I Choose … Just Say Yes! with Joan Lunden

0:00This is an I Heart Podcast. Guaranteed Human Most people believe that childhood should be about curiosity, freedom, figuring out who you are and even running a little bit wild. But for many kids living with medical challenges, the experience is more like hospital rooms, medical treatments, and rules about what's safe. That's why legendary actor and philanthropist Paul Newman founded Sirius Fun, a network of medically supported camps and programs that give kids living with serious illnesses, the chance to, as he put it, raise a little hell. At Sirius Fun Camp's kids get to experience the thrill of flying down a zip line, participate in talent shows, sing songs around the campfire and make lifelong friends who truly understand their journey. And thanks to skilled volunteer medical specialists and staff, every activity is tailored to each child's unique health requirements to ensure they have the experience of a lifetime. Best of all, camp is always free for campers and their families. This is where you come in.

1:00You can help deserving children experience the freedom and fun they never thought possible. To get involved, visit SiriusFun.org. That's SiriusFun.org. This is Bowen Yang from Los Cultures, just about Rodgers and Bowen Yang. We all know the feeling when life gets really busy, taking care of yourself can feel impossible. That's why Premier Protein Shakes are my go-to. They have 30 grams of protein, 160 calories, no added sugar, and they taste amazing. So they're a healthy choice you'll actually want to make. It's not just for fitness, it's for getting after life. Premier Protein powers me to say yes to more. Find your favorite flavor at premierprotein.com. That's P-R-E-M-I-E-R, protein.com. You're listening to a podcast. So you're doing something else too, like maybe scrolling home listings on Redfin, saving places you like without thinking you'll get them. Because that's what house hunting has become. But Redfin isn't built for endless browsing.

2:02It's built to help you find and own a home. Redfin agents close twice as many deals as other agents. Which means when you find a place you love, you've got a real shot at getting it. Redfin helps turn saved listings into real addresses. Get started at redfin.com. Own the dream. Do you want to find a stress-free way to buy your next car? Start at CarMax and shop your way. If you want to browse with confidence, get pre-qualified online with no impact on your credit score and shop cars within your budget for luxury cars to family rides. CarMax has options for almost every price range, including more than 25,000 cars priced under $25,000. So hey, want to get started? Just head to CarMax.com for details and get pre-qualified today. Want to drive? CarMax. You're listening to I Choose Me with Jenny Girl.

3:03Welcome to I Choose Me. A podcast about the choices we make to redefine what it means to evolve, reinvent, and thrive. Few women epitomize these qualities better than Joan London, a trailblazing broadcast journalist who co-hosted Good Morning America for 17 years. Joan helped transform the show into the highest rated morning program in the country and over the course of her career has authored multiple bestselling books and mothered seven children, including two sets of twins after turning 50. She writes in her new book, Joan Life Beyond the Script, that she's hardwired to go, go, go, clearly. But she is putting aside busyness as a badge of honor to be productive with much more peace. Want to know who you can become without the hustle? Take a listen to my wonderful friend, Joan London.

4:03Hi. It's so great to see you again after all these years. I remember. Oh my god, after all these years. Remember when you came to visit the set of 902.00 in 1992? As I get ready for every interview, I don't go into anything not prepared. So like I'm looking to see all the things you're doing now, and I thought, when did I do that? When was I there? So I go on YouTube and put Good Morning America on the set of Beverly Hills 902.00. Up pops the entire show. It was so good. I watched it all. The entire show. And I'm like seeing, and I remember I was sitting next to Charlie, and you were right next to me. And I said, so, I need to ask you, Jenny, your character in Charlie's like, how are you going to ask this diplomatically? I said, she's kind of keeps things juicy, spicy. Yeah. We went off on the whole, like the whole talk of sex and teens. Yeah. We had conversations that needed to be had. Yep. And we felt so big time to be on TV.

5:04I don't know where you. I mean, you look so young. 92.00. I must have been 19.00. 19.00. That's I kind of guessed you were probably 19.00. Yes. Oh my gosh. I so enjoyed your new book, Joan Life Beyond the Script. I devoured every page, and I learned about your life, and I saw myself in so much of your journey. It was wonderful. Oh, absolutely. I mean, I see you in much of my journey. You know, starting out young. I got good money. I started in good America. I was what? 24, 25. And then finally, kind of, you know, shows end. And like for me, everybody expected me to jump into another. And actually, I mean, there was a talk show that was trying to be designed for me. And I didn't really lean in. And I couldn't even understand what's wrong with you. And I was exhausted, just completely, heavily exhausted at the time.

