Ep.202 The Dress of Possibility: Reinvention, Resilience, and Starting Over at Any Age

Today’s episode feels like catching up with a friend—but one who challenges you to stop playing small.

I’m joined again by Susan Guidi, who first appeared back in Episode 45. A lot has changed since then—and this chapter might be her most powerful yet.

Susan started over as a single mom, built a business from scratch, discovered stand-up comedy, lost 45 pounds at 63, and stepped on a bodybuilding stage at 65. Most recently, she navigated a hip replacement and came out stronger—with a completely new perspective on resilience, recovery, and what it really means to keep showing up for yourself as you age. 

This conversation is honest, funny, and deeply real.

We talk about:

•  Why it’s never “too late” to reinvent yourself 
•  The mindset shift that changes everything in midlife 
•  What recovery, strength, and resilience actually look like after surgery 
•  The truth about aging, identity, and starting over 
•  Why lifestyle—nutrition, strength training, sleep—still comes first 
•  And Susan’s powerful concept: “the dress of possibility”

What if nothing is actually “too late”… and you’ve just been playing it safe?  Still waiting for the “right time”? This is your wake-up call. 

You can find my friend Susan Guidi on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kikimousegetsfit/

_________________________________________
If you’re doing “all the right things” and still feel stuck, adding a layer of support may be an option. I’ve partnered with a trusted telehealth platform offering modern solutions for women in midlife—including micro-dosed GLP-1 and other peptide therapies.

https://elliemd.com/michelefolan - Create a free account to view all products.

Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/askingforafriend_pod/

✨ Sign up for my weekly newsletter:
https://michelefolanfasterway.myflodesk.com/i6i44jw4fq

Like to connect? Email me at [e-mail] 

Transcripts are created with AI and may not be perfectly accurate.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional healthcare services. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding a medical condition.

Episode Transcript

Michele Folan (00:00):
The information shared on this podcast is for
educational purposes only andshould not be considered medical
advice.
Please consult a qualifiedhealthcare professional
regarding your individual healthneeds.
Let's talk about peptidesbecause they're not just GLP
ones.
Your body actually makespeptides naturally.
They're messengers that helpregulate things like fat

(00:22):
metabolism, muscle growth, skinhealth, recovery, and energy.

But here's the truth (00:27):
just like hormones, collagen, and muscle,
peptide production declines aswe age, especially
postmenopause.
So if you're feeling stuck,belly fat that won't budge,
slower recovery, low energy, orskin that just isn't bouncing
back like it used to, this mightbe a missing piece.
And no, this isn't aboutshortcuts.

(00:48):
Lifestyle still comes first.
Strength training, protein,sleep, stress management,
always.
But peptides can be a smartlayer on top of that foundation.
Not interested in a GLP1?
Totally fine.
There are other options thatsupport fat metabolism,
recovery, cognitive function,and healthy aging.

(01:10):
The key is quality and workingwith a trusted medical provider.
That's why I've partnered withLEMD to bring you clinically
guided, personalized peptideoptions that actually make sense
for midlife women.
And if you're curious, checkthe link in the show notes and
learn what might be right foryou.
Today's episode is one of thoseconversations that just feels

(01:53):
like catching up with a friend,but also leaves you thinking,
okay, what excuse am I holdingon to?
My friend Susan Guidi is backon the podcast.
She was actually on way back inepisode 45, if you can believe
that.
So we've covered parts of herstory before, but a lot has

(02:13):
happened since then, and thischapter might be her most
powerful yet.
In midlife, Susan started overas a single mom and built a
business from scratch.
She discovered stand-up comedy.
She lost 45 pounds at 63,stepped on a bodybuilding stage
at 65, and recently was featuredon Kelly Casperson's podcast.

(02:35):
And now she's on the other sideof a hip replacement with a
whole new perspective onstrength, recovery, and what it
really means to keep showing upfor yourself as you age.
This conversation will behonest, real, and at times
really funny because that's whoSusan is.
We talk about surgery andrecovery and also about

(02:56):
identity, resilience, andcontinuing to evolve when a lot
of people think it's time toslow down.
If you've ever wondered if it'stoo late to make a change,
build something new, or takeyour health seriously, Susan is
your proof that your second orthird act can actually be your
best one.
Susan Guidi, welcome to Askingfor a Friend.

Susan Guidi (03:18):
Hello, I'm so excited.
We started almost before thepodcast started.
We were trying to figure outhow long it's been, you know,
from the minute we met, we justconnected.
It was so I talk about this,you know, through this journey
starting again at 63, that Imade an effort, especially

(03:46):
during the times of thepandemic, it sort of afforded us
this fearlessness to say,you're never gonna meet me,
you're online.
But what if you got to know me?
And we connected through yourpodcast that you were just
beginning.
Yeah.
Episode 45.

Michele Folan (04:01):
Yeah, and I reached out to you because I
felt like you were so inspiring.
Here you were in your 60s, andfocusing on your health and your
fitness and putting it outthere.
So brave.
And then I found out you had aCincinnati connection, which was
serendipitous, and we we got tomeet in person when you were

(04:24):
here for a wedding.

Susan Guidi (04:25):
And we walked your beautiful neighborhood, which
was just delightful, and we hadcoffee and breakfast at this
great little site.
And in that one moment, I thinkit talks a lot about both of
our journeys.
We sort of went that extramile.
Yeah.
You know, to say, God, what ifthis connection, what if this

(04:49):
woman, right, really provides mewith something that reassures
me that I'm not alone and she'snot that different for me, and
she's being brave.
And I knew you were being bravebecause then you were still in
your corporate job, right?
Yeah.
You hadn't left yet.
No, and you were essentiallystarting over as well and

(05:13):
starting this podcast, which forour listeners, tell them the
stats, ladies and gentlemen,because this is really
important.

Michele Folan (05:22):
Well, so when Susan and I first spoke, we were
probably in the top 10%, maybetop 5% globally for podcasts.
And now we are in the top 1.5%.
And that's just yeah, I mean,it's exciting, right?
I mean, we have a very, I thinkit's an audience that is

(05:46):
looking for answers and theycome here because I'm putting
myself in everybody else's shoesand asking those questions.
And and but bringing guests on,they may not have a million
followers, but they are gueststhat have walked the walk.
And I feel their experiencesare identifiable.

(06:11):
People feel that, oh, I that'sme, that's me.
That person is speaking to me.

Susan Guidi (06:16):
And I think you say such an important thing if you
ask me to sum up the journey,was that after I got off of
Kelly Casperson's podcast, Ithought, oh, there was something
I wanted to say to her.
And one of those was when Istarted, all of this was
beginning.
And for the first time,post-menopausal women were not

(06:39):
being excluded.
For the first time, there werewomen like Train with Joan that
were saying, Hey, you know what?
You're missing out on apopulation where in the next few
years, economically, everythingwe're a significant portion of
the population.
And we are survivors.

(07:00):
Like this group of women,particularly in the 60 plus,
which was almost unheard of.
Like, even I joke as a standardbecause I joke about
everything, but like I getreally scared when there's a box
that says, Are you 20 to 30, 30to 40?
And then you get to my age,there's no damn box.

