SheSez with Linda Grasso

Emmy-winning voiceover actress Nancy Cartwright on her remarkable 30-year plus career as the voice of a 10-year-old boy— Bart Simpson on The Simpsons TV show.   With her hallmark humor and earthy personality, Nancy shares with Linda the story of how she originally auditioned for the role of Lisa Simpson but wound up getting the role of Bart; how listening to her gut has contributed to her success...

The story of a Tennessee mother's relentless quest to find the root of her son's health issues after he rapidly went from a case of strep throat to erratic, destructive behavior and then a marijuana habit. While physicians diagnosed Elizabeth Harris' child with a wide-ranging variety of illnesses, prescribing him with all kinds of pharmaceutical drugs, nothing seemed to help and the teenager ultim...

While most of us quickly dismiss our dreams moments after awakening, 45-year dream analyst Tayria Ward, who has a PhD in depth psychology, believes we should pay attention to them—especially reoccurring ones. In this episode, she shares what we can learn from dreams (even the weird ones) and how finding the hidden messages can, in some cases, impact our lives. For more on Tayria, go to tayriaward....

Beauty industry journalist and critic Jessica Defino shares what she has uncovered interviewing scientists about the long-term effects of using anti-aging products including two of the most highly touted: retinol and hyaluronic acid. The clean beauty proponent and minimalist also shares the four products she routinely uses on her own skin. Jessica's articles have appeared in publications such as t...

An enlightening conversation with two women who will make you less afraid of getting older: 63-year-old Susan Feldman and 53-year-old Wendy Euler. Both women unabashedly put themselves out there as the face of their brands—both of which aim to stop age shaming. Both women experience life to the hilt and are constantly taking on new, challenging experiences—undaunted by age. In this episode, we lea...

An enlightening conversation with two women who have made it part of their life's mission to give people a better understanding of women who choose not to have children—and to dispel some of the myths that surround those decisions ( Gosh, she must have had a terrible childhood... ) Dr. Amy Blackstone is Professor of Sociology at the University of Maine. Her book Childfree by Choice (Dutton, 2019)...

10-time Emmy nominee Jerilynn Stephens, who heads up the hair department for The Voice (NBC) and Legendary (HBO Max), doles out advice on that thing we care so ridiculously much about: our hair. Topics include styles and remedies for thinning hair; advice for coloring your own hair; the best non-dye products for covering up grey; the latest in weaves and extensions; and the most comfortable, natur...

Photographer Sherry Rain Barnett has captured some of the most iconic legends in music— from rock to pop…from disco to punk: Prince, Sting, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, James Taylor, Judy Collins, Janis Joplin—the list is endless. In this episode, Sherry shares some of the stories of behind the images she's taken at live music venues over the past 50 years, and about h...

Relationship expert Liz Pryor joins Linda for an exploration into the notion of having and being with a soul mate. Is there such a thing? How do you know if you are with yours? And: how to find one. Plus how to cultivate a soul mate-like relationship with your partner.

Everyone, it seems, is using powdered collagen these days. Jennifer Aniston, the face of one of the more popular brands, glows in the ads. Nutritionists and social media influencers wax about its merits. But where is the proof—the research—that says edible collagen works for anti-aging? In this episode, Linda tries to find out, journeying from the National Institute of Health all the way to the Un...

Tips and coping strategies for The Sandwiched Generation— middle-aged adults who are caring for both their aging parents and their own children—from Laurie James, author of  Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding on and Letting Go . Laurie shares about her journey of raising four teenagers, while at the same time, caring for her mom who suffered from dementia. Laurie touches on the importance of support...

For most of her life, actress Shannon Kenny Carbonell was on a mission: trying to become a famous actress. Though she underwent extensive training and education and ultimately became a successful working actress, she never quite achieved the status that she envisioned. And when, as the wife of actor Nestor Carbonell ( Lost ), she had two kids, everything changed. Shannon essentially lost her caree...

Five-time Emmy award-winning costume designer Marina Toybina shares about her journey as the child of Russian immigrants who taught herself to sew at the age of 8—to becoming one of the most sought-after behind-the-scenes professionals in Hollywood. Marina dishes on everything from designing dazzling couture ensembles for the likes of Carrie Underwood and Britney Spears to her current gig: creatin...