6:08And you know, you really can't appreciate what you did following something that's so big. And I don't think I could have written this book. It like five or ten, even five years before now, because now I had the ability to look at the whole arc. And say, wait a minute. Like you didn't like blow it. Your last 25 years have allowed you to make your mark on this earth in kind of a lot of more significant ways, actually. Yeah. And a lot of the same ways that you now are out. Yeah. I mean, I so related to you said, you've come to realize that you've spent your entire life in a full sprint. Always chasing, always pushing, always revving the engine to its highest gear. But as you look back now, you find yourself asking, did I even have time to absorb it all? I feel like that all women can relate to that.

7:09I mean, I got to tell you, Jenny, one of my early, early assistants started an archive timeline. And that timeline starts at the very beginning in GMA. And it has every major interview. And a lot of just even smaller interviews, every trip we took. Now I have an incredible, they also started keeping videos. I don't even know how I have all the videos that I have. One of these days I'm going to have to like put them in a big truck and send them back to ABC and say, don't you guys want these? Now keep them forever. But it allowed us to put dates and descriptions having this archive timeline. I don't know if I could have written this book without thank God for all these assistants who kept that. But also, I googled my way all through this book. Like, when did I do this? When was the Republican Convention? When was the thing that I was constantly back checking? And then I would go to YouTube. And amazingly, so much of it was there on YouTube.

8:12And I don't even know how it all got there, because I didn't put it all there. I mean, that's what you gave me the idea, Jenny. Do you use the QR codes? Which I think is brilliant. You use the QR codes? No. Like my whole life is on video. I called my attorney. I said, can I put QR codes in the book so that people can read the story and then open it up to the actual story on video? He said, well, do you own all the rights? I said, they're all on YouTube. He said, if they're all on YouTube, have at it. You can use whatever you want. So that's one. So then, of course, I made my job even harder, because I not only had two thousand of photographs. Now I went through, you know, hours and hours and hours of video to decide, what do I want to share? Back to the like full sprint ahead, and not really absorbing any of it. Tell us how you came to realize this, and how you chose to course correct. You know, I was just telling someone the other day,

9:15that after I left GMA, I was still doing behind closed doors, and my producer called me one day and said, can you meet me in Washington tomorrow? Were that Navy blue suit with the really short skirt and high heels? And we need to go to the Pentagon. We're going to ask them if we can get into whatever crazy thing we were asking them to let us do. And I got up the next morning really, really, to take like a six o'clock flight to get there by, you know, seven. And I was walking across the parking lot, and I said to my assistant, oh, my God, I'm so tired. She said, well, yeah, you woke up early. I said, no, no, no. What I'm saying is how I feel right now, physically, now that I've had time away from the show, it just hit me. The how I feel right now is how I felt for 20 years. I was this sleep deprived. And I mean, quite honestly, when I go back and look at some of the things, when I was trying to recall, because that's what you have to do when you're writing a book like this,

10:15I'd have to go to YouTube, or I'd have to go to my video archetype to say, oh, yeah, I was in eight countries that year, like holy crap. Yeah, you were just full stop, like all the time. I mean, quite honestly, from a very young age, even as you know that you read the book, I don't know, maybe there's just, my husband always says, nothing I'm looking forward to, but when I'd like to be at your autopsy, because I won't need that little chip inside you that everybody else doesn't have, just keeps you going like this all the time. Oh, my God. Is it ambition? Is it tenacity? Is it passion? What is it? It's all those things. I'm fortunate of all, but it's such an interesting question because of the fact that it just, it didn't just happen at like, you know, 23 when I was going into the workplace, it happened when I was, I don't know, a little girl. It certainly happened like in high school

11:17when I just decided, I'm going about this at my pace, not the school's pace, and I'm going to graduate a year early. And I just started taking course fauna's courses from UC Berkeley and going to night school, I'm going to summer school. My mom said, why don't you just take a sleeping bag over there, stay over there. But I was so determined to graduate and get out into the real world. Get it over with. Get in there. Yeah. Yeah. Like, let me loose. Like, take the, take the reins out. Let me go and run. Oh, my God. You are the epitome of the year of the horse. Yeah, we're coming to the Chinese. You're the horse. You're ready to run. You quote Audrey Hepburn in saying, nothing is impossible. The word itself says, I'm possible. And yes, you have lived by that word play. You've taken so many risks in your career and your jobs and your roles that you've exceeded in the personal journey that you've been on just overall.

