Your Next Chapter

After 25 years of marriage, I found myself living alone and facing the rest of my life as a solo. I thought I wanted to find another partner, but honestly, I spent more time worrying about what it would be like to grow old alone than actually going out and meeting men. It’s always interesting to see where we focus our time. I won’t say learning to live alone & being happy was easy, but I mucke...

French women learn the importance of style from a very young age. Looking chic and elegant is a custom that is passed down from generation to generation as well as learned from observing other women on the street. According to The French Chic expert, Marie-Anne LeCour, elegant women don’t do overly sexy or overly casual, but find an understated and timeless rhythm in their style. In this episode,...

Taking a cooking class in Paris is an exceptional idea for Americans who have a passion for culinary exploration. The City of Light is renowned worldwide for its rich gastronomic heritage, and immersing oneself in its culinary culture is a uniquely enriching experience. By enrolling in a cooking class, Americans can delve into the secrets of French cuisine, learning to create iconic dishes like co...

Midlife should not be a time of crisis but a time of transformation and growth. It’s an opportunity for you to rediscover your passions, redefine your purpose and create a life that truly reflects who you are at this stage of your life. No more feeling stuck or unfulfilled. It’s time to break free from societal expectations and start living life on your own terms. Whether it’s a new career, starti...

Jessica is a former psychotherapist turned food critic, cookbook author, food judge, TV personality, recipe developer and owner of Savory Experiments. She has contributed and appeared in Better Homes and Gardens, PARADE Magazine, Mashed, The Daily Meal, National Enquirer, Closer, Brilliant Baking and Country Living. You can also catch her on local and national news provided cooking demos for over...

No air conditioning and very little ice. How in the world do Parisians enjoy life when summer temperatures rise? In this episode, I share what I’ve learned during my part-time life in Paris about how Parisians embrace the summer heat and enjoy life without the typical American comforts of air conditioning and ice. Let’s take a look at some lessons we can learn from their positive attitude and how...

If you’re a fan of House Hunters International, you will recognize the guest on this episode! Adrian Leeds is the familiar face you see on screen showing potential homes and properties to couples from all over the globe who are looking for the perfect home in France. Adrian Leeds is a French property expert and consultant who speaks at conferences and seminars in both the U.S. and France on a vari...

In this heart to heart discussion, Sharri Harmel shares the inspiring story of her personal reinvention journey after ending her marriage at the end of 52. When she emerged from an expensive 3-year battle from the divorce, she decided not to quit on life, but instead to find her joy.  Sharri shares an overview of the process she used to design her fabulous next chapter including: How to use a jour...

Having raised her four children as a full time mom for twenty years, Sharon Santoni saw the empty nest looming and decided to react: she set about to reinvent herself and find a new way to channel her energy and creativity. In 2010 at the age of 51 she started a blog about her life in France and quickly found an audience. A few years later she published two successful books, and in 2017 she create...

Surrounding yourself with beauty is important for you to create a fabulous next chapter. Since moving to Paris and being immersed in beauty, I have shifted my mindset and become opened up to new possibilities. You don't have to move to Paris to experience this shift, you can start with the room you are in now! How can you bring more beauty into that room? How do you feel when you put yourself...

With a lifetime designing award winning gardens, floral art and self-taught photography, Lucy Hunter's work is constantly looking at ways in which we can soften and meld the boundaries between the inside and out. Her work focuses on capturing for a moment the fine and transitory shifts in nature, the light of the changing seasons and always, colour, form and composition. When she is not trave...

I fell in love with Paris in 2011, and although the honeymoon phase of my love affair has passed, I still feel more myself in Paris than anywhere else in the world.   But living in Paris isn’t easy, especially in mid-life as a solo who doesn’t speak fluent French! There are many challenges I’ve had to overcome. I am grateful because these new experiences are making me grow in many areas of my life...

