atkinson, and I'm the founder of Flipping 50, the pioneer in fitness for women in midlife. For more than 40 years, I've been in the trenches with women just like you, and for the last 12, right here on this podcast, and, and the founder of Flipping 50, the Stronger Way app and membership. Welcome to Flipping 50 the Stronger Way, where science meets strength, where you'll find the tools, research, and real talk to build the body and the life you want in your second half. Each week, you'll get evidence-based exercise and nutrition strategies, conversations with leading experts, and honest answers to the questions your doctor didn't get answers to in medical school and doesn't have time to answer in an appointment. This is your show. Let's get stronger. Good night, John Boy. If you grew up with that statement, no doubt, if you're like my household, it was not just something that was said on a nighttime television show that your family all watched together, but it was something that your whole family began to repeat. And now, if you don't know, you should. It's actually a bar, and I think it's a franchise, but you can go and they play '70s music. And we went— I went with a group, and I think we got there at like 4:30 and we left by 6:30 or 7. Also my kind of party, by the way. But this episode, I think you're gonna love my guest. As Judy Norton. She's an actress, writer, director, producer, and lifelong athlete best known for her role as Mary Ellen Walton on the iconic television series, The Waltons. Over a career spanning more than 5 decades, she's continually reinvented herself, building a successful career in film, television, theater, and music while remaining committed to lifelong learning and personal growth. Today, Judy continues to compete in horse shows, hold 2 world records, in skydiving and enjoys sharing how staying mentally resilient, physically active, and creatively engaged has helped her thrive through every stage of life. I have a favor. So before we even listen, whether you're walking or doing it, because you can do this from your phone even without turning away from the podcast, I would love you to do me a favor. Judy Norton Has a YouTube channel by that name, Judy, just like it sounds, Norton, N-O-R-T-O-N. I'd love for you to go and subscribe. She is approaching 100K or 100,000 subscribers, and that's a big number for someone with a YouTube channel. She started the channel about 6 years ago. We talk a little bit about it in the episode, so you'll hear more. But if you will go and like it and we could just elevate her a little bit more, that would be fantastic. And if you would DM me and let me know you did it, or if you end up going over there, comment on one of her videos and let her know that you found her through the Flipping 50: The Stronger Way podcast. Thank you so much in advance for doing that. So here we go with this episode. I think Well, welcome, welcome, Judy Norton.

Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here.

It is so fun and so odd. So you were in everybody's living room at once upon a time, and so your voice actually feels like, where do I know that from? I know that voice from somewhere. So I will hold myself back and not say Goodnight, John Boy. For a while anyway. But I really want to dig into your background, and I want to start here. So we want to know about you and you now, but you began your career as a child actor on The Waltons. How old were you when you started?

With The Waltons or acting?

Wow.

Yeah. Oh, yeah. We can go back. Well, I'll give you the short back part. that I started probably at about 7, something like that. You know, background work, commercials, and then started auditioning for roles and did a little bit here and there. And at— I was 13 when we did The Homecoming, which ended up being sort of the pilot for The Waltons. It was originally just meant to be Christmas movie, a TV Christmas movie, and that aired in December of, uh, 1971. And then we— and then they decided to try and pitch it as a series, and CBS picked it up. And so we started filming season 1 in 1972. So I was 14 when the series started. Series ran 9 years, and we did 3 reunion movies the next year, and then 2 10 years later, we did 3 more reunion movies. So—

Oh my gosh.

It's my life.

Well, it really is. So in digging for the show, I looked and you travel, you take trips with your brother and sisters.

Yes, we do. And, you know, it wasn't the type of thing that happened for a lot of years, but now different sort of celebrity shows, different like autograph shows, things like that have become very popular. And, you know, sometimes they involve people from a lot of different shows, but we enjoy being together. We're a cast who are really like a family. We see each other away from the work. We love traveling together. We take vacations together, you know. And so if we have an opportunity to get together to do a fan event, you know, it's fun for us to spend a few days together.

So yes.

We don't do a ton of them, but, uh, it's always, it's always fun. And we have fabulous fans, so, um, they're very loyal. Uh, they still watch the show. It's on multiple times a day still in reruns. So— That is amazing.

And when you look back, it's one of the few shows, the iconic shows, that is really family-oriented, family values, and I think I will say this, and my hope is that the reason it's playing still and so often is everybody's craving that more than ever. Is that the way you look back on it? And I have to ask, you don't know anything different. Your lens is your lens. But do you look at that as a peak experience in your life?