12:19Your belief that you can do anything ring so clearly. I mean, I'm just going to compliment you. You aren't unwavering visionary and I'm so happy to be talking with you. But where do you, where do you think that belief came from, that feeling that anything is possible? It came from positive affirmations for my parents. And I think that's a good thing to put out there into the universe, other people who are raising kids. It's funny. I just interviewed Susan Lucci for her book. And as I, and when we first kind of met and got to know each other about a year ago, we couldn't figure out, like, why is there, like we feel this, sympathico, like we have this connection, like what could it be? She's this dramatic actress and I'm this pragmatic journalist. And when I started reading her book, I'm like, oh my god, her parents gave her the same positive affirmations. And I mean the same words. You can begin anything you want to be. You can do and hit my mom. It's your wagon to a star, sweetie. Like it came to me all the time.

13:20And that was, I mean I'm going to date myself here, but that was in like the 50s and 60s. Right. When that was not as time. When young girls were being told, go out and see the world and make your mark on this world. They were kind of being told, go to college so you can get an MRS degree, you know. So you can find a mate. And yet, so I really hand it to my parents to have been telling me back then, like just think in night, like I lost my dad in 1964. I was only 13. So I've been hearing that. Women didn't get the right to have a credit card or open a bank account until 1972. Insane. And it's kind of insane. And I always love young people. I hope that young women, because I'm sure you have a lot of young women who also listen to your podcast. And I want them to understand

14:21how different it was for young women. Not that long ago. Like here I am. That was when I was a kid. That was when I was in my 20s. And you just weren't expect. I'm looking. I went to try to graduate a year early. The principal wasn't like applauding me. He was like, what the hell are you doing? Because girls were supposed to just follow the rules and not try to be anything special. And I guess I just started bucking the system. Yeah. I mean, what an incredible mom you had. Yes. To be giving you the, I mean, I had the same thing with my parents. They told me there's nothing you can't do. And I believed them. Because that's what you do when your parents tell you something. Over and over. Yes. And it makes you think that you can actually be able to show it 19 years old that became like this. Oh, man, that hit. You know, but then your parents let you.

15:22I think it was, I can survive anything. And that was the message I was going with then. Today kids need space to run wild. But for children living with serious illnesses, that kind of freedom can be hard to find. That's why serious fun exists. Serious fun is a network of camps founded by legendary actor and philanthropist Paul Newman, staffed by medical professionals who create a safe place for kids too. As Paul put it, raise a little hell. With expert care built in, kids get to play, explore and feel free to be themselves. These camps are always free of charge to campers and their families, which is where your support can really make a difference. To learn how you can help more children with medical challenges, experience the joy, freedom, and belonging that every child deserves, visit SeriousFun.org. This is Bowen Yang from Los Cultures. It's the Matt Rodgers and Bowen Yang. We all know the feeling when life gets really busy, taking care of yourself can feel impossible. That's why premier protein shakes are my go-to.

16:23They have 30 grams of protein, 160 calories, no added sugar, and they taste amazing. So they're a healthy choice you'll actually want to make. It's not just for fitness, it's for getting after life. The 30 grams of protein gives you the fuel you need. It's not just for intense gym sessions, it's just for life. With a wide variety of flavors, from capillata to cake batter, it never feels boring. It's a flavor for everyone. I personally love the peaches and cream, but maybe you're a root beer floater, cinnamon roll kind of person. Premier protein powers me to say yes to more. Find your favorite flavor at premierprotein.com. That's P-R-E-M-I-E-R, protein.com, or at Amazon Walmart and other major retailers. We're lost. It feels like we're going round in circles. I'm going to ask that man for directions. Hi there. We're trying to get to the state fairgrounds. Well, you're going to take a left at the old oak tree at this here road.

