In this episode...

I sit down with debut author Isabel Bolt—a woman whose life has been anything but predictable. From raising a family and navigating a decades-long career, to surviving breast cancer (twice), divorce, and the wild world of online dating in her 60s—Isabel shares the raw, hilarious, and deeply moving lessons behind her first book.

We talk about the pressure of expectations, the beauty in life’s detours, and how storytelling can become a powerful act of healing. Isabel’s honesty, humor, and hard-won wisdom remind us that the real magic often happens in the mess—and that it’s never too late to find your voice, your story, and your power.

Welcome to the Power

of Authority Spotlight.

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I'm your host, Michelle Prince,

founder and CEO of Performance

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Publishing Group, making a Difference.

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One story at a time, we'll be

shining the light on successful

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founders, entrepreneurs, business

owners, and leaders that are getting

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results and making a difference.

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We'll talk about how they built

their businesses are creating

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movements and leveraging the

power of authority in their.

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Own lives.

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Be sure to stick around to the

end of the show and we'll reveal

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how you can be our next guest.

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Let's get started.

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Hey everybody and welcome to the Power of

Authority Spotlight, where we shine the

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light on entrepreneurs, founders, leaders,

people that are doing extraordinary

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things, they're making a difference,

and they're telling their story.

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And our guest today is someone very

special to me and I can't wait to let you

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get to know her 'cause just so much fun.

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, and her name is Isabelle Bolt and

she grew up in Chicago, Illinois,

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attended Loyola University.

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Throughout her life, she's assumed

various roles including daughter,

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sister, wife, mother, patient.

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Lover, friend and professional, all of

which featured a cast of characters.

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She's still trying to figure out the

plot, but Isabelle currently lives

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in Dallas, Texas, and she's recently

written a book that is so extraordinary

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that I can't wait to tell you about.

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And this book, by the way, it already

is a five star book with over 50

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reviews and it just debuted in January.

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So it's pretty recent.

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, but let's, we'll get to

the book in just a minute.

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First, let's go ahead and

welcome Isabelle to the show.

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Welcome, Isabelle.

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Hi, Michelle.

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Thank you.

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Oh my gosh, I'm so excited you're here.

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This, this conversation has been

a long time coming because you

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and I met how many years ago now?

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Probably three, I think.

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Three maybe three and a half.

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It's been a while.

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Yeah.

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But, , I just have to share real

quick, , briefly how we met, right?

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So we met in directly,

not about your book yet.

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But some professional channels, , doing

some, some, , conference together.

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And I remember you and I having dinner

one night we met in Dallas and you

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just kind of casually mentioned that

we've thought about writing a book.

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Do you remember that conversation?

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I do, I do.

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I, I remember a tiny bit

different in that, , I, you

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said something, I said something

about writing and you said, well.

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I'm a publisher for specializing

in first time authors.

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And I mean, it was such kismet at that

moment and I really believe in signs

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and I, it had been way in the back of my

mind, but you know, how was I gonna do it?

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Who was I gonna do it with?

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When was it gonna happen?

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How was it gonna, and then you're

sitting right across dinner from me

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and a total happenstance meeting.

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And so it was, it was one of those

signs that I thought, uhoh, now

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the ball is just starting to roll.

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I know, I know.

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And I'm so grateful for that.

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, connect Oh, me too.

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How that whole thing came about.

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But, , your book, his, first

of all, let me, let's tell

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everybody what the, the title is.

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It's called, the Secret to

Happiness is Low Expectations.

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And if you are looking for a boring

book with a lot of just, you know,

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boring, , concepts, and this is not the

book for you, but if you wanna have a

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good laugh and learn a little bit along

the way, this is an extraordinary book.

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In fact, , on Amazon, there was

an anonymous review I just have to

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read because I think this really

sums up your book perfectly.

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, so, so it's again, anonymous review

says A humorous rev revelatory easy

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for me to say a humorous revelatory

rom through life's constant

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surprises I dove into Isabelle Bolts.

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The secret to happiness is low

expectations, expecting a gentle

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guide on finding joy in the every day.

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Instead, I got a hilarious masterclass

in life's unpredictability, a book

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that's as sharp and witty as and

as refreshingly honest as that one

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friend who always tells it like it is.

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Isabel's storytelling is like a

cocktail of humor, wisdom, and charm.

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Her chapter titles had me grinning

and not sure what to anticipate.

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As often comes when you

lower your expectations and

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simply laugh at the chaos.

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What an incredible review.

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Isn't that great?

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And that's anonymous.

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I don't know, you know, I know if it was

friend or foe or what, but found the book.

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That's, that's fantastic.

