Finding Me Again, True Story!

Natasha (00:00:00) - What if it works? Risking saying out loud what you want in life to the universe and waiting for the answers and being able to pivot when the answers come and they're not what you want them to be. And how do you like? Or maybe they are what you need them to be.

Sarah (00:00:17) - Hey peeps, welcome to the Flexible Neurotic Podcast. I'm your host, doctor Sarah Millican. Yeah, you heard that right. I'm a real PhD doctor. Long, long ago, like last fucking year, I was sitting in the midlife funk wondering, was this it for me? That day, I realized I needed to get off my ass and start my midlife remix. I dusted off my PhD, wiped the menopause sweat off my forehead, grabbed my golden shit shovel, and started digging deep to all my midlife bitches. It's not just luck, coffee, and hormones that get you through your midlife remix. It's action steps. Let's do this. Hi, I'm Doctor Sarah Malkin, the flexible neurotic. And this is the Flexible neurotic podcast The Midlife Self Reinvention Podcast, where we celebrate all the Uggs and fabulosity of midlife.

Sarah (00:01:15) - I've such a fun and relatable guests today. She's a mother, a Los Angeles real estate agent, writer, and now bestselling author. She knows exactly what it means to have the midlife itches, and her midlife journey is quite spectacular. I know that so many of you listeners are going to be like, oh my God, that sounds amazing. She has a new paper book version of her book out called All Signs Point to Paris a memoir of love, loss, and Destiny that tells the story of post-divorce midlife self reinvention, self-responsibility, and finding yourself in midlife and love. Maybe her name is Natasha Sisley. I can't wait for you to get inside this chat, she reminds us all that when you think your story is over, it's likely just the beginning. Oh, and when she isn't writing, parenting or midlife in Paris, she works at the agency. Yes, this is the real estate firm from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Million Dollar Listing and Buying Beverly Hills. And you can see Natasha on some of those episodes.

Sarah (00:02:25) - So fun. I mean, come on, she's multifaceted. She's my new BFF, and I can't wait for you guys to hear her story. Today we're talking about all the midlife magic, passion, self-love, and midlife self reinvention while parenting teens. P.S. I want you guys to know that we filmed this episode in person at a studio for my podcast, so you can also watch this entire episode on YouTube. Yep, forcing myself to try new things like I always talk about in my midlife. Yeah, it's a little uncomfortable to be filmed with bright lights, and I'm always fucking sweating. As you know, scared and doing it. Anyway, I want you guys to meet Natasha Silo. Here we go. Hey, peeps, welcome back to the Flexible Neurotic Podcast. I'm doctor Sarah Millican, and this is the Flexible Neurotic. Today I have a very cool guest. You know, like those people you just want to, like, have lunch with and shoot the shit. This is that person. I met her at a party a few weeks ago and we were like, oh my God, can we be best friends? I have so many best friends from this podcast.

Sarah (00:03:32) - She is a bestselling author and we're going to talk about today is the actual book launch day for her paperback book. It's called All Signs Point to Paris. She's also part of the agency here in Beverly Hills. I'm sure you have seen her drinking champagne on buying Beverly Hills. We have so much to talk about. We're going to talk about her book, how her psychic reading took her to Paris to find her soulmate, and so many things that midlife women kind of come across along the journey of midlife. I want you to meet Natasha. This is low.

Natasha (00:04:12) - Hi. Hi. Hi. How are you? I'm good. I'm really good.

Sarah (00:04:17) - You're really good.

Natasha (00:04:18) - Well, we both got two.

Sarah (00:04:19) - We got bathroom runs in.

Natasha (00:04:21) - Yeah, we.

Sarah (00:04:22) - Did our flyaways. We got our water, midlife prepped deodorant. I couldn't even find my regular deodorant, though. I had to use the organic one, so I'm sure I will be wetter than more wet than usual. So we're just gonna take a deep breath, because I think we're both, like, a little huffing and puffing from the escalator.

Natasha (00:04:40) - ? Go for it.

Sarah (00:04:41) - I want everyone to hear your fantastic story, because it's sort of like 50 Shades of Natasha, and I.

Natasha (00:04:52) - Fucking.

Sarah (00:04:53) - Loved your book. I didn't even put it down. And I know everyone says that they're like one sitting, one read. I was like crying, I was laughing, my husband's like, what's wrong with you? So many things. But I think that although not everyone can relate to finding a soulmate in Paris or going on that journey, I think so many of us can relate to all the components of the midlife journey that you talk about love, loss, grief, joy, finding joy again, divorce, modern families, all of it. So I want you to start by telling us what year it was and what was going on in your life before you became bestselling author. And I do want to mention that you were a magazine writer. Yes. In your previous life. So you do have a writing background?

Natasha (00:05:43) - I do. Yes. I was a magazine and thank you for having me.

Natasha (00:05:47) - Oh my God. And I just love you and love being here., so yeah, I was a writer in my 20s and I gave it up after I was a magazine writer and editor. My magazine folded. Life was hard. I wanted to be the perfect mother or the perfect wife. And so that was a career that I had many, many years ago., in 2018, I was not having the best year of my life. I was 44. I had just weathered a really disastrous divorce. I know a lot of them are,, mine was the kind where you. I short sold my house. I mean, everything blew up with my ex and I. And my dog died. I was living in a shoebox apartment. My company dissolved. I had, like, a little fashion brand that I was, like, trying so hard to keep going. Filed bankruptcy, like, all of it. Like boom, boom, boom. The hits kept coming. I thought I had found, like, my second chance at love, and I was kind of madly in love with this post-divorce romance that also just blew up.

Natasha (00:06:48) - This French man.

Sarah (00:06:50) - French man. Philip lives in.

Natasha (00:06:52) - Venice. I mean, it.

Sarah (00:06:54) - Is like pretty hot and.

Natasha (00:06:55) - Fabulous. Yeah, it was pretty hot and fabulous until it wasn't. Yeah., and my heart was kind of broken by that because I thought I just, I was just beaten down by all the knocks in life. And then I found out my father, who was my rock,, had a terminal illness, and it was just the hits kept coming. And. And you have two kids and have two kids. Yeah. So I was kind of single parenting.. Gosh. Well, that was, you know. Our middle schoolers. Yeah. You know, and I was just trying a girl and a boy. And I had to launch my new career like, yeah. Oh, my gosh, it's a lot. The girls, the girls. Yeah. Yeah, it's a lot. Love them.

Sarah (00:07:34) - Love them. Smart. Badass.