(07:20):
They just figure what there'sno need for a box at this point,
you know.
But a lot of women my agestarted to listen to your
podcasts and people's podcaststhat say, What if this is a
bunch of bullshit?
And like you could step intoyour power at any age, at any

(07:42):
age, but at this age, to havemodels of women that said, we're
just over here listening tosome really cool advice and
saying, How would this make mebe at 69 my bestest self?
My bestest self with the bestenergy, with the aches and pains

(08:04):
and the sorrows and everythingthat the world has to throw at
us.
Because the world's still hard.
Like this doesn't make me, Idon't have two men fanning me or
putting on my makeup oranything.
That would be nice.
And if anybody is available,you know, I'm ready to sign up.
But life is hard.
But in stepping into perhapsthe idea of putting on a dress

(08:29):
that says possibility, right?
Yeah.
Somebody put in your closetthree dresses, you know,
kindness to yourself, like tostart there, just go, we're
starting from scratch.
You are the most hot, amazing,160-pound, whatever it is you
are, full of resilience,survivorship, kids, grandkids,

(08:53):
divorces.
And here's a dress because youhaven't seen it in the back of
your closet for a while, thatsays a possibility on it.
How will you use it?
How will you step into that?
What would you do if tomorrowanything was possible?
Just anything was possible.

(09:14):
Yeah.
What are you longing for?
What did you do when you weresix or seven as a little girl?
And I always go back to thisbefore the world starts blowing
out your candle.

Michele Folan (09:25):
You know, I put something in a caption yesterday
on a reel that I had done or apost.
And it was something like, Am Iliving fully the life I've been
given?
And if you think about that,you've been given this life,

(09:47):
you've been given good health,you've been given this
influence.
Are you are you living it asfully as you possibly can?
And I I just want people tothink about that for a minute.
Because we have this wonderfulgift of experience, life

(10:12):
experience.
What are you doing with that?
And it doesn't mean you've gotto go start a new corporate
career at 60, but what are youdoing with that life experience
that you've so so rightfullyearned?

Susan Guidi (10:28):
But I think one of the things that in use in
showcasing women are just backhere.
If you follow me with thecamera, you see me do kind of
the same stuff all the day.
I have my rough days.
There are days where I don'teven want to lace up the tennis
shoes.
I just don't.
But when I do, it seems to makea hard day just a little less

(10:51):
hard.
When I do, I feel a little moreempowered about myself.
When I do, I see a cardinal inthe tree.
You know, I just think when youfeatured women like us that are
just doing this hard stuff,maybe one other person, and
that's all it takes.
One other woman.
And I say women because I knowthere are men there, but we

(11:13):
gotta, for us, you gotta pick alane.
And for me, it's always beenabout encouraging the women
because as the stats tell us,even in 2026, I see it with my
daughters.
The women are still responsiblefor 80% of all the stuff that's
going on.
The laundry, the kids, thediapers, the sickness, I'll take
off of work, I'll take off ofmy job.

(11:34):
Uh oh, no, no, you got ameeting, no worry.
I'll take care of that.
I'll cook dinner.
I'll also try and get a workoutin, you know, and eat right,
right?
And go to sleep for at leastthree hours.
Oh, but the baby woke up tobreastfeed.
Like women are still, I think,the group that if we benefit and
take charge of this stuff iseven at this age, this is the

(11:55):
age where we should, becausewe're so powerful.
Always say, shh, don't tellpeople about post-menopause,
because it's really cool on thisside.
Yeah.
You get to do stuff if you stepinto it that maybe you always
dreamed of, like stand-up, likebodybuilding, like starting a
podcast, like quitting your job,like traveling the world, like

(12:17):
that dress of possibility.
Should like what was the sisterof the traveling pants?
What was the name of thatmovie?

Michele Folan (12:24):
Oh, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

Susan Guidi (12:26):
Yeah.
What if we had the sisterhoodof the post-menopausal dress
that said possibility?
You put it on and for the day,anything's possible.
What would you do?

unknown (12:37):
Yeah.

Susan Guidi (12:37):
Would you change the world just a little bit?
Even if it just starts withliking yourself, being kind to
yourself, you know?
And I started there and amstill working there because a
lot has happened since we talkedlast.

Michele Folan (12:52):
Well, you've reinvented yourself multiple
times.
You were single mom, you youare an entrepreneur, you've done
stand-up, which just I lovebodybuilder.
Which version of Susan do youfeel most connected to right
now?

Susan Guidi (13:10):
Always the comic.
Always.
Always the comic.
I think that I would like to bethe female version of Mel
Brooks.
That if you look at his energy,he looked at comedy as a
healing tool.
And I know this from my ownpersonal experiment.

(13:30):
When I decided to be astand-up, it was during the time
that The Secret had just comeout.
And there was some chapterabout a guy who manifested being
a stand-up.
And I was like, I can do that.
And they didn't say to do this,but I decided, I just took this
upon myself to say, what ifpeople ask me what I do?

(13:53):
I don't tell them aboutmedicine.
I just tell them I'm astand-up.
And I'm a stand-up.
And I'm a stand-up.
No matter what.
I'm doing stand-up, I am astand up, I am that whole
statement of I know it'swoo-woo.
I am.
I'm a stand-up.
But I would say I'm a stand-up.
Oh my God, Michelle.
To this day, I kill when I openwith that.

(14:15):
Because you almost disarmpeople when you shake their
hands.
And I always tell women, tryit.
Tell somebody for the next 24hours, I am a stand-up, I'm
doing stand-up.
Yeah.
People immediately startlaughing.
I go, but I haven't told youanything.
But they immediately senseyou're gonna make me smile.

(14:36):
You're gonna make me laugh.
So I definitely identify ifthere was a pronoun for a comic,
you know, it would be that.
And that still gives my world afilter of rose color.
Yeah.
Does that make sense?
Yeah.
It just protect me in a bit.

Michele Folan (14:57):
I think for you though, it it's it's how you
present yourself.
That that comic image gives youan energy that maybe your
entrepreneur hat doesn't giveyou.

Susan Guidi (15:11):
And the entrepreneur hat, it serves
though.
In medicine, I studied sincewe've talked last.
I've also studied atNorthwestern University.
I paid for myself to do anacademic certified course, not
only the beginner's class, butthe advanced class, with

(15:32):
probably some of the mostintelligent people on the
planet, predominantly healthcarephysicians mostly, medical
improv.
At Northwestern University touse improv, it sort of started
with Alan Alda, but using improvto teach doctors how to use

(15:54):
improv skills to communicatebetter with staff, with nurses,
with the patients regardingstatus.
There were exercises we did,which I love forever.
There was a status exercise.
Cool.
And you could apply it to anyanything, not just medicine.

(16:15):
And you had to play this gamewhere you were given a status,
but you didn't know what it was.
And you held that status sortof as a card, but you couldn't
see it.
And then everybody interactedwith you.
If you were a 10, then that waslike you were, I don't know, a
god.
And if you were a status one,people would interact in a less,

(16:40):
like maybe perhaps they'd bealoof.
And it, I don't know.
I think that tool in medicineagain disarms patients.
I can give bad news in a waythat through it's funny, I I
just have the skill set ofknowing how to communicate

(17:04):
better.
And you think, ha ha, come on,how can that be true?
But it is.
Like you're just happier withyourself and you have a way of
not maybe taking everything soseriously.

