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/

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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.

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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.

Transcript

Medical Disclaimer And Peptides Primer

Michele Folan 0:00

The information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding your individual health needs. Let's talk about peptides because they're not just GLP ones. Your body actually makes peptides naturally. They're messengers that help regulate things like fat metabolism, muscle growth, skin health, recovery, and energy. But here's the truth: just like hormones, collagen, and muscle, peptide production declines as we age, especially postmenopause. So if you're feeling stuck, belly fat that won't budge, slower recovery, low energy, or skin that just isn't bouncing back like it used to, this might be a missing piece. And no, this isn't about shortcuts. Lifestyle still comes first. Strength training, protein, sleep, stress management, always. But peptides can be a smart layer on top of that foundation. Not interested in a GLP1? Totally fine. There are other options that support fat metabolism, recovery, cognitive function, and healthy aging. The key is quality and working with a trusted medical provider. That's why I've partnered with LEMD to bring you clinically guided, personalized peptide options that actually make sense for midlife women. And if you're curious, check the link in the show notes and learn what might be right for you.

Meet Susan Guidi And Her Reset

Michele Folan 1:49

Today's episode is one of those conversations that just feels like catching up with a friend, but also leaves you thinking, okay, what excuse am I holding on to? My friend Susan Guidi is back on the podcast. She was actually on way back in episode 45, if you can believe that. So we've covered parts of her story before, but a lot has happened since then, and this chapter might be her most powerful yet. In midlife, Susan started over as 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 featured on Kelly Casperson's podcast. And now she's on the other side of a hip replacement with a whole new perspective on strength, recovery, and what it really means to keep showing up for yourself as you age. This conversation will be honest, real, and at times really funny because that's who Susan is. We talk about surgery and recovery and also about identity, resilience, and continuing to evolve when a lot of people think it's time to slow down. If you've ever wondered if it's too late to make a change, build something new, or take your health seriously, Susan is your proof that your second or third act can actually be your best one. Susan Guidi, welcome to Asking for a Friend.

Susan Guidi 3:18

Hello, I'm so excited. We started almost before the podcast started. We were trying to figure out how long it's been, you know, from the minute we met, we just connected. It was so I talk about this, you know, through this journey starting again at 63, that I made an effort, especially during the times of the pandemic, 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 your podcast that you were just beginning. Yeah. Episode 45.

Michele Folan 4:01

Yeah, and I reached out to you because I felt like you were so inspiring. Here you were in your 60s, and focusing on your health and your fitness and putting it out there. So brave. And then I found out you had a Cincinnati connection, which was serendipitous, and we we got to meet in person when you were here for a wedding.

Susan Guidi 4:25

And we walked your beautiful neighborhood, which was just delightful, and we had coffee and breakfast at this great little site. And in that one moment, I think it talks a lot about both of our journeys. We sort of went that extra mile. Yeah. You know, to say, God, what if this connection, what if this woman, right, really provides me with something that reassures me that I'm not alone and she's not that different for me, and she's being brave. And I knew you were being brave because then you were still in your corporate job, right? Yeah. You hadn't left yet. No, and you were essentially starting over as well and starting this podcast, which for our listeners, tell them the stats, ladies and gentlemen, because this is really important.

Why Midlife Women Finally Get Seen

Michele Folan 5:22

Well, so when Susan and I first spoke, we were probably in the top 10%, maybe top 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 think it's an audience that is looking for answers and they come here because I'm putting myself in everybody else's shoes and asking those questions. And and but bringing guests on, they may not have a million followers, but they are guests that have walked the walk. And I feel their experiences are identifiable. People feel that, oh, I that's me, that's me. That person is speaking to me.

Susan Guidi 6:16

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, I thought, oh, there was something I wanted to say to her. And one of those was when I started, all of this was beginning. And for the first time, post-menopausal women were not being excluded. For the first time, there were women like Train with Joan that were saying, Hey, you know what? You're missing out on a population where in the next few years, economically, everything we're a significant portion of the population. And we are survivors. Like this group of women, particularly in the 60 plus, which was almost unheard of. Like, even I joke as a standard because I joke about everything, but like I get really scared when there's a box that says, Are you 20 to 30, 30 to 40? And then you get to my age, there's no damn box. They just figure what there's no need for a box at this point, you know. But a lot of women my age started to listen to your podcasts and people's podcasts that say, What if this is a bunch of bullshit? And like you could step into your power at any age, at any age, but at this age, to have models of women that said, we're just over here listening to some really cool advice and saying, How would this make me be at 69 my bestest self? My bestest self with the best energy, with the aches and pains and the sorrows and everything that the world has to throw at us. Because the world's still hard. Like this doesn't make me, I don't have two men fanning me or putting on my makeup or anything. 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 perhaps the idea of putting on a dress that says possibility, right? Yeah. Somebody

The Dress Of Possibility Mindset

Susan Guidi 8:33

put in your closet three dresses, you know, kindness to yourself, like to start 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, divorces. And here's a dress because you haven't seen it in the back of your closet for a while, that says a possibility on it. How will you use it? How will you step into that? What would you do if tomorrow anything was possible? Just anything was possible. Yeah. What are you longing for? What did you do when you were six or seven as a little girl? And I always go back to this before the world starts blowing out your candle.

