What does it take to rebuild your life—again and again—and still lead with humor, heart, and hope?

In this deeply human conversation, author and voiceover artist Alison Rand joins Ladies Who Leap to share how she found her “solid center” after family fracture, divorce, a life-altering fall in Rome, and three separate battles with breast cancer.

Along the way, Alison discovered an unlikely co-author and lifesaver: her poodle Dea—the witty, wise narrator of Alison’s latest memoir, Walking Alison: A Poodle’s (Mostly) True Story of Helping Her Human Navigate Life.

Born and raised in New York City, Alison’s career has been anything but linear: acting, voiceovers, audiobook narration, advertising copywriting, social work, and now two memoirs. She shares how each leap—especially a courageous solo move to Rome, Italy in her 30s—forced her to practice self-trust, cultivate community from scratch, and learn to find beauty wherever she stood. When cancer entered the story (three times), Dea’s steady companionship and the human–animal bond became a lifeline through treatment, recovery, and the isolation of COVID.

Anchoring it all are two quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson—including “As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live”—that tie together the themes of resilience, belonging to oneself, and carrying the beautiful within.

We dive into:

Resilience after rupture: divorce, family separation, a life-changing fall, and starting over—again and again.

Italy as a catalyst: what Rome gave Alison (community, courage, and a glow that stayed).

The human–animal bond: how Deia’s unconditional love steadied her through cancer treatments and COVID isolation.

Memoir craft & radical honesty: writing A Place Called Grace (adventure, bureaucracy, humor, heartbreak) and Walking Alison—told entirely from her dog’s point of view.

Service & voice: why Alison became a social worker, how acting and voiceover shaped her audiobooks (she narrates every voice!), and why self-trust is the throughline of her life.

Favorite wisdom (Ralph Waldo Emerson): “As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.”

If you love memoirs, dogs, Italy, or real talk about healing and starting over, this episode will make you laugh, cry, and take a gentler breath. ❤️🐩

🎧 Books by Alison Rand

• A Place Called Grace — a hopeful, humorous, bittersweet memoir of finding your solid center.

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✨ Connect with Lisa Andria (host, Ladies Who Leap and Emotional Transformation Coach)