This Changes Things

How do we pivot with intention when our pivot was not intentional? For Stacy London - who made her mark as the confident, encouraging face of reinvention on TLC's What Not To Wear - the onset of perimenopause symptoms in her late 40s coincided with a shift in professional direction that left her feeling disoriented in her body and in her life. For Stacy, transformation was supposed to be about hope, and moving forward with purpose, but these were changes that were happening to her, and she didn't know what her new purpose was supposed to be - or what she wanted it to be. Stacy started having conversations about things that happen to every woman - for the first time, despite years working across media. She realized that it only felt like a midlife crisis to her because no one talked about how it was actually normal - it just felt like a crisis because there was no positive culture around it. From there, her purpose was clear: to talk about what happens to - and for - those of us who experience menopause, and offer support for what's next. On this episode of "Your New Life Blend," host Shoshanna Hecht sits down with Stacy for a frank conversation about her own transformation; how to give ourselves the grace to see ourselves differently, with new possibilities; how to optimize for a new phase even when we wish nothing would change; and also, hormones.

Social Media:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacy-london-874700201/
https://www.instagram.com/stacylondonreal
https://www.instagram.com/shopstateof
https://www.threads.net/@stacylondonreal
https://www.tiktok.com/@stacylondonceo
https://www.pinterest.com/StacyLondon/

Book:

The Truth About Style
https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-truth-about-style-stacy-london/11652238

Pinterest TV:

Midlife Magic with Stacy London
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/633107660138393476/

Making Over Menopause with Stacy London - Canyon Ranch:

https://www.canyonranch.com/stay/events/making-over-menopause-an-immersion-retreat/


Your New Life Blend is now This Changes Things!
New episodes are out — listen here: 🎧https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/this-changes-things/id1655128000

Host:
Shoshanna Hecht https://www.shoshannahecht.com/

Producer:
Rachel Sklar https://www.linkedin.com/in/sklarra/

Audio Engineer:
Ron Passaro https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronpassaro/

Subscribe to Shoshanna's newsletter to keep up with new episodes: https://shoshannahecht.kit.com/profile

Deepti Sharma has had a busy few years. An entrepreneur who spent her career founding businesses that advocate for female, immigrant and minority communities, Deepti found her NYC catering platform suddenly upended in March 2020 by the pandemic. Pivoting on a dime, she partnered with World Central Kitchen to feed more than half a million New Yorkers, and then ran for New York City Council to address the broken systems that keep underrepresented communities on the sidelines. She didn’t win, and subsequently joined Barnard University’s Athena Center for Leadership as its first Entrepreneur in Residence to guide students on how to bring their mission driven business ideas to life. All of which is to say that for the past three years, this lifelong builder has been in rebuild mode, iterating and re-evaluating on the way to what’s next. In this episode of “Your New Life Blend,” host Shoshanna Hecht talks to Deepti about how she’s grown  comfortable projecting confidence (even when it feels uncomfortable), becoming the role model she didn’t have, and the joy of spending time with people she loves - including herself.

Your New Life Blend is now This Changes Things!
New episodes are out — listen here: 🎧https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/this-changes-things/id1655128000

Host:
Shoshanna Hecht https://www.shoshannahecht.com/

Producer:
Rachel Sklar https://www.linkedin.com/in/sklarra/

Audio Engineer:
Ron Passaro https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronpassaro/

Subscribe to Shoshanna's newsletter to keep up with new episodes: https://shoshannahecht.kit.com/profile

Morra Aarons-Mele is embracing anxiety - hers, which she is open about her struggles with, and yours, which she wants you not only to feel no shame about, but to embrace as your superpower. In her book “The Anxious Achiever” and her podcast of the same name, she explores what our anxiety might be trying to tell us and how, rather than limiting our lives, understanding and working with it can help free us. This knowledge was hard-won (of course) as Morra built her award-winning social impact agency in 2011 through its acquisition in 2021, moved with her family coast to coast and back (literally) and became a go-to voice on entrepreneurship and mental health (a LinkedIn “Top 10 Voice,” in fact). In this episode of “Your New Life Blend,” host Shoshanna Hecht talks to Morra about how she really feels about entrepreneurship, social media FOMO, and how caring for yourself mentally is a vital part of building the life you want - and deserve. 