Michele Folan 9:25

You know, I put something in a caption yesterday on a reel that I had done or a post. And it was something like, Am I living fully the life I've been given? And if you think about that, you've been given this life, you've been given good health, you've been given this influence. Are you are you living it as fully as you possibly can? And I I just want people to think about that for a minute. Because we have this wonderful gift of experience, life experience. What are you doing with that? And it doesn't mean you've got to go start a new corporate career at 60, but what are you doing with that life experience that you've so so rightfully earned?

Susan Guidi 10:28

But I think one of the things that in use in showcasing women are just back here. If you follow me with the camera, you see me do kind of the same stuff all the day. I have my rough days. There are days where I don't even want to lace up the tennis shoes. I just don't. But when I do, it seems to make a hard day just a little less hard. When I do, I feel a little more empowered about myself. When I do, I see a cardinal in the tree. You know, I just think when you featured 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 know there are men there, but we gotta, for us, you gotta pick a lane. And for me, it's always been about encouraging the women because as the stats tell us, even in 2026, I see it with my daughters. The women are still responsible for 80% of all the stuff that's going on. The laundry, the kids, the diapers, the sickness, I'll take off of work, I'll take off of my job. Uh oh, no, no, you got a meeting, no worry. I'll take care of that. I'll cook dinner. I'll also try and get a workout in, you know, and eat right, right? And go to sleep for at least three hours. Oh, but the baby woke up to breastfeed. Like women are still, I think, the group that if we benefit and take charge of this stuff is even at this age, this is the age where we should, because we're so powerful. Always say, shh, don't tell people about post-menopause, because it's really cool on this side. Yeah. You get to do stuff if you step into it that maybe you always dreamed of, like stand-up, like bodybuilding, like starting a podcast, like quitting your job, like traveling the world, like that dress of possibility. Should like what was the sister of the traveling pants? What was the name of that movie?

Michele Folan 12:24

Oh, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

Susan Guidi 12:26

Yeah. What if we had the sisterhood of 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 with liking yourself, being kind to yourself, you know? And I started there and am still working there because a lot has happened since we talked last.

Michele Folan 12:52

Well, you've reinvented yourself multiple times. You were single mom, you you are an entrepreneur, you've done stand-up, which just I love bodybuilder. Which version of Susan do you feel most connected to right now?

Susan Guidi 13:10

Always the comic. Always. Always the comic. I think that I would like to be the 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 own personal experiment. When I decided to be a stand-up, it was during the time that The Secret had just come out. And there was some chapter about 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 if people ask me what I do? I don't tell them about medicine. I just tell them I'm a stand-up. And I'm a stand-up. And I'm a stand-up. No matter what. I'm doing stand-up, I am a stand up, I am that whole statement of I know it's woo-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 open with that. Because you almost disarm people when you shake their hands. And I always tell women, try it. Tell somebody for the next 24 hours, I am a stand-up, I'm doing stand-up. Yeah. People immediately start laughing. I go, but I haven't told you anything. But they immediately sense you're gonna make me smile. You're gonna make me laugh. So I definitely identify if there was a pronoun for a comic, you know, it would be that. And that still gives my world a filter 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 you an energy that maybe your entrepreneur hat doesn't give you.

Susan Guidi 15:11

And the entrepreneur hat, it serves though. In medicine, I studied since we've talked last. I've also studied at Northwestern University. I paid for myself to do an academic certified course, not only the beginner's class, but the advanced class, with probably some of the most intelligent people on the planet, predominantly healthcare physicians mostly, medical improv. At Northwestern University to use improv, it sort of started with Alan Alda, but using improv to teach doctors how to use improv skills to communicate better with staff, with nurses, with the patients regarding status. There were exercises we did, which I love forever. There was a status exercise. Cool. And you could apply it to any anything, not just medicine. And you had to play this game where you were given a status, but you didn't know what it was. And you held that status sort of as a card, but you couldn't see it. And then everybody interacted with you. If you were a 10, then that was like you were, I don't know, a god. And if you were a status one, people would interact in a less, like maybe perhaps they'd be aloof. And it, I don't know. I think that tool in medicine again disarms patients. I can give bad news in a way that through it's funny, I I just have the skill set of knowing how to communicate better. And you think, ha ha, come on, how can that be true? But it is. Like you're just happier with yourself and you have a way of not maybe taking everything so seriously.