Oh, certainly pivotal in many ways. And Certainly, I hear from our viewers that they want more of that kind of programming. And that was really part of what sparked the series in the first place, was that at that point in television, people were already starting to complain about the direction some of television was going, you know, too much sex and violence. And there were Moral Majority groups that, you know, were very vocal about about better, more family programming. And so, this was the story I heard, was that CBS kind of thought, oh yeah, yeah, right, you know. Okay, well, we will pacify those people by putting on this nice little family show. It'll last, you know, half a season and that'll be it. Nobody will watch it. And then we can say, well, we tried, but nobody wanted to watch it. And we did not start off high in the ratings. They put us in an impossible time slot against 2 hits of the day, Flip Wilson and Mod Squad. And Thursday nights, 8 o'clock. And so we started off in the basement of the ratings. And our producers went out and ran a real grassroots campaign to talk to the areas and take out ads in and do interviews in areas where they felt our viewers really were, which was not so much Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, but the heartland, Middle America, where those people who are like the Waltons live and raise their families, and they were raised. And it was successful, and the ratings just started climbing and climbing and climbing. And before the end of the first season, we were like number one. And we pretty much stayed in the top 5, top 10 for The whole series, pretty much.

Amazing. What was it like for you? And again, you don't have another lens to look through. You have the one that you, you got. But were there fears? Were there pressures being a child actor in Hollywood, either for you or for your family members?

Well, I mentioned that I started acting young, like around 7, and It wasn't so much ever the actual performing, like the getting on stage or getting in front of the camera didn't necessarily scare me. But what really made me nervous and gave me anxiety and all that kind of stuff was the auditioning process. Because it was incredibly intimidating. It still is. You know, it's just, it's an awkward situation on both sides. But as a child, to walk into a room full of Adults, predominantly men. And, you know, they're all kind of looking at you and, and like, well, show us what you can do, you know, like prove yourself. And that was terrifying to me. And so I would kind of shut down. And I looked back at that a little later and went, oh, how interesting that the only roles I got hired for were very frightened children. Because that's clearly what I was projecting. And so that, that was something that, you know, I dealt, was dealing with, trying to deal with. And I, I consider that I was incredibly fortunate in the timing because about 3 months before I auditioned for The Homecoming. Now the character of Mary Ellen, for people who know the show, she was a tomboy. She was very confident. Very strong-willed, very opinionated, no fear, no, you know, she could get upset, but I mean, she was pretty fearless. And sure, you know, just cocky, really. It's all I can— the best definition. And I came across— oh, actually. Oh God, there it is. This book, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. By L. Ron Hubbard. And it, it was a revelation to me because, uh, Dianetics— just L. Ron Hubbard discovered this area of the mind called the reactive mind. And the reactive mind is what stores your loss, your pain, your trauma, and it is the source of unwanted emotions and, and fears and thoughts. and behavior. So all those times when you— when I would find myself going, why can't I get past this fear? Why can't I just go in and perform? And my dad would be, why didn't you try harder? And be like, I am trying. And— but I just couldn't get past whatever that block was that was sort of shutting me down. And, you know, making— and recognizing I was like sabotaging myself because I couldn't Break through this, and it seems like oh you should just be able to do that. Think positive or whatever. But this area of the reactive mind is kind of invisible to the individual. To me, I couldn't see where these blocks were or what was causing them. And he developed this technique. There's this like really like simple technique that's that's covered in the book that like any two people can sit down and. With the book, run this very simple technique that allows you to find and locate the source of that pain or trauma or incident, what it was that happened and where it came from. And once you can locate that, it goes away. It's no longer hidden so that it can be triggered by things in your environment. We hear about triggers and things. Well, that's all those triggers. in your reactive mind. And if you knew what they were, they wouldn't be the things that triggered it. Because once we become aware of something that's really the truth, we have control over it. It's no longer some like little mouse in a maze going, oh, I go this way. Oh, I go this way. Or, you know, Pavlov's dog is, you know, barking.

Yeah.

And so, when I kind of found that and started using Dianetics, it just It just, it was like it unlocked something and it, this, this switch flipped. And all of a sudden, like within 3 months, I walked into that audition. No fear. No, you know, just went in barefoot, shorts, hair in pigtails. It's like, I am this character. And literally Earl Hamner, who created the show, in an interview later said that during the casting, That when I walked in, he just went, that's her. Just my presence, my fearlessness, you know, that self-confidence that I never had in auditions.

Amazing.

Yeah. So to me, this has been just like a lifesaver and something I have used throughout my life for myself to help myself, to help my family. To help friends. Um, yeah, it's just— yeah, I can't say enough about it, but it really changed my life and gave me this whole career. That— because The Waltons really did change my life. So this changed me, Dianetics changed me, and then The Waltons changed my life and gave me all these opportunities to live the dream that I had, which was to— be an actor, to be a performer, and to get to do something that I loved and, and have great success at it.

Do you know, or do you want to share, what was that thing? What was the, the thing that inspired the fear in you?

