“There’s a freedom in not auditioning for your life anymore.”

What happens when you’re no longer living by someone else’s playbook and finally start telling your own story? This week on Hotter Than Ever, we sit down with Julie Golden, reality TV producer, screenwriter, stand-up comedian, and creator of The Big D, a heart-forward and hilarious dating show for divorced singles.

Julie opens up about her own midlife transformation: from shaping other people’s stories in Hollywood to taking the mic and telling her own. She shares how grief, motherhood, and divorce led her to comedy, how she stopped waiting for permission to create, and why midlife is the most creatively and emotionally free chapter yet. Join us, as we dig into:

• What it means to stop “auditioning for your life” and finally choose yourself at work, in love, and in every creative pursuit
• How building community and producing her own shows helped Julie reclaim her voice, empower other women, and make comedy a space for healing and honesty
• Why authenticity beats approval every time and how midlife can be the most creative, connected, and joyful chapter yet
• What really goes on behind the scenes in reality television and how empathy can change everything
• How the hormonal shifts of midlife actually liberate women from people-pleasing and open the door to deeper self-trust
• Why post-divorce dating isn’t about looking for someone to “complete” you, but finding someone who’s additive

OUR GUEST: Julie Golden is a former film executive turned screenwriter, reality TV producer, and stand-up comic whose career has spanned every corner of storytelling. Drawing on her love of comedy, matchmaking, and human behavior, she created The Big D, a heart-forward comedy dating show for divorced singles that’s as much about laughter and connection as it is about second chances. A single, divorced mom herself, Julie brings authenticity, empathy, and humor to everything she creates, building a community where people can show up as they are, one laugh (and awkward flirt) at a time.

Want more Julie? Learn more about “The Big D” at https://www.thebigddatingshow.com/ and follow her and her work on Instagram at @juliegoldengirl

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