Michele Folan (17:18):
And but I think there this the the comedy and
also being this age is alsohaving that ability to laugh at
ourselves, and that comesthrough too, right?
We don't we don't takeourselves that as seriously when

(17:39):
you know that you're notperfect and that no one else is
either, right?

Susan Guidi (17:47):
And I think that was one of the things I gained
the most from from taking thebrave step of putting my.
I often talk about the firstday I posted on Instagram, and I
was already at that point 50pounds overweight.
I didn't own a bikini, I had ahideous pair of shorts, my
abdominal fat literally sat overmy shorts.

(18:09):
My bra was like like it was, Ilook like a serial killer.
And I had read something aboutMel Robin's book, 54321.
Don't overthink it, just do it,which helps a lot in Instagram
posting.
And I just did it.
And that was how many yearsago?
That was December something,2020.

(18:31):
And instead of people likedisowning me and me losing my
house and being homeless,nothing happened.
In fact, women started writingme going, Hi five, you go, girl.
That's amazing.
I'm like, I look like I couldkill your grandchildren.
Like, what what do you mean?

(18:52):
You're supporting me.
And that became this journey ofalso saying to other women,
when we show more what thisstruggle is like, that I'm no
different from you.
I gain weight, I lose weight, Ihave, I've done every diet in
the world.
I've fasted to kingdom come.
I've done it all in this questfor.

(19:14):
What is the quest for?
What, like, what exactly is thequest for?
Right.
It yeah.
Because even losing the weightdoesn't change the things I get
to do every day.
Me being skinny didn't get meon your podcast, really.
You were more interested inlosing that person, the story,

(19:34):
the journey.
What did you survive?
What tips can I learn from youthat help might help me survive?
And being very authentic aboutthat.
And none of that has changed.
I'm just in a differentversion, and I've got a hit, a
new hit.

Michele Folan (19:53):
Yeah, and we're gonna talk about the hit.
Do you ever look back andthink, I wish I would have
started sooner?

Susan Guidi (20:00):
Nope, nope, nope, I couldn't have started sooner.
And I said that then, and I sayit now.
You couldn't, you can't start,you can't start until you're
ready to start and honestly, Ithink the pandemic was a gift.
I think some of the magic.
Now, I'm not talking about thedeath, obviously, of hundreds of

(20:22):
thousands of people, but I'msaying the magic that happened
to those who said, if I survivethis, because I was the age that
was gonna die, you're gonnadie.
You're gonna die.
Like you're the age groupthat's gonna die.
We're so sorry, but you'regonna die, you know.
So I guess I kept thinking, ifI don't die, I want to come out
of this just better.

(20:44):
And there was a whole world ofpeople that just took stock, a
whole bunch of women that tookstock and said, What can I do to
just be better, even at thisage, even at 60, where I'm
supposed to be dying, you know,how do I get out of this a

(21:04):
better person?
What are the tools?
Um, and believing thatmenopause makes you fat, that's
just a that's gonna happen,you're gonna be invisible.
That was the narrative we weresold.
And all of a sudden, during thepandemic, I found women that

(21:26):
were challenging it.
They were saying, you knowwhat, this isn't necessarily
true.
And, you know, the whole ideaof menopausal support for the
first time really started toblossom.
It was a first time where wereally had advocates for women
getting hormones if we neededit.
I was the generation who didn'tget that.

(21:47):
We were told, you're gonna die,you know, if you take it.
So I didn't take it.
So then I found myself in aclass of women, even though now
some of that information.
Is changing in the class ofwoman that said, Well, it's too
late for you.
So are we further effed becauseI couldn't take the hormones?

(22:08):
I'm 63, I'm gonna die fromCOVID.
You know, what do I have tolose?
And then I just put everythinginto, but what if putting on
muscle is possible?
What if losing weight ispossible?
And then it became this cascadeof the dress of possibilities,

(22:28):
right?
If this is possible, wait, thenall that other stuff they were
telling us about is notnecessarily true.
And now I can do this.
Like that became a photo shoot.
I always think women should doa photo shoot.
They should glam themselves uplike Chris Jenner, right?
And get your hair and makeupdone and take a picture of
yourself and put that picturesomewhere where you can see it

(22:51):
and say, Oh, who's that hotperson?
Oh my god, that's me.
Your photos were amazing, bythe way.
My photos were, I almost died.
No one knows what I wentthrough.
Oh, I know those pictures.
From hiring the Vogue editorialphotographer that I had no clue
about.
Like, you have to know how topose, like to do that kind of

(23:13):
stuff.
And no clue.
And I'm out in the desertduring a heat dome at five
o'clock in the afternoon,holding veils, like I should
have been 20 years old.
I thought they were gonna takeaway my thin hair, which was
perfectly sprayed, stood up likealfalfa in the wind.
So the poorer makeup stylist istrying to pin this stuff down.

(23:36):
Meanwhile, I'm thinking, I'mI'm gonna die.
I almost fainted four or fivetimes, but I was determined that
they would capture the womanthat did it anyway.
You know what I learned,Michelle, which is a lot of
stuff I haven't talked about.
A lot of women during thetransformation of the Wonder
Woman program would oftenschedule the photo shoot and

(23:59):
they'd never make it.
And I would sit with my coachand I'd say, Why?
Something would always happen.
They would get sick, theycouldn't do it, they canceled
it, they wouldn't do it.
And I was thinking, I will notbe that person.
I will do this, even though Idon't know what I'm stepping
into.
And as I started to get sick inthe photo shoot in the heat, I

(24:23):
remember saying, I will not bethat person.
And then it turned into thisalmost stand-up comedic act,
right?
Because in the heat there wasno place for them to lay me
down, right?
I'm in a bikini and I think I'mgoing to poop my pants in a
bikini in the backseat of theircar in 110 heat.

(24:46):
How God just take me now?
No, I know, I'd rather havedeath than just whatever.

Michele Folan (24:54):
I know, but but to do that at 64, 65, whatever
you were at that point.
64.
Okay, you're 64.
To be 64, I know, but youweren't 44.
And this is what I'm talkingabout.
Doing that at 64 is you wouldnever have done it at 44.

Susan Guidi (25:14):
I wasn't ready.
I know.
I know.
I wouldn't have, I would havecreated a thousand excuses at 44
for why I didn't have theportfolio or I had lipodema and
my thighs are cellulite, or I'mnot for anybody who has
lipedema.
But you know what I'm saying?
I have all these things.
I hear it sometimes from mydaughter.
Well, I can't because my hairis not perfect and my eyebrows
aren't perfect.

(25:34):
I didn't even want him to haveme perfect.
Do you know what I told him?
What?
I took boxing wraps, I wrappedmy hands in boxing wraps, and I
asked the makeup artist if shecould put bruises on my face and
cuts and make me look like Ihad just come out of a fight.
Because I said that is whatmost women have.

(25:59):
The photo shoot was a piece ofcake compared to my life in
general, right?
All the stuff we had survived,but I wanted a woman who was
still standing there.
Like, have you ever watchedMonty Python?
I think about this a littlemedic brain.
Yeah.
Do you remember the episodewhere there were like a
renaissance sword fight?
I know what you're talkingabout.