Dr. Sara Zeff Geber is a recipient of the “Influencers in Aging” designation by PBS’ Next Avenue. She is an author, retirement transition coach, and professional speaker on retirement and aging. She has developed a niche specialty as an expert in “Solo Aging,” informing people who have no children or who are aging alone how to have a safe and fulfilling life in their retirement years. Dr. Geber is...

Living in Paris has completely changed my relationship with food. My horizons have been broadened, my taste palette expanded, and most importantly, the way I think about food has shifted. Living in Paris brought the freedom to enjoy food back into my life. A new addition to my joie de vivre! I would love to share with you what has shifted for me which has created a new way of looking at food, what...

Sarah Jansel was on her own at only 16. She found herself faced with a crossroads: homeless or successful. She chose the latter, but it wasn’t without challenges. Sarah struggled with the innate human desire for safety with the entrepreneurial drive to create and thrive. She took what she learned as an HR corporate executive for CarFax, taught herself new skills related to building online business...

As a woman, in today’s world, especially in the US, we often hide or squash down our feminine energy in order to do and accomplish more. You can even fall prey to that if you are a creative! There is a direct connection between embracing your femininity and slow living because slow living is about living with simplicity, authenticity and an awareness of yourself and the world around you and that s...

Dr. Allison Anderson is a board-certified cardiothoracic anesthesiologist and a certified life coach. She’s on a mission to help high-achieving women create relationships as extraordinary as their careers. Through a combination of evidence-based mindset tools, personal experience and practical exercises, Dr. Anderson guides her clients in navigating any and all challenges in their relationships an...

As a solo, I love living in a big city. City living does have many benefits- access to an energizing social scene, loads of job opportunities, proximity to museums, clubs, theatre, and more, all right outside your door.  But with those city benefits, come drawbacks. Cities naturally have a fast pace of life, and there is the rather constant noise of traffic and course, a concentration of people. T...

Jen DeVore Richter is a former marketing executive for NASA turned entrepreneur who made the life-changing decision to move 1,747 miles across the country in her mid-40s to realize a 20-year-old dream of living in the Rocky Mountains. Moving across the country and leaving behind everything you've known for over 20 years is a bold move in mid-life. Jen DeVore Richter and her husband did exactl...

Slow living is intentional, real, and simple living which includes all aspects of our lives. This episode shares lessons I’ve learned about slow living since moving to Paris and includes tips on how to embrace slow living in our homes including: #1 Being creative with smaller spaces and less things. I will share good suggestions on how to rethink your spaces when you want to embrace the slow livin...

On today’s episode, Sharri speaks with Wendy Harrop who is a West coast wedding planner turned East coast barn lover living her lifelong New England dream. Wendy is the owner of the Phineas Wright House where she curates unforgettable experiences that women absolutely love. She is also the host of the Say Yes to Yourself podcast, a tour guide, a chef, a cocktail creator, and more! Wendy shares so...

Paris is still the number one location in the world for women to visit. Why is that? In today’s episode, Sharri shares how we all want some of that Parisian magic but what does that look like? Sharri lives part time in Paris and speaks about the differences between a French woman’s mindset and the typical American woman’s mindset. After listening to this episode, you may feel that it’s time to sta...

On today’s episode, Sharri speaks with Melissa Leon. She’s a business owner and the author of Efficiency Bitch. Melissa owns Two Sense Consulting and is a 20 year corporate finance professional. She brings so much value and perspective on how ambitious women can have it all without doing it all. Listen in as Melissa talks about women and money as well as raising kids in a career.    Resources Ment...

In today’s episode, Sharri talks about those toxic people we let into our lives and how we need to eliminate ourselves of them or they will make us sick and always, always crush our dreams. We all have them and they usually find us when we are most vulnerable. When we moved to a new city, take a new job, start a new business, experience a breakup or a big loss of some kind. That’s when those toxic...

Even exceptionally accomplished women occasionally experience self-doubt when embarking on new ventures, whether it involves relocating to a new city, starting a fresh job, initiating a business endeavor, or simply making the decision to finally invest in the makeover they've long desired. It's entirely normal to possess extraordinary qualities and still grapple with moments of overwhelm...