SheSez with Linda Grasso

Elisabeth Noel Jones shares with us how she pulled off her masterful midlife redesign. After several life-altering events, the New York City-based retail executive knew she needed a change, but was stuck on how to do it. When conventional therapy failed, she tried psychedelics. The plant medicine helped Elisabeth envision her future—and the courage to realize it. She pivoted from living in Manhattan to a more intentional life in the bucolic Hudson Valley, where she opened a brick-and-mortar retail and "wellness destination." Gift Me Soul offers a variety of wellness experiences including the state-of-the-art Morphus Chair—a multi-sensory system that uses vibration, light and sound technology to regulate the nervous system, lower stress and improve sleep. The shop also offers a variety of well curated, "soulfully aligned" gifts—from jewelry and accessories to artwork.

Can optimism change the course of a life?

When Isabelle Rosa's 70-year-old father lost everything and found himself on the brink of homelessness, she refused to believe his story was over. Instead, she came up with an ingenious plan to help the former Hollywood "caterer to the stars" not only earn a living again, but rediscover a sense of purpose. In the process, Isabelle uncovered the surprising power of what she calls "delusional optimism"—the radical belief that something better is always possible, even when the odds say otherwise.

The best-selling book Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage—which is being adapted into a film starring Gwyneth Paltrow— has put midlife aka gray divorce in the zeitgeist. In the book, Belle Burden recounts marrying a wildly successful businessman who, at the height of the pandemic, discovers her husband is having an affair. He leaves her the next day, abruptly ending their 20-year marriage. She thought they were both happy.

Making matters even worse, the Ivy league-educated former corporate attorney—who had shelved her career to stay at home with kids—was clueless about the couple's finances. And she had signed a prenup that prevented her from sharing in any of her husband's earnings during the marriage.

So this week I'm re-running an episode of SheSez that features an interview with prominent L.A. divorce attorney Lisa Helfend Meyer. We cover numerous topics: why prenups can be overturned; why mediation can disadvantage women; the "I earned it, why do I have to give her anything?" counter argument; and how we women are wired to be eternal optimists which can sometimes gets us in tricky situations.

By now, most of us are familiar with LASIK, which can correct both near- and farsighted vision. But there's a newer option that LASIK can't address—the aging eye.

As we get into our mid-40s and beyond, the eye's natural lens loses flexibility, leading to presbyopia and that all-too-familiar need for (i.e. hassle of) reading glasses. Lens replacement surgery offers a solution: the aging lens is swapped out for an implant that can restore clear, often near-perfect vision. Many patients choose to have this done at the same time as cataract surgery, since insurance will often cover part of the cost. Dr. Ella Faktorovitch, an industry leader in lens replacement surgery, joins us to share the details of the procedure.

Dr. Faktorovich founded Pacific Vision Institute more than twenty years ago. Under her leadership, Pacific Vision Institute, located in the Bay Area, offers the industry's newest diagnostic and treatment technologies to patients. The Institute's doctors are continually recognized for their involvement in leading research and educational projects that advance the field of vision correction. For more, go to pacificvision.org.

The story of how Yvette Lanneaux started reimagining her life during the pandemic, and ultimately made a pivot from NYC-based attorney to sheep farmer in rural Vermont. Today, farming the artisan wool of Merino sheep (she also has Babydoll Southdown sheep as pets), Yvette lives in a shape-shifting structure that couldn't be more different than the suburban New Jersey home where she raised her kids. It is an uber cool "tiny home" developed by the Dutch designer Caspar Schols and built from prefabricated parts. Only 300 square feet, and architecturally stunning, the structure can expand to 500 feet during warm weather.

Let's face it: getting a natural look with synthetic fillers is a challenge. Fat grafting—essentially having your own fat taken from a part of your body and having it injected into anothr part—can provide a more subtle visage (think "refreshed" rather than puffy and bulbous) and it lasts longer. San Francisco-based plastic surgeon Dr. Carolyn Chang explains the procedure—plus her take on what the hell Kris Jenner did in her most recent, full facelift to achieve such remarkable results (and yes, it probably involved some fat grafting).

Dr. Chang, MD FACS, is a prominent board-certified aesthetic plastic surgeon. Stanford educated and trained, she is widely regarded as one of the nation's leading experts in natural-looking facial rejuvenation, including the deep plane facelift, complex breast surgery, and body contouring tailored to post-menopausal and post-pregnancy changes.

Shaina Feinberg experienced the struggle that so many women face: being a mom of two kids and having a career as a filmmaker. In recent years, she felt she was failing at both and wondered if she gave one up, would she be more successful at the other?

But, when it came to her career, she had a monkey on her shoulder: Shaina's mother had given up her career aspirations to be a full-time mom and she'd always expressed regret about it.

Then—while working on a freelance job—Shaina met Joan Darling, a 90-year-old, retired TV director. Joan was an Emmy-winning pioneer with successes like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, MASH and Magnum PI to her credit.

While Zooming with Joan, Shaina felt an inexplicable connection, and she was driven to meet the TV veteran in person. Shaina took her camera and flew from New York to Joan's home in Maine. In this episode, Shaina shares the beautiful story of how the two connected over the 3-day visit—and how Joan helped Shaina think thru her struggles while boosting her self-esteem. Tapping on everything from grappling with parents' regrets to holding on to a dream that, at times, feels futile, this episode both thought provoking and touching.

When you see Stephanie Koenig on the screen, you might do a double take. You might have seen her before on the TV series The Flight Attendant or The Offer. But with her role in the upcoming Apple+ series Lessons in Chemistry (debuting October 13), you'll soon not just recognize the face but the name as well. Indeed, Stephanie is a star on the rise and defeating the odds of being a working actress in Hollywood (you all know how much I love it when people defy odds). But the real thing that made me ask her to be on the show: she is a Michigan native (both parents work in the automotive industry) who is earthy, self-deprecating and funny. And she doesn't have a self-important bone in her body. She's a girl's girl who I think you'll enjoy getting to know—before everyone else does.

34-year-old Anna Todd, author of the best selling fan fiction series After, shares the story of how she went from being a military wife, working a minimum wage job with a special needs son, and living in Ft. Worth, Texas to a best selling author and movie producer in Hollywood.

A heartfelt and personal discussion as Linda talks with her sister-in-law Ginge Cabrera about how she turned her pain over her mother's battle with Alzheimer's Disease into a passion for advocacy. Ginge's grandmother was struck with the disease at age 75; and then—in a cruel twist of fate—her mom years later, at the exact same age. Ginge recounts how helpless and despondent she felt at not being able to help her mother. The relief—coupled with an intense desire to make a difference—only came when she began working with her local chapter of the Alzheimer's Association to get more money for research, better laws on the books and better, more effective and accessible drugs for the estimated 6 million Americans who have the disease.

Ginge, who receive the Passion Award by the Connecticut chapter of the Association this past spring, touches on the latest pharmaceuticals that have been approved by the FDA, and offers numerous resources for families and caretakers of patients including:

*the website Alz.org

*the help line: 1-800-272-3900

In addition to raising funds, chairing events, and attending Alzheimer's Association regional conferences, Ginge has also volunteered to take part in clinical trials. Anyone interested in doing that can go here for more info.