EP 64 A’Lelia Bundles: Joy Goddess, Legacy and Aging with Purpose
What does it look like to stay vibrant, visible, and powerfully creative in your 70s? I was honored to chat with A’Lelia Bundles - renowned journalist, bestselling author, and great-granddaughter of the unforgettable A’Lelia Walker, a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance. Her new book, Joy Goddess: A’Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance, is more than a biography. It’s a vibrant celebration of a woman who helped shape a cultural revolution. Through storytelling, archival research, and d...
What does it look like to stay vibrant, visible, and powerfully creative in your 70s?
I was honored to chat with A’Lelia Bundles - renowned journalist, bestselling author, and great-granddaughter of the unforgettable A’Lelia Walker, a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance.
Her new book, Joy Goddess: A’Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance, is more than a biography. It’s a vibrant celebration of a woman who helped shape a cultural revolution. Through storytelling, archival research, and deep ancestral reverence, Bundles brings Walker’s world to life—her salons, her sparkle, and her spirit of joy.
But this episode isn’t just about the past. It’s about how we live with purpose today. A’Lelia shares what it’s like to launch a major book tour in her 70s, travel city to city sharing deeply personal stories, and keep her energy high while honoring a legacy that’s emotional, powerful, and still unfolding.
We also get candid about the realities of aging—especially as a Black woman navigating decades of bias and invisibility. A’Lelia doesn’t hold back: she talks about the pushback, the underestimation, and the moments that demanded resilience and radical self-trust.
What emerges is a joyful, resonant, and wise conversation about owning your age, doing meaningful work, and sharing your truth—without apology.
Highlights from the episode:
- The surprising hustle behind launching Joy Goddess
- Staying emotionally strong while telling a family story in public
- How ageism shows up—and how she rises above it
- The freedom and fire that come with being in your 70s
- Why joy isn’t frivolous—it’s legacy
This conversation is a must-listen for anyone exploring what it means to age with intention, expression, and impact.
👉 Order Joy Goddess here.
👉 Follow A’Lelia Bundles via her website here.
Your story matters. Your joy is powerful. Your age is not a limitation—it’s an asset.
If you found inspiration from this conversation, please rate, review and share this episode.
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A'Lelia Bundles
A’Lelia Bundles is the author of five books including Joy Goddess: A’Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance, a biography of her great-grandmother whose parties, arts patronage and convenings helped shape the social and cultural scene of that era. On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker, a New York Times Notable Book about her entrepreneurial great-great-grandmother, is the fact-based biography that inspired Self Made, a fictional four-part Netflix series starring Octavia Spencer.
A'Lelia serves on several nonprofit boards that reflect her interest in journalism, history, higher education, historic preservation and archives including the March On! Festival, the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women at Harvard Radcliffe Institute, BIO (Biographers International) and Columbia Global Reports. She founded the Madam Walker Family Archives, the largest private collection of Walker ephemera, photographs and correspondence.
A’Lelia was a network television producer for thirty years at NBC News and then at ABC News, where she was Washington, DC deputy bureau chief and director of talent development.