(26:19):
And they cut off the guy's arm.
Yeah.
And the guy in his Britisheyes, it's just a flesh wound.
Let's keep going.
That's what I feel like thisage is.
You just start to look at thesethings like it's just a flesh
wound.
Let's go.
Because what's the alternative?
Yeah.
And when you step into that,other magic happens.

(26:45):
Yeah.
And it's the stepping into it,regardless.
It was not easy.
It wasn't pretty.
When I had to wait the 30 daysbefore they send you the photo
shoot or whatever the days are,I was like, these are gonna be
horrible.
And they were not.

(27:07):
And and I saw myself withkindness and fierce.
That photo that I do this, itwas like, oh my, oh my God, I
like her.

unknown (27:19):
Yeah.

Susan Guidi (27:20):
And it's liking yourself at this point and
realizing you can have a millionwomen on your podcast, right?
But each one brings thatcertain pimienta, that spice,
that's something that somebodyelse doesn't have.
And that's why I talk about forus at this age, there's a seat

(27:40):
for everybody.
The table's infinite.
And if you don't see a seatthat has your name on it, bring
your damn folding chair.
Yeah.
And just come on in becausethis age is where we need tons
of examples of what'd yousurvive, and what are you doing
now?
And here's the dress ofpossibility.

(28:02):
What's what'd you survive?
What are you doing now?
Today you get the dress ofpossibility.

Michele Folan (28:08):
I love it.
Okay, we gotta take a quickbreak.
And we're gonna continue thisconversation when we come back.
Quick pause for a second.
If you've been listening tothis podcast and thinking, oh my
gosh, my friend needs to hearthis.
Don't keep it to yourself.
Seriously.
So many women out there aretrying to figure this stuff out

(28:29):
alone.
Health hormones, aging, all ofit.
And half the time we don't evenknow where to start.
That's exactly why I createdthis podcast.
So if something you've heardtoday resonated with you, send
it to a friend, a sister, yourworkout buddy, that woman you
were just talking to aboutperimenopause over coffee.
Because these conversations,they matter.

(28:51):
And the more women we bringinto this space, the better we
all get.
All right, let's get back tothe episode.
All right.
I love where this was goingwhen we took the break.
And, you know, in the veryfirst episode of this podcast, I
told my story, losing my jobsix weeks before COVID shut

(29:12):
everything down, being in my 50sand being in a full-on job
search during a global pandemic.
But that was also the timewhere I decided I was going to
start this podcast.
It's gone through differentiterations since then, but it
but that was kind of where Idecided that was time.
And there, there, you know,there were there were other

(29:34):
there were other things alongthe way that were the catalyst
for, I think, where my mind isnow.
So it's not just the pandemic.
It wasn't just losing my job.
There were, there were a lot ofthings in there.
And at even at 62, I'm not I'mnot finished yet.
I still there's still there'sstill more uh gas in the tank to

(29:59):
do to do some things.
And and we'll we we will talkabout that maybe a little later
in this podcast.
But I I need to talk aboutsomething that you just went
through, and that was your hipreplacement.
And I think a lot of women thisage put that off, put it off,
put it off, put it off.
Maybe it's the hip, maybe it'sthe knee.

(30:21):
And I would love for you toshare what was going on with
your body at that time and whyyou finally made the decision to
get it done.
So I'm a big researcher.

Susan Guidi (30:34):
I I don't like look at recipes.
I don't look at one, I look at17.
And when I started to realize,and you know what?
It was when I met with you inCincinnati that you commented to
me, were like, you're reallylimping.
I was like, no shit, Sherlock.
Yes.
I was almost dragging that legbehind me, telling myself

(30:59):
anything that I couldpotentially do.
I looked at hyperbaric chamber,I looked at physical therapy, I
looked at shockwave.
All it did was hurt.
I looked at so I looked at likea guy who would stretch you and
and my hip wouldn't move.

(31:19):
And I associated a hipreplacement with just being out
of the game.
Yeah.
And it came at a time therealization that I needed it,
that I was in pain.
And I'm strong as hell.
I'm the flesh wound girl.
It's just the flesh root.
Let's keep going.
I couldn't ignore it.

(31:41):
I couldn't walk.
I had older people than mestopping me, going, Do you know
you have a lip?
I'm like, shut up.
Yes, I have a lip.
I do know my hips on the othercorner.
Yes, I know that.
And that was making me sad.
Like, I am a big tomboy.
I say that in every podcast.
I like being outside.

(32:02):
I like running.
I like walking.
I like exercise.
I like being in the gym.
And my range of motion and allof it was so affected.
And yet, I was gonna, I wasgonna have my hip cut off and
stuck down.
And every time I go for adifferent treatment, it wasn't

(32:22):
working.
And then finally I met with anorthopedic surgeon, and it was
like, are you kidding?
Like, there's not there'snothing to do.
You could get an injection, butthere's no way to regrow the
space between your hip.
And it's painful for women thatare suffering, and we do this.
This is what we're good at.
Yes, we're gonna do it.

(32:43):
Especially Cuban, Latin,Italian.
We're good at suffering.
It hurt at night.
It hurt at night, it hurt allthe time.
Being in the pool, I boughtsome crazy ass pool equipment.
I was gonna work out in thepool.
I was just gonna drag my legbehind me.
That didn't work.
And then I started interviewingpeople and said, How is it for

(33:06):
you afterwards?
And the message I kept hearingwas, Susan, this isn't an
operation of necessarily age.
Young athletes get it.
It is what you have.
You have the condition known asbone on bone.
You never want to hear it, butI did.
And there really isn't anymodern-day therapy other than

(33:27):
removing, but the majority ofpeople would say, You're gonna
wish you had done it sooner.
Ah, yeah, I knew you were gonnasay that.
But you can't do it.
I'm telling you, I again, thewoman who's just back here
living the experiment, youcannot do it until you're ready.
Yeah.
And there were a lot of things,you know what, Michelle, the

(33:48):
psychological component of beinga single 60-something, 60, when
did I have a 66-year-old?
Single 66-year-old, I ain't gotnobody to watch me.
Yeah.
I don't have anybody livingwith me.
So all of a sudden, I own myown business.
I don't have somebody who'sgonna come in and do that for

(34:08):
me.
There was a fear of how would Inavigate?
Like, how strong do I have tobe?
Again, it's just the fleshroute, it's just the hip
replacement.
Could I take care of myself?
So, like everything else that Ido, I started talking to people
who had successful outcomes.
What approach was and then oneof the top guys here in Tampa.

(34:31):
And I started exercising.
I had interviewed severalpeople that said, you want to be
able to get up with one leg.
You know, you want to be solike you think after surgery,
it's the before surgery.
What's your health going intosurgery so that immunologically,

(34:52):
physically, psychologically,you're as you're stronger than
maybe you were.
Okay.
So that became Amen.

Michele Folan (35:00):
Amen.
That's all I'm gonna say isamen, because I did a full
hysterectomy on a Monday, and Iwent carpet shopping on that
Friday.
And because I made sure that Iwas fit before I had that
surgery.

(35:20):
And that's food.

Susan Guidi (35:22):
That's not just exercise we're talking about,
we're talking about everything.