You know, I don't even remember at this point. You know, it's, it's an interesting— it's an interesting thing that I can I can spot something and go, oh my goodness, and I think I'll remember forever what that was. And it's like when it's gone, it's gone. You're like, what was that again?

You know? Which is a great thing. Yeah.

I don't need it anymore. So, exactly. Now, I'm looking for what's the next thing? Where am I getting— now, where am I getting in my way? You know, what was that? You know?

So, when you look back at The Waltons, I would imagine, but I don't want to project on you. Is there a— do you have a source of pride about what you did? Such a wholesome family value show. I mean, what do you— what kind of feelings does that emote for you?

Uh, I'm incredibly proud of it. You know, I did go through a period when the show ended because the whole typecasting is, is a real thing. And so when I couldn't just move on to other work because people went, too well known, you know. People will just watch her and go, that's Mary Ellen. And because I'd created this iconic character, so then I was stuck with it.

Yeah.

So that was a whole other thing in terms of reinventing and finding new paths forward and, and how do you move past that. But, um, so for a while I was just like, oh no, I don't want to hear about that. I don't want to talk about that. I want to I want to— what's my life? I don't want it to be all about that. And because I felt, again, it wasn't necessarily the truth, but that's how it seemed to be in that moment. But there was a point where I went, you know, this has been such a gift, this show, and what it represents for people and all the wonderful— the cast Are, you know, they're my family, and that I have had them in my life for over 50 years. And as I look back on the show now, it holds up. I mean, the stories are timeless and as relevant and important in today's world as they were when we originally filmed them, because they're about human nature. They're about— People. They're— yeah, it's a circumstance, it's a situation, but the situation allows us to recognize life around us and things that are happening around us. And I just, I'm so moved by the people who talk about how the show changed their life, viewing it, how it brings calm and comfort to them. And if they're having a rough time, it's a sort of therapy for them to watch the show. People who've been going through cancer treatments or, you know, things like that. They said they'll watch it because it makes them feel good and, and comforted. Or men who've said that they would look at John Walton as a role model for how to be a better parent, how to be a father. I mean, this is a TV show, um, that's having that impact on people. And I think it was because it— Earl Hamner wrote about his childhood, his family, and, you know, the simple things about life and what was important. And there was just so much honesty in it that people could relate to whichever generation they were, whether they were the grandparents, whether they were Mary Ellen, you know, the people go, yeah, I was like you. I was a tomboy. I wanted to be like you. Or the parents and wanting— I mean, they were just such— but they were real. They weren't perfect. We all— our characters got in trouble. They made mistakes. But those, those basic core things that we can so easily lose track of and shouldn't, that helping each other, being there to support our family, our community, um, and just caring about people, personal interaction.

Mm-hmm.

You know, we're so, locked into beep beep beep beep beep, you know, and technology that the art of conversing with people in real life and getting to know people, you have to work at it a bit more now.

Very true. Very true. What— so post-Waltz, you know, and, and all of that time to today, how have you recreated yourself, your characters, and Did you crave playing other types of characters? And how did you make that happen? Did you know 3 out of 4 homes in the US have toxic chemicals in their tap water? I did. I lived it. Surprisingly, standard fridge and pitcher filters do little to remove most contaminants, and bottled water contains microplastics. So what's the solution? For me, it was AquaTru. It's the countertop purifier tested and certified to remove 84 contaminants, including chlorine, lead, forever chemicals, and microplastics. You can join 98% of customers who say their drinking water is cleaner, safer, and healthier. But look, I love all that, but most of all, I love immediate gratification. This is the best tasting water ever. Go to aquatru.com for 20% off your purifier using promo code FLIPPING50. AquaTru even comes with a 30-day best tasting water guarantee. That's aquatru.com, A-Q-U-A-T-R-U dot com, promo code F-L-I-P-P-I-N-G.

Theater became a, a place for me because where I had started in theater as a child, I did a children's production when I was, you know, 8 or 9 on weekends for like a year. And then at about 10, I joined, uh, actually a repertory company. I was one of the only children, most of the time the only child in the company. Um, And so, I did a lot of plays with that company. And I had to leave that company when I got— when The Waltons became a series because I didn't— I couldn't time-wise do both with the early morning calls and theater happens at night. But I always loved theater. And during the time I was on The Waltons, I fell in love with musical theater. And my mom sang professionally when I was young. Uh, so I'd heard, you know, Broadway scores and stuff. I didn't get to go to the theater much, but I went to a theater production when I was like 15 and just went, ah, I want to do that, you know, because I, I loved being on stage. But to add the music, problem was I— my singing was not good enough. So, so I was a lot of years in voice lessons, but they paid off. And right after The Waltons ended in 1981, I think '80 or '81, I did my first professional, like union, um, I got my union card with the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, uh, and where on in film and TV people are too recognizable, in theater it was like, we want somebody whose name people will know. And it was a production of Cinderella, so— Yeah, which was the ch— the children's production I did when I was a child was a production of Cinderella. Oh my gosh. And I wanted to play Cinderella, but no, I didn't get to play Cinderella, probably because I didn't sing well enough. But to come full circle and then play Cinderella, it's like, okay, check that one off, you know?

