The Bright Side: A Hello Sunshine Podcast

This week, we’re talking with author (and puzzle entrepreneur) Rachel Hochhauser about the March Reese’s Book Club Pick, Lady Tremaine. It’s not just a re-telling of Cinderella — it’s an un-telling that dares to ask: what if the wicked stepmother wasn’t wicked … but a mom trying her best to provide for her children? And what if a marriage isn’t a happily ever after … but the beginning of a whole new story? Danielle and Rachel talk puzzle-solving strategies, falconry, and decentering men and romance in women’s stories. You may think you know the story of Cinderella, but you’ve never read it like this. BOOKS MENTIONED: Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser Cinderella by Charles Perrault  Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen Sleeping Beauty by  Charles PerraultSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we’re time traveling with Philippa Gregory, prolific author and feminist historian (and maybe Danielle’s new bestie???). Philippa is the woman behind over 50 historical fiction novels that trace narratives across Medieval and Tudor England, including The Other Boleyn Girl, which was adapted into a film starring Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson. Her latest novel, The Boleyn Traitor, follows the infamous Anne Boleyn’s sister-in-law, Jane Boleyn, through her life as a spy in the English court. And this story, as so many of Philippa Gregory's do, brings a complicated, sometimes unlikeable, largely forgotten woman to the forefront. Because Philippa doesn’t really trust pure, pious women. She’s drawn instead to the truth – that women in from history are just as layered and diverse as we are today.  BOOKS MENTIONED:  The Boleyn Traitor by Philippa Gregory  Normal Women: 900 Years of Making History by Philippa Gregory  Wild Acre by Philippa Gregory The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory  Richard III by William Shakespeare This Little World: A New History of Tudor and Stuart England by Nandini Das The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling Little Grey Rabbit by Alison Uttley The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer Ulysses by James Joyce Mine Own Executioner by Nigel BalchinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week is a big one. For the first time ever, three romance royals sit down together: Beverly Jenkins, Tia Williams, and Kennedy Ryan. They talk about pioneering Black love stories when the industry didn’t make space for them, reshaping modern romance with depth and desire, and why a happily ever after is anything but predictable — it’s powerful. From writing Black female desire without apology to protecting your creative vision, this conversation is funny, honest, and deeply moving.  BOOKS MENTIONED:  Night Song by Beverly Jenkins Iola Leroy by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper  Frances Harper: Poems, Prose, and Sketches – This collection features “Bury Me in a Free Land”.  by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov  Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger The Perfect Find by Tia Williams  Can't Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan Seven Days in June by Tia Williams Through the Storm by Beverly Jenkins  Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid Hazard and Somerset by Gregory Ashe  Ghalen by Walter Mosely Fourth Wing by Rebecca YarrosSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we’re talking to director and screenplay writer Maggie Gyllenhaal about her upcoming film, The Bride! Maggie reveals how she gave a character from the 1930s with only a few minutes of screentime a big dose of main character energy. Danielle and Maggie also discuss the unthinkable thoughts of Mary Shelley, IMAX screenings, and what it was like to narrate a 48-hour audio book. Plus, get a sneak peek of the March Reese’s Book Club Pick, Lady Tremaine. BOOKS MENTIONED:  Good Morning, Midnight by Jean Rhys Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy  The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante  My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Mating by Norman RushSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we’re back with the author of the February’s Reese’s Book Club pick, Philippa Malicka, and we’re diving deep into her debut novel, In Her Defense. A whirlpool of love, lies and deceit, In Her Defense raises the chilling question: If you can’t trust your own memories, what else, or who else, can you rely on? Danielle and Philippa get into process, character development, reclaiming your own agency – and how, sometimes, writing a new story can feel like falling in love.  BOOKS MENTIONED  In Her Defense by Philippa Malicka Hamlet by Wiliam Shakespeare The Glass Essay by Anne Carson Stranger, Baby by Emily Berry Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy  Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbra Trapido Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë Dogger by Shirley Hughes The Secret History by Donna Tartt Birthday Letters by Ted HughesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this special live episode of Bookmarked in collaboration with Apple Books and Apple TV, we’re celebrating Laura Dave’s newest novel, The First Time I Saw Him—January’s pick from Reese’s Book Club—and the highly anticipated second season of The Last Thing He Told Me on Apple TV. Danielle Robay is joined on stage by Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner, Laura Dave, Angourie Rice, Judy Greer, and Rita Wilson for a candid, funny, and deeply thoughtful conversation about bringing the story into its next chapter.   BOOKS MENTIONED  The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave The Cocktail Party by T.S. Eliot The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad Trust by Hernan Diaz Bel Canto by Ann Patchett  Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton Heartburn by Nora Ephron JAmes by Percival Everett Stuck Up & Stupid by Angourie Rice & Kate RiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’ve ever struggled to feel like you matter, you’re not alone. Feeling like you matter is as fundamental a need as food or water, yet it’s a need going unmet by many. Danielle sits down with journalist and author Jennifer Wallace, who spent over six years researching and interviewing everyday people about losing and regaining that sense of mattering. They discuss what it really means to matter, the role social media plays in the mattering crisis, and how to show up for your loved ones and make them valued.  Books Mentioned Mattering by Jennifer Wallace Never Enough by Jennifer Wallace 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten Choosing Civility by P. M. Forni Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky The Doorman by Chris Pavone The Good Life by Robert Waldinger, M.D. and Marc Schulz, Ph.DSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What better way to kick off the month of love than with the queen of historical romance, Julia Quinn. The Bridgerton author chats all about how her series became a global phenomenon, the unexpected ways Bridgerton has reshaped the genre, and why historical romance deserves its moment in the spotlight again. And can you believe Julia almost became a doctor instead of a novelist? She’s sharing some behind-the-scenes insights for season 4 of Bridgerton and reminding us why we should still believe in happy endings. BOOKS MENTIONED  In Her Defense by Phillipa Malicka Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn First Time Caller by B.K. Borison The Last Lady B by Eloisa James An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole Lord of Scoundrels  by Loretta Chase  The Duke and I by Julia Quinn The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love by India Holton Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas Romeo and Juliet by William ShakespeareSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It feels like everyone is talking about self care these days. But what's it actually supposed to look like? If you ask the TikTok algorithm, you'll get a lot of 12-step skincare routines, bullet journals and red light masks. But is self care really just about what you buy? Today, our guest Dr. Pooja Lakshmin is going beyond consumerism to talk about how we can add value to our lives...without swiping our credit cards. She's unpacking key lessons from her bestselling book REAL Self Care—from effectively setting boundaries, letting go of self-judgement, and using gratitude to get through even the darkest times. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Bright Side, Simone Boyce talks with endocrinologist and Weightless author Dr. Rocio Salas-Whalen about GLP-1 medications, food noise, hormones, and why “eat less, move more” doesn’t work for so many people. From epigenetics and menopause to muscle preservation and long-term health, this conversation reframes weight loss as body recomposition—and replaces shame with science.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.