17:23No, I'm just kidding. Let me get my phone out. How is there signal out here? T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular are coming together, so the network out here is huge. We get the same great signal as the city, saving a boatload with benefits. And there's a five-year price guarantee too. Okay, here's the turn. Actually, can you pull up the way to a T-Mobile store? America's best network just got bigger. Switch to T-Mobile today and get built-in benefits the other guys leave out. Plus our five-year price guarantee. And now T-Mobile is available at U.S. Cellular stores in Martinsburg. Best mobile network based on analysis by Oakloaf Speed Test Intelligence data second half of 2025. Bigger network. The combination of T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular's network footprints will enhance the T-Mobile network's coverage. Price guarantee on talk text and data. Exclusions like taxes and fees apply. See T-Mobile.com for details. Let's talk about modern home shopping. It's sort of become a fun side hobby, right? Scrolling listings at night, dreaming about kitchens, you've never seen, or backyards, you haven't even stepped foot in.

18:24Redfin knows a lot of people like you want to own, but are stuck in this browsing mode loop. That's where Redfin flips the script. With listings that update within minutes, and tours you can book right from the Redfin app, you can see your dream home the moment it appears. Now liking a listing is easy, but actually landing it, that's where Redfin comes in. Redfin has over 2200 agents with local expertise. And Redfin agents close twice as many deals as other agents. That means they want to help you win, not just window shop. Redfin is built to help you go from just looking to wait. This could actually be home, so become the newest neighbor on the block. Visit redfin.com to start finding and start owning. That's redfin.com. As it turned out, your career basically came from believing in yourself at every step of the way. You thought initially that you wanted to be, you follow in your father's footsteps and become a doctor,

19:25but then you soon realized that you felt differently about that. So I wanted to have three months working in a hospital. Yeah, I'm sure. I figured out one hour real quick. Scalpel's in stitches. No, I've watched the pit. I've been watching the pit and I love that show. So you're just watching it and then all of a sudden you see something you've never want to see. They don't give you a warning. They just cut to like the insides of someone's body. Yeah. But I wanted to ask you, how does one come to know that a dream is not right for them? And then what steps should they take to let it go and figure out what is the dream? Well, it became very apparent to me. I mean, I was young. I remember I was 16 when I went into college, but that summer before, I was so anxious to dip my toe into the medical world and so my dad had founded that hospital and he had been chief of staff at the time that he crashed and we lost him. But so I got a job.

20:27I probably shouldn't have. I probably wasn't that old enough to be working there but they let me. And it just became very apparent to me that that was not going to be my path. Very apparent. And it was a dilemma because letting go of that dream kind of in this weird little way. I mean, my thoughts disconnected me a little bit from my dad who I was so young that I hadn't really gotten a chance to really, really know him. And so then how, then what are we going to do? So I went into college and I said, I'll get a psychology degree. That's as close as I can get to the medical field. Which by the way, probably has served me very well in my life as a journalist. Definitely, definitely. But I think there was always this little nichely thing in the back of my head that said you didn't live up to that legacy. You wanted to carry on your dad's legacy.

21:27This cancer surgeon back at a time when there was no chemo, there was no radiation. There was only surgery. And all of that spurred me forward because he was born in Australia, raised in China, came to the US. So like he wanted me to go out and see the world. But I really think that the circle became connected when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. And that it was not until then, meanwhile I stole all the health spots on GMA. And I did like 10 health shows after GMA. But they weren't on every day. So people don't even realize that I did another 10 shows after GMA. But it was that breast cancer diagnosis that like within 24 hours, I said, wow, I just got, I had a gift dropped in my lap. And this is going to be my opportunity

22:28to take that torch for my dad and run with it. And I just, in that moment, I said, I'm not going to go through this journey as a victim, as a patient. I'm going to go through this journey as an advocate. And I'm going to learn everything I can. I'm going to take that camera into every single appointment. I'm going to share it. So I can try to make a mark in this world of all the things I could make my mark in. It would be cancer. Because that was how my dad saved lives. And how I always wanted to go out and save lives like him. And I've had a lot of feedback from women that I probably did help save lives. You know, when I was constantly saying, have you had your mammogram? Have you had your mammogram? And if you did, do you know if you have dense breasts? Because if you do, then a mammogram won't necessarily show your cancer. And all these women have written back to me on, you know, my social media and said, like, you made me go get that. And, oh, my God, I found out I have staged two cancer. So, you know, I've said that,

