Author, playwright, performer, and TEDx speaker Susan Lieu joins us to talk about her tell-all book, “The Manicurist’s Daughter,” along with her one-woman theatrical show, 140 Pounds: How Beauty Killed My Mother, which has been on a 10-city sold out national tour.

About Susan: Her family are refugees from the Vietnam War, escaping to California in the 1980s after five failed attempts. Her mother successfully opened two nail salons, and life seemed to be going just fine, until one day when Susan was 11. Her mother died suddenly from a botched tummy tuck, with little mention of the incident even at her funeral.

So, for the next twenty years, Susan looked for answers about what happened, and also why her mother felt the need to change her body. Did she struggle with body image issues? Was it pressure? Susan finally uncovered some disturbing facts, and which we will talk with her about, as well as the impossible ideal of beauty.

Please join me in conversation with Susan Lieu about grief, trauma, and determination to get to the truth. And invite your friends, too. Our show, #DeborahKobyltLIVE is available on all video and audio podcast platforms. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and thanks for joining us.