Yeah.

So I did theater. And so, you know, it can still be To the outside world, there can still be a lot of, well, your career, you know, you, you disappeared. It's like, because people don't always know what's happening in theater. People say, what's Richard Thomas doing? He's not— it's like, he's touring in theater because he loves theater. It's his first love. And for a lot of actors, we do love theater because that live interaction with the audience and the energy there, and there's a certain thrill and danger to— Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Flying without a net. You're there, and it's just the actors. And if things go wrong, you have to get through it. So, yeah.

It almost seems like, from the outside looking in, that it's a much more raw display of talent. I mean, like you said, there is no net, but you're seeing— you're seeing it happen in real time, and potentially some improv, even if there wasn't intended to be any, there is some, right?

Yeah, and I always feel like, and a lot of actors agree with this viewpoint, that the theater is really the actor's medium because no one can change your performance in the editing room. No one can leave you on the editing room floor because of time or opinion, or no, the close-up needs to be over here on this person. And, you know, when I would go do other people's shows after The Waltons, and I was just there as a guest, And I'd watch the show and I'd be like, well, I'm talking, but it's not on me because I was talking to one of the stars of that show. And so the storyline was that person getting the information I was telling them. It wasn't about necessarily seeing me tell them. So I'd be like, now wait a minute, what happened to— And I was used to on The Waltons because I was a regular character. The camera would be on me. So, uh, so it wasn't always as— I still enjoyed the work, but it wasn't— the final product wasn't always as satisfying because I couldn't control what of my performance actually was seen.

Mm-hmm.

Um, but the nice thing that I love about film and television is the intimacy of it. Because the camera's right here. So you don't have to act to the second or third balcony. So you can be personal, and those emotions have to be really honest and visible by the camera.

I'm trying to think about that from a spectator view, which is more personal. And I was about to say, You're in somebody's living room, you're in their home on television, but there is something really intimate, I think, about being in a theater too. There's nothing like it.

Yeah. I mean, I still remember when I go, oh yeah, I got to see the original cast in blah blah, you know? Oh yeah, I saw Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin do Evita on stage in New York. you know? And then you see productions later and you go, I saw that original, or I know why that was talked about and is still talked about.

Mm-hmm.

But, you know, you get to go in and I've done a lot of— I haven't— I've done a number of original shows, but mostly I do productions that other people have done. Like I just did in June, um, a production of On Golden Pond, which people immediately think of the movie, and it's like, oh, Katharine Hepburn, you know, like I'm not, I was like, I'm not even watching it. I watched it a long time ago. But I'm like, I don't want Katharine Hepburn in my mind when I'm trying to find my version of Ethel Thayer, you know. So, that happens in theater where it's like, oh, wow, you know, it's not. When I did Sound of Music, she's not Julie Andrews. It's like, no kidding.

Right.

Or, you know, did Annie Get Your Gun, she's not Ethel Merman. You're right. Good catch. All you can do as a performer— it's like if somebody came in and played Mary Ellen, people would go, she's not Judy Norton.

Yeah. So true. So true. Are there, are there certain things that you just— it came up, it was open, and they were auditioning, and you would just say, hard pass, not interested?

Yeah. Yeah, there have been things. And in more recent years, there have been times where, you know, my agent will send me something and say, you know, they'd like to see you for this. And I'll read what it is. And I'm just like, ew, icky. No, no, I, you know, I don't want to do that, that story, that, you know, that's, that's— No. So, definitely have turned down some things that just didn't speak to me and weren't, you know, at this point, weren't how I wanted to— it wasn't the work I wanted to be doing. But, you know, it was the transition, you know, initially on stage with theater, and then I started doing a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff. I worked with a theater company as a writer and director. And artistic director up in Canada for like 8 years. I did that and was involved in creating 8, 5 original shows a year for them, writing and directing them and stuff. And so a lot of theater work that has been tremendously satisfying and creative and puzzle solving and how to, you know, it's like taking a vision and watching it come to life. And that is so exciting. And it's— The only people who are going to know are going to be the people who showed up in that theater. But in terms of creating it and being involved with the team that brought that to life, just some of the most incredibly satisfying work, you know, even more so than a lot of days on The Waltons where I sat around for, you know, 8 out of 9 hours and biding my time to be on camera for a couple of lines in the background at the kitchen table, you know. Yeah, where's John Boy? Michael Learned. Said she got so tired of saying, more coffee, John? Go to bed, kids. You know, which is really why she ultimately left the show before the end of it, is that it can be, it can be long and slow and boring, you know. But some of the other things I've done, not nearly as high profile, but just so much more fun. Not that The Waltons wasn't fun, but 9 years of, you know, it can feel repetitive.