Natasha (00:07:36) - Expensive. Expensive. Expensive. Yeah.

Natasha (00:07:39) - It's a lot, you know.

Sarah (00:07:40) - $17 match.

Natasha (00:07:41) - For school. Oh my God. Yeah, yeah. So,, so, yeah, I was having a really, really tough year and a tough day. And my best friend, who is one of those woowoo out there kind of people, but I love her to my core. I got to have one. Yeah, but she would always be doing these things that I thought were so, you know, psychics and astrologers and like, I don't even know what you're talking about. Your chakras and your akashic and your crystals and your Reiki. And I was like, oh, Nicole, not another one of your things. And she was just wanted to gift me an astrology reading for my birthday to try to, like, lift my spirits. And normally I would have said no,, but I had decided, like, I got to start saying yes. And so I said yes to this astrology reading. And it completely changed my life. Like, completely changed my mind.

Natasha (00:08:30) - I can't wait.

Sarah (00:08:30) - For everyone to hear this. It's amazing. So you see the astrologer?

Natasha (00:08:34) - Yeah, yeah. And the first thing I said to her was, you know, I don't really believe in astrology. And she said, that's okay, you don't have to. And I thought, what kind of trick is this like that? You're not making me try to believe in you. And and she went through and just kind of broke down my chart and everything became very. I don't know things that I never thought would resonate or sound like a true to my life story did, and she just knew things that defied explanation. And I came from this background of like, my father was Mr. Science and Logic and MIT and facts and everything. And all of a sudden I'm talking to this woman who seems to know me better than she knew things about my life, like when I was five and I almost drowned. Wouldn't you know that I used to be a writer, which I don't? I didn't talk about to anybody because I gave it up.

Natasha (00:09:23) - And,. And so by the end of the reading, I mean, I went from a full on cynic to a full on believer in 45 minutes. And by the end of the reading, she said to me, you know, do you have any more questions than I said, well, can you just look up this like, guy that I just can't get over? But I know he's not the one, but I just had a hard time. My heart just wouldn't let go of him. Philippe French guy just.

Sarah (00:09:44) - Wanted that.

Natasha (00:09:44) - Closure. Yeah, I didn't know what I wanted, but I. Yeah, we wanted closure. What a silly thing to want for it. But. Yeah, but,. Yeah, I just wanted to make sense of it. And so she looked up, you know, she said, what's his birthday? Well, first I gave her the wrong birthday because I'm really bad with birthdays. So if I ever missed you, I'm sorry.

Sarah (00:10:01) - I say to my husband, I'm like, is it your birthday today? I'm the worst birthday person ever.

Natasha (00:10:05) - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So finally, when I got it right, I learned that he was in line with my point of destiny, which,, I have now learned is something different than I thought at that time. And then my sister called me and said, you know, dad's dying. He wants to take a family meeting. And my father was trying to decide what he wanted to do in the last two weeks of his life. And. So I just had this, like, real, like, breakdown, ugly crying in the shower, all that kind of stereotypical thing. And,, and, and then I had this light bulb of a moment where it was like, wait a minute, he's not the only guy who was born on November 2nd, 1968, in Paris. So I texted my best friend, I'm like, I just have to find every other one, every other man.

Sarah (00:10:48) - Go back in the story for a second. So you're with the psychic and did she say to you November 2nd, 1968? No.

Natasha (00:10:56) - I said to her, can you look up his birth chart? Like, why was he the one? Okay. You know, and she said, he's in line with your point of destiny. So she didn't say, I feel bad now because she's like, well, I didn't know you were going to do this adventure. Everyone's like, you're. But she was wrong. I'm like, no, no, no, no, no, this is on me. Yeah. She didn't send me off on this thing. It was on me., she said he was in line with my point of destiny, and I believe he very much was, because I think my point of destiny was to find my.

Sarah (00:11:24) - Point of destiny.

Natasha (00:11:25) - Then the point of destiny is where your higher self takes you on. It's not destiny in something that's like a given. It's earned. So it's where your highest and best self kind of supports your humanness.

Sarah (00:11:39) - So is it like a destination or it's something to journey to do?

Natasha (00:11:42) - It's okay.

Natasha (00:11:43) - That's as as I understand it. And I cannot tell you anything about astrology because I'm not an astrologer and I've learned a lot about it, but I certainly don't know anything, really.. It's like a it's like an earned destination, if that makes any sense. So.

Sarah (00:11:57) - So in your mind, you felt like Felipe was within reason of point of destiny, but not the right person. So you wanted to find every other Frenchman who was born on November 2nd, 1968?

Natasha (00:12:10) - Yeah. Duh duh. Fuck you, universe, I got you, I was.

Sarah (00:12:16) - Fucking I figured this shit out.

Natasha (00:12:18) - Yeah. I was like, wait a minute. You can't tell me that there's another. There's another story to be told here. Oh, my God. It was like dad's dying, your dog died.

Sarah (00:12:29) - And you're like, oh, and by.

Natasha (00:12:30) - The way, I have.

Sarah (00:12:31) - I'm planning this point of Destiny.

Natasha (00:12:34) - Trip. Well, at first it was like this kind of absurd thing, and my best friend was like, yeah, we're going to go to fucking Paris and then trip.

Natasha (00:12:41) - Yeah. And I was like, okay, great. And then I my and then I had to go see my dad who was not I mean, he was suffering from this disease called pulmonary fibrosis, which is not an easy way to go. And he was trying to decide whether he was going to do something,, called Aidan dying or some people call it assisted suicide or, you know, he was totally lucid. Oh, my dad, he is such.

Sarah (00:13:01) - A gift for you because you could actually communicate with him at the end.

Natasha (00:13:05) - Yes, yes. He was so sharp and so smart and so logical and so aware and so present. And we took this family meeting and he was like, I don't know how I want to go. I think I might want to listen to this song while I was going. My sister and I are like, what's, what's the song? And he's like, It's Bette Midler. And I was like, But dad never listened to Bette Midler, like, what's happening? And so we're hitting this like, family meeting, and my mom can't handle it because my parents were married 56 years and he really was this rock.

Natasha (00:13:33) - And he starts crying because he's having to say goodbye to my mother, who he promised he would never leave like she was. Just came from Scotland. He would die.

Sarah (00:13:44) - First or.