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And I, I do, I do think that

it, it's interesting how

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people have received the book.

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'cause what I intended for it to be.

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Then once, of course it's published,

you don't get to read it for people.

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People are reading it and making their

own conclusions and it's, it's been

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such a kick to hear how relatable it

is, how much people laughed about it.

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'cause it was intended to be a humor,

humor book about looking at life through a

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lens and kind of in the rear view mirror.

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The happenings in your life and, , whether

it was raising kids or, , having

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a lake house or being a working

professional and traveling, , aging,

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retirement, like it's all in there.

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And, , a little bit something for

everybody, but the people who have

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written in reviews, it seems like

everybody there was a different

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take on it, which is interesting.

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Yeah.

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Well, I think everybody wants to, I

mean, first of all, everyone can relate

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with the topics, you know, in the end.

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Yeah.

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The ups, the downs, mm-hmm.

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But you've just been away with

humor, which, which I think is great.

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And it's really not your first time

to be writing with humor, though.

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Is it your Christmas?

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No, it's not.

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No, it's not.

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I, , actually, the way I started,

, the, the book or how the book came

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together was years and years ago.

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, I always collected a scrapbook

and it wasn't for photos,

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like more, most people do.

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It was words.

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It was words.

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It was, , maybe.

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Snippets from sermons, , happy, funny

episodes that happened in the family.

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Ridiculous things at work.

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, everything would be in the script.

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Book.

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I used to write on matchbooks or

on, you know, envelopes and put it

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in the console of my car and then I

would collect it all and just keep

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it in a basket and then I'd put it in

writing 'cause it was no computers.

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Then we're talking 40 years ago that I

started, you know, just doing it for fun.

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Well then when the kids were born, I

got married and the kids were born.

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I started getting these Christmas letters.

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, and you know, all of 'em are the

perfect families with honor roll

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students and the husband just

got a promotion and he was taking

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everybody to Hawaii for the holiday.

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I mean, every single one was one of those.

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Exactly.

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And I thought, wow, we're doing

something wrong here in this house.

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So I started kind of a campaign and

every year I would write kind of an anti

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Christmas letter that just would talk

about what happened with our family.

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Really in during the year and

folks got such a kick out of it

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that people started like asking if

they could send to their friends.

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And previously I almost had

people subscribing in my Christmas

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letter because they wanted to

know how things really were going.

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And so, , and I, after my divorce,

I kind of stopped for a few years

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'cause it was a little bit of a sadder

time, but then I picked it up again.

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, just talking about work, travel.

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Weddings Lake house.

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It was, it just goes on and on.

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And, , I now, of course it's on a computer

where I, where I have all of it and, and

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literally it's 52 pages, single spaced.

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I couldn't get all of it into the

book, but it, it, it was a, it's a

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container for a lot of moments in

episodes that really were tickled me.

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So I've read one of those Christmas

letters or two, maybe, maybe a

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couple actually at this point.

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But, , they're, they're hilarious.

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But, but also, I mean, 'cause it's so

much of your personality, but I've seen

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how you've taken so much of that, mm-hmm.

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This, that you, you did with

all those letters into the book.

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And you've been thinking though about

writing this book for how long now?

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I was probably seriously thinking about

it for about six or seven years because

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even in my sales job that I had for many

years, I, I love to do storytelling.

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And it got to the point where every time

I would visit, , one of my distributors

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before I could do a product presentation,

they'd always say, oh, Isabelle,

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before you start, tell us about when

the fireman came, when your oven was

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on fire from the lasagna or Isabelle.

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Tell us about how the boat

caught on fire in the middle

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of the lake or Isabelle, what.

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Tell us about when you ran outta gas.

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I mean, it would be all these

stories and they would be constantly

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retold and they'd go, okay, now

you can do your presentation.

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And every time something hilarious

happened within the family or

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friends, everybody would look at me

and go, okay, that goes in the book.

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You gotta put that in the book.

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That's so it, there was a constant,

like an undercurrent of one of

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these days this book is gonna come.

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The hard part was though,

what was it going to be about?

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It's not a how to book.

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And I didn't figure it was

gonna be an inspiration book.

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, what was it?

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Just about my family and

work and funny things.

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So it took me a while to kind

of feel what, how that was gonna

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all come together in order to be

entertaining and, and and relevant.

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Well, I think you nailed it truly.

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And I know it did take a little while

to just get that exactly solidified.

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Yes.

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But I think you really truly nailed it.

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'cause it is, it is a perfect

blend of your stories.

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The funny stories, your obviously your.

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We're gonna be talking about some

of your stories here in a minute.