Michele Folan 17:18

And but I think there this the the comedy and also being this age is also having that ability to laugh at ourselves, and that comes through too, right? We don't we don't take ourselves that as seriously when you know that you're not perfect 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 the brave step of putting my. I often talk about the first day I posted on Instagram, and I was already at that point 50 pounds overweight. I didn't own a bikini, I had a hideous pair of shorts, my abdominal fat literally sat over my shorts. My bra was like like it was, I look like a serial killer. And I had read something about Mel 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 years ago? That was December something, 2020. And instead of people like disowning me and me losing my house and being homeless, nothing happened. In fact, women started writing me going, Hi five, you go, girl. That's amazing. I'm like, I look like I could kill your grandchildren. Like, what what do you mean? You're supporting me. And that became this journey of also saying to other women, when we show more what this struggle is like, that I'm no different from you. I gain weight, I lose weight, I have, I've done every diet in the world. I've fasted to kingdom come. I've done it all in this quest for. What is the quest for? What, like, what exactly is the quest for? Right. It yeah. Because even losing the weight doesn't change the things I get to do every day. Me being skinny didn't get me on your podcast, really. You were more interested in losing that person, the story, the journey. What did you survive? What tips can I learn from you that help might help me survive? And being very authentic about that. And none of that has changed. I'm just in a different version, 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 and think, 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 say it now. You couldn't, you can't start, you can't start until you're ready to start and honestly, I think the pandemic was a gift. I think some of the magic. Now, I'm not talking about the death, obviously, of hundreds of thousands of people, but I'm saying the magic that happened to those who said, if I survive this, because I was the age that was gonna die, you're gonna die. You're gonna die. Like you're the age group that's gonna die. We're so sorry, but you're gonna die, you know. So I guess I kept thinking, if I don't die, I want to come out of this just better. And there was a whole world of people that just took stock, a whole bunch of women that took stock and said, What can I do to just be better, even at this age, even at 60, where I'm supposed to be dying, you know, how do I get out of this a better person? What are the tools? Um, and believing that menopause makes you fat, that's just a that's gonna happen, you're gonna be invisible. That was the narrative we were sold. And all of a sudden, during the pandemic, I found women that were challenging it. They were saying, you know what, this isn't necessarily true. And, you know, the whole idea of menopausal support for the first time really started to blossom. It was a first time where we really had advocates for women getting hormones if we needed it. I was the generation who didn't get that. 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 a class of women, even though now some of that information. Is changing in the class of woman that said, Well, it's too late for you. So are we further effed because I couldn't take the hormones? I'm 63, I'm gonna die from COVID. You know, what do I have to lose? And then I just put everything into, but what if putting on muscle is possible? What if losing weight is possible? And then it became this cascade of the dress of possibilities, right? If this is possible, wait, then all that other stuff they were telling us about is not necessarily true. And now I can do this. Like that became a photo shoot. I always think women should do a photo shoot. They should glam themselves up like Chris Jenner, right? And get your hair and makeup done and take a picture of yourself and put that picture somewhere where you can see it and say, Oh, who's that hot person? Oh my god, that's me. Your photos were amazing, by the way. My photos were, I almost died. No one knows what I went through. Oh, I know those pictures. From hiring the Vogue editorial photographer that I had no clue about. Like, you have to know how to pose, like to do that kind of stuff. And no clue. And I'm out in the desert during 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 take away my thin hair, which was perfectly sprayed, stood up like alfalfa in the wind. So the poorer makeup stylist is trying to pin this stuff down. Meanwhile, I'm thinking, I'm I'm gonna die. I almost fainted four or five times, but I was determined that they would capture the woman that 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 the transformation of the Wonder Woman program would often schedule the photo shoot and they'd never make it. And I would sit with my coach and I'd say, Why? Something would always happen. They would get sick, they couldn't do it, they canceled it, they wouldn't do it. And I was thinking, I will not be that person. I will do this, even though I don't know what I'm stepping into. And as I started to get sick in the photo shoot in the heat, I remember saying, I will not be that person. And then it turned into this almost stand-up comedic act, right? Because in the heat there was no place for them to lay me down, right? I'm in a bikini and I think I'm going to poop my pants in a bikini in the backseat of their car in 110 heat. How God just take me now? No, I know, I'd rather have death 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 you weren't 44. And this is what I'm talking about. Doing that at 64 is you would never have done it at 44.

Susan Guidi 25:14

I wasn't ready. I know. I know. I wouldn't have, I would have created a thousand excuses at 44 for why I didn't have the portfolio or I had lipodema and my thighs are cellulite, or I'm not for anybody who has lipedema. But you know what I'm saying? I have all these things. I hear it sometimes from my daughter. Well, I can't because my hair is not perfect and my eyebrows aren't perfect. I didn't even want him to have me perfect. Do you know what I told him? What? I took boxing wraps, I wrapped my hands in boxing wraps, and I asked the makeup artist if she could put bruises on my face and cuts and make me look like I had just come out of a fight. Because I said that is what most women have. The photo shoot was a piece of cake 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 watched Monty Python? I think about this a little medic brain. Yeah. Do you remember the episode where there were like a renaissance sword fight? I know what you're talking about. And they cut off the guy's arm. Yeah. And the guy in his British eyes, it's just a flesh wound. Let's keep going. That's what I feel like this age is. You just start to look at these things 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. Yeah. And it's the stepping into it, regardless. It was not easy. It wasn't pretty. When I had to wait the 30 days before they send you the photo shoot or whatever the days are, I was like, these are gonna be horrible. And they were not. And and I saw myself with kindness and fierce. That photo that I do this, it was 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 million women on your podcast, right? But each one brings that certain pimienta, that spice, that's something that somebody else doesn't have. And that's why I talk about for us at this age, there's a seat for everybody. The table's infinite. And if you don't see a seat that has your name on it, bring your damn folding chair. Yeah. And just come on in because this age is where we need tons of examples of what'd you survive, and what are you doing now? And here's the dress of possibility. What's what'd you survive? What are you doing now? Today you get the dress of possibility.