Natasha (00:13:45) - Whatever. Yeah, yeah. And so he's crying and there's like, you know, oxygen and like morphine and it's like really, really scary. And my sister turns to me, she's like, well, first we told him, like, we, you've been the best father ever, you know, best husband, best friend, best mentor, best everything. Promise will take care of mom forever. You're going to be okay., and then my sister is like, do or say something to lighten the mood. It was just so heavy, like, no pressure. And so I was like. Dad. I met an astrologer and my father was like. You just saw his eyes. He was just looking at me, these big blue eyes. And I said, I think I'm going to go to Paris to track down my soul mate.

Natasha (00:14:26) - And I told him this whole story, and I was like, did you know astrologers have assistants and and this and that? I'm telling this whole world. And he's silent. He's missed her mitt. He didn't want a priest. Nothing. No spirituality, no funeral. My father was, like, not into anything except for, like, just what you could see, so I thought. And we go through this whole thing. And I told them the whole thing about going to go to Paris, I'm going to meet every other man, because Philippe can't be the one. Right? And my sister is like, I'm not sure if that's what I meant when I said, like, in the mood. Like we're all kind of worried. How's Bob gonna take all the time to have a heart attack? He's going to die thinking I'm, like, totally lost my mind. And he was really quiet. And and then he said, sounds like you're going to Paris. I'll meet you there. Oh, I know, I know.

Natasha (00:15:15) - And that was really the last conversation I had with him. And then we had like a dance off and we started, you know, celebrated. And it was like we started talking about all the crazy things that we've done for love in our lifetime. And he was telling me about the crazy things he did when he was meeting my mom, and my sister talked about it. My sister said, you know, so we made this pact to go to Paris, all three of us after he died. And I didn't think it was going to be this thing. You know, I was just saying it in the moment because it was beautiful, and I didn't even realize it was going to be the last conversation I had with my dad. And then. He died and I collapsed. It was awful. Like I had never. I mean, I'm so lucky that I haven't ever been through that experience and had to grieve like that. But it really floored me and it really floored my sister. I mean, in a way that.

Natasha (00:16:06) - I didn't know what's possible and I couldn't get up. And then finally, I don't know, I just heard kind of a voice. It was like, you got to get up. You got to take care of those two kids., and, and so I, I told my sister, I'm going to do this. She's like, I'm sorry. Do what? I'm like, I'm going to track down every person I can find. Born in Paris on November 2nd, 1968. We're going to go to Paris. My best friend was like, I'm in. I didn't tell anybody at first. Psychotic break. Apparently I was having a break and I was like, is it a breakdown? Is it a break through? I just didn't care, and I spent let's also.

Sarah (00:16:41) - Remind everyone, like, you don't have a lot of money. You don't have any money.

Natasha (00:16:45) - Oh no no no no no. I was like struggling. And I'm doing real estate on the side. I don't want anyone to know.

Natasha (00:16:50) - Like a plane.

Sarah (00:16:51) - Ticket to Paris and a hotel and whatever. Like that's not part of your budget.

Natasha (00:16:56) - No.

Sarah (00:16:57) - And you're like you said, you're a real estate agent selling houses that are a bazillion dollars, and you're living in this little tiny apartment, kind of faking it to make it. Yeah. And.

Natasha (00:17:08) - Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's a lot. Yeah, a lot of hats.

Sarah (00:17:11) - A lot.

Natasha (00:17:11) - Of stuff. Yeah, yeah. And I think I got kind of tired of faking it at some point. And so I was like, you know what? I'm just going to do this and I don't care what anyone thinks. And I started Instagram like like like following my journey on Instagram at first just because, listen, I thought you could just Google it. I thought this journey was going to be very simple. I thought I'd go onto Facebook because there's no privacy and I just be like, everybody that's born on this. Where are you? Where are.

Sarah (00:17:38) - You feeding to.

Natasha (00:17:39) - DMU? Are you single? Are you straight or are you, you know? No. It doesn't work like that. So I was like,, well, how should I do it? Registry I tried something, yeah, yeah, yeah. I was like, put your logic. Google translating French.

Sarah (00:17:53) - Elvis. Yeah.

Natasha (00:17:53) - It's like going to the different mores and I'm like, where is the civil this, that. And then I was like, that didn't work. Okay, maybe Instagram targeted advertising. So I started doing like I would like send like.

Sarah (00:18:04) - Did you start an Instagram account just for this?

Natasha (00:18:07) - Yes. So I started so I had my then it was zero to novembre 1968. I've changed it to just my name.

Sarah (00:18:14) - Yeah yeah, yeah. But but how did you like get followers. Like how did people.

Natasha (00:18:19) - Okay. So you know this daughter thing we're talking about. Oh my God, it was so embarrassing. So at first I was just like my girlfriends and my best friends are like.

Natasha (00:18:28) - Oh my God. Natasha, are you okay?

Sarah (00:18:30) - Like.

Natasha (00:18:31) - I was like, I'm fine. I got this. Like, I've totally figured out the world, you know? And everyone's like, is she okay? Like, she's like losing it a little bit. But, you know, my friends are so nice for, like, yeah, we support you. And so first it was just kind of fun, right. But I didn't realize like when you create an Instagram, if it's still from the same email that you have, then it's going to. So all of a sudden everybody that I know is getting suggested to follow this.

Sarah (00:18:58) - Oh, interesting.

Natasha (00:18:59) - Eventually, including Philippe. Mr.. Zero 2nd November 1968. That was a journey from Venice.

Sarah (00:19:05) - Yeah. Doubt about it. Yeah. He's like, she's really cracked.

Natasha (00:19:10) - Yeah, yeah, yeah. He was a little concerned about that one., and then it became like this whole thing. At first I was like so embarrassed, like like Mauricio Umansky, Billy Rose, all these agency people, they're gonna be like, you gotta leave the agency, like, this is too much.

Natasha (00:19:24) - But actually. And this is what I love about the agency, they were like, oh, okay, you're doing something weird and out there and your risk taking go to Paris, like, go, go find this.

Sarah (00:19:36) - And they cool this, like.

Natasha (00:19:38) - Thing behind me. And and then all of a sudden they'd be like, I don't know, like random like Busy Philipps all of a sudden is following me. I'm like, well, that's sweet and weird and fun. And then like, Girl in Paris is like, can I put up posters for you?

Sarah (00:19:52) - Like, like Emily in Paris? You were like, midlife or in Paris, she's a.

Natasha (00:19:58) - Less.

Sarah (00:20:00) - .

Natasha (00:20:00) - Cultivated.

Sarah (00:20:01) - Or.

Natasha (00:20:02) - A little.

Sarah (00:20:02) - Messier. Messy and.