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, but also though, with some really

applicable, you know, it's not like

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somebody had to know you to know, to, to

learn something, something through some

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of your stories, you know what I mean?

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Well, and you know, it's, it's

funny you mention that, Michelle,

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because several of my friends, and

it kind of hurt my feelings at first.

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They said, well, you know, do you think

anybody's going to really get it or

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be interested if they don't know you?

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And I thought, oh.

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You know, I kind of

never thought about that.

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And the happy, you know, outcome of

that is that there's been so many

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people who don't have a clue about me

that have picked up the book and, and

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it's in book clubs everywhere now.

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And I mean, people I've never met.

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They still got a kick out of it.

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So I'm glad I had more universal appeal

than some of my friends first thought.

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You're gonna have to have a little

higher expectations next time, Isabelle.

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Right?

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Change the title.

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There are so many good

stories, so many good chapters.

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I'm curious though, what's

your favorite chapter?

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I think, . Well, it, it is really hard

'cause they all, they all standalone,

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they're all kinda like little pearls

that are strung together on a necklace.

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But I'll kind of switch the question

around and say that I think the chapter

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titles are the things that made me roar

when I finally got, I, I actually did the

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titles before I wrote any of the copy.

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And there's things like the labor

comes after the delivery, , which

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is true to anybody who's had kids.

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, there's been a mistake.

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I got the wrong families.

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Which is something my son said when

we put him in timeout when he was six.

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, playing with Matches, my chapter on

online dating in your fifties, , six

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Saturdays and a Sunday retirement.

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So just, I just got such a kick

out of putting those together and

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then, then writing from there.

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So I, I, I think the chapter titles

themselves are my favorite for sure.

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For sure.

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And we have to talk about the wishbone.

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Yes.

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Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

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Playing the wishbone, because

you're also wearing a wishbone.

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I'm wearing my Wishbone.

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Yes.

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It was a gift from a friend

after I got published.

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, yes, very important because 10, it's,

it's also the subtitle of my book,

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, 10 years ago, one of my very good

friends, she happens to be featured

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in the book, , her name is Karen.

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She sent me, she's known for kind

of oddball gifts, and so I get this

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giant gold wishbone in the mail.

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I thought, oh, now where's this gonna go?

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So I put it on the coffee

table, , in case she came over.

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Uhhuh, of course, we all have

those and, but, but what she

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wrote in my, my card was so, , so

important and, and never forgot it.

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And she said, Isabelle, every

woman needs to have a wishbone,

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a funny bone, and a backbone.

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And, and what she was talking

about is we all need our dreams.

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We all need a sense of humor

and we all need courage.

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And that's, it's always resonated with me.

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Every woman can identify with that and I.

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Truly, I made it the subtitle

of my book because there's a

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lot of all of it in the book.

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Yeah, it is all it.

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A hundred percent.

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And I, I just, the visual, it's such

a good visual and I love that you

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have the necklace because, , it is

that reminder, but, but not just

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the funny bone, the wishbone, but

also that backbone piece of it.

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And you talk a lot about that

because you don't talk about just.

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Great things and perfect moments In

the book, like we talked about, you did

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also write about some painful moments.

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What was that like and how, how was, , you

know, was it hard, I guess, sharing some

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of your, your more personal and difficult

moments that you've been through?

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, yes, because everything

isn't a laugh for sure.

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And , at first I wasn't sure I was going

to even share as much as I did, but, but

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then the book wouldn't have authenticity.

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So, , I did have a couple, , battles

with cancer and, , I did get a divorce.

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I did have my heart broken after

the divorce, , with the guy.

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And so there, it was hard, mainly

because I have, I have a difficult time

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living in the moment, and by writing

about this, I had, I had repressed

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a lot of the feelings that I had

about all of those, those happenings.

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I kind of, I didn't, I went through

it, but I wasn't really in it.

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So, , I think in writing the book, I

didn't ever expect that it would be

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cathartic as well, but it really was

'cause it kind of brought up all the

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old feelings that I kind of didn't

wanna face at the moment 'cause I was

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so distracted with the other chaos.

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So it's, it's good sometimes to sit

with it and realize, , you know, how

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you've grown from it and how the folks

around you supported you in every way.

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So it, yeah, so there's a

little blend of that as well.

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Yeah, for sure.

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I always tell people that, you know,

writing a book no matter what the subject

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is, because we've all been through stuff.

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Mm-hmm.

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It, it's a little bit like pulling

off a bandaid sometimes, though.

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I mean, it's, that's a

good, that's a good analogy.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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'cause it's not, but, but then

once you do, you're kind of like,

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oh, okay, now I feel better.

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You know?

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It, it, it is, it, it's a release.