Michele Folan 28:08

I love it. Okay, we gotta take a quick break. And we're gonna continue this conversation when we come back. Quick

Share This With A Friend

Michele Folan 28:17

pause for a second. If you've been listening to this podcast and thinking, oh my gosh, my friend needs to hear this. Don't keep it to yourself. Seriously. So many women out there are trying to figure this stuff out alone. Health hormones, aging, all of it. And half the time we don't even know where to start. That's exactly why I created this podcast. So if something you've heard today resonated with you, send it to a friend, a sister, your workout buddy, that woman you were just talking to about perimenopause over coffee. Because these conversations, they matter. And the more women we bring into this space, the better we all get. All right, let's get back to the episode. All right. I love where this was going when we took the break. And, you know, in the very first episode of this podcast, I told my story, losing my job six weeks before COVID shut everything down, being in my 50s and being in a full-on job search during a global pandemic. But that was also the time where I decided I was going to start this podcast. It's gone through different iterations since then, but it but that was kind of where I decided that was time. And there, there, you know, there were there were other there were other things along the way that were the catalyst for, I think, where my mind is now. So it's not just the pandemic. It wasn't just losing my job. There were, there were a lot of things in there. And at even at 62, I'm not I'm not finished yet. I still there's still there's still more uh gas in the tank to do to do some things. And and we'll we we will talk about that maybe a little later in this podcast.

Hip Replacement Decision And Fears

Michele Folan 30:06

But I I need to talk about something that you just went through, and that was your hip replacement. And I think a lot of women this age put that off, put it off, put it off, put it off. Maybe it's the hip, maybe it's the knee. And I would love for you to share what was going on with your body at that time and why you 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 at 17. And when I started to realize, and you know what? It was when I met with you in Cincinnati that you commented to me, were like, you're really limping. I was like, no shit, Sherlock. Yes. I was almost dragging that leg behind me, telling myself anything that I could potentially 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 like a guy who would stretch you and and my hip wouldn't move. And I associated a hip replacement with just being out of the game. Yeah. And it came at a time the realization 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. I couldn't walk. I had older people than me stopping 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 other corner. 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. I like running. I like walking. I like exercise. I like being in the gym. And my range of motion and all of it was so affected. And yet, I was gonna, I was gonna have my hip cut off and stuck down. And every time I go for a different treatment, it wasn't working. And then finally I met with an orthopedic surgeon, and it was like, are you kidding? Like, there's not there's nothing to do. You could get an injection, but there's no way to regrow the space between your hip. And it's painful for women that are suffering, and we do this. This is what we're good at. Yes, we're gonna do it. Especially Cuban, Latin, Italian. We're good at suffering. It hurt at night. It hurt at night, it hurt all the time. Being in the pool, I bought some crazy ass pool equipment. I was gonna work out in the pool. I was just gonna drag my leg behind me. That didn't work. And then I started interviewing people and said, How is it for you afterwards? And the message I kept hearing was, Susan, this isn't an operation of necessarily age. Young athletes get it. It is what you have. You have the condition known as bone on bone. You never want to hear it, but I did. And there really isn't any modern-day therapy other than removing, but the majority of people would say, You're gonna wish you had done it sooner. Ah, yeah, I knew you were gonna say that. But you can't do it. I'm telling you, I again, the woman who's just back here living the experiment, you cannot do it until you're ready. Yeah. And there were a lot of things, you know what, Michelle, the psychological component of being a single 60-something, 60, when did I have a 66-year-old? Single 66-year-old, I ain't got nobody to watch me. Yeah. I don't have anybody living with me. So all of a sudden, I own my own business. I don't have somebody who's gonna come in and do that for me. There was a fear of how would I navigate? Like, how strong do I have to be? Again, it's just the flesh route, it's just the hip replacement. Could I take care of myself? So, like everything else that I do, I started talking to people who had successful outcomes. What approach was and then one of the top guys here in Tampa. And I started exercising. I had interviewed several people that said, you want to be able to get up with one leg. You know, you want to be so like you think after surgery, it's the before surgery. What's your health going into surgery so that immunologically, 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 is amen, because I did a full hysterectomy on a Monday, and I went carpet shopping on that Friday. And because I made sure that I was fit before I had that surgery. 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 that up is because I I I'd heard enough horror stories from people who spent two weeks in bed, or you know, the the mother-in-law had to come and take care of them so their husband could go back to work, you know, all of that stuff. And I was like, oh, I'm not that can't be me. I will because I I can't feel that 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 people don't talk about. I don't care how wonderful your children are, don't necessarily count on them because this is sort of again a bit of a Cuban kind of, it's only family that take care of family, right? So my daughter knows this. She was the one, she's a nurse, she has five kids. Why did I ask her? I don't know, but I love her and I trust her. She was gonna take care of me for a few days post-surgery. But then the year I was scheduled for surgery, Milton, we had two major category like six hurricanes take out Tampa back to back on the day I was supposed to have hip surgery. Oh, I remember that. So that pushed my surgery to around Halloween of 24. Yes, 24, 24. Then she says, Mommy, I can't come and help you. I have a Halloween party. I know. I know. And I went, look, shoot. And we have a good rel like, we have a good relationship. I was so upset, I was so mad. I was like, you've prepared for this day. I just asked, I called her my improv, like sister. I said, Can you take me to the hospital? Could you stay for a few hours afterwards? The rest of it. I'm just gonna deal with it. And then my son, who's a doctor, called me at the last minute the night before and said, Mom, I'll go with you. Oh, nice. And he stayed for maybe 22 hours and three minutes, I think. That's what I joke. Like all of 22 hours. But strong as bull, I was walking within three hours.

