The beautiful no : and other tales of trial, transcendence, and transformation

"From Sheri Salata, former Executive Producer of The Oprah Winfrey Show, Co-President of Harpo Studios and OWN: A woman's roadmap to midlife reinvention, inspired by the author's own journey of radical self-care and transformation after decades of single-minded devotion to work over life"--;Introduction : tell me your story and I'll tell you mine -- If not now, when? -- The reckoning -- My pink life -- The mighty dreamquest -- Chasing beauty -- Feel the burn -- OMG! I forgot I had cancer! -- I did everything wrong (and it turned out alright) -- The beautiful no -- The greatest show on Earth -- My epic fail at work/life balance -- Now you see him, now you don't -- Kissy the underdog -- Anatomy of a rut -- Thanksgiving redux -- The love list -- You gotta walk before you can pole-dance -- Freedom, growth, and joy -- Your last three days on Earth -- You are what you dream. “Thursday morning. One hundred pounds overweight, no man in sight, and rounding the bend to 57 years old—a full-blown catastrophe.” What happens when you realize you’ve had the career of your dreams, but you don’t have the life of your dreams? This was the stark reality facing Sheri Salata when she left her twenty-year stint at The Oprah Winfrey Show, Harpo Studios and the OWN network. She had dedicated decades to her dream job, and loved (almost) every minute of it, but had left the rest of her life gathering dust on the shelf. After years of telling other people’s makeover stories, Sheri decided to “produce” her own life transformation. And this meant revisiting her past, excavating its lessons, and boldly reimagining her future. In these pages, she invites readers along for the ride—detoxing in the desert, braving humiliation at Hollywood’s favorite fitness studio, grappling with losses, reinventing friendships, baring her soul in sex therapy, and more. Part cautionary tale, part middle-of-life rallying cry, Sheri’s stories offer profound inspiration for personal renewal. The former executive producer of The Oprah Winfrey Show and co-host of the popular podcast series This is Fifty with Sheri + Nancy shares candid insights and transformational wisdom from her storybook career and her dramatic middle of life reinvention. "Thursday morning. One hundred pounds overweight, no man in sight. And rounding the bend to 57 years old—a full blown catastrophe." What happens when you've dedicated decades to your dream job but left all your other dreams gathering dust on the shelf? This was the question facing Sheri Salata. For over twenty years, Sheri worked first on The Oprah Winfrey Show and then on the OWN cable network turnaround. It was a storybook career that came with enormous rewards—and ultimately huge self-inflicted costs, leaving her emotionally and physically depleted. After years of telling other people's stories and inspiring them to turn their lives around, Sheri decided it was time to "produce" her... "From Sheri Salata, former Executive Producer of The Oprah Winfrey Show, Co-President of Harpo Studios and OWN: A woman's roadmap to midlife reinvention, inspired by the author's own journey of radical self-care and transformation after decades of single-minded devotion to work over life"-- Provided by publisher