Megan Retterath, Chief Medical Officer of Next Health shares about the progressive practice of ordering and paying for your own diagnostic tests—tests which can assess things like vitamin deficiencies, gut health, micronutrient levels, diet issues, cortisone levels (stress) etc.  She also details some cutting edge treatments like stem cell injections, hormone therapy and IV therapy.   Next Health,...

After a successful TV producing career which included co-creating The Daily Show , as well as Emmy and Peabody Awards, Madeleine Smithberg walked away from it all to follow her heart—literally. With a lifelong passion for food, Madeleine did something she'd dreamed of: she kicked off her own cooking show, Mad In The Kitchen , which seamlessly weaves together her love of cooking with her keen sense...

The Varsity Blues scandal blew the lid off the college admissions process two years ago this month. For many parents, the scandal underscored what they already were feeling: the process of getting your kid into a good college is not only challenging, it can be unfair — and even corrupt. With deferrals, postponements and no standardized testing, COVID has made the process even more challenging.  In...

In this episode I visit Le Minou in Beverly Hills, a health & wellness center aimed at improving the sexual experience for women, interviewing founder Leslie Busick and chief medical officer OB- GYN Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz. Leslie, who is 28, founded Le Minou after experiencing painful and dissatisfying sex. Le Minou's "spa menu" includes Votiva vaginal restoration, aimed at decreasing pain and The O...

40-percent of food in the United States goes uneaten and the majority of that wasted food is fresh produce. On this episode, we examine the growing problem of wasted fresh produce and the negative impact on the environment—from wasting our resources to filling our landfills to the dangerous methane gas emissions.  Andrea Collins, a sustainable food systems specialist for the National Resources Def...

After 30 years in the beauty industry, during which she founded 5 successful brands, Marcia Kilgore is now running what she believes will be her most successful venture yet. Beauty Pie is a  beauty club in which members have access to the highest end cosmetics and skincare products in the world at bargain prices. Members get backdoor access to some of the world's best fragrance, skin care and cosm...

Naturopathic doctor and acupuncturist Jannine Krause shares what you can do to slow down the aging process on your body. From switching from wine to tequila to eating certain herbs like oregano, Dr. Krause offers strategic suggestions for clean eating, body movement (break out of that exercise routine!) to avoid injury down the road and stress reduction. We also cover some of the latest trends—fro...

Whether it is a new job, hobby or project, sometimes we know we need change but kicking it off is downright daunting. In this episode reinvention expert Kathi Sharpe-Ross shows us how to lean into the downtime that most of us are experiencing right now due to the pandemic, break down the effort into bite size pieces and craft an actionable plan for resetting in the New Year.  Kathi is founder, pre...

Feelings of loss can intensify over the holidays. Whether the loved one passed several years ago or more recently, we can feel melancholy and even stressed out at the prospect of putting on a face of "good cheer." Sometimes we feel like breaking down and crying, yet we feel guilty if we do; explore the pain or ignore the pain? Licensed therapist Melissa Brohner-Schneider expects that, for some of...

With the holidays approaching (peak movie watching season), a re-run of Linda's 2017 interview with chick flick movie producer extraordinaire Suzanne Farwell ( It's Complicated , The Holiday , Something's Gotta Give ).  Listen in on some of the behind-the-scenes action on those classics—plus Suzanne's inspiring story of how she suddenly found herself unemployed at the age of 40 and  overcame her f...

For many people who suffer from depression, it's a challenge finding a medication that provides on-going relief. In this episode we zero in on the FDA-approved medical procedure Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in which a magnetic field is used to cause electric current at a specific area of the brain. TMS is prescribed for patients who have not responded to traditional depression pharmaceuticals...

Because of COVID-19, many of us have postponed elective procedures this year—and that includes mammograms. In this episode, LA-based oncologist Natasha Banerjee discusses the alarming drop in breast cancer screenings since March—and the ramifications. Plus an update on the latest treatments like immunotherapy which utilizes antibodies to boost immunity; who should be getting ultrasounds and or MRI...