Michele Folan (35:28):
Sleep, nutrition, my my fitness level.
And and the reason I bring thatup is because I I I'd heard
enough horror stories frompeople who spent two weeks in
bed, or you know, the themother-in-law had to come and
take care of them so theirhusband could go back to work,

(35:48):
you know, all of that stuff.
And I was like, oh, I'm notthat can't be me.
I will because I I can't feelthat disconnected from my body.
Well, it couldn't be me.
Right, right.

Susan Guidi (35:59):
And here's it couldn't be me.
Here's the other thing peopledon't talk about.
I don't care how wonderful yourchildren are, don't necessarily
count on them because this issort of again a bit of a Cuban
kind of, it's only family thattake care of family, right?
So my daughter knows this.
She was the one, she's a nurse,she has five kids.

(36:21):
Why did I ask her?
I don't know, but I love herand I trust her.
She was gonna take care of mefor a few days post-surgery.
But then the year I wasscheduled for surgery, Milton,
we had two major category likesix hurricanes take out Tampa
back to back on the day I wassupposed to have hip surgery.

(36:44):
Oh, I remember that.
So that pushed my surgery toaround Halloween of 24.
Yes, 24, 24.
Then she says, Mommy, I can'tcome and help you.
I have a Halloween party.
I know.
I know.
And I went, look, shoot.
And we have a good rel like, wehave a good relationship.
I was so upset, I was so mad.

(37:06):
I was like, you've prepared forthis day.
I just asked, I called her myimprov, like sister.
I said, Can you take me to thehospital?
Could you stay for a few hoursafterwards?
The rest of it.
I'm just gonna deal with it.
And then my son, who's adoctor, called me at the last
minute the night before andsaid, Mom, I'll go with you.

(37:28):
Oh, nice.
And he stayed for maybe 22hours and three minutes, I
think.
That's what I joke.
Like all of 22 hours.
But strong as bull, I waswalking within three hours.
I found this guy, David Web,who invented the BOSU ball.

(37:49):
And for some reason, it waslike the universe said, we're
gonna give you some majorinspiration.
And this man pops up on myfeet.
I love him so much.
And he had just had a hipreplacement.
And this guy is doing thingsyou can't imagine up and
downstairs, just having had ahip replacement.

(38:10):
I thought, I'm not gonna do allof that.
But it was like he gave mehere's the dress of recovery of
possibility.
Yeah, he just inspired the hellout of me.
And I thought, I'm gonna makehim proud.
And then I it became this game,and I started tagging him in my
photos.
And then Mark Sassoon, the guywho would created Primal Fit,

(38:33):
sees one of my videos on David'svideos, and he's getting ready
to have a hip replacement.
Oh, it's a community.
And Mark reached out, I'm like,the guy who invented Primal Fit
is reaching out to me.
And he was like, How did it go?
I was like, it was amazing.
And if you're in shape, it's afreaking, it's not a piece of
cake, but it's sort of a pieceof cake.

(38:55):
Yeah.
And I I was driving within aweek.
I went, I went to work withinone of my patients called me and
said they were having issuesand they had twins.
And I said, Well, I can'tdrive.
I go, but if you come and pickme up, patient came to my house,
picked me up.
I went and scanned them in awalker just for support.

(39:17):
Right.
So I don't know.
I I I think the hip was againsort of, I like this mentality.
I only made it up of reason.
Is it's just a flesh wound.
Like that's not enough to stopme.
It's just not enough to stopme.
Did it set me back?
It set me back psychologicallya lot.
There were a lot of momentslike, wait, but I was on

(39:38):
Everest.
Does anybody realize I climbedEverest?
Yeah.
Now I'm at Base Camp again.
I don't like base camp.
Yeah, but you weren't at basecamp.
But base camp is there to teachyou.
Well, I was halfway.

Michele Folan (39:53):
Yeah, but you I I know you weren't at base camp
because you've already done thework.

Susan Guidi (39:59):
You know, it just I agree, but you fight.
If anybody tells you that youdon't fight that imposter
syndrome, they're lying.
I know.
And it's okay to drop back toand then look at what are the
things that I've learned thatmake me that woman that stood in
that photo with the cuts andthe bruises, and almost she's

(40:24):
still in there.
And that attitude got methrough all of this.
And I will tell you, I I'mstronger than ever.
Like stronger than ever, andnot as scared.
Now I know if I had to havethat, I didn't need to be that
scared that it wasn't gonnaerase this essence.

(40:46):
And like you said, you're notdone at what did you say you
were 60?
62.
62.
Are you kidding?
You just begin.
I want to be, as Dr.
Vonda Wright said in a podcastto me.
I want to be and go out the wayQueen Elizabeth did.
Like two days before she died,she was riding a horse.
But I don't know if I want toride a horse, but I want to be

(41:08):
telling jokes.
I I I want to make somebodylaugh.
I I think we need every becauseit's not over because you're
not 81 yet.
Then your perspective will becompletely different.
We need to hear from the81-year-old.
And when you're 71, it won't beover because you'll have a lot
more things that a 71-year-oldhas to say and saw and did.

(41:30):
You'll have how many years ofpodcasting under your belt as
guidance for someone else?
So 61 is just 61.
That's there's that's crossthat out as there's an endpoint.
There's still boxes to bechecked, and we need to add
those boxes.
And that's sort of what I'mdoing metaphorically is in the H
boxes, making those listsappear.

(41:53):
69, 71, 76.
You know, Joan is gonna be 80.
Joan is gonna be 80.
Yeah.
Train with Joan, you know.

Michele Folan (42:02):
And I had I had Joan on the podcast because you
you introduced us, which I'mstill so incredibly grateful
for.

Susan Guidi (42:09):
Yeah, so I think, you know, I don't know.
I have so much to say about theenergy, like you said, you're
not at base camp.
You aren't at base campanymore, you know.
No one can keep you down,right?
But you know, life just throwsthese things.
I just found out I have afriend of mine, and he's very,

(42:32):
very ill.
And it's in those moments on aTuesday afternoon that again
make me devastated, but alsogive me this energy while I'm
still got all the limbs, even ifone cuts off, right?
I'm still like that guy that'sgonna be fighting the good
fight.

(42:52):
Because our daughters need tohear this, my granddaughter
needs to hear this, 30-year-oldsneed to hear this.
That when they start thinking,you know, what if someone said
to you, Michelle, well, I'm 31.
I'm just wondering if is thatthe end at 31?
Like, is it done at 31?
How about 41?

Michele Folan (43:12):
Yeah.

Susan Guidi (43:13):
They need to hear it and they need to see it
because what will you tellanother 51-year-old now?
So I'm telling you as the62-year-old, are you freaking
kidding?
We need you.
We need you in the trenchesbecause the age doesn't define
whether you get to wear thedress of possibility.
There's an age box for all ofus for that.

(43:36):
And I I think I still believethis, and I said this beginning,
I think this was my missionthat Wonder Woman follows me
around.
I worked for the create the sonof the creator of Wonder Woman.
And the creator of Wonder Womansaid, predicted in 1932 that in
a hundred years women wouldtake over.
And that's still my firmbelief.

(43:58):
We're seeing that.
Happened.
These links on a chain.
These links on a chain.
The 21-year-old, the31-year-old, the 62-year-old
making podcasts.
It's just making that chainbigger with that female.
It's our time.
It's our turn.
We've given you guys a chance.