Recovery Wins And Mental Comeback

Susan Guidi 37:44

I found this guy, David Web, who invented the BOSU ball. And for some reason, it was like the universe said, we're gonna give you some major inspiration. And this man pops up on my feet. I love him so much. And he had just had a hip replacement. And this guy is doing things you can't imagine up and downstairs, just having had a hip replacement. I thought, I'm not gonna do all of that. But it was like he gave me here's the dress of recovery of possibility. Yeah, he just inspired the hell out of me. And I thought, I'm gonna make him proud. And then I it became this game, and I started tagging him in my photos. And then Mark Sassoon, the guy who would created Primal Fit, sees one of my videos on David's videos, 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 a freaking, it's not a piece of cake, but it's sort of a piece of cake. Yeah. And I I was driving within a week. I went, I went to work within one of my patients called me and said they were having issues and they had twins. And I said, Well, I can't drive. I go, but if you come and pick me up, patient came to my house, picked me up. I went and scanned them in a walker just for support. Right. So I don't know. I I I think the hip was again sort 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 stop me. It's just not enough to stop me. Did it set me back? It set me back psychologically a lot. There were a lot of moments like, wait, but I was on Everest. Does anybody realize I climbed Everest? Yeah. Now I'm at Base Camp again. I don't like base camp. Yeah, but you weren't at base camp. But base camp is there to teach you. 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 the work.

Susan Guidi 39:59

You know, it just I agree, but you fight. If anybody tells you that you don't fight that imposter syndrome, they're lying. I know. And it's okay to drop back to and then look at what are the things that I've learned that make me that woman that stood in that photo with the cuts and the bruises, and almost she's still in there. And that attitude got me through all of this. And I will tell you, I I'm stronger than ever. Like stronger than ever, and not as scared. Now I know if I had to have that, I didn't need to be that scared that it wasn't gonna erase this essence. And like you said, you're not done 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 podcast to me. I want to be and go out the way Queen Elizabeth did. Like two days before she died, she was riding a horse. But I don't know if I want to ride a horse, but I want to be telling jokes. I I I want to make somebody laugh. I I think we need every because it's not over because you're not 81 yet. Then your perspective will be completely different. We need to hear from the 81-year-old. And when you're 71, it won't be over because you'll have a lot more things that a 71-year-old has to say and saw and did. You'll have how many years of podcasting under your belt as guidance for someone else? So 61 is just 61. That's there's that's cross that out as there's an endpoint. There's still boxes to be checked, and we need to add those boxes. And that's sort of what I'm doing metaphorically is in the H boxes, making those lists appear. 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'm still 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 the energy, like you said, you're not at base camp. You aren't at base camp anymore, you know. No one can keep you down, right? But you know, life just throws these things. I just found out I have a friend of mine, and he's very, very ill. And it's in those moments on a Tuesday afternoon that again make me devastated, but also give me this energy while I'm still got all the limbs, even if one cuts off, right? I'm still like that guy that's gonna be fighting the good fight. Because our daughters need to hear this, my granddaughter needs to hear this, 30-year-olds need 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 that the 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 tell another 51-year-old now? So I'm telling you as the 62-year-old, are you freaking kidding? We need you. We need you in the trenches because the age doesn't define whether you get to wear the dress of possibility. There's an age box for all of us for that. And I I think I still believe this, and I said this beginning, I think this was my mission that Wonder Woman follows me around. I worked for the create the son of the creator of Wonder Woman. And the creator of Wonder Woman said, predicted in 1932 that in a hundred years women would take over. And that's still my firm belief. We're seeing that. Happened. These links on a chain. These links on a chain. The 21-year-old, the 31-year-old, the 62-year-old making podcasts. It's just making that chain bigger with that female. It's our time. It's our turn. We've given you guys a chance. We love you. My son is a male, right? But let us step in and really show 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 said an army of silver-haired women would quietly take over the world? And I I feel like that.

Michele Folan 44:49

Yeah. I have daughters. Yeah. I have two stepdaughters in addition 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 base level, Susan. I don't want to be a burden to my 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 in itself. And a lot of us have to realize don't sit back on your keister waiting for somebody to save you. Because you don't want to be a burden to yourself. It's really to yourself. Like your kids, we already know they 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 der Wright 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 about mobility and being able to get off the toilet and off the floor without help. But it's also about being able to still travel when I'm 86 and enjoy the parties and do all those things. And no one can do that for me. I gotta, I gotta take care of that now.