Yeah.

It's like, I've done this before.

I bet. Yeah. Yeah. Well, and so how did that work on the show? I'm trying to think. Did you mature? Did you grow? Or did they try to keep you slower to age?

No, we were fortunate. Like, you know, so grateful that ours was a show where they let the characters, they let the family grow up. They let those kids grow up. So we aged with— we started it, it was during the Depression, and then You know, the children grew up, and then we, then we were pre-war years, and then we got into the war, and then we came out the other side of the war. So we went pretty much chronological year to year. And then as we got into the war, they sort of skipped ahead. So all of a sudden, we were now playing characters that were technically a little older than we were, as opposed to a little younger than we were.

Mm-hmm.

But for the most part along the way, most of us were playing pretty darn close to our real ages, which was nice. And I think, you know, added again a layer of authenticity. You know, the little ones who were just so brilliantly children.

Mm-hmm.

You know, just real, just natural. No, no artifice. You know, that the acting on the show, I have to credit the casting director and the producers for that ensemble they put together that just, you can't, it's magic when that happens.

Yeah. So there's so much talk about, or used to be, and I think maybe the conversation is shifting now, but, you know, aging as an actor, you know, and what happens. And clearly you're a wonderful example. And so my question is, does it change when it's, you know, an aging female in theater versus on television? Are the roles—

Different.

Are they being more created? And is that partially because there are more female producers?

Well, I would like to think that female producers will fight to bring more meaningful roles for women of all ages. But I think, I think for film and television, it's still tough that, you know, for women in particular, that beyond a certain age, because I still think That I've talked with any number of people about this. Like, men can be a leading man till they die. You know, they can be 80-something and they're still the leading man and they've still got a 25-year-old leading lady. Yeah, I mean, it's just like, what? Whereas if they want to hire a woman who's supposed to be in her 40s, they might hire someone who's 28 to play that role. So, it is much— because, yeah, I mean, if you look at television, you're like, is that really what we're going to say 40 looks like? You know, or 50 looks like? Yeah, I think we get very skewed in our vision of what young girls look like, what young people look like, what adults look like. And, you know, all the questions of size and shape and all of that, you know, TV isn't necessarily the best representation of that. Now you take a show like The Waltons, and we looked like real people because we were in the Depression and we were in the war. And as we got to later seasons, and viewers have complained about it, that the hairstyles got too modern and that, you know, we didn't look like we were in the '40s, we looked like we were in the '80s. You know, and it's like, it's true. But, and one of the other actresses said that the network started saying, oh, those women have to look more glamorous, you know, because all of a sudden we were in the '80s and '80s television, even though we were The Waltons, you know, they, we were up against all the glamour shows, the Bob Mackie dresses and the, you know. So, I mean, it was like stupid and it was kind of like, why, you know, why ruin this show? That's what this show is. I wasn't even aware of it. I was like, yeah, sure. I'm willing to look prettier. Thank you.

You mentioned—

You can look back and go, that's, that's really stupid. That's, you know, that does not look right. Yeah, yeah.

Preserve it. You mentioned earlier, like, being a little more— it's more daring, there's a little more risk involved when you're actually in live theater and it's just you, it's all you, which is also I think it's that place where, you know, if you don't live there, sometimes you don't have that little bit of excitement and that little bit of nervousness. It's like, what are we doing if we don't take that risk? But you do that in other areas of your life too. So you're skydiving, you're still competing, I think, in the horse arena. So say a little bit more about that and how does that come into play for, for all the other things that you do that are so intellectual?

Well, sports have always been like my hobbies. I'm not a big fan of, of like going to a gym and exercising going, oh, I'm exercising. I always—

Careful with that.