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It's a, it's a way of releasing.

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And, , and also I think,

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. As I was writing it and kind of getting

almost toward the end, because as you

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know, I, I wrote it in four months.

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It took 40 years, but

wrote it in four months.

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, and around the third month I was

having a lot of thoughts about

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maybe I'm not gonna publish.

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I will publish it, you know, with, with

Michelle and performance publishing, but

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maybe I just give it to close friends

because some of the stuff in there was

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vulnerable and I thought, well, and

does anybody really care about my story?

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And.

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Maybe once it gets out there,

people would look at me differently.

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, maybe I don't need all that out there.

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And then I talked to a very good friend

of mine, he happens to be a former

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boss of mine in Boston, , a gentleman.

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And he said, Isabelle, there you go again.

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You're trying to control the

outcome, which is my specialty.

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But she, he said, let that book go

and for once in your life, just stay

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curious about how it'll be received.

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And he said, you're going to.

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You're gonna steal so much joy from

people if you don't just let it go.

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, and he kind of, I waited a

little bit and then I thought,

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no, I, I think I'm going to.

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So it's a risk to be an author.

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It really is a risk, especially

when you're telling your own story.

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Mm-hmm.

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Because you never know how

that's gonna be received.

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And in fact, a lot of people came

back to me and went, I had no idea.

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Like, they thought they

knew me and they're like, I.

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We didn't know that about you

and how you seem so vulnerable in

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that and, and maybe that's good.

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Maybe that's good that now it's out.

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I, I think it is good.

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I mean, it, I, I, I know

how you feel though.

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I mean, I've written books

too where you share things.

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In fact, funny enough, just this last

week I was with some, an aunt who, who

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doesn't live, , lives farther away and

we don't see each other that often.

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And she was just reading a book, one

of my books that I wrote a couple years

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ago, and she was like, I had no idea.

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I.

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And I think that's kind of the whole

point of writing a book and being

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authentic is we going back to your

Christmas letters, we assume everyone

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else has it all together, or nobody

else is dealing with this, or I don't

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wanna burden someone with my problems.

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Mm-hmm.

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But the truth is that's how we, that

is how we help people, you know?

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I mean, even going back to your review

from that anonymous woman mm-hmm.

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That like, mm-hmm.

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Made her, you know, it tickled

her funny bone, but it also

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brought some other things up.

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And had you not shared your

story, you know mm-hmm.

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Driving people from that.

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So what's great advice

and it's, it's relatable.

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People say it was very relatable and

that they kinda saw themselves in

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some of the stories, which is great.

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And, , I think overall just having,

, being able to look in the rear view

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mirror of your life after six decades, I.

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You see all the interconnectedness

that you never knew what

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was happening at the time.

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It, it kind of, you know, chokes

you up a little bit because

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you never know how important a

relationship or situation might be

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until it's in the rear view mirror.

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Because we can't see the future

and sometimes we're not even

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starring in our own lives.

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Sometimes what's going on with us

really is helping somebody else.

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And, and although I never intended it

for to, to be an inspirational book.

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It's very interesting, Michelle,

that a lot of the reviews that I've

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read use the word healing, which is

very, I'm very complimented by that.

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, healing and inspirational.

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'cause it does put all the

puzzle pieces together.

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Yeah.

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When you look in the rear view

mirror about why something happened

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the way it did, and it might've

been nothing to do with you.

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Wow.

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Yeah.

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And I love you said that, , even

before you wrote the book, you've

361

mentioned the rear view mirror.

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And I love that analogy though.

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Yeah.

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You know?

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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It's a big part of your story.

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So if it's okay, I have to share one of my

favorite, . Moments with you through this

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whole book journey was your book signing?

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, you've done, oh, we're gonna talk about

all the book signings you've done,

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but the one that I was able to attend

in the Dallas area and in Dallas.

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All yes.

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Oh my gosh.

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First of all, just to see

your family, your friends, and

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everybody there to support you.

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But second of all, because I know

the story of almost everybody

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in that room because a lot of

them are in the book, , yes.

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You know, under different names.

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But, . So special.

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But it made me really curious though,

what did all your friends and family,

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especially the ones who made their way

into the book, think about Oh yeah.

382

About them and, and, and

well, , you had to change some

383

of the names of the innocent.

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I did have to change some of

the names of the innocent Anna.

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One of the, one of the funny stories,

offshoots of it was that I, I, my

386

ex-husband did not wanna be in the book.

387

, he knew he had to be in the book,

but didn't want his name in the book.

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And I said, look, the people who know us.

389

Know who you are in the book.

