Live Better Sisterhood

What if the moment that finally changes your life begins with looking in the mirror?

In this deeply honest conversation, Juliet sits down with Carolyn, an extraordinary woman whose life has been shaped by profound loss, childhood trauma, family struggles with alcohol, caregiving, grief and her own journey to sobriety. After losing her brother Michael and struggling with the emotional weight of years of loss, Carolyn reached a turning point when she looked in the mirror and saw her brother looking back at her. That moment helped her recognize that alcohol was no longer her friend, and began a new chapter of her life.

Carolyn shares what sobriety gave her beyond better health: courage, confidence, freedom and the willingness to try things she once never imagined doing. She talks about discovering yoga, traveling, creating sober communities and retreats for women, and learning that life doesn’t stop at 60, it can open up in entirely new ways.

This conversation is about so much more than alcohol or recovery. It’s about grief, resilience, finding your voice, caring for the people you love, learning to care for yourself, and discovering that you can begin again at any age.

And perhaps most importantly, Carolyn shares what “living better” means to her now: living to your full capability, making the most of the time you have, and giving yourself permission to have a good day, even if that good day means resting with a book and a cup of tea.

If you’re navigating grief, a difficult season, sobriety, starting over, or simply wondering whether it’s too late to become more fully yourself, Carolyn’s story is a powerful reminder:

It is absolutely possible to begin again.

And you don’t have to do it alone.

Connect with Carolyn on Substack: https://substack.com/@carolynclark

In the very first episode of Live Better Sisterhood: Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Lives, I’m sitting down with my cousin Liz for a deeply honest conversation about the extraordinary challenges she has faced and the ways she kept moving forward through them.

At 40, Liz was looking ahead to a new chapter. Her oldest child had graduated from high school, her youngest was starting kindergarten, she was excited about having more time to discover who she was outside of motherhood. She was planning to take photography classes and finally do something she had always wanted to do for herself.

Then a routine mammogram changed everything.

Liz shares how she navigated a breast cancer diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, reconstruction, and the uncertainty that came with each new piece of information, and all while raising her five children and trying to keep life moving.

But this conversation isn’t only about cancer.

Liz also opens up about being a single mother, financial struggles, motherhood, identity, hiking, photography, and the importance of continuing to have a life of your own while raising children.

She talks about completing a 315-mile solo hike over 25 days and how doing something difficult and unfamiliar helped her realize that she was capable of more than she knew.

She also shares a lesson that has become one of the themes of her life:

When in doubt, move.

Sometimes moving forward doesn’t mean having a plan. Sometimes it simply means taking the next step.

For any woman who has ever wondered who she is after a major life change, felt lost in motherhood, faced something frightening, or needed a reminder that she can do hard things, this episode is for you.

This is Liz’s story.

And it’s the first of many in Live Better Sisterhood: Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Lives.

Because every woman has a story.

At 86, Marge is still learning, growing, making friends, trying new things—and living fully. In this deeply personal conversation, she shares her journey through divorce, rebuilding her life, finding love again in her 50s, caregiving for her husband through dementia, losing him, and discovering how to begin again. Her story is a powerful reminder that it's never too late to start over, ask for help, find purpose, open your heart, and create a life you love.

What if the hardest thing that ever happened to you didn’t have to become the thing that defined you?

In this episode of Live Better Sisterhood: Ordinary Women. Extraordinary Lives., I’m talking with my longtime friend Lauren in a deeply honest conversation about fear, resilience, gratitude, friendship, caregiving, and choosing to keep living fully, even when life doesn’t go according to plan.

Ten years ago, Lauren discovered she had a brain tumor completely by accident after falling and hitting her head. What followed was brain surgery, fear, uncertainty, and a powerful shift in perspective.

But Lauren didn’t let the diagnosis become her identity.

Instead, she learned to look for the “shiny moments”, the kindness of a nurse, a funny haircut workaround, a new friendship, a beautiful night sky, migrating birds, a favorite song, or simply another day to experience this extraordinary world.

Lauren shares how that experience changed her relationship with control, why she believes we should make our plans in pencil, and how gratitude has become part of the way she lives every day.

She also opens up about something many midlife women quietly experience: watching a parent change. Lauren talks about her mother’s Alzheimer’s, the heartbreak of seeing someone you love become dependent on you, and how she learned to hold onto the memories of who her mother really was.

And then there is the other side of Lauren’s story… the joyful, curious, wonderfully unconventional woman who travels the world, watches birds, stargazes, learns new things, writes children’s books, builds friendships across the globe, and continues pursuing purpose at 61.

Her message is simple but powerful:

You are not your diagnosis.You are not your hardest season.You are not what happened to you.

You get to keep becoming.

You get to find the joy.

You get to reach out.

And you get to live your life now, not someday.

If you’re navigating a difficult season, caring for aging parents, rebuilding your social circle, wondering what comes next, or simply trying to remember how to enjoy the ordinary moments of life, this conversation is for you.

And whatever life throws at you, Lauren has one important reminder:

Stay sparkly.

Live Better Sisterhood: Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Lives is a podcast about the stories of everyday women, the challenges they face, and how they live better through it all.

We are here to have real genuine connections—honest, meaningful conversations with everyday women who have faced extraordinary challenges and discovered ways to live better through them.

Some are born with challenges. Some choose challenges. And some ahave extraordinary challenges thrust upon them.

If you’re a woman navigating change, starting over, facing a difficult season, looking for connection, or simply wondering what comes next, Live Better Sisterhood is for you.

Because every woman has a story.

And sometimes another woman’s story is exactly what we need to remind us that we can keep going.

#liveBetterSisterhood

Look for new episodes on the first of each month.