All my— yeah. A sport allows me to enjoy myself while I'm getting a workout. So, and then because of all the wonderful opportunities I had because of The Waltons, and so the things I'd get asked to do or have opportunities to do, and a lot of it was You know, press, you know, publicity events or something. Oh, you're going to do a celebrity tennis tournament. It's like, I can't play tennis. Oh, better take some tennis lessons, you know. So a lot of things would come about like that. Or you're doing a celebrity ski tournament. It's like, I've— my skiing is like so— that's okay, come on, you know. Uh, the skydiving was, um, for a stunt for Circus of the Stars. Really? So they trained me to skydive, and then I got totally hooked on it and kept doing it. Uh, For a lot of years. I haven't jumped for years now. I was, you know, pregnant with my son and went, I should— I need to stop. And then raising a young child does not lend itself to a lot of things that one can do when one doesn't have small children. But the horses, the horses I started actually during The Waltons. There was a costumer on the show who used to compete, and she took me out to a competition one time. She took me out to see her horse, and I went, I want to do that. So I started taking riding lessons, and then they wrote it into the series that Mary Ellen ended up with this horse to do her nursing rounds in the back mountains and stuff. And then we had a horse race episode because I rode and jumped. And, uh, so I did that for a lot of years. Then I got out of it for a lot of years when I was living in Canada, working in theater and traveling. I'm like, I, you know, then it was just all about the work again. And then I got back into it, I don't know, about 20 years ago or something like that. And then more recently, in the last maybe 3, 4 years, I started competing again. And I don't know, you know, I just always liked challenges. And, you know, I think there is that maybe because of, you know, you know, with— I just think, you know, again, like Dinah is like, after I sort of dealt with Facing fear and finding that I could locate, I could get past it, I could find a source, I could get past it. I don't know, maybe it made me more willing to go out and go, hey, you know, I don't like heights. I'm going to face that. I'm going to do flying trapeze for Circus of the Stars. Ah, you know. So, I would just keep sort of, but never recklessly, you know, I'm not, I'm not a daredevil in a reckless way, you know. I want to know and take, you know, I respect what danger there is in certain sports. And so, you know, I don't do anything stupid or reckless that would endanger me or anybody else. But overcoming, you know, overcoming things and going, oh my goodness, I've jumped out of a plane, or, oh my goodness, that fence is scary.

I was going to say, I would have to, I would have to Overcome that one big step. So are you telling me then there's 2 parachutes on you? I mean, is that how you—

Yes, you have a main parachute. You have, you have your main parachute, but if that something doesn't work with that, you have a reserve parachute. So you got 2 chances to get it right. Let's not say it like that.

That is so good.

Okay.

I, and I love coming back to this, like the activity and the daring. And for anybody who's listening who's thought about it or heard about our retreats, we try to do something that is just a little edgy in retreat.

Mm-hmm.

So we do a lot of hiking, but in every retreat there will be that one surprise thing that I haven't told them about until they arrive, and they have the option of declining, but It's just usually something that is just outside of the comfort level, and my goal too is to have two packs. So there's it's not so risky that that we're putting them in harm's way, but it is like you know you don't do this in your everyday life, and I wouldn't do this by myself. That's the whole idea that when you've got community, it can make it easier. So. For you, for an actor, I know we alluded to the fact you still communicate with some of your actor family. And what about, what about the life you lead now? How important is community to your aging and aging well?

I think it's incredibly important. I mean, that is actually what led me to Start and continue my YouTube channel. I started in COVID because I sure didn't like being isolated. I mean, I had my husband with me, but that sense of no community and no personal interaction that we all dealt with, and with all of the unknown of how long is this going to go on, how risky is it, and we were hearing all these like scary numbers about what was happening with people.

Mm-hmm.

And I was living in LA. And so, through a series of events, I came across the idea of starting this YouTube channel and talking about The Waltons. And, you know, kind of behind the scenes of The Waltons, about the episodes, about how we shot them, about the cast, you know, just talking about that. And so it ended up, I didn't really know what it was going to be, but it's It's gradually, over 6 years, created this community. And people who, you know, have loved the show, people who have started rewatching the show. And it was really a way to reach out to people. And, you know, people that were alone, home, scared, whatever, and say, hey, you know, hey, let's talk. And then they talk amongst themselves. And share. They are good people getting to know each other. And a lot of these people then have come out to some of these Walton events we've done. And so I'll get to meet them in person, or they'll talk about— they'll ask each other questions in the comments. And, you know, I read all the comments and I, I respond to them. And then I started taking people's questions that I thought were interesting and doing segments where I answered their questions. It's like, this is— Ask— there's an Ask Judy element to it where I'll say, well, you know, Christine wanted to know blah, blah, blah, and I'll read what the question she, you know, she wanted to know and give her the answer. So it's just kind of formed, built this community, and I've had a chance to really learn more about the people that, that have watched the show forever and what it, you know, really what it's meant to them and get to know them. It's like, all right, it's like, oh, I know this person, this person comments all the time. And you start to get to know people's personalities through their comments. And so it's like we've become friends as well. And they, I think, seem to enjoy the fact that they actually can write something to me that I see and that I respond to. So that's been, you know, a way to form community. And a lot of our viewers are older because they either grew up, they were, you know, the age of the younger—

Watched it.

And grew up with me and, you know, the rest of the kids, or their parents did. And they're now, you know, they have, they've introduced it to their children and maybe their grandchildren. So I have people who say, oh, you know, I watched I watch the show with my grandmother and she, you know, or my mother and, and, you know, we share that time together. So it's been really nice to get a bit of a view into the lives of people that I may not have met under other circumstances and what their lives are like and how they have related to the show. And what the messages of the show. And, and I like to think that in some way, small way, I'm helping keep the show alive.