About Morra Aarons-Mele

Website
https://morraam.com

Books

The Anxious Achiever: Turn Your Biggest Fears into Your Leadership Superpower
https://www.amazon.com/Anxious-Achiever-Biggest-Leadership-Superpower/dp/164782253X

Hiding In The Bathroom
https://www.amazon.com/Hiding-Bathroom-Introverts-Roadmap-Getting/dp/0062666088

Podcast

The Anxious Achiever
https://morraam.com/podcast

The Anxious Achiever on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/6X2TvkKZl6VjMyOT5tKx8Q

Social Media:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/morraaaronsmele
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCY2GkgkYtJT1AdULC6To03A
https://twitter.com/morraam

Morra Recommends:

Healing At Work by Susan J. Schmitt Winchester
https://healingatwork.com/

Thank you to our episode sponsor, Terawatt, world-class online coaching for everyone! 

About Terawatt:

Website
https://terawatt.co

Social Media
https://www.linkedin.com/company/terawattgroups/
https://www.instagram.com/terawattgroups/


Your New Life Blend is now This Changes Things!
New episodes are out — listen here: 🎧https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/this-changes-things/id1655128000

Host:
Shoshanna Hecht https://www.shoshannahecht.com/

Producer:
Rachel Sklar https://www.linkedin.com/in/sklarra/

Audio Engineer:
Ron Passaro https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronpassaro/

Subscribe to Shoshanna's newsletter to keep up with new episodes: https://shoshannahecht.kit.com/profile

Hitha Palepu is a multi-hyphenate's multi-hyphenate - author, pharmaceutical CEO, media entrepreneur, lifestyle influencer, investor, speaker, curator of smart reads and cool products - plus stalwart family woman as a wife, mom and co-worker in the family business. (And if you know her, you know that's just scratching the surface!) With so many priorities - and identities - in play, how does Hitha prioritize, juggle, balance and still make sure she is looking after her own health? (Especially leading up to a scheduled hysterectomy.) In this frank and thoughtful conversation, "Your New Life Blend" host Shoshanna Hecht talks to Hitha about the privilege of boundaries, planting seeds and tending them over seasons, rejecting boxes "that are meant to keep us small," and the cathartic satisfaction of seeing a woman's anger be validated on "Vanderpump Rules."

Note: This episode was recorded a few weeks prior to Hitha's hysterectomy in late June 2023, which she writes about here: 

My Hysterectomy Experience - https://only-smart-things.beehiiv.com/p/hysterectomy

Website: 

Hitha On The Go - https://www.hithaonthego.com/
5 Smart Reads - https://hitha.beehiiv.com/

Social Media: 

https://www.instagram.com/hithapalepu
https://www.facebook.com/HithaOnTheGo
https://twitter.com/HithaPalepu
http://www.pinterest.com/hithapalepu/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hithapalepu/


Your New Life Blend is now This Changes Things!
New episodes are out — listen here: 🎧https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/this-changes-things/id1655128000

Host:
Shoshanna Hecht https://www.shoshannahecht.com/

Producer:
Rachel Sklar https://www.linkedin.com/in/sklarra/

Audio Engineer:
Ron Passaro https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronpassaro/

Subscribe to Shoshanna's newsletter to keep up with new episodes: https://shoshannahecht.kit.com/profile

Amber Briggle describes herself as mostly just an unconditionally loving mom. She also happens to be one of America's most visible moms of a transgender child in the fight for trans inclusivity, equality and justice. She's also doing it in Texas, where she fights every day to keep her family safe in her home state (which she is not planning to leave).

Amber and her family were investigated by the Texas Department of Family Protective Services for child abuse in 2022 after Texas Governor Greg Abbott directed the agency to open such cases against families like theirs. Amber and her family sued the governor along with co-plaintiffs in PFLAG v. Abbott in order to permanently halt these investigations. This is the defining fight of Amber's life, and the one that gets all the headlines - but she is also a small business owner and a wife and mom of two managing everything else that comes with living a full life with all its gifts and challenges.