23:28on my tombstone, that that's the only thing I'm remembered for. That would be okay. Because that's what gave me my opportunity to carry that torch of my dad's. Right. And that became your new dream. And advocacy. And, you know, and by the way, that's probably what spurred. When I started to understand the impact one can have when they have a platform like you do and like I do. And I started seeing all the feedback. I think that's what then set me off on, just becoming so involved in all the other health campaigns that I did subsequently go into Congress and testifying before Congress to, you know, include senior care in the family and medical leave act. It's not just at the beginning when a baby is born that you need to leave work and have some time off and not lose your job. It's at the end of life where we have to take care of parents or spouses.

24:29And we, again, need the time off and we don't want to lose our job or be, you know, punished for that. And, you know, I was at the FDA testifying to get mandatory mammogram reporting. And only, as I said, can I now kind of look at the whole thing and say the next 25 years were not the same. It wasn't topping, you know, the GMA years. But it was equal to. And, like, I'm happy and proud of the direction I took. But I don't know if I ever let myself say that's okay until I sat down and decided to, because I sat down 11 years ago and started writing this book. And then I got breast cancer. I said, okay, I got to write a book about breast cancer. And I got so involved, as I say, in all these health campaigns, oh, I got to write a book about women and aging. And I wrote, why did I come into this room?

25:29And then I took this back up. And I'm kind of glad that it happened that way, because, you know, my publisher who's written a few books with me, she said, you couldn't have written this book and made yourself go that deep even five years ago. Right. That's the beauty of writing a memoir is really looking big picture at everything, what got you to where you are, what you survived, how you handled crisis. Look, it just makes you appreciate your journey so much more. And then, yes, share that, because it's so inspiring. You know, it's funny, because my husband always says, I got this home office, and I've got all these pictures on the wall. And he said, you know, only now is you're doing this memoir of yours. He said, you've lived such an extraordinary life. He said, but to you, it was ordinary. It just was, yeah. It just was, and it was it like 1,000 miles an hour, ordinary.

26:33And he said, I'm, this is really wonderful that you're doing this, because it's allowing you to see that it wasn't an ordinary life when it's the rest of the imagination. And it probably even lets you look at these pictures of you with presidents and you with girls and you with every star imaginable with different eyes. And he's right. I mean, I have a new appreciation. Yeah, because when you're in it, you're surviving it. Yeah, yeah. You know, you're figuring out how to manage all this craziness. Yeah. And then when you step back and you look at it, you're like, wow, look what I've done. Yeah. And they've all kind of come, Jenny, I think, with the chapters, which were kind of defined by age, you know, because as you get older, you want to talk to women about whatever it is that's happening to you. I wrote a book after leaving GMA called the end of the road is not the bend of the, a bend in the road is not the end of the road. And I was dealing with this huge change.

27:33I mean, the only difference with me is that everybody in the country knew I was dealing with it, but everybody goes through change and they lose a job, lose a relationship or whatever. They had these shifts in their life. And they come upon us, especially when you don't expect them, it's very scary and very vulnerable. And I definitely wanted to write not just about all the wonderful things I got to do in my life, but about how vulnerable I felt when some of these transitions happen and how I worked through it, because one thing I've learned in the last 25 years out speaking all over the country, because it was different. I mean, GMA just kept me busy with GMA for 25 years. And I've learned one thing. It's really important that we share our stories. When you share your story, you're impacting people in a room.

28:37You're impacting people on a podcast here. There are people out there that are going to say, wow, she went through that. Right. And she felt vulnerable and then somehow got in a round up and down. Somehow got through it and kept her mind open to maybe doing something else. And those are like important little lessons that we learn that if we're willing to, that when we share them, that other people can kind of grab on to those and have hope or be motivated. Right, right. Yeah. It's so powerful the power to inspire other people. Today, kids need space to run wild. But for children living with serious illnesses, that kind of freedom can be hard to find. That's why serious fun exists. Serious fun is a network of camps founded by legendary actor and philanthropist Paul Newman, staffed by medical professionals who create a safe place for kids too. As Paul put it, raise a little hell. With expert care built in, kids get to play, explore, and feel free to be themselves.