Mm-hmm.

You know, because people then say, oh, I've started watching it again, or they'll share where it's on, or they bought the DVD so they can watch it anytime. And so, I don't know, it's been— so that's been one of my ongoing things now since about 2020 when I started the channel. And so that's, you know, one of my creative projects that, you know, It's just kind of ongoing. I mean, I'm sure you get a lot of satisfaction out of what you do here with your podcast.

Absolutely. Yeah. Like, how would I be talking to Mary Ellen Walton without this, right? I mean, but to really get to know Judy Norton is the gem, right? To really understand who's behind the scenes and that, you know, these people that we all had in our living room and the voice of the narrator Who, I mean, it takes you back to a gold kitchen and a green countertop, right, as soon as you hear it. But those are, I think, memories that remind us of something more youthful that's still there. And I think that is an interesting connection to the age you're at right now. It reminds you there's still a child in there.

That's a good point. And And also that there's still— I feel like the toughest thing that I will hear from people as they age is they've— is a sense that their hope or being inspired or that they've lost that or they don't really have dreams. They think they're too old for dreams or things like that. And And if I can have— I try to keep everything without being preachy, just remind people that no, there's always that opportunity and you can always meet a new friend. You can always get involved in a new activity. And even as we maybe aren't as physically active or sometimes able to do the physical things, I mean, I'm certainly slower than I— that's why I like the horses because— It's not about my speed. I just keep getting younger horses, you know. But, you know, but I still have to physically be there to support and ride and all that.

Right.

But, you know, just that you can, you should, you need to continue to grow and expand. And I think we need to do that as long as we're alive. And that's what keeps us alive is having things to look forward to and relationships and community and, you know, try to find ways that we aren't isolated. And it doesn't have to be big things and it doesn't have to cost a lot of money and relationships and friendships cost nothing, you know?

Yeah. Well, and case in point, you know, anyone watching, you know, of course, don't have the history of being the Waltons and Mary Ellen. could start a YouTube channel or could start a podcast. And, you know, I, I'm gonna be— play devil's advocate here to a listener who might be thinking and looking at you and saying, you know, it's easy for you because you have a lot of resources. What would you say to that?

Um, I shoot my YouTube channel on my iPhone.

Perfect.

My home office. So I do not have a studio. I do not even, I do not even use an external microphone. Sometimes I put my earbuds in. Sometimes I just use the microphone on the camera. I've kept it simple because I will do it if I keep it simple.

Mm-hmm.

But, and that's sometimes, you know, we can get hung up in everything having to be just right and we're forever on the runway, but we never take off because there's, we're We're busy thinking we— it's got to be perfect. And I just, I just kind of jumped in. And during COVID we were all like, Zoom was a new thing, you know, but we were suddenly doing Zoom and YouTube. I'd never done YouTube. I'd never paid much attention to it. So I had to learn that, but I could learn it on YouTube. You know, it's like, how do I do this? You know, and it's like, well, I know how to start my camera and point it. So I would say just start simple and start With, you know, whatever interests you. And, you know, even if 5 people watch, you're having a conversation. One person, you're having a conversation with people. So if you don't start, you will never get there. You know, I mean, if you were gonna climb a mountain and you were busy going, I'll never get to the top, well, you won't.

Mm-hmm.

But if you go, well, I'm gonna take 2 steps today, It's like you're closer to the top. And even if you never get there, to me, it's never about the destination. It's about the journey. Hmm. You know, and you have to enjoy the journey. Life is not about where you end up. It's about what you do along the way. You know, so, so what if you never, you never— it's like, yeah, when I was a kid, I wanted to be a big A-list movie star and that didn't happen. But the things I've done along the way, have been so satisfying to me that, you know, you have ideas about what you think you want.

Mm-hmm.

And when I have had the opportunity to peripherally see people who live in that fishbowl of public eye all the time, I'm actually very happy that that's not what I have to deal with every time I step out the door. I can go, yeah, I can go anywhere. People don't recognize me anymore, you know, unless I'm at a Walton event, you know. I don't get recognized on the street. Every once in a while.

Do you wear your overalls?

Yeah, I don't own overalls. That was one thing from, from being Mary Ellen. I'm like, I'm never gonna own a pair of overalls, you know. It's like, nope, nope, not doing overalls. So I'm not trying to advertise and be her. I'm not trying to. And I've seen that with actors actors or actresses who never want to let go of something, you know, and they still try to look a certain age or wear the clothes. I'm like, that's just not me. If it's right for them, then they should do it, you know. But that wasn't the experience I wanted. And I love feeling like I've been able to have a balanced life because there are trade-offs. You know, Michael Learned, who played Olivia Walton, she was raising 3 boys on her own during the series.