In this episode of "Your New Life Blend," host Shoshanna Hecht talks to Amber about how she also looks after herself, how she finds and cultivates the support her family needs, how she navigates being a public figure just for loving her kid - and how you can still build the life you want, even when the world is coming at you with all it's got.

Website: Love To The Max

Social Media:
https://twitter.com/mrsbriggle
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberbriggle
https://www.youtube.com/@amberbriggle427

GLAAD PSA: Protect Our Families


Your New Life Blend is now This Changes Things!
New episodes are out — listen here: 🎧https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/this-changes-things/id1655128000

Host:
Shoshanna Hecht https://www.shoshannahecht.com/

Producer:
Rachel Sklar https://www.linkedin.com/in/sklarra/

Audio Engineer:
Ron Passaro https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronpassaro/

Subscribe to Shoshanna's newsletter to keep up with new episodes: https://shoshannahecht.kit.com/profile

Can you thrive in spaces that were not designed for you? Can you still achieve your highest purpose when you feel like you're under water? What keeps us grounded and focused on what's waiting for us just beyond the hard part? Bea Arthur is an entrepreneur and therapist who has seen patients and colleagues struggle with these questions in her practice and in building her companies - and has also found herself wondering those very things, keenly and deeply. As a trailblazing Black woman - the first African-American female founder accepted by Y Combinator, and frequently in spaces where she is the "first" or the "lone”’- Bea has become even more aware of how important it is to prioritize mental health, and even more passionately committed to her own highest purpose: helping people live easier, happier lives. In this episode of “Your New Life Blend,” host Shoshanna Hecht talks to Bea about her on-demand therapy service, The Difference, her journey as a founder in the online therapy world (and how *that’s* been going over the past few years!), her new live comedy/therapy  show “Tribulations” hosted with the Daily Show’s Roy Wood Jr., and how she finds joy, humor, love and purpose every day living in her body in this chaotic and beautiful world.

Content warning: This episode contains discussion of suicidal ideation.

Website:

Bea Arthur Therapy
The Difference

Social media: 

https://www.instagram.com/bbarthur
https://www.linkedin.com/in/beaarthur
https://twitter.com/BeaArthurLMHC
https://twitter.com/TheDifferenceAI


Your New Life Blend is now This Changes Things!
New episodes are out — listen here: 🎧https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/this-changes-things/id1655128000

Host:
Shoshanna Hecht https://www.shoshannahecht.com/

Producer:
Rachel Sklar https://www.linkedin.com/in/sklarra/

Audio Engineer:
Ron Passaro https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronpassaro/

Subscribe to Shoshanna's newsletter to keep up with new episodes: https://shoshannahecht.kit.com/profile

Welcome to Season 2 of "Your New Life Blend," a podcast about building our lives with intention in a world that continues to shift around us all. Join executive coach and licensed clinical therapist Shoshanna Hecht for another round of illuminating conversations with exceptional women like Stacy London, Morra Aarons-Mele, Bea Arthur, Hitha Palepu, Lyz Lenz, Amber Briggle, Deepti Sharma and others about how we balance boundaries and priorities, stay true to our values and define our own version of success. With every new day comes new choices - and the chance for us to ask ourselves: What do we want our lives to look like? We hope this podcast will help you find the answer. Welcome to Your New Life Blend.

Your New Life Blend is now This Changes Things!
New episodes are out — listen here: 🎧https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/this-changes-things/id1655128000

Host:
Shoshanna Hecht https://www.shoshannahecht.com/

Producer:
Rachel Sklar https://www.linkedin.com/in/sklarra/

Audio Engineer:
Ron Passaro https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronpassaro/

Subscribe to Shoshanna's newsletter to keep up with new episodes: https://shoshannahecht.kit.com/profile

