Share
Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books™️
Lisa Niver, BRAVE-ISH: One Breakup, Six Continents, and Feeling Fearless After Fifty
Season 19, Ep. 2
•
Zibby hosts Lisa Niver to discuss Lisa's book, BRAVE-ISH: ONE BREAKUP, SIX CONTINENTS, AND FEELING FEARLESS AFTER FIFTY. The conversation delves into Lisa's transformative journey post-divorce, including her adventures across continents, overcoming physical challenges, and gaining a deeper self-understanding. They also touch on the importance of a supportive community, embracing change, and Lisa's insights for aspiring writers. Towards the end, they share light-hearted exchanges about their personal mottos and how they keep themselves motivated to embrace new experiences.
Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3ugfnfo
Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!
** Want more? Become a part of my community! Sign up for Zibby's Highlights, which includes a free weekly newsletter, event livestreams, most anticipated book lists, personal essays, and a new essay platform with stories from all of you about what chapters you're in (inspired by my upcoming book Between Chapters: How I Started Over, Took Some Chances, and Found the Plot, 9/22/26). And follow me on Instagram @zibbyowens. But really, keep listening here. If you love my show, please tell a friend!
More episodes
View all episodes
7. Dr. Lucy Kalanithi, WHEN BREATH BECOMES AIR (10th Anniversary)
26:54||Season 27, Ep. 7I reread (and listened to) one of my favorite books, When Breath Becomes Air, before speaking to late author Dr. Paul Kalanithi’s widow, Lucy. The book was as moving, thought-provoking, and immersive now as it was when I first inhaled it. It’s no surprise that the book spent 68 weeks on the New York Times nonfiction list and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Dr. Paul Kalinithi was obsessed with life and death, philosophy, literature, and science, delving deep into the why of it all, before falling terminally ill with cancer himself, dying at age 37. He left his book, for which Lucy wrote the epilogue and Abraham Verghese wrote the foreword, but he also left his family. I spoke to Lucy about life after Paul, how she toured on his behalf, her relationships and career post-loss, and her daughter. The world lost such a brilliant, special soul. This book is a must-read.
6. Catherine Ostler, THE RENOIR GIRLS: A Hidden History of Art, War & Betrayal
23:41||Season 27, Ep. 6The newly minted New York Times bestseller The Renoir Girls by Brit Catherine Ostler tells a hidden story of what really happened to the young girls in Renoir’s famous portraits. As it turns out, they were victims of the Holocaust. How could these high-society children have ended up suffering, one even at Auschwitz? The story digs into government, politics, hatred, antisemitism, art, family, wealth, and class. I adored speaking to Catherine, one of the brightest people I’ve interviewed, and had the pleasure of meeting her in person afterward on the day her book hit “the list.” Huge thanks to Plum Sykes for the introduction.
5. Soon Wiley, CECE DOWNING'S START OVER SUMMER: A Novel
14:50||Season 27, Ep. 5We can’t all completely start our lives over again. But Cece Downing, down on her luck, tries to do just that. An intriguing neighbor catches her attention. Antics ensue. Soon Wiley captures the interior life of a woman’s mind with brilliance (how does he do it?!) and depicts a turning point with literary prowess. We spoke about his upcoming move, his stage of life, the inspiration for the book, and more.
4. Sarah Vaughan, BASED ON A TRUE STORY: A Novel
21:47||Season 27, Ep. 4I spoke to Sarah Vaughan about her riveting new novel, Based on a True Story (think: cliffside manor, a matriarch at her 70th birthday party, a secret, a threat). Her prior novel Anatomy of a Scandal was made into a Netflix show in 2022. But Sarah opened up about far more than the book. For the real true story, listen in.
3. Dr. Elisa Port, THE BREAST ADVICE: All You Need to Know About Breast Health, Screening, and Treatment
22:43||Season 27, Ep. 3Dr. Elisa Port, chief of breast surgery at Mount Sinai and one of the nation's leading breast cancer specialists, joins Zibby to discuss her compassionate new guide, The Breast Advice. Drawing on decades of clinical experience and the stories of real patients, Dr. Port shares the latest advances in breast cancer screening and treatment, dispels common myths, offers practical advice for reducing risk, and explains how friends and loved ones can provide meaningful support. Tune in!
2. Kate Doerge and Sara Bliss, REIMAGINING GRIEF: A New Path to Finding Healing, Strength, and Joy after Loss
30:35||Season 27, Ep. 2Kate Doerge is a FORCE. When her daughter Penny passed away, Kate channeled her overwhelming grief into community building, giving back, and even her much-needed workouts. She opened up her home, even when Penny was dying, for all her teenage friends and family friends, to be a part of it. And that's when they saw the angel light in the driveway. Written in collaboration with past podcast guest Sara Bliss, Reimagining Grief is the guide book, clarion call, and bible to living with pain and forging ahead. Kate founded Penny's Flight in honor of Penny to help others. We were honored to host Kate at Zibby's Bookshop in conversation with Jennifer Levi, who launched the Live Like Braun Foundation, in honor of her late son, just before the book hit the USA Today bestseller list. You can watch that conversation on our Substack here.
1. Elizabeth Jannuzzi, SOBER MOM: A Memoir
23:26||Season 27, Ep. 1Elizabeth Jannuzzi and I spoke about her journey from being a high-functioning alcoholic who managed to hide her addiction from her family to a "sober mom." Liz shares her most shameful moments, the affair that almost blew up her marriage, and how she turned her life around.
100. Justin Halpern, GET LOST
21:04||Season 26, Ep. 100I’ve been a fan of Justin Halpern’s for years and have read all his hilarious, heartbreaking, original stories. His debut novel Get Lost is a new take on some themes he’s been writing about all along. And it’s funny! We talked about his screenwriting and how an encounter with Quinta Brunson on a studio lot changed everything. You can also watch his hilarious event at Zibby's Bookshop here!!
99. Michael Cunningham, UNSAYABLE: A Life in Writing
23:42||Season 26, Ep. 99Well, he said it. Prize-winning author Michael Cunningham opens up about his formative relationships as he teaches the reader what great writing looks like. I read his unforgettable novel The Hours for a now-defunct book club years ago. I couldn’t wait to discuss! A professor, Michael shares in the book and on the podcast, what his secrets are. By including sample paragraphs throughout, we pick up his vast knowledge. He then intersperses his own story including a chapter that . . . you never would have guessed. Loved this conversation!