(44:19):
We love you.
My son is a male, right?
But let us step in and reallyshow you, you know, how we can
change the world with light.
And at this age, who was it?
Was it?
I don't know.
Was it Gloria Steinem that saidan army of silver-haired women

(44:44):
would quietly take over theworld?
And I I feel like that.

Michele Folan (44:49):
Yeah.
I have daughters.
Yeah.
I have two stepdaughters inaddition and two stepsons.

Susan Guidi (44:56):
And I bet you're doing this for them, too, in a
way, so that they see.

Michele Folan (45:00):
Well, yeah.
I mean, it it at a very baselevel, Susan.
I don't want to be a burden tomy kids.

Susan Guidi (45:10):
Because no one's coming to no one's coming for
your hip replacement.
No one's coming.
So, but that's empowering initself.
And a lot of us have to realizedon't sit back on your keister
waiting for somebody to saveyou.
Because you don't want to be aburden to yourself.
It's really to yourself.

(45:30):
Like your kids, we already knowthey may not show up because
they have a Halloween party.

unknown (45:35):
You know?
You're right.

Michele Folan (45:38):
Yeah.
But you know, I I had Von derWright on the podcast, and you
know, we talked about, you know,I call it my nursing home
prevention program.
You know, to me, it's aboutmobility and being able to get
off the toilet and off the floorwithout help.
But it's also about being ableto still travel when I'm 86 and

(46:01):
enjoy the parties and do allthose things.
And no one can do that for me.
I gotta, I gotta take care ofthat now.

Susan Guidi (46:12):
And there's no pill, sorry to say.
No.
Maybe there will be.
Maybe there'll be some peptidethat will change all of that,
but I don't think so.
Nope.
That pill's not gonna help yourbutt get off the couch after
you have X, Y, and Z.
Did you see Betsy Johnson inany of the Instagram posts?
You know the designer BetsyJohnson.
I did not see that.
83 girlfriend, oh 83.

(46:36):
The energy of that woman isgoals.
She did a split while they wereinterviewing her because they
were asking her, what's it likeat 83?
How do you feel?
And all of a sudden, thisamazing woman with yellow in her
hair and just this crazywonderful outfit just freaking

(47:00):
does a split.
She goes, I promised myselfthat that I would still I I do
it every year.
Just and everyone, like hersplit was crazy.

Michele Folan (47:10):
I'm I'm like, ow.
And she's 20 years older thanI'm.
But question Do you think it'salso because she has stayed in
the game?
Like her brain, she has kepther brain in the game.
This is an improv thing.

Susan Guidi (47:24):
Okay, yeah.
A hundred percent.
Someone asked me the other day,are you gonna retire?
And I hate the word retire.
I do too.
What are we doing with thatword?
Can we just take it out of ourlexicon?
Transition, I like.
Are you gonna transition?
Was there something you alwayswanted to do?
And now by leaving perhaps acommitment to a corporation or

(47:50):
something that you maybe aren'tin love with, right?
You can transition.
But having purpose in acreative way is so important.
I had my mentor who's from NewYork, he's Israeli, 90 years

(48:13):
old.
He invented the vaginal probe.
He invented the vaginal probe.
That's how far back we go.
For ultrasound.
The probe itself, he inventedit to go inside cavities, right?
He's 90.
Still working in New York, butsharp.

(48:33):
It was like having Einstein inmy office.
And I said to him, Dr.
Timor, why you know do peoplesay, why don't you retire?
And he goes, I do not have anyhobbies.
I don't have any hobbies.
And he's publishing andconsulting and speaking all over

(48:54):
the world.
And his brain and hisexcitement, and we were testing
new technology and ultrasound.
It was mind-blowing.
Some AI stuff.
And at one point, he wasstanding right behind me, and we
were giggling like school kids.
And he leans in and in hisIsraeli accent goes, This is
what makes us young.

(49:16):
That sort of still wonder andexcitement and creating.
And I think that's why Iadvocate for a lot of women.
I I've been doing it in mymotivational speech now.
I'm doing it again.
I got asked back again thisyear to teach sonographers how
to use improv in these improvgames to find their voices and

(49:42):
have a little bit of fun, right?
And I don't know, find the joyagain, whether you use it in
medicine or it just in life ingeneral.
I use it a lot for tellingwomen over 50 to tell their
stories.
And you listen to theirstories, you're like, oh my God,
why do we not just have apodcast 24 hours a day to just

(50:05):
hear woman after woman?
Because you think one woman'samazing, and then you hear the
next story, and you're like, oh,oh my God.
And that's why I said aboutthat seat at the table.
It's getting people wild thatwe've, I don't know.
Sometimes I wish I could runfor politics at this age just to
inspire a bunch of women tostep up and just find the joy in

(50:26):
life and help and make theworld a sweeter, kinder, funnier
place, right?
Yeah.

Michele Folan (50:34):
I'm laughing.
I I have to go back to your Idon't have any hobbies.
I don't have any hobbies.
Well, I I think that's part ofmy issue is that my fitness and
nutrition and my health hasbecome my hobby.

Susan Guidi (50:50):
But why is that an issue?
It's not an issue.
I get to do it again tomorrow.
I get to interview this coolwoman.
And, you know, she inspired meto, I don't know what the hell
she inspired.
She inspired me to take astand-up class or just tell my

(51:12):
joke at a party or introducemyself to a stranger and just
see what happens.
Or she passed me the dress.
I like this dress uppossibility.

Michele Folan (51:23):
I do too.
I think you need to trademarkthat.

Susan Guidi (51:26):
I might probably summon your taste, but it's
okay.
No worries.
No worries at all.
Yeah.
So what else you got for mehere?

Michele Folan (51:36):
All right.
I think I've got a pretty goodhandle on what you're doing now,
three years out from yoursurgery, and that how you are in
this stage of life still caringfor yourself.
I know you still work out, youdo all those things.
But what is your non-negotiablewhen it comes to self-care?
Can I give you a couple?

Susan Guidi (51:57):
Oh, absolutely, because I know there's more than
one.
Sleep is huge.
Sleep became paramount.
I never paid attention as muchto sleep before I started this
journey.
And then, like a lot of people,I got the aura ring.
You could get the whoop orwhatever.
And I was, I always have lovedsleep.

(52:18):
I love delicious sleep.
I love sleep.
And I was just finding before Ilost the weight, and when I was
still drinking alcohol, wecould have that discussion a
little bit, that my sleep was soaffected.
But I wasn't putting two andtwo at all together.
And I would just drink a coupleof glasses of wine, crappy

(52:40):
night of sleep, drink a coupleof glasses of wine, crappy night
of sleep, over and over andover.
And before I started losing theweight, I had noticed that my
fasting blood sugars were alittle elevated.
And I thought, I told this toKelly Terry, go, oh, we we gotta
pay attention to this.
Like, that's not okay.
What's happening here?

(53:01):
And I also really startedpaying attention to my sleep
that I would have anxiety in themiddle of the night and my
heart would be racing.
Oh, yeah.
And that was a direct,indisputable result of alcohol
for particularly a menopausal,probably a little underhydrated,

(53:26):
underproteined woman.
It just wasn't serving me.
And then part of the journeybecame in could I say no to it?
Because it is the one drug inthis country that is completely
acceptable.
Come on in and have a dream.
Yeah.
And when you don't, you upsetthe apricot big time.

