Ep 56 - Grace Liang: From “Ugly Duckling” to Cult Hit Fashion Blogger—and Cover Girl

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.

There’s a little question being tossed around among my girlfriends right now: are you going to stick to injectables? Or—at some point—do you think you’ll consider a a facelift? The consensus seems to be: why go under the knife, when you can achieve the same results with injectables?

But can you really? And from a cost standpoint, does a facelift—particularly the popular lower aka mini-facelift—make more sense? In this episode, I interview Dr. Carolyn Chang to shed some light on the comparison. 

Dr. Chang is a board-certified plastic surgeon practicing in San Francisco. Her areas of expertise include the natural SMAS facelift and preventative facial surgery for the younger patient. She also specializes in breast surgery and body contouring and currently performs one of the largest volumes in the area of: post-pregnancy rejuvenation, short scar breast lifts and reductions, as well as breast augmentation.

For more go to drcarolynchang.com

A deep dive into that strange phenomenon known as fight-or-flight—when you have all the physical signs of stress and anxiety but are in no immediate danger. Research has shown that repeatedly having the fight-or-flight response is bad for your health. In this episode, Dr. Kim D’Eramo, founder of The American Institute of Mind Body Medicine, breaks down the how and why—and offers some concrete advice for controlling it. 

Dr. D’Eramo is a physician and author of The Mind Body Tool Kit. At The American Institute of Mind Body Medicine she assists individuals and practitioners all over the world to resolve illnesses and achieve optimal health.

Award-winning writer and science journalist Donna Jackson Nakazawa shares what she has discovered in her new book: Girls On The Brink: Helping Our Daughters Thrive in an Era of Increased Anxiety, Depression and Social Media. Armed with an extensive amount of research, Donna examines the alarming increase in numbers (1 out of 4 adolescent girls reports suffering from symptoms of major depression; suicide attempts have recently increased 51% among girls) and the reasons that account for the rise. She also shares some well supported suggestions and counsel for parents with a child who is suffering.

The grit and resilience-filled comeback story of Geralyn Ritter who was critically hurt in a 2015 Amtrak train accident that killed 8 people and injured more than one hundred others. At the time, the mother of three was a senior VP at the pharmaceutical company Merck & Company—an A-type essentially— used to moving fast and getting things done. Here she shares with Linda her journey over the past 7 years, including how she has kept her chin up through an emotionally challenging time at a residential rehab center and endured more than 30 surgeries. She also talks about how tapping her "spiritual side" helped her cope with pain and despair. Plus, the life lessons she has learned and how they have inspired her to change her life—everything from how she now deals with her girlfriends and her kids—and why she accepted a position at a new company.

Geralyn is the executive VP at Organon & Co., a Fortune 500 healthcare company aimed at women and the author of Bone by Bone: A Memoir of Trauma and Healing.

Journalist Rina Raphael puts the four trillion dollar wellness industry under the microscope with her new book The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop….and the False Promise of Self-Care. From charcoal-infused cheddar cheese to crystal-infused water to multi-week cleanses, Rina explains why we fall for products lacking substantive scientific evidence supporting claims; how and why seductive marketing specifically targets women–and how our longing for human connection has us opening up our wallets like never before.

Gina Schaefer shares the story of how she went from working in software tech to founding a successful chain of Ace hardware stores in the DC metropolitan area, and why she started hiring recovering drug addicts as employees. Not only have they turned out to be some of the best employees she’s had in the nearly 20 years she’s been in business, Gina says she’s learned invaluable lessons from them about how to be a great leader.

Gina is the youngest female (and only the 3rd female in 90 years) to sit on the Ace Hardware Corporation board. Covered in this episode: how to trust your instinct when you are the lone voice in the room and how to overcome hurdles and succeed in a male-dominated industry.

Gina is the author of Recovery Hardware: A Nuts and Bolts Story About Building a Business, Restoring a Community and Renovating Lives, released in September 2022.  

More at ginaschaefer.com.

Charmaine DeGraté, co-executive producer and writer on HBO’s  Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon talks with Linda about working on the hit series, her amazing career trajectory and her philosophy of being truthful about what you know and what you don't when taking a new job (she's not a believer in faking it until you make it). The Texas native also shares about some of her other TV projects including working on the upcoming Reese Witherspoon series Daisy Jones & The Six for Amazon and the critically acclaimed sci-fi show The 100 on Netflix.