Natasha (00:20:04) - Messier. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but that's kind of what it became. And so I just kind of. I didn't care. And I was like, I made T-shirts and business cards and posters, and I went on the radio, and I.

Sarah (00:20:15) - Helped you kind of, oh, no, no no no no no no no no, Margaux, I just told you about the Instagram.

Natasha (00:20:19) - My daughter. No no, no, she she was like, wait, what did you do? She's like, is this your crazy thing? Did you not know that people would find out? She's like, do not tag me in anything. Do not mention me in anything. Do not.

Sarah (00:20:30) - Well, my daughter is like, okay, midlife vagina talk. Really? Yeah. I mean, I don't know what's worse. My mom's looking for some hottie soul mate in Paris, or my mom's talking about her midlife vagina. It's like it's kind of a toss up. Actually, I'm not sure.

Natasha (00:20:46) - I'm sure they could sit down and have some pretty fun conversations together. Gosh. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So she was, you know, totally, absolutely horrified that I was doing this., did your.

Sarah (00:20:58) - Ex-husband think you were crazy?

Natasha (00:21:00) - You know what? That's,, my ex-husband. I was so afraid to tell him. His first response was, I went over to the house, and he's remarried, and he has this beautiful wife who's an actress on a Ferris.

Natasha (00:21:12) - And Anna is really. We have a great. Yeah.

Sarah (00:21:14) - You guys are close now.

Natasha (00:21:15) - We have a great relationship. Yeah. Listen, we have, like, a divorce is not easy. Blending families is not easy. I'm not saying anything is perfect, but it's beautiful and it's fun and it's quirky and it's weird. And so I go over and I'm like, I gotta just let you guys know I'm doing this because it'd be weird if I didn't tell you, because now, like,, it was a whole thing. Like, it's getting a little public and. And like, I was like, wait, you have an astrologer? Like, he couldn't wrap his head around because I was so not that person. I was such a cynic and a non-believer. And Anna was like, yeah, let's go.

Sarah (00:21:47) - Can I just buy you a Porsche? And just how can you skip it?

Natasha (00:21:52) - She was great. She was great. So I mean, she ended up being like this huge supporter of this whole thing.

Natasha (00:21:57) - So then I go to Paris, I pack my bags, thank God I went when I went, and because then the pandemic was right after it. And so I went and I found 16 people, 15 men and one woman who was the daughter of a man that was born on November 2nd, 1968. And I went there with my two best friends and my sister and my father. Yes. And it became this like.

Sarah (00:22:23) - And you stayed in this teeny tiny little place, you didn't have a closet, and you were like, wait, I brought all these fucking clothes, and where are we supposed to put them? And you're like your fantasy, and your mind was not what was happening there.

Natasha (00:22:36) - No, no, the fantasy, the like. Okay, this is going to be like a.

Sarah (00:22:40) - Rom com.

Natasha (00:22:41) - And I'm going to.

Sarah (00:22:42) - Meet like Paul and. And I'm going to be a robber. No, it was like Rome. Richard Gere is going to pull up in the limo, and he's going to be born on November 2nd.

Sarah (00:22:51) - And I go 68.

Natasha (00:22:53) - Yes, yes. No no no no. I mean, it was like, sexy and fun and wild and wacky and beautiful and,, not, you know, as life is not what you plan it to be.

Sarah (00:23:06) - And so you set up these series of dates with these men in Paris? Yes. Some of them didn't show up. Yes. And you were like, what the fuck have I made this huge mistake? My fantasy is falling apart here. Give us an example of, like, a sample day.

Natasha (00:23:24) - Got a sample day?, I don't think there was really a sample day, but it was like a summer.

Sarah (00:23:30) - Day or like a fucked up day. Anything. I mean.

Natasha (00:23:33) - Okay, there was this one. Beautiful. Actually, the most beautiful moment of this entire trip,, was I had been stood up or miss whatever dates didn't go the right way or whatever, and I was like, fucking sorry.

Sarah (00:23:48) - No, we're. Fuck, fuck fuck.

Sarah (00:23:49) - Yes.

Natasha (00:23:50) - Let's go. That's exactly what I felt like. I was like, come on. And so there, I don't use Facebook much here, but there, there was like a Facebook group for, I think it was called like Women in Paris or something like that. And I was like, maybe I should just like. And I posted in this Facebook women's group in the middle of the night, I can't remember. I was like, the men can't show up. Maybe the women can't. I invited the women of Paris. I was like, lost my mind to meet me at like this bar. And my sister's like, what the what are we doing? What are we doing? I was like, I don't know. And we show up and nobody shows up. We sit there for an hour and I was like, what am I doing? What am I doing? I've lost my mind. And then, like one by one, this room filled with these women from ages 19 to mid 60s, maybe, and it was so beautiful.

Natasha (00:24:42) - And we just stayed like drinking champagne and cocktails and eating delicious food. One of them busts out a cello and she's like, I'm like, where are we? Because we're in Paris. Yeah. And of course I was like, what did you like? And and all talking about the things we've done for love, you know, if we should try again. What if it works? Risking saying out loud what you want in life to the universe and waiting for the answers and being able to pivot when the answers come and they're not what you want them to be. And how do you like? Or maybe they are what they you need them to be. And it was truly even my sister was like, oh, I get it now because she was like, what are you what are you doing? What are you doing? She's like that safe, cautious, like she was wearing fanny packs and orthotics and I was wearing, like four inch heels. Like she was like trying to bring mace in her bag.

Natasha (00:25:29) - And I was like, come on. I'm like love. She's like, you're gonna die. Yeah, yeah. And she was like, oh, I get it. I don't know what it was to get, but there was some kind of magic in this whole thing. There just was. Yeah. And it's so weird because sometimes life's like that and sometimes you fall out of it. Like, I'm not always in flow or in magic or feeling that universe that like. Or the. You know, sometimes.

Sarah (00:25:56) - But what I like about your story, too, is and it comes out in the book, is it sort of feels like what you got out of this journey was kind of half magic and like half manifestation. It's sort of like you put in the work. You didn't just lay down in your apartment and go, oh my God, can a man born on November 2nd come to me?

Natasha (00:26:19) - Right?

Sarah (00:26:20) - You put yourself out there, you created that energy flow. Whether it was going to be right or wrong, or it was going to go in 40 different ways, like you created the energy flow and created the action steps and the manifestation energy.