Susan Guidi 46:12

And there's no pill, sorry to say. No. Maybe there will be. Maybe there'll be some peptide that will change all of that, but I don't think so. Nope. That pill's not gonna help your butt get off the couch after you have X, Y, and Z. Did you see Betsy Johnson in any of the Instagram posts? You know the designer Betsy Johnson. I did not see that. 83 girlfriend, oh 83. The energy of that woman is goals. She did a split while they were interviewing her because they were asking her, what's it like at 83? How do you feel? And all of a sudden, this amazing woman with yellow in her hair and just this crazy wonderful outfit just freaking does a split. She goes, I promised myself that that I would still I I do it every year. Just and everyone, like her split was crazy.

Michele Folan 47:10

I'm I'm like, ow. And she's 20 years older than I'm. But question Do you think it's also because she has stayed in the game? Like her brain, she has kept her 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 that word? Can we just take it out of our lexicon? Transition, I like. Are you gonna transition? Was there something you always wanted to do? And now by leaving perhaps a commitment to a corporation or something that you maybe aren't in love with, right? You can transition. But having purpose in a creative way is so important. I had my mentor who's from New York, he's Israeli, 90 years old. He invented the vaginal probe. He invented the vaginal probe. That's how far back we go. For ultrasound. The probe itself, he invented it to go inside cavities, right? He's 90. Still working in New York, but sharp. It was like having Einstein in my office. And I said to him, Dr. Timor, why you know do people say, why don't you retire? And he goes, I do not have any hobbies. I don't have any hobbies. And he's publishing and consulting and speaking all over the world. And his brain and his excitement, and we were testing new technology and ultrasound. It was mind-blowing. Some AI stuff. And at one point, he was standing right behind me, and we were giggling like school kids. And he leans in and in his Israeli accent goes, This is what makes us young. That sort of still wonder and excitement and creating. And I think that's why I advocate for a lot of women. I I've been doing it in my motivational speech now. I'm doing it again. I got asked back again this year to teach sonographers how to use improv in these improv games to find their voices and have a little bit of fun, right? And I don't know, find the joy again, whether you use it in medicine or it just in life in general. I use it a lot for telling women over 50 to tell their stories. And you listen to their stories, you're like, oh my God, why do we not just have a podcast 24 hours a day to just hear woman after woman? Because you think one woman's amazing, and then you hear the next story, and you're like, oh, oh my God. And that's why I said about that seat at the table. It's getting people wild that we've, I don't know. Sometimes I wish I could run for politics at this age just to inspire a bunch of women to step up and just find the joy in life and help and make the world a sweeter, kinder, funnier place, right? Yeah.

Michele Folan 50:34

I'm laughing. I I have to go back to your I don't have any hobbies. I don't have any hobbies. Well, I I think that's part of my issue is that my fitness and nutrition and my health has become 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 cool woman. And, you know, she inspired me to, I don't know what the hell she inspired. She inspired me to take a stand-up class or just tell my joke at a party or introduce myself to a stranger and just see what happens. Or she passed me the dress. I like this dress up possibility.

Michele Folan 51:23

I do too. I think you need to trademark that.

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 me

Non Negotiables Sleep Food Stress Strength

Susan Guidi 51:36

here?

Michele Folan 51:36

All right. I think I've got a pretty good handle on what you're doing now, three years out from your surgery, and that how you are in this stage of life still caring for yourself. I know you still work out, you do all those things. But what is your non-negotiable when 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 much to sleep before I started this journey. And then, like a lot of people, I got the aura ring. You could get the whoop or whatever. And I was, I always have loved sleep. I love delicious sleep. I love sleep. And I was just finding before I lost the weight, and when I was still drinking alcohol, we could have that discussion a little bit, that my sleep was so affected. But I wasn't putting two and two at all together. And I would just drink a couple of glasses of wine, crappy night of sleep, drink a couple of glasses of wine, crappy night of sleep, over and over and over. And before I started losing the weight, I had noticed that my fasting blood sugars were a little elevated. And I thought, I told this to Kelly Terry, go, oh, we we gotta pay attention to this. Like, that's not okay. What's happening here? And I also really started paying attention to my sleep that I would have anxiety in the middle 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, underproteined woman. It just wasn't serving me. And then part of the journey became in could I say no to it? Because it is the one drug in this country that is completely acceptable. Come on in and have a dream. Yeah. And when you don't, you upset the apricot big time. I mean, now we're in a different phase. When I started not having alcohol, was like, what? And I remember hearing, when are you going back to normal?

Michele Folan 54:00

Yeah, because people were used to you having your two glasses at least of Chardonnay. Because I I remember Chardonnay was your poison.