Does beauty matter? Who gets to define it, and how, and why? And what are we willing to do for it? Journalist and author Elise Hu found herself asking those questions when she moved overseas in 2015 to serve as NPR's first-ever Seoul Bureau Chief, covering important global stories like North Korea's missile launches but living as an Asian woman in South Korea in a culture that venerated - and productized - perfection. Elise found herself thinking back to her days as a teenage model growing up in Texas and examining the pressure women - and girls - are constantly under to conform to beauty norms, with a gimlet eye to considering the industry making bank on selling the goods and services that promise physical perfection. In this final episode of Season 1 of "Your New Life Blend," host Shoshanna Hecht speaks to Elise about her new upcoming book, “Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital,” and how we are mediating beauty culture in our own lives and to the next generation, the worrying creep of AI normalization around beauty standards, and whether we can still opt out of it. It is a packed final episode of the season and we are so grateful to Elise for her candid and insightful comments.

Book pages:

https://elisehu.com/flawless/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62121560-flawless

Website:

https://elisehu.com/

Social Media:

https://www.tiktok.com/@whoelise
https://twitter.com/elisewho
https://www.facebook.com/elisehunpr
https://www.instagram.com/elisewho/


Your New Life Blend is now This Changes Things!
New episodes are out — listen here: 🎧https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/this-changes-things/id1655128000

Host:
Shoshanna Hecht https://www.shoshannahecht.com/

Producer:
Rachel Sklar https://www.linkedin.com/in/sklarra/

Audio Engineer:
Ron Passaro https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronpassaro/

Subscribe to Shoshanna's newsletter to keep up with new episodes: https://shoshannahecht.kit.com/profile

What do you do when the rug is pulled out from under you? This was the collective reality in the United States in March 2020, universally felt (though unevenly experienced) and one that left individual families adrift as they tried to hammer out a semblance of a new normal. For lawyer & executive Candice Cook, it was all about learning to ride the wave - and keeping her family steady and afloat meant keeping herself steady and afloat, too. In this special live episode of "Your New Life Blend," host Shoshanna Hecht talks to Candice about how she remade her life with her husband and young son alongside a demanding career that didn't really stop, how she forced herself to find moments of intention in the home-bound togetherness, and how she made "no" her best friend because that made room to say "yes" to the things that really mattered. This episode was recorded live before an audience at SaksWorks, the membership club at Saks Fifth Avenue, in December 2021.

Your New Life Blend is now This Changes Things!
New episodes are out — listen here: 🎧https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/this-changes-things/id1655128000

Host:
Shoshanna Hecht https://www.shoshannahecht.com/

Producer:
Rachel Sklar https://www.linkedin.com/in/sklarra/

Audio Engineer:
Ron Passaro https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronpassaro/

Subscribe to Shoshanna's newsletter to keep up with new episodes: https://shoshannahecht.kit.com/profile

Susan McPherson is an author, founder, speaker and consultant, but ask anyone who knows her and they'll all come up with the same title: "connector." It was more than a little ironic, then, that her book, "The Lost Art of Connecting," was published smack in the middle of the pandemic, at the height of social distancing, masks and faces in tiny zoom boxes. (The book came out on March 30, 2021, when most of us weren't even vaccinated yet). For Susan, who loves connecting with friends, connecting those friends, and then watching those connections bear fruit (sometimes in the form of further connections!), a pandemic book launch meant missing out on in-person events with her community, but a pandemic launch for this book meant bringing it into the world at a time when it was sorely needed. The art of connecting truly felt lost in those times, and Susan found new purpose in bringing connection back through her book events - and more than a little validation that her topic was actually one of vital importance. In this episode of "Your New Life Blend," host Shoshanna Hecht talks with Susan about and how a foundation of strong connections has supported her in making brave, bold decisions in her life, and how small, simple acts of thoughtfulness can help us build stronger, more meaningful relationships in our personal and professional lives.

Your New Life Blend is now This Changes Things!
New episodes are out — listen here: 🎧https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/this-changes-things/id1655128000

Host:
Shoshanna Hecht https://www.shoshannahecht.com/

Producer:
Rachel Sklar https://www.linkedin.com/in/sklarra/

Audio Engineer:
Ron Passaro https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronpassaro/

Subscribe to Shoshanna's newsletter to keep up with new episodes: https://shoshannahecht.kit.com/profile