Sarah (00:26:35) - So it was like two things at work to create the life that you were looking for, that you wanted, and you were taking self responsibility. And that's so much of what I talk about in this podcast is I was like a 45 year old woman, I was bored, I was like, okay, what am I going to do now? My kids are older. I have to do something, and it's like I can sit around and scroll Instagram and like wait for an answer to hit me in the forehead. Or I can be like, okay, what do I like to do? I like to listen to podcasts. I like to research, I like to talk, oh, let's start a podcast. I'll just try it. But if I just sat around and waited for it, right, nothing would have happened. And I'm so happy I did. But had I not taken that step yet, none of this would have even happened yet. And it doesn't mean that it's going to end up exactly how you envision it.

Sarah (00:27:24) - But the more sort of places you put yourself in, the more opportunities there are to create that. Yeah, and that's what I love about what you did. It's sort of like you stirred the pot.

Natasha (00:27:39) - I think it was because there was a certain time in my life when I was like, oh, what if I fail? And you weren't? What if I failed it and I.

Sarah (00:27:46) - Can't do this? You were like, okay, my kids are accounted for with my ex-husband. I have this time to go to Paris. It's like, it's nothing's perfect.

Natasha (00:27:55) - Yes, you weren't staying.

Sarah (00:27:56) - At the Four Seasons in Paris. It's like you found and, you know, it was a mess.

Natasha (00:28:01) - Whatever. Yeah, and it was clunky and awkward. And I did fail in many ways. I was like, wait a minute. This isn't what it's supposed to be. And, like, it wasn't like.

Sarah (00:28:10) - Romeo.

Natasha (00:28:11) - Was standing.

Sarah (00:28:11) - At every date at a five star restaurant every night. You're like, can this dude show up at this nasty.

Natasha (00:28:17) - Coffee shop like a Netflix movie? And yet, in many ways, it was this. It was like the most best and beautiful journey it could have been because it failed and because it was so hard and because I was so fearless at that time in my life, I think I'd lost so much that I was like, fuck it, what else am I gonna lose? What else could I lose?, and of course I could lose a lot, but but I, for some reason, was in a spot where I just felt like, fearless. And I liked.

Sarah (00:28:46) - The idea of. Because I always talk about with midlife, there are days you wake up and you're like, I have so much energy, like, I can take on the world. And then there's other days where you're like, can I just like, eat a brownie and like, stay in my pajamas all day? So I always try to say, like, the days you do feel like you have this like pep in your step are the days that you got to, like, send those emails, go to that lunch you didn't want to go to, like, because we don't.

Sarah (00:29:12) - Not every day feels amazing.

Natasha (00:29:15) - No, I'm an introvert. Like, I'm a I'm scared of public speaking. I'm scared of like. And look what I did, what you're doing. But I put myself out in such a public place. And then I came back and I didn't plan this, like, book thing in this public part. I just did this thing and I came back. I spread my father's ashes. I kind of closed a chapter of my year, and I was like, oh, okay. And then a literary agent reached out to me out of the blue. And and she's like, I think you have a book in you.

Sarah (00:29:46) - You're like, what?

Natasha (00:29:47) - Oh, I was like, no, no. I was like, that sounds like a lot of work. And that sounds like that sounds. I mean, I could barely write an Instagram post. Yeah, it didn't have, like, a whole lot of faith in my ability to. I mean, that was my dream when when I was in my 20s, I studied, you know, writing and when I was younger and I was writing since I was 15 years old.

Natasha (00:30:10) - But then I gave it up because I felt like such a failure. But then Covid hit and I was like, well, what else am I going to do? Somebody asked me if I'll do this, and I'm so ad like, I needed to move. And the beach was closed, the hiking trails were closed, and only my computer was sitting there and I was like, okay, I can move here, you know? And I tried it. Bradshaw I tried it and it worked. Yeah. And it was like, oh my God, that didn't work perfectly. I mean, like, you know, and but it is I do have those days like today's a brownie and pajamas kind of day. It just is. I'm like, you know, I'm like, but I'm still here and I'm still like, but days are life's like that, but you get.

Sarah (00:30:42) - To hang out with me. I know, I know, that's the best part.

Natasha (00:30:45) - Yeah.

Sarah (00:30:45) - It is., I also felt and read in your book that being the independent woman that you are and kind of always, you know, kind of doing what you want to do, you didn't feel like you had this tremendous need for like, a million friends, like you had your four best friends or whatever.

Sarah (00:31:06) - And what I read is that you sort of felt like you found this newfound community, maybe that you didn't even know you need it. And I love that because I feel like it is such an essential part of midlife that we find a community. It doesn't have to be a million people, even if it's like a pickleball group or a mahjong group or whatever. Find some kind of auxiliary community that we connect with. Because sometimes your old friends are amazing, and sometimes you need that like new energy to be like, hey, Natasha, Sarah. Do this.

Natasha (00:31:44) - Hey, you're not crazy.

Sarah (00:31:45) - That you're in a bar in Paris in a Facebook group. Like, that's like new, fun energy. Supportive energy. Tell us about, like, how that felt for you for the first time. Like being like, hey, I put myself out there and I've created this community.

Natasha (00:32:03) - Yeah, yeah. It's like been incredible. And and there were so many. There was the community I created while I was on this search.

Natasha (00:32:09) - And then there's the community that I found. I didn't create, I found, and the community that I found through bringing a book to life and like through the book world and readers. And,, I was the kind of person growing up that's like, I don't need anyone, I got this. I can still be that way, you know? I don't need help, I got this, I can do it on my own. And I didn't realize asking for help. And I had to after my dad died because I was like, I can't I can't make Christmas happen this year because I'm so sad and so in grief. And I've got these two little kids. And I started accepting, like the love around me from people, the agency people and my friend network people and my, like, extended family. And then on this journey and once I opened up to it, community is everything. I mean, friendships are huge to me, you know, huge and I, I didn't know that.

Natasha (00:33:02) - I mean, even now my mom is 87 years old and I'm, you know, just moved her into a home and you're speaking of, like, mahjong groups or different. And I'm watching her learn how to make new friends at 87 and watching her spirit and how it changes as she, like, grows these new friendships. And it's whether it's midlife, any, any part in life, any part in life, I think especially in these transition years. Yes. Yeah. So obviously this is a, you know, a huge one for me transitioning in all of my 40s. I feel like there's been, you know, that I'm 49, I'm going to be turning 50 in October. And so I'm sure there'll be like a whole nother like that 50s. But, yeah, yeah. It's like, you know, there's water, friendship, like these important things are like core parts of my being.

Sarah (00:33:50) - It's like part of the the midlife menu of, like the things that you can select and order for yourself.

