Totally Booked: LIVE! In this special episode of the podcast (in-person at the Whitby Hotel with a live audience!), Zibby interviews entrepreneur, 2x CEO, author, and single mom Amanda Goetz about TOXIC GRIT: How to Have it All and (Actually) Love What You Have. Amanda opens up about building a high-powered career while raising three kids, navigating divorce, and redefining what it means to “have it all.” She introduces her concept of “character theory,” encouraging women to embrace the many parts of themselves—career-driven, maternal, fun, sensual—and to eliminate guilt by living with intention. She also explains “toxic grit” as hustle without purpose and explains how to create balance over a lifetime rather than in a single day.

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** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode.

(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact [email protected].)

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Totally Booked: LIVE! In this special episode of the podcast (in-person at the Whitby Hotel with a live audience!), Zibby interviews journalist Lili Anolik about her vivid, engrossing, and outrageously provocative dual biography, DIDION & BABITZ. Lili describes the obsessive hunt that led her to Babitz, and then delves into the complex friendship between Babitz and Didion, the trove of unseen letters that changed everything, and the surprising love story that shaped Didion’s life and work. Lili also talks about her compulsive curiosity, her unconventional research methods, and what it really means to write about obsession.

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Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!

** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode.

(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact [email protected].)

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Zibby talks with Emmy Award–winning journalist Bianna Golodryga and Israeli news anchor Yonit Levi about their middle-grade novel DON’T FEED THE LION. The book follows three young teens as they confront antisemitism in their school and community, inspired by the authors’ own experiences as mothers navigating rising hate after October 7. Bianna and Yonit share how the story grew from personal conversations into a poignant resource for families, discuss the challenges of helping children understand prejudice, and reflect on balancing their high-profile journalism careers with motherhood and activism.

Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3KFyUyy

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!

** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode.

(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact [email protected].)

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Zibby interviews author and speaker Jennifer Butler about her honest and moving memoir, MOM, REDISCOVERED: My Midlife Breakup with Drinking and Diet Culture. Jen opens up about her journey from “wine mom” to mid-life unraveling to self-acceptance and self-compassion, sharing how she broke free from gray-area drinking, diet culture, and the pressure to be the perfect mom. She and Zibby also reflect on their own friendship and the full-circle moment that brought them together, from a Totally Booked event to publication.

Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3Y71AUe

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!

** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode.

(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact [email protected].)

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In this special episode of the podcast (recorded live at Zibby’s Petite Retreat in Greenwich), Zibby interviews bestselling debut author Heather Aimee O’Neill about her achingly poignant and gripping novel, THE IRISH GOODBYE (which was a Read With Jenna book club pick!). Zibby and Heather discuss the novel’s exploration of sisterhood, grief, and forgiveness as three women return home to confront their brother’s death and the secrets that have haunted them for years. Heather opens up about her family’s connection to 9/11, how that experience shaped her understanding of loss, and the power of compassion and humor in healing.

Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/48JXVRo

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!

** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode.

(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact [email protected].)

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Nigerian-American travel writer, speaker, photographer, and bestselling author Lọlá Ákínmádé Åkerström joins Zibby to discuss BITTER HONEY, a radiant, deliciously addictive family drama about a mother and daughter divided by long-buried secrets, struggling to understand each other as they forge their own paths. Lola reveals how navigating her own divorce informed the emotional depth of the book, and then delves into the story’s themes of generational trauma, fame, secrets, and addiction.

Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3MIMS3a

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!

** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode.

(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact [email protected].)

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Totally Booked: LIVE! In this special episode of the podcast (in-person at the Whitby Hotel with a live audience!), Zibby interviews Rabbi Angela Buchdahl (Senior Rabbi of Central Synagogue and the first Asian American rabbi) about her astonishingly beautiful, searing new memoir (and an instant New York Times bestseller), HEART OF A STRANGER: An Unlikely Rabbi’s Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging. Rabbi Buchdahl shares her extraordinary journey, from Seoul to New York City, weaving together personal stories, Jewish wisdom, and lessons on belonging, grief, empathy, and resilience. She even sings for the audience, which you don’t want to miss!

Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/48lw5f5

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!

** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode.

(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact [email protected].)

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Zibby welcomes former Dance Moms star Nia Sioux to the podcast to discuss her powerful new memoir, BOTTOM OF THE PYRAMID: A Memoir of Persevering, Dancing for Myself, and Starring in My Own Life. Joined by a few young fans (Zibby’s kids!), Nia answers heartfelt questions about growing up on reality TV, dealing with pressure and criticism, and learning to stay true to herself. She also opens up about stage fright, friendship, sibling dynamics, and managing her chronic pain disorder.

Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3MlxVUG

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!

** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode.

(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact [email protected].)

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Zibby Publishing alert! Bestselling Israeli author Lihi Lapid chats with Zibby about I WANTED TO BE WONDERFUL, her gut-wrenching, lyrical, and sharply observed novel about marriage, motherhood, sacrifice, and self-discovery. Originally published in Israel as Woman of Valor, the novel intertwines fiction and memoir, portraying both a woman’s inner life and the complexities of family, love, and identity. Lihi shares the real-life inspiration behind the book, including her journey as a mother to a daughter with autism, her experience as the wife of a public figure, and the struggle to reclaim her own creative voice.

Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/4rzqxVP

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!

** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode.

(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact [email protected].)

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Pastor Shawn Johnson joins Zibby to discuss his powerful new book, KISS THE FIRE: 7 Ways to get Back Up When You Want to Give Up. Shawn opens up about his diagnosis with an incurable brain disease, his lifelong struggles with anxiety and depression, and how faith and vulnerability helped him find purpose in pain. He and Zibby also discuss how vulnerability creates connection, why sharing our struggles can be freeing, and how even in life’s darkest moments, hope and purpose can emerge.

Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3XCtW8E

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!

** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode.

(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact [email protected].)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.