Hear Me with Gwyneth Paltrow, George Stephanopoulos, and NPR. Highlights of Day 1 of My Book Tour!

GMA, GOOP, Psychology Today, and Near Death in Times Square. Just Some of the Surprises on Launch Day for THE SEARCH

What a thrilling, fast-moving, and emotionally moving few days I’ve had since The Search went on sale on Tuesday. I did a 6-hour radio tour this morning and am scheduled to be on MSNBC tonight in the 11 pm hour, on CNBC tomorrow morning in the 6 am hour, and MSNBC again on Saturday morning in the 9 am hour. (I would say tune in, but I’ve also has 3 national television appearances canceled in the last 24 hours because of the debt crisis vote, so you never know…)

The point is, I should really be resting, but since all of you who subscribe to The Nonlinear Life have been with me on this long journey, I wanted to share here a few highlights of the week. So with apologies for brevity, here goes:

1. I didn’t drink the makeup remover fluid in the Green Room of GMA.

You’ll just have to trust me when I say that the clear bottle with the black top looked like water. So I poured some into my cup at 7:30 am on Tuesday morning and lifted it to my mouth. Then I thought, This feels a little heavier than water. Is it seltzer? Nope. It was makeup brush cleaner! I almost ended my book tour—and my GI tract?—even before it started.

But I caught myself and minutes later was talking with George Stephanopoulos about how we can all find our purpose in life. You can watch the clip below.

2. I Got GOOPy with Gwyneth!

Podcasts are the New Kid on the Block of book tours. I’ve already taped close to 20 that will be released in the coming weeks, including some that were a real privilege (Hello Monday!) some that got totally granular on unexpected-but-fascinating topics (Big Questions with Cal Fussman!) and everything in between.

But I was especially honored and completely bedazzled to be invited on the GOOP podcast to be interviewed by GP herself. We were on a platform that allowed us to see each other but only audio was recorded. She was warm, gracious, and generous; the conversation efforltessly flowed, and by the end I think we both found it emotional. And I have heard from dozens of people since it dropped on Tuesday morning that they loved the conversation. Thank you, Universe, for this one-of-a-kind experience. You can listen here or click on the image below.

3. Wear sunscreen!

Really OG subscribers of TNL will remember that last year I wrote a newsletter called I Analyzed 100 Graduation Speeches: These Are the 4 Tips They All Share. Well, like some of those speeches, it kinda went viral. TED ran the piece almost in its entirety; other publications picked it up.

Well, imagine my surprise and delight when NPR decided to do an entire show about the topic. And on my pub date no less! So an hour after being on set in Times Square I was home in my sweatpants talking to NPR’s 1A about advice for young people, and they were kind enough to ask me to discuss some of the similar themes in The Search about how to find meaning in your life. You can listen to the conversation here.

Some other highlitghts so far: The Wall Street Journal ran this dazzling review of The Search; Psychology Today asked me to contribute a piece about the book called “Want to Find Your Purpose? Ask These Five Questions;’ and I received this heart-tugging note from one of the people profiled in the note.

I think you know how much I have resisted telling any part of my story, and especially handing it over to someone. That took a lot of trust.

I’m sitting in ia public place on my way to work and I’m pretty sure I looked like I was about to cry.  But instead of shame or embarrassment, I felt relief and maybe a tiny bit of pride in what I have done in my professional life. 

Thank you for telling my story in such a caring and thoughtful manner. 

In a week of highlights, this note was the highest of the high.

Thank you to to this person for sharing; thank you to all of you for buying, tweeting, posting on social media; thank you the many people who shared kind words on Substack. Please continue to do so and consider posting a review on Amazon and other platforms if you’re so inclined; every bit helps.

And finally, please join me on Monday night, June 5th, at 8 pm ET for a live, virtual conversation to celebrate the publication of the book. I’ll be interviewed by Carter Cast of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He has a moving work story, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know him. Click here or on the graphic below to register.

Much more to come! Overcome with appreciation that this week has come at last. And above all: Enjoy The Search!

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You might enjoy reading these posts:

Read the Opening Pages of THE SEARCH

How a Hollywood Sex Scandal Turned One Woman's Life Upside Down

Exclusive Sneak Peek at the Story That Inspired My New Book

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