Sarah (00:33:56) - But you definitely have to take that self-responsibility because like I always say, no one's coming to rescue us. Like no one was going to come to your little yellow apartment and be like, Natasha, let me fix your life for, you know, it's, you know, doing the work that feels really, really hard.

Natasha (00:34:15) - Yeah, yeah. And if you can kind of break it down into smaller like pieces, especially like someone said to me the other day because my book just came out right again in the paperback, let's look at it.

Sarah (00:34:25) - And but when.

Natasha (00:34:26) - I look at it, sometimes I'm like, oh, if I go through it like every piece of punctuation, like it came through. And I was like, that was a lot of work. But I just broke it down. And I mean, I'm the queen of Add, like, start something, move on to the next thing and the next thing and the.

Sarah (00:34:42) - Next thing how beautiful the hardback.

Natasha (00:34:43) - Is. So yeah, I was like, I got to be proud of that because, you know, it's it.

Natasha (00:34:49) - But if you break everything down, you have to take action in life if you want anything to change, you know, otherwise I'm going to be living the same thing. And I want to grow and change my life and, you know, experience all the things and just grow as a woman, as a human being.

Sarah (00:35:02) - I love that, and I also, I don't know, I kind of like some of the little quirky things that happened to like your friends made you a wish jar.

Natasha (00:35:12) - Where?

Sarah (00:35:13) - Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Tell us about your wish jar. I loved how you sort of describe that. And you were saying how you realize it was. You realize that the things you were looking for in a partner were also things that you already had within yourself. And you didn't need to be so focused on finding that person with everything.

Natasha (00:35:35) - Well, or that I have in this whole big community to go back to, like all the people in my life. Right? So my best friends gifted me like for my birthday when everything was really low.

Natasha (00:35:46) - These flying wish kits, which are fabulous and dying wish. Yeah, yeah. Light it. And like, you know, of course I didn't know to light them and I. So I was writing all these wishes and kind of crumpling them up and putting them in this blue mason jar that I had. And the wishes weren't always super like, sophisticated. Like it might be like a little too much wine dinner. And I was like, I just want, like, the best sex of my life. I just want someone to play Jenga with. I just want someone to, like, eat pizza in bed. I just want, like, someone who will love and support my children. But they were all like, so it ran the gamut. Some of them were just kind of angry. Some were. Most of them weren't angry. Yeah, but, you know, it was just like all these random things. And,, I think it was New Year's Day after, like, I came back from Paris, I spread my father's ashes on the ocean, and I realized I had these wish kits in my or all these wishes in this jar.

Natasha (00:36:41) - Like, not even those kids. I went through the world like a hundred of them. And I was by the ocean because it was during like it was right after some evacuation. So I wasn't gonna light anything on fire in LA. And so I went to the ocean and I kind of read them all. I took them out one by one. And I did realize in that moment I was like, first of all, how dare I project that one person should be all these things? And that's not healthy or good. And it takes away from the things that I can do for myself and give myself and love on myself about,, and all the other people in my life. Like, you know, somebody my father would love, somebody that, you know, supports my highest and best in my career. So like all of the things and I have this rich like, garden of, you know, beautiful humans in my life. And it's not just one tree, you know, it's just like this beautiful forest of stuff.

Natasha (00:37:35) - And that's what creates this whole world that we live in. And then. And then it opens you up to loving somebody and not just kind of. For me, it was a game changer and loving myself, you know? And it kind of led me to be able to write this. I don't know how I think it was like. That one absurd wish. Like, I just want someone who will love Lionel Richie as much as I do.

Sarah (00:37:59) - Hahahahahahahaha.

Natasha (00:38:01) - I mean, why like why? What's the point of that? But I was like. And I was like, so into I mean, I have this whole line of Richie history, but that's.

Sarah (00:38:10) - Like my husband with his like 90s, like R&B. I'm like, yeah, like all the music that we listen to in high school. I'm like, we're doing this again. And I sort of oblige. And I'm like, oh, sure, I'd love to go see new additions. You know what I mean?

Natasha (00:38:24) - Oh my God.

Sarah (00:38:26) - So I do all of that.

Sarah (00:38:27) - Yeah. It's not like I love it, but it's like, yeah, I like go with the flow, you know? Roses on Valentine's Day Bobby Brown, you know, like 107 now. Sure.

Natasha (00:38:42) - Yeah. But it's fun. Yeah. There was some kind of absurdity in reading that. Then I was like, you know what? Like, that one's for me. Like, that's the wish I made for me. And then I was like, okay, I gotta love myself a little more. I gotta stop, like I'm such my own worst critic.

Sarah (00:38:55) - You have all the things that you want in someone else. Yeah, like, I want this guy who's gonna cook and he's gonna love all these things. You sort of have to become those things first, of course, before you can expect to find someone else who you know has all of the perfect qualities, you know, which is not always easy because we all want instant gratification. Like vending machine husband out. Here he comes. He's coming out now, you know.

Speaker 3 (00:39:27) - Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Sarah (00:39:27) - Or you go to the zoo. Do you remember those those animals you would order and they would be like hot wax mold and it would come out perfect. Oh my.

Natasha (00:39:35) - Gosh. Yeah.

Sarah (00:39:36) - I don't know why I haven't thought about that since I was four. I have no idea how. We just got to the molded monkey at the zoo. But tell us about the self-love part, because I think that that's like a very important topic for midlife women. Like, how did you what did you find out about yourself, and how did you reconnect with the idea of self-care and doing things for yourself? And maybe some of the woowoo things that you would never done before? Yeah.

Natasha (00:40:06) - And you know what? It helped. I mean, I was so judgy against all that woowoo stuff. I don't know why I was because.

Sarah (00:40:13) - It's if you have a certain kind of brain, you're like, that's not logical.

Natasha (00:40:17) - Yeah, but what I've learned is not everything in life is logical.

Natasha (00:40:21) - And so I discovered spirituality in some in like every way, which I was never a spiritual person., and it kind of this whole woowoo journey led me to. Yeah, there is beauty in a sound bath and how like the vibrations of that and the community around that. And so a lot of that. Woo woo. I don't even like using that word woo. I know, I know, but I don't know what to how to, you know what I mean. So a lot of it, and just kind of. For me too. A lot of the self love came from being alone on the page and kind of processing. This year of my it was really a one year of my life, but it's even though a memoir, it kind of goes back my whole life. And it you see yourself and then you have an editor who's seeing it, and she's like, you're being really self-deprecating here, and your reader might not understand that. And my humor, I have a lot of dark humor and stuff like that.