29:39These camps are always free of charge to campers and their families, which is where your support can really make a difference. To learn how you can help more children with medical challenges, experience the joy, freedom, and belonging that every child deserves, visit seriousfun.org. This is Bowen Yang from Los Culturistas with Matt Rodgers and Bowen Yang. We all know the feeling when life gets really busy, taking care of yourself can feel impossible. That's why Premier Protein Shakes are my go-to. They have 30 grams of protein, 160 calories, no added sugar, and they taste amazing. So they're a healthy choice you'll actually want to make. It's not just for fitness, it's for getting after life. Premier Protein powers me to say yes to more. Find your favorite flavor at premierprotein.com. That's P-R-E-M-I-E-R, protein.com. We're lost. It feels like we're going round in circles. I'm going to ask that man for directions. Hi there, we're trying to get to the state fairgrounds.

30:40Well, you're going to take a left at the old oak tree at this here road. Nah, I'm just kidding. Let me get my phone out. How is there signal out here? T-Mobile and U.S. cellular are coming together, so the network out here is huge. We get the same great signal as the city. Saving a boatload with benefits. And there's a five-year price guarantee, too. Okay, here's the turn. Actually, can you pull up the way to a T-Mobile store? America's best network just got bigger. Switch to T-Mobile today and get built in benefits the other guys leave out. Plus our five-year price guarantee. And now T-Mobile is available at U.S. cellular stores in Martinsburg. Best mobile network based on analysis by Oakloaf Speed Test Intelligence data second half of 2025. Bigger network. The combination of T-Mobile and U.S. cellular's network footprints will enhance the T-Mobile network's coverage. Price guarantee on talk text and data. Exclusions like taxes and fees apply. C-T-Mobile.com for details. Let's talk about modern home shopping. It's sort of become a fun side hobby, right? Scrolling listings at night, dreaming about kitchens you've never seen, or backyards you haven't even stepped foot in.

31:41All from the comforts of pretty much anywhere. Redfin knows a lot of people like you want to own, but are stuck in this browsing mode loop. That's where Redfin flips the script. With listings that update within minutes, and tours you can book right from the Redfin app, you can see your dream home the moment it appears. Now liking a listing is easy, but actually landing it, that's where Redfin comes in. Redfin has over 2200 agents with local expertise. And Redfin agents close twice as many deals as other agents. That means they want to help you win, not just window shop. Redfin is built to help you go from just looking to wait. This could actually be home. So become the newest neighbor on the block. Visit redfin.com to start finding and start owning. That's redfin.com. Throughout the book, I felt that you grappled with negative voices, that imposter syndrome that we all sometimes feel.

32:42And how you manage those unhelpful messages can really be the difference between getting a job and going in a totally different direction. And there were several steps along the way where you thought, I can't do that, but you did it anyway. But I have to do it. Right. I mean, like the day I got the call, I was at Eyewitness News in New York. I was a reporter. And I was in my, like, my news cubby. This one, this day in March. Yes, yes, yes, yes. I love the picture of you so much. This is the back cover of your book. When you were four years old there. You said that this was the picture you took on your first day of. Yeah, like right when I went there. And I didn't know what I was doing to be very honest. I'd never been a reporter back in Sacramento because I started in the industry at a time when there weren't very many women. And so I started as a weather girl. Because that's how you started back then. And then kind of became a consumer reporter

33:42and went right to anchoring. And then I went to New York. And then I went to New York. And they, they wanted me to be a street reporter. And I was like, okay, so do you tell them that you don't know how to do this? Or do you go ahead and go? Also, the streets of New York City. And the streets in New York City. No less. During that time. That if someone's going to take a page out of the John Lennon playbook. It's this. Whenever anyone asks if you can do something. Just say yes. And then go figure out how to do it. I love that. And that is how I've lived my life all the way along the way. And like the day that I got the call from my agent to tell me that I got the job at Good Morning America. I was like, half an hour before the six o'clock news was starting. So I'm trying to finish my story. I was like, oh my god, that's awesome. I'll call you up to the show. And like 20 minutes later, the phone rang again. I figured it was him calling back with something. And it was my kind of colleges.