(53:50):
I mean, now we're in adifferent phase.
When I started not havingalcohol, was like, what?
And I remember hearing, whenare you going back to normal?

Michele Folan (54:00):
Yeah, because people were used to you having
your two glasses at least ofChardonnay.
Because I I remember Chardonnaywas your poison.

Susan Guidi (54:08):
Chardonnay.
And I wouldn't, I would, Ithought I was a wine
connoisseur.
Again, that was, I was a wineelite.
I wouldn't drink just fivedollar Chardonnay.
I would buy an expensive bottleof Chardonnay, only to still
wake up the next morning.
And still feel like shit.
40 or 5, I still felt likeshit.

(54:30):
You know, and it wasundeniable.
It just was undeniable.
And then as I started toresearch, and the other thing
that was happening during thepandemic was a lot of people,
and particularly men, wereteetering on the edge of you

(54:52):
know, an issue.
I I have a couple of friendswho passed because of the
alcoholism that developed andthe depression and the other
things.
And as I started to learn aboutmacronutrition, and that was
the first time it ever,macronutrition.
I used to joke in the beginningwhen I spoke on stage was that

(55:13):
you say macronutrition to women,and they just go.
But I said it became sort ofmagic because for the first time
I became a scientist inunderstanding what you are
putting inside of you that makeyou physiologically a better

(55:34):
person of yourself.
Alcohol has no macronutrients.
It's not even in, it's not aprotein, it's not a carb, it's a
fat, it's it's in largequantities, it's poison.

Michele Folan (55:47):
It is.
It is class one carcinogen.

Susan Guidi (55:50):
Yep, yep.
And we still are very hesitantto talk about it.
It's still a tough thing, it'sstill very difficult, it's
still, but I made a promise thenthat I would no longer ever
drink at home.
Like I would never, I don'tknow that I've bought another
bottle of Chardonnay in the lastsix years for home.

(56:13):
Yeah.
I will have an occasional glassof Prosecco when I'm out, and I
balance that sleep stillaffected.
Can't lie.

Michele Folan (56:22):
Listen, one glass of wine or one cocktail
disrupts my sleep.
And you know it because youwear the R ring.
I have a watch that has atracker on it.
I I know what it does to mysleep.
And people deny, deny, deny.
But until you track it, I hear,well, it helps me fall asleep.

Susan Guidi (56:44):
You have to track it with and without, though.
Yeah.
Like you can't just track itand say, well, because I hear
people say all the time, andthere's no judgment.
You do I know, I'm not judging.
But I'm saying if somebody saidto you, one of your sort of
pieces of advice, whether thingslike non-sleep is one of them,
alcohol will f up your sleep.

(57:07):
There's no doubt.
So if you want good sleep,because now sleep is also going
to affect these other metricsthat are really important at
this age for recovery.
Because if you're asking yourbody to do hard things, to get
in the gym, to lift heavy, to doa little more cardio, to take
care of a grandkid, right?
At this age, it becomes maybe alittle tougher and longer to

(57:29):
recover.
But we need sleep to recover.
If you don't sleep, all thesecascades of other things like
HRV.
And, you know, you kind of haveto track that stuff to realize
I never had any idea that myrespiratory rate was elevated

(57:49):
when I did this, that my HRVsank to, you know, my heart rate
variability.
So I think I became a student,uh, maybe a little obsessed as I
often become, but this gave methe feedback to say sleep is
paramount.
Then the next thing is I thinktop our reduction of stress.

(58:11):
So trying to turn off the noiseof either the world right now
is burning or blah, blah, blah.
And trying, again, being thebest version of me is being
kind.
Somebody asked Jay Leno, what'syour advice to a stand-up?
And he said, just be kind.
So just being kind right now issort of a memo for me in life.

(58:36):
Like trying to be kind andcompassionate, I'm not always,
but that really helps.
And being kind to myself, notbeing hard when the scale isn't
reflecting the number that saysI'm the perfect person.
Right.
It never says that,unfortunately.
I keep waiting for it to pop upand go, you are the perfect.

(59:01):
Yeah, you're the best, Susan.
And then nutrition.
I mean, what I read a meme theother day that said something
about you can lift all the heavyweight and gain muscles, it's
in the refrigerator that showsthem off.
Like food, ultimate, it's thesame pillars of everything,

(59:21):
right?
Yeah.
Food, it's undeniable.
You can't really eat like crapor undereat.
And for women, we have to learnhow to eat.
Eat.
We need to eat.
We need to be happy eating.
You need to sit down and makeyourself a nice little meal.
And something that nourishesyou.
That also, in a way, is throughyour mouth, you're being loving

(59:45):
and kind.
And women still, and I thinkthat's what makes me sad about
now this phase in Hollywood,this sort of carcactic thin,
right?
Are we back there again?
Come on.

Michele Folan (59:59):
Food's become a weapon.
And it's always been a weapon.
Right.
But I'm saying it's a, youknow, you we go back to the 70s,
the the 80s.
It's always been, you know, eatless, move more.
And I say food is 80% of this.
If you can get your mindwrapped around your nutrition,

(01:00:24):
you are 80% there.

Susan Guidi (01:00:26):
But you have to learn how to eat because a lot
of us, none of that has changed,have wrecked our metabolisms.
That magic number, 1200calories, you know, and very
little fat and no carbs andwhatever the newest fat is.
And then what worries me aboutthe GLPs is that I was recently

(01:00:48):
around some gorgeous30-year-olds.
I mean, like they don't evenhave an idea of how beautiful
they are.
90 pounds, maybe.
Saying to me, they tried it.
They tried the pill, becauseyou can get it.
You tried the injection.
Made them feel like hell.
But I had somebody that saidthe way they felt about eating

(01:01:10):
while they were on the GLP onefelt like they were like a stage
four cancer hospice victim.
That's how much food was.
I like food.
Don't take that away from me.
And we shouldn't again.
Again, we need the mission ofstrong.
You want to be strong.

(01:01:31):
You want me on a desert islandwith you.
You know?
You want a little plumpness.
I'm probably gonna survive theHolocaust a little bit better
than Demi Moore right now.
Do you know what I'm saying?
It's just do you know the uhfitness, the rugby, American
rugby, Elona Mar?
Do you know her?

(01:01:52):
Mm-hmm.
That's my that's just that.
She's happy in her skin andshe's strong, and I don't know,
like she could pick a car off alittle kid if she had to.
Oh, yeah, she could.
There's that kind of warriorstrength.
I want warriors.
I I I think if we just embracethat, and so that's a little bit

(01:02:12):
of my message is that that'sthe strength that I've acquired.
Is that that mentality?
I I even with the young girlsthat I told you were on Ozempic.
So we went outside and we wereworking out a little bit
together.
And there was an ab roller, youknow, that thing?
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
So one of the perfect littlegirls did it and she couldn't

(01:02:33):
even move it.
Like she had little arms andcouldn't move it.
And then they gave it to me.
And they were like, oh my God.
I go, I know that's what youshould be striving for.
Yeah.
Is strength.
Because strength lends itselfto every again.
Strength is like included inthe fabric of the dress of

(01:02:55):
possibility.