Natasha (00:41:19) - And a lot of it is like, it's like, but why are you? And so it made me see myself in a different way. I was like, why am I throwing myself under the bus all the time? Why am I self-deprecating? Where does that come from? And you know, why do I have? So I learned a lot about myself. Hopefully it doesn't feel like therapy on the page. I don't think it is at all, but it was a really like I grew so much from being able to have that reflection to go through this like incredible journey of like, yeah, it was fun. It was rom com, it was silly, but it was grief and it was letting go and it was growing. It was opening my heart and it was changing as a human being. And so it's just, you know. I don't know if I answered that.

Sarah (00:41:56) - Yeah. No. It's perfect. And what did. How did your kids go through all of this with you? I mean, obviously, they probably thought you were bonkers at first.

Sarah (00:42:04) - No, no, no.

Natasha (00:42:04) - No, they still think I'm bonkers. Are they just to me?

Sarah (00:42:08) - Yes. At first, they've accepted the bonkers.

Natasha (00:42:11) - Yeah. They have. I mean, I just don't think they can fight against it, but neither of them read the book.

Sarah (00:42:17) - , do you think my kids have listened to my podcast like.

Natasha (00:42:19) - Oh, no, they scan. They. Margaret did, like, a control surge in there. And then I was like, okay, where am I? What did I do? I'm like, do you mind if I use your name? I asked them and we went through like every part of it. And,. And they were fine with it. I mean, Margo was kind of like, oh, I'm embarrassed. My son is too kind. Like he's just like, it's.

Sarah (00:42:40) - Just my son's like, I don't have time to even, like, address this. My daughter is like, why are you wearing gloves while you lift £10 weights? Like, isn't that embarrassing for you? I just and sometimes I post the comments she makes to me in the DMs because they're just so funny.

Sarah (00:42:59) - Yeah. And like so many women can relate to them. They're like, oh my God, my daughter's like the exact same way. Yeah. She's like, my friends are coming over tonight. Don't wear one of your weird outfit. And I'm like, oh, that fucking narrows it down. Okay, great. So what's weird, you know. Yeah. And she's like, and please don't wear your hair in that, like, weird old lady bun that hangs down the back of your neck. And I'm like, okay, what can I do? Actually? Like what is acceptable? Yeah. What is possible? So you have a daughter who's in college, so.

Natasha (00:43:34) - Yeah. So you're she's 20. Yeah. I'm half empty nest. And my son, he's I asked him actually yesterday because we was talking about my book. He said, oh, I brought up your book in my literature class. I said, my mom wrote a book. I said, oh, you mentioned me like, you know.

Natasha (00:43:48) - And I said, how do you describe it? What do you say it's about? Because I'm kind of curious. Yeah, exactly.

Sarah (00:43:52) - How do you frame that one?

Natasha (00:43:53) - Yeah, because I've never asked him. And some of it can be embarrassing. I mean, I write about a one night stand. Like, there's a lot in there that a lot of people ask me, like, how did you write this with having children? And I was like, oh, I mean, my kids. I'm a pretty open book. I'm like an open book as a parent. Yeah, I talk about everything, but.

Sarah (00:44:09) - So do I.

Natasha (00:44:10) - It is like a lot. Yeah, exactly. So yeah, he said to me,, I, I told somebody when they asked me,, there was that what this book is about is something really hard that happened, my grandfather passing away and my mom turning it into this beautiful experience. And I was like, wow. Oh, can you go?

Sarah (00:44:31) - That's a good parenting moment.

Sarah (00:44:32) - I know.

Natasha (00:44:33) - Well, but him parenting me or me parenting.

Sarah (00:44:35) - Him like, no, for you being like, oh, I parented this kid.

Natasha (00:44:38) - Well, oh no, my kids parent me. No, I mean, I don't mean that in like I like, but but I've learned so much from my children. As you know, there's there's such a wise, gorgeous human.

Sarah (00:44:49) - Being. And that's how I feel about my kids, too. I mean, we give each other shit, but at the end of the day, they're good peeps. Yeah. And you're like, you feel like, okay, I, I did I did well with that. Like, they're baked and cooked and they're good human beings and they care about other people in the world. And that's not always easy. No, no, especially raising kids in LA. That's a whole other. Yeah. You know, ball of wax.

Natasha (00:45:14) - Yeah. It's all I know. But it's a lot I.

Sarah (00:45:16) - Know same same here.

Sarah (00:45:17) - But that's probably why I could only have two kids too. Because LA and raising kids, it's like a whole. Yeah, it's a whole thing. So with your paperback book that I don't know anything about it.

Natasha (00:45:30) - I'm learning and I'm, I think the book industry is learning because TikTok and Instagram, it's changed so much. So yeah, your books life kind of goes on this journey. It's not like something that just like it's not like a movie that comes out. There's like discoverability later. And so it's like events come up and then they don't. And they so it's just kind of this evolution. But you know, there's a few other things in the works and you just kind of that's always fun.

Sarah (00:45:53) - There was one point where the, the psychic said to you that the whole thing that you're one of your missions in life is to share your point of destiny, to tell your story. Right.

Natasha (00:46:07) - So she said, my point of destiny was to tell a story, right? And I was like, oh, that's fascinating.

Natasha (00:46:11) - How did she know that? I like, have I had that writer's heart that stopped beating or was like beating so low? And so it was really interesting that she said that to me, not knowing because I didn't tell I was such a stonewall talking to her. And,, and that's why I do believe, like, this is all in line with my point of destiny. I know that, I mean, I've met so many people through this who have lost a parent or a friend or loved one or a relationship or just needed, like a little wanderlust or and I've realized, like. I don't know, for somebody like my sister was my rock through this. And for a lot of people that doesn't have a sister to go through, like, that's really what I wanted this to be for someone. I wasn't looking for any kind of like. I mean, I have a day job and I have a, you know, I mean, right. But I think that maybe that's part of the point of destiny to try to like, I don't know, they say to serve your highest and best to help people in any way you can.

Natasha (00:47:10) - And my way is through storytelling, I guess.

Sarah (00:47:12) - And you just. And you wrote a book.

Natasha (00:47:14) - Yeah.

Sarah (00:47:15) - So she actually predicted a lot of cool things. I'm not going to share how the book ends. I want everyone to buy the book. I want everyone to experience the journey of like, the laughs and the cries and the oh my God, she's making out with someone in a lobby and then get jumping on an airplane. I mean, so many of the things you're just like, wow, I know that's like kind of cool. What an adventure. You know? Very cool.