Susan Guidi 54:08

Chardonnay. And I wouldn't, I would, I thought I was a wine connoisseur. Again, that was, I was a wine elite. I wouldn't drink just five dollar Chardonnay. I would buy an expensive bottle of Chardonnay, only to still wake up the next morning. And still feel like shit. 40 or 5, I still felt like shit. You know, and it was undeniable. It just was undeniable. And then as I started to research, and the other thing that was happening during the pandemic was a lot of people, and particularly men, were teetering on the edge of you know, an issue. I I have a couple of friends who passed because of the alcoholism that developed and the depression and the other things. And as I started to learn about macronutrition, and that was the first time it ever, macronutrition. I used to joke in the beginning when I spoke on stage was that you say macronutrition to women, and they just go. But I said it became sort of magic because for the first time I became a scientist in understanding what you are putting inside of you that make you physiologically a better person of yourself. Alcohol has no macronutrients. It's not even in, it's not a protein, it's not a carb, it's a fat, it's it's in large quantities, 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 hesitant to talk about it. It's still a tough thing, it's still very difficult, it's still, but I made a promise then that I would no longer ever drink at home. Like I would never, I don't know that I've bought another bottle of Chardonnay in the last six years for home. Yeah. I will have an occasional glass of Prosecco when I'm out, and I balance that sleep still affected. Can't lie.

Michele Folan 56:22

Listen, one glass of wine or one cocktail disrupts my sleep. And you know it because you wear the R ring. I have a watch that has a tracker on it. I I know what it does to my sleep. 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 it and say, well, because I hear people say all the time, and there's no judgment. You do I know, I'm not judging. But I'm saying if somebody said to you, one of your sort of pieces of advice, whether things like non-sleep is one of them, alcohol will f up your sleep. There's no doubt. So if you want good sleep, because now sleep is also going to affect these other metrics that are really important at this age for recovery. Because if you're asking your body to do hard things, to get in the gym, to lift heavy, to do a little more cardio, to take care of a grandkid, right? At this age, it becomes maybe a little tougher and longer to recover. But we need sleep to recover. If you don't sleep, all these cascades of other things like HRV. And, you know, you kind of have to track that stuff to realize I never had any idea that my respiratory rate was elevated when I did this, that my HRV sank 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 me the feedback to say sleep is paramount. Then the next thing is I think top our reduction of stress. So trying to turn off the noise of either the world right now is burning or blah, blah, blah. And trying, again, being the best version of me is being kind. Somebody asked Jay Leno, what's your advice to a stand-up? And he said, just be kind. So just being kind right now is sort of a memo for me in life. Like trying to be kind and compassionate, I'm not always, but that really helps. And being kind to myself, not being hard when the scale isn't reflecting the number that says I'm the perfect person. Right. It never says that, unfortunately. I keep waiting for it to pop up and go, you are the perfect. Yeah, you're the best, Susan. And then nutrition. I mean, what I read a meme the other day that said something about you can lift all the heavy weight and gain muscles, it's in the refrigerator that shows them off. Like food, ultimate, it's the same pillars of everything, right? Yeah. Food, it's undeniable. You can't really eat like crap or undereat. And for women, we have to learn how to eat. Eat. We need to eat. We need to be happy eating. You need to sit down and make yourself a nice little meal. And something that nourishes you. That also, in a way, is through your mouth, you're being loving and kind. And women still, and I think that'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, you know, you we go back to the 70s, the the 80s. It's always been, you know, eat less, move more. And I say food is 80% of this. If you can get your mind wrapped around your nutrition, you are 80% there.

Susan Guidi 1:00:26

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, 1200 calories, you know, and very little fat and no carbs and whatever the newest fat is. And then what worries me about the GLPs is that I was recently around some gorgeous 30-year-olds. I mean, like they don't even have an idea of how beautiful they are. 90 pounds, maybe. Saying to me, they tried it. They tried the pill, because you can get it. You tried the injection. Made them feel like hell. But I had somebody that said the way they felt about eating while they were on the GLP one felt 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 of strong. You want to be strong. You want me on a desert island with you. You know? You want a little plumpness. I'm probably gonna survive the Holocaust a little bit better than Demi Moore right now. Do you know what I'm saying? It's just do you know the uh fitness, the rugby, American rugby, Elona Mar? Do you know her? Mm-hmm. That's my that's just that. She's happy in her skin and she's strong, and I don't know, like she could pick a car off a little kid if she had to. Oh, yeah, she could. There's that kind of warrior strength. I want warriors. I I I think if we just embrace that, and so that's a little bit of my message is that that's the strength that I've acquired. Is that that mentality? I I even with the young girls that I told you were on Ozempic. So we went outside and we were working out a little bit together. And there was an ab roller, you know, that thing? Mm-hmm. Yeah. So one of the perfect little girls did it and she couldn't even move it. Like she had little arms and couldn't move it. And then they gave it to me. And they were like, oh my God. I go, I know that's what you should be striving for. Yeah. Is strength. Because strength lends itself to every again. Strength is like included in the fabric of the dress of possibility.

Michele Folan 1:02:56

I tell my clients that all the time. If you just worry about being strong, a lot of things fall into place. What if the scale said that? You are effing strong today.

Susan Guidi 1:03:08

You're putting on that dress of possibility.

unknown 1:03:11

Yeah.

Susan Guidi 1:03:11

Because you're strong.

Michele Folan 1:03:13

The aura rang said that to you.