34:43Congratulations. You're pregnant with your first baby. Oh my gosh. And like delight. Dilemma. Like yes. About this. And. I don't even know if I ever really had the thought to be honest with you. That I really don't think I ever had the thought of, oh man, bad timing. This would have been so great. But, but now, you know, I've been out of pregnant. Never occurred to me. I just immediately said, okay. I'll figure out how to do it. I'll just figure it out. Oh my gosh. Showing the same thing happened to me when I got my first opportunity to do comedy on a show called What I Like About You. I got the job. We did the pilot. It got picked up. And that same day I found out I was pregnant. It's so crazy. The parallels. Yeah. And so many women's lives. And you went ahead and did it. Said, you know what? I'm going to go forward with this because I want both things. And that's okay. Because I want both things. They're both so amazing that you do,

35:45that you deserve it to yourself to go ahead and do both. Yeah. And that's not to say that it's not hard. No. Yeah. Logistically very difficult. Yeah. With it, you know, and I'll just physically and emotionally very difficult. Yeah. To be working with you to the. Down to the bone, trying to do both. But so worth it. Yeah. I love this quote from your book. You say I took a deep breath and told myself, come on, you can do this. If you've believed in Santa Claus for five years, you can believe in yourself for five minutes. Yeah. That's a perfect mantra. I love quotes. I know. I love them too. I love quotes. And this is my eleventh book. These quotes in every book I've ever written. And I keep a collection of them. Whenever I find another one I really like, I put it in my collection. So when it comes time, I spend so much time just on and chapter titles.

36:47I love chapter titles. And once I get a chapter title, and then I think, okay, so what is the quote that is going to set the person up in the right framework? The right mindset to have this chapter delivered to them. And I spend so much time. And then once you come up with a quote, the editors, the publishing editors, like they make you crazy, no, it actually wasn't so and so who said that, go back farther. It was someone else because they're so afraid of not giving the proper attribution. And sometimes I'd say, oh, man, this isn't even worth it to keep trying to dig back. No, it actually isn't worth it. I want this quote. No, quotes are so inspiring. Yes. They're like succinct messages that you can wrap your head around and live your life according to. Yeah, short, sweet little things that stay in the back of your mind and you remember them forever. And they serve as inspiration.

37:48Yeah. It's a pretty good mantra for all of us as we learn to choose ourselves in life. Oh my gosh, there's so much we could talk about. I mean, literally I could talk to you all day. Your book is a generous 400 pages of stories about reinvention and success and challenge and bursting free from imposter syndrome. Joan, life beyond the script is available now wherever books are sold. And of course, you can hear her read the audio book as well, which I loved so much. But before I let you go, Joan London, what was your last I choose me moment? My last I choose me moment. My last I choose me moment was probably, well, it was probably yesterday when I chose to go out in the sun and get a little bit of a tan even though I don't, I didn't really do that to my dermatologist. Yeah, don't tell that. I tell you, I'm at that stage of life where the last I choose me moment was when I decided I was going to work on a thousand-piece

38:48jigsaw puzzle and not feel guilty for doing it. I love that so much. Because I always thought, oh, I'm being lazy. It's almost like a meditation. And I don't, and I shouldn't feel guilty. No. That is genius. Also, it's very good for your brain. Oh, absolutely. So I take a hip-hop class at my gym and this all women and we all say the same thing. We are not here because we are good dancers. We are here so that when he does, okay, now let's add the third, five, six, seven, eight, that we can think, oh, my God, what was the first eight count? What was the second eight count? We're all there for a brain. I love that. That's so good. I want that. I want to go to your hip-hop class, Joan. Oh, my gosh. Thank you so much for spending time with me. You are a legend and such an inspiration to me and so many women I really appreciate your time today. Good luck with the book.

39:49It's amazing, everybody. You have to read it. Thanks so much, Jenny. You guys, I'm very excited to share that my book I choose me, chasing joy, finding purpose, and embracing reinvention is coming. April 14th. And it would mean the world to me if you would pre-order a copy or the audiobook wherever you get your books. And yes, I am definitely narrating the audiobook so it's going to be so fun. Today, kids need space to run wild. But for children living with serious illnesses, that kind of freedom can be hard to find. That's why serious fun exists. Serious fun is a network of camps founded by legendary actor and philanthropist Paul Newman, staffed by medical professionals who create a safe place for kids too. As Paul put it, raise a little hell. With expert care built in, kids get to play, explore, and feel free to be themselves. These camps are always free of charge to campers and their families, which is where your support can really make a difference.

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