Wow.

And it was really tough for her because she said, here I am, I'm spending all this time with this other family that I love, but my boys are home not having a mother. And that was really, really hard for her as a mother. And I made a choice when my son was young to— I'd been doing a lot of theater and going out and being on there. I'm like, I'm not going to do that. I want to— I want to be there. I want to be his mother, you know. And so I made those choices, and they were the right ones for me. So, you know, and nothing— that's— each of us has to find what works for us. And for me, that's what worked for me, was making those choices. And, and just realizing that I can be creatively satisfied Any number of ways. You know, when I started doing the theater, I loved it. Not as many people saw it as who tuned in, 30 million people tuning into The Waltons on a Thursday night. You know, in the theater, okay, we had 200 people in the house tonight, we had 50 tonight, we had— but the experience for me, I still got to do the show and I enjoyed my interaction with the audience and the other performers. So— You know, I began to realize that that was, it was about the experience, not about the final result. So, yeah, I mean, it can maybe give you, if, you know, it can, the advantages are you can have more, you have more power if you have more stardom. So, you know, when people say, oh, why don't they do another Walton reunion? Why don't you make that happen? It's like, I don't have that kind of power. So if I had that kind of power, Then I might go, hey, let's create more good family programming. You know, it's not like I don't have ideas, but, you know, I talk to people and like, eh, you know, who are you? Who's going to be in it? You know, who's the A-list actor who's going to be in it? It's like, it's not me.

So what is, what is 1 or 2 or 3 things that you are still, still on your bucket list That, that you are really looking forward to, that this would be really juicy if you did this in your life?

Ah, wow. I mean, I remember years ago I did a workshop with a writer, and one of the things he had us all do at the beginning of it was make a list of things that during the course of our life we had said, I really want to. Like, what were those things that we wanted to do? And I made this list and then he said, okay, take a look back at it and see how many of them have you done. And I was astounded at how many of them I'd actually done. And then with those in mind, the things that I made happen in the next few years, like, you know, starting to do more writing and directing for film or television. So there's a lot of things I've checked off the list. So, You know, I'm a little less about some big thing. Like, you know, as I was saying, they don't have to be big goals, but—

Yeah.

You know, they're little things. I'm still, you know, it might be a year-to-year thing with like, what horse competitions do I want to do? What do I want to succeed at there? You know, when I started getting into other types of riding and doing things like cross-country, it was like, oh, wow, I really I really like to do that and it took a while to kind of get up the nerve to go do it. But then, it's like, okay, so maybe I'll do a few more of those. Or travel used to be a big thing and I'm less about that. So, it's hard to say. I mean, right now, one of my more imminent goals is I'm really pretty close to 100,000 subscribers on my YouTube channel.

Wow.

You know, it was kind of as I was building the channel, you know, and it was, you know, as I was excited when I got 1,000 or, wow, I got 10,000 or, you know, whatever. I got it, you know. So, now, it's kind of like, wow, because I didn't know how long I'd do it. So, I would say that's one. You know, family becomes, you know, getting to spend time with family members. You know, now that I have more freedom with my time, you know, because you go through all those years where you got to make a living, you know, and it's— and you're raising a family or whatever. So then as you've kind of completed that part of your, your job, really, if you're a parent, you've raised your children, done the best you could.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

And you hope they're getting on with their lives, but, you know, maintaining those relationships, especially since we're not necessarily— I don't have any other family immediately where I am besides my husband. So our kids are like scattered. So we have to make the effort to maintain those relationships. So things like that become, you know, important to me. So, I don't know. There's probably pickleball. At some point, I'm going to try pickleball. People keep swearing by pickleball. Maybe I'll golf a little bit more. I'm not very good at it, but I enjoy being on a golf course. So, maybe I'll do a bit more golfing. The horse takes up so much time that it becomes perfect. Perfect.

Love it. Always time for something new. Judy Norton, it's been such a pleasure to get to know you a little bit. Thank you for sharing. About you as well as about the show and kind of reminiscing with all of the listeners. So thank you so much.

Oh, it's been such a pleasure. You have been such a joy to just sit and chat with.

And the YouTube channel is Judy Norton, is that right?

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah.

So everybody, you heard that. So this is a call to action. So one small action, I want you to go and subscribe. So let's see if we can bump that up. We'll get her a little bit closer to 100K. The information shared on Flipping 50: The Stronger Way is for educational and informational purposes only and not intended as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or qualified healthcare provider before beginning any exercise program, making changes to your diet, or adjusting any medications or supplements. Individual results may vary. Debra Atkinson and Flipping 50 are not responsible for any injury or adverse outcomes resulting from information presented. it on this podcast.