Natasha (00:47:39) - And quite an adventure. Yeah.

Sarah (00:47:40) - And I can't wait for people to buy the book and read it if they haven't already, because everyone that I've mentioned to is like, oh my God, I read that I love her, I'm like, I know, I know, I know. And they're like, we can't wait to see the interview. I'm like, I know, I know.

Natasha (00:47:52) - Oh, fun.

Sarah (00:47:53) - But I think that the general theme that I pulled away from it is that anything is possible. Yeah. Magic. Love all of it. And what we need to do is stir the pot.

Natasha (00:48:08) - Yeah.

Sarah (00:48:08) - Yeah. And whatever that's stirring the pot is for you or for her or her. Everyone stir. The pot is going to look different. And yours was. Let's go to Paris and find my soul mate. November 2nd, 1968.

Natasha (00:48:21) - Changed my whole life. And then I all of a sudden had this book deal during like it was just. And it has changed my entire life. Anything can happen.

Sarah (00:48:32) - I love that. Thank you so much. I want everyone to know where they can find you.

Natasha (00:48:36) - , Natasha Salo. Com or on Instagram, Natasha says lo.

Sarah (00:48:41) - Spell your last.

Natasha (00:48:41) - Name s I z l o or my agency Instagram is Natasha underscore at the agency. If anyone's buying or selling a house in L.A..

Sarah (00:48:50) - See you on like you know your TV. The hot tea.

Natasha (00:48:53) - Me on the show.

Sarah (00:48:54) - Season.

Natasha (00:48:54) - Finale of the Housewives or buying Beverly Hills or I don't know.

Sarah (00:48:58) - The pressure.

Natasha (00:48:59) - Just in the background.

Sarah (00:49:00) - Do you feel like you have to, like, go and, like, find really cool outfits? Yes. Oh.

Natasha (00:49:05) - I mean, that's kind of fun. Yeah, it is.

Sarah (00:49:07) - Fun, but still.

Natasha (00:49:07) - It's fun. But every once in a while, you're like, there's a lot of cameras in our office. Yeah, there's a lot of there's a lot of cameras in the agency's office these days.

Sarah (00:49:14) - And you're like, wait, am I going to be in that? It's a bad hair day.

Speaker 3 (00:49:18) - It's a good hair day. You just kind of like, have fun.

Sarah (00:49:21) - I loved having you. I loved our chat. I can't wait to have lunch with you. Me too. Me too. Where are we going? We don't know.. And that's all. Hey, peeps, it's me again. I listen to this episode with author, writer, and real estate agent Natasha Cirillo so I could summarize the golden nuggets for you to have actionable items to start using today.

Sarah (00:49:42) - I know that when I listen to a long episode, I'm like, oh my God, I love that. But then I can't even fucking remember the specifics. This is why I come back and do a golden nugget. Summary. In this episode, we dug deep with our golden shit shovels in a chat about the midlife journey, finding love again, and betting on yourself in the second half of life. Golden nugget number one Natasha's midlife Remax. Natasha's journey is such a good reminder about the ebbs and flows of midlife and life in general. She had a bad case of the midlife issues at 44, which ended up being a huge turning point for her. She was post-divorce and trying to find her inner fuel and passion again in midlife, despite her father dying, filing for bankruptcy, her dog dying, living in a small apartment and having a romance with a Parisian guy living in Los Angeles that ended up leaving her wanting more. Long story short, she met an astrologist who made her believe in all the midlife woowoo and started her midlife journey, which for Natasha at the time was about finding every man in Paris born on November 2nd, 1968, because he just might be her long lost midlife lover.

Sarah (00:50:53) - So in a true Natasha in Paris midlife fashion style, she went off to Paris, started an Instagram account for the first time ever, told everyone what she was doing and travel blindly with no money into the unknown to find herself and the support of an entire female community. I mean, wow, true midlife magic. Golden nugget number two, half magic, half manifestation. The thing that I love, and that is so important about Natasha's midlife journey, is that she didn't just sit around waiting for midlife self reinvention to find her. She wasn't trying to be saved or expecting love to fall into her lap. She wasn't putting all of her eggs in the manifestation basket while sitting at home on the couch in her PJs waiting for the magic wand, she really created an energy and a flow for all the answers to meet her halfway. This is the self responsibility that I'm always talking about. Yes, manifestation is part of the equation, but action steps are the other half. And Natasha worked with this balance perfectly.

Sarah (00:51:55) - This is such a good reminder that no one is going to knock on your door saying, Natasha, it's time for me to save you. No, that's never going to happen. But she broke things down into small little steps from seeing an astrologist to booking her trip to starting her Instagram account. All of those things developed into something huge. She wrote a book, and now none of this could have happened without her taking those small and scary steps. Golden nugget number three self-love. Self-love is another significant part of Natasha's mid-life story being in a post-divorce era. She was asking yourself, what kind of qualities would she want in a partner? And through this process, she found herself finding her own inner love. She said that being, quote, one on one with the page as she was writing her book was a highly transformative process. She was able to use this space to get her thoughts out of her head and onto paper. She was able to use the writing process therapeutically to actually process her emotions. Share them with her editor, she said.

Sarah (00:52:55) - Having someone else read her story and give feedback was the most transformative part, because. Someone else's perspective. She saw different parts of herself and find love and appreciation and acceptance for all of those parts. Golden nugget number four finding community. Okay, let's face it Natasha's story is so inspirational and heartwarming. And just when you think it can't get any better, it does. Throughout her journey to Paris and finding herself again, she also found the most amazing community of people and women who supported her all along the way. From her friends and family to strangers who were posting signs in Paris to find any and all men. Born on November 2nd, 1968, to the women she connected with at bars in Paris, they all supported her. And this connection and friendship is what I'm always talking about. It's so important. Community is so important for happiness, healing and health. These people helped Natasha feel seen and heard along the way, and really helped her see the importance of community, friendship and asking for help.

Sarah (00:54:00) - Her vulnerability with herself and others led her to finding and creating community and telling her authentic story. The gold is dripping off these nuggets. Grab it, use it! There are three things you can do. First, fucking subscribe to the podcast. Subscriptions matter. Second, share it with some friends who like midlife shit. And third, write an Apple review. Writing reviews is kind of annoying. It's an extra step, but guess what? It really helps the podcast grow. You think you're a little review won't matter, but it does. DM me. You know. I always respond. And of course follow my Instagram at the flexible, neurotic duh. Love you talk soon.