The Power Of Choice & Change Is Within You

— Laurie James spent most of her life wondering what it means to belong; loneliness dictated the choices she made. She rarely shared this secret with others, however; it was always hidden behind a carefree and can-do attitude. When she's in her mid-forties, Laurie's mother has a heart attack and her husband's lawyer delivers some shocking news. She suddenly finds herself sandwiched between caring for her parents, managing unruly caregivers, raising four teenage daughters, and trying to understand the choices of the husband she thought she knew. Laurie's story is about one woman's struggle to "do it all" while facing the reality that the "ideal life" and "perfect family" she believed could save her was slowly crumbling beneath her. Laurie tries everything to keep her family together―seeks therapy, practices yoga, rediscovers nature, develops strong female friends, and begins writing―but as she explores the layers of her life and heals her past, she realizes that she's the only one who can create the life she wants and deserves. Her work is about what it means to let go of the life you planned in order to find the life you belong to.

Valeria Teles interviews Laurie James — the author of "Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go."

Laurie James is an author and transformative coach. She has successfully launched four daughters, has been the primary caretaker for her elderly parents, and is the founder of a unique program in Manhattan Beach, California, that helps women through pivotal transitions in life. An active community volunteer, she co-chairs a youth program for high school students, exposing them to a variety of career paths before they apply to college. Laurie graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a BS in business and was a corporate recruiter before she stayed home to raise her four daughters. She lives in Manhattan Beach and enjoys yoga, hiking, skiing, sailing, and adventure travel. This is her first book. She lives in Manhattan Beach, CA.

To learn more about Laurie James and her work, please visit: https://www.laurieejames.com/

— This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.