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The ones who don't know us doesn't

matter anyway, but he didn't buy it, so

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I said, okay, I'm gonna name him Jeff.

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The problem was that when I

gave my boys the book, I gave

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them them a raw manuscript.

394

You know, I gave everybody

a raw manuscript who was

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prominently featured in the book.

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And, , I went to Greg, my younger son,

and, , we talked about it and I said,

397

oh, and by the way, I named Daddy Jeff.

398

And of course that, that

got to be kind of a joke.

399

And then, , I called my older son

and he said, oh mom, I can't make it

400

over, but can you run by my office

and I'll just come down and grab it?

401

And I said, absolutely.

402

So I ran by David's office and he runs out

and I roll down the window and I hand him

403

the book and he goes, okay, thanks mom.

404

I'll, you know, I'll call you

tonight Anyway, I forgot to

405

tell him I changed the name.

406

So he starts, he starts reading

this book, Michelle, and he's

407

on the third or fourth page.

408

And he goes, who the hell is Jeff?

409

And how could she make me find out,

make us find out through a book

410

that she, she had another, what?

411

Marriage before my father.

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Oh my God.

413

And then it took, it took him

two more pages to go, oh, it's

414

my father with a new name.

415

So, yeah, that was pretty darn funny.

416

, the kids remembered a lot of the

things that, you know, their,

417

their feedback was awesome.

418

They thought, you know, and plus they

liked it because now they got a keepsake.

419

All the funny things they did and

said and how it all came together.

420

, a lot of my girlfriends, they,

they were yelling at me, why

421

didn't you put this thing in?

422

Why didn't you put that time in?

423

But you have to, you have to cut it off.

424

I said, first of all, there

might be a sequel, so sit down.

425

But, , but a lot of 'em wanted me to

add different things and then it's,

426

in terms of the work memories I had,

they couldn't put all of them in there

427

because it might hurt some people.

428

Do you know what I mean?

429

Like, if you kind of poke fun.

430

I did not want this book to

be a tell all embarrassing.

431

Thing for people.

432

It had to be light, lighthearted, and I

wanted to pick and choose and kind of,

433

, pull it together in, in the right context

where there'd be enough funny things,

434

but not a tell all book about everybody.

435

But, and my sister, she's

got the longest chapter.

436

She doesn't think it's long enough.

437

That was her, , two sets,

but, but they all said.

438

You know, that was it.

439

You nailed it.

440

You know, there's no e

exaggerations in there.

441

It is who we are and what we are,

and they all got a kick out of it.

442

I was really happy about that.

443

Oh, I'm so glad.

444

Yeah.

445

Those, mm-hmm.

446

Those stories are hilarious.

447

And I just, and it was so nice just

putting their stories with a face

448

and meeting people with the face.

449

Yeah.

450

It was, that was one of my, I think

that party was one of my highlight reels

451

of my life, because all my different

groups of friends and family and

452

acquaintances were all there and under.

453

A lot of 'em didn't even know each

other, but to have everybody you love

454

in one room, it's kind of touching.

455

It really was wonderful that

they all showed up for me.

456

And you were surprised.

457

I do recall, I don't, I don't

know if anybody's gonna show up.

458

Hmm?

459

I said, Michelle, I think

only 10 people are coming.

460

I was like 60.

461

Not surprised.

462

Oh my God.

463

Anybody else who knows

you, but I know you.

464

Aw, I was so grateful that day.

465

It was so much joy.

466

Yeah.

467

Well.

468

Zig Ziglar used to always say it.

469

And, and I, I, I really try to

communicate this as well with people

470

thinking about writing a book.

471

It's not about the book, first of all.

472

Mm-hmm.

473

But it's kind of the process.

474

It's, it's who you become as a

result of writing a book because

475

it is such a personal journey.

476

Mm-hmm.

477

How has writing book changed you?

478

Well, in a, I think in

a lot of different ways.

479

, it's,

480

it's made me realize.

481

That humor really is

a love language to me.

482

I often sign my books that way.

483

Humor is the sixth love language.

484

And I think that it was basically what

what I started it was gonna be, and what

485

it ended to be were two different things.

486

Because at the end of it, I just

wanted to tell some funny stories.

487

Mm-hmm.

488

But at the end, I realized that it

was a giant love letter to life.

489

That's kind of all I can tell you.

490

Hmm.

491

I'm writing that down.

492

What you just said, humor.

493

Yeah.

494

Love language.

495

Yes.

496

It is a sixth love language.

497

And I did dedicate the book also to, , to

all of us who were born with a sense

498

of humor and somehow manage to keep it.

499

Because if you don't have

one, life is very hard.

500

You have to find the fun in or the funny

in a lot of situations that