Susan Guidi 1:03:16

If the aura ring, I think it does sometimes. It'll it doesn't often. I like the scale to just, you know, just say, wait till you get home tonight. And the love making we're gonna have like it just would send us these messages that would send us off to say, that's why I often hated in the beginning that my weight loss was what sort of got me on the map, you know. Like, why did it have to take weight? I was that same person, you know. 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 that everybody was like the five pillars? Is it really true that sleep makes a difference? Hell to the yes. Is it really different? Uh is it a big deal to learn how to eat? Learn to eat as many calories as you can to sort of maintain your weight. Super important. Is it important to find a creative outlet, whether that's baking cookies or doing stand-up or doing a podcast or painting or speaking a new language or taking care of pets? I don't care. Find a creative, put your goddamn phone down, put this shit down, so this isn't your source of entertainment, and you don't end up with a hump neck by the time you're my age. Put it down and go create, go draw, go play with the kid, hang out with the kid for a little bit. All their possibilities are right there. Pretend you're that person, right? Mm-hmm. And be kind. Just practice being kind for 24 hours. Be kind. Pay for somebody's coffee. You want a high? Pay for somebody's coffee today. Just don't ask it, don't question it. Whether you got enough money, pay for somebody's coffee. That little gift will give you a superpower during the day that'll make the next thing easy. And then think of me about I just lent you the dress of possibility. Like step into the person. If somebody said tomorrow you can be this person, what does 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 of the time. Yeah. Does she exercise? Yeah. Yeah. She dances. She dances like crazy. She is so happy when she dances. And it doesn't have to be my stuff, but it's all the things that if you believe in God, okay, that He gave us right to do. He gave us more than we can possibly do. So when we this This is a problem. The phone. We didn't have this when I was younger. Yeah. And I even bought a device. Have you heard of the brick? You just brick your phone. And it's a little, I have it on my desk over there. It's just this little device that turns off social media. Oh. Because you go down this rabbit hole of looking at people that you think, okay, my life isn't like that, but I want their life. But you don't know anything about them behind the scenes. They too suffer with their own issues. They may not even have real hair. I always look at people with like 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 my life because it gave me those skills. Improv says there's no failure. Improv says yes and. Yes, and imagine if tomorrow. Yes and yes and to tie in your tent shoes.

Michele Folan 1:07:01

I love it. I have I have I do have one last question for you.

Susan Guidi 1:07:05

Okay, cool.

Advice For Scared Women And Closing

Michele Folan 1:07:07

If you could sit across from a woman who's scared of surgery, of aging or starting over, what would you say to her?

Susan Guidi 1:07:21

Depending on her age. I would tell her to go back to when she was a kid. And then for the next four to five minutes, I'd have her write how many times she was scared, how many times she started over, what were the things that scared her dead? Can she even remember them? And then depending on how old she is, but you're still here. But stop being you. Most of the time, I'd have them stand in front of the mirror and say, It's you. It's only you that can say no to your dreams. Say yes just for today, not for 10 more years, not even until tomorrow. Just for today, what are you dreaming about? And then pretend that you're that person. Just pretend. Just pretend like you were when you 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. And then try it. And again, I always say this quote it was like if Nike and L'Oreal put their commercials together, just do it. Because one, you're worth it, and the world needs you. Today I'm hanging in front of you with the dress of possibility. What are you gonna do with it?

unknown 1:08:51

Yes.

Susan Guidi 1:08:52

Yes. Yes. Yeah. Say yes to yourself. And if anybody who watches that, I want you guys to DM me and let me know what you would do with the dress possibility. That's gonna be our hashtag for this episode.

Michele Folan 1:09:08

I love it. And uh speaking of that, Susan, where can the listeners find you?

Susan Guidi 1:09:13

So I um when I started the transformation, I didn't have a handle. But when people said, What were my whys? one of them were my grandkids. I have seven, and particularly the girls. I wanted them to see an example of somebody that they wouldn't be fearful of growing into. I wanted them to be excited about. Oh my God, have you met my grandmother? Have you met, but I don't have grandma's the name because I'm single. So I gave myself my own name because that was the beginning of grandma's, so I called myself Kiki. And then they watch a lot of Disney, so it became Kiki Mouse. So when I first did that horrible picture of me standing 54321, I gave myself the name Kiki Mouse Gets Fit. And you're still Kiki Mouse Gets Fit. And that's everybody's like, what is and they think my name is Kiki. My name is Susan, but at Kiki Mouse Gets Fit, yes, I would love it. And I respond to all sorts of DMs. So I want to hear, what are your possibilities and what are you gonna do with it?

Michele Folan 1:10:19

I I we hate you guys. I know, and I want I want people to reach out to Susan, follow her. She's inspiring, like I keep saying. Um, and and she's a good friend.

Susan Guidi 1:10:31

Like you, my love. Like you, you are inspiring. Next time I'm gonna turn it around 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 1:10:43

Love you too, my friend.

Susan Guidi 1:10:44

Take care.

Michele Folan 1:10:47

Before you go, thank you for being here. If you want to go a little deeper, make sure you check out the show notes for this episode. That's where I link anything we mentioned, resources, partners, or tools I actually use and trust. And if you're not already on the Asking for a Friend community newsletter, that's where I share practical midlife tips, favorite finds, recipes, and the things that don't always make it onto the podcast or Instagram. You'll find the link to join in the show notes. Take care, and I'll see you next week.