Michele Folan (01:02:56):
I tell my clients that all the time.
If you just worry about beingstrong, a lot of things fall
into place.
What if the scale said that?
You are effing strong today.

Susan Guidi (01:03:08):
You're putting on that dress of possibility.

unknown (01:03:11):
Yeah.

Susan Guidi (01:03:11):
Because you're strong.

Michele Folan (01:03:13):
The aura rang said that to you.

Susan Guidi (01:03:16):
If the aura ring, I think it does sometimes.
It'll it doesn't often.
I like the scale to just, youknow, just say, wait till you
get home tonight.
And the love making we're gonnahave like it just would send us
these messages that would sendus off to say, that's why I
often hated in the beginningthat my weight loss was what

(01:03:37):
sort of got me on the map, youknow.
Like, why did it have to takeweight?
I was that same person, youknow.
Just but it was how you did it.
You did it right.
Well, again, I wanted to see.
Could you do it?
Could you do the things thateverybody was like the five
pillars?
Is it really true that sleepmakes a difference?

(01:03:57):
Hell to the yes.
Is it really different?
Uh is it a big deal to learnhow to eat?
Learn to eat as many caloriesas you can to sort of maintain
your weight.
Super important.
Is it important to find acreative outlet, whether that's
baking cookies or doing stand-upor doing a podcast or painting

(01:04:19):
or speaking a new language ortaking care of pets?
I don't care.
Find a creative, put yourgoddamn phone down, put this
shit down, so this isn't yoursource of entertainment, and you
don't end up with a hump neckby the time you're my age.
Put it down and go create, godraw, go play with the kid, hang

(01:04:39):
out with the kid for a littlebit.
All their possibilities areright there.
Pretend you're that person,right?
Mm-hmm.
And be kind.
Just practice being kind for 24hours.
Be kind.
Pay for somebody's coffee.
You want a high?
Pay for somebody's coffeetoday.

(01:05:01):
Just don't ask it, don'tquestion it.
Whether you got enough money,pay for somebody's coffee.
That little gift will give youa superpower during the day
that'll make the next thingeasy.
And then think of me about Ijust lent you the dress of
possibility.
Like step into the person.
If somebody said tomorrow youcan be this person, what does

(01:05:24):
that person do every day?
Does she sleep?
I bet she does.
Is she kind?
Probably makes her life better.
Does she eat good?
Yeah, she cooks at home most ofthe time.
Yeah.
Does she exercise?
Yeah.
Yeah.
She dances.
She dances like crazy.
She is so happy when shedances.
And it doesn't have to be mystuff, but it's all the things

(01:05:48):
that if you believe in God,okay, that He gave us right to
do.
He gave us more than we canpossibly do.
So when we this This is aproblem.
The phone.
We didn't have this when I wasyounger.
Yeah.
And I even bought a device.
Have you heard of the brick?
You just brick your phone.

(01:06:10):
And it's a little, I have it onmy desk over there.
It's just this little devicethat turns off social media.
Oh.
Because you go down this rabbithole of looking at people that
you think, okay, my life isn'tlike that, but I want their
life.
But you don't know anythingabout them behind the scenes.
They too suffer with their ownissues.

(01:06:32):
They may not even have realhair.
I always look at people withlike big, and then I'm like,
that's not even their hair.
That's so true.
I it's just taking the chance,pretending.
You know, improv changed mylife because it gave me those
skills.
Improv says there's no failure.
Improv says yes and.

(01:06:53):
Yes, and imagine if tomorrow.
Yes and yes and to tie in yourtent shoes.

Michele Folan (01:07:01):
I love it.
I have I have I do have onelast question for you.

Susan Guidi (01:07:05):
Okay, cool.

Michele Folan (01:07:07):
If you could sit across from a woman who's scared
of surgery, of aging orstarting over, what would you
say to her?

Susan Guidi (01:07:21):
Depending on her age.
I would tell her to go back towhen she was a kid.
And then for the next four tofive minutes, I'd have her write
how many times she was scared,how many times she started over,
what were the things thatscared her dead?
Can she even remember them?

(01:07:44):
And then depending on how oldshe is, but you're still here.
But stop being you.
Most of the time, I'd have themstand in front of the mirror
and say, It's you.
It's only you that can say noto your dreams.
Say yes just for today, not for10 more years, not even until

(01:08:08):
tomorrow.
Just for today, what are youdreaming about?
And then pretend that you'rethat person.
Just pretend.
Just pretend like you were whenyou were a little kid.
I'm a queen, I'm a princess,I'm a ballerina, I'm a this,
whatever little girl, you know,I'm a truck driver, whatever the
little girl wants to be.

(01:08:29):
And then try it.
And again, I always say thisquote it was like if Nike and
L'Oreal put their commercialstogether, just do it.
Because one, you're worth it,and the world needs you.
Today I'm hanging in front ofyou with the dress of
possibility.
What are you gonna do with it?

unknown (01:08:51):
Yes.

Susan Guidi (01:08:52):
Yes.
Yes.
Yeah.
Say yes to yourself.
And if anybody who watchesthat, I want you guys to DM me
and let me know what you woulddo with the dress possibility.
That's gonna be our hashtag forthis episode.

Michele Folan (01:09:08):
I love it.
And uh speaking of that, Susan,where can the listeners find
you?

Susan Guidi (01:09:13):
So I um when I started the transformation, I
didn't have a handle.
But when people said, What weremy whys?
one of them were my grandkids.
I have seven, and particularlythe girls.
I wanted them to see an exampleof somebody that they wouldn't
be fearful of growing into.

(01:09:35):
I wanted them to be excitedabout.
Oh my God, have you met mygrandmother?
Have you met, but I don't havegrandma's the name because I'm
single.
So I gave myself my own namebecause that was the beginning
of grandma's, so I called myselfKiki.
And then they watch a lot ofDisney, so it became Kiki Mouse.
So when I first did thathorrible picture of me standing

(01:09:56):
54321, I gave myself the nameKiki Mouse Gets Fit.
And you're still Kiki MouseGets Fit.
And that's everybody's like,what is and they think my name
is Kiki.
My name is Susan, but at KikiMouse Gets Fit, yes, I would
love it.
And I respond to all sorts ofDMs.
So I want to hear, what areyour possibilities and what are

(01:10:18):
you gonna do with it?

Michele Folan (01:10:19):
I I we hate you guys.
I know, and I want I wantpeople to reach out to Susan,
follow her.
She's inspiring, like I keepsaying.
Um, and and she's a goodfriend.

Susan Guidi (01:10:31):
Like you, my love.
Like you, you are inspiring.
Next time I'm gonna turn itaround and you'll have me on,
and I'll interview you.
I would love that.
All right.
I love you, Michelle.
Thank you so much.

Michele Folan (01:10:43):
Love you too, my friend.

Susan Guidi (01:10:44):
Take care.

Michele Folan (01:10:47):
Before you go, thank you for being here.
If you want to go a littledeeper, make sure you check out
the show notes for this episode.
That's where I link anything wementioned, resources, partners,
or tools I actually use andtrust.
And if you're not already onthe Asking for a Friend
community newsletter, that'swhere I share practical midlife
tips, favorite finds, recipes,and the things that don't always

(01:11:10):
make it onto the podcast orInstagram.
You'll find the link to join inthe show notes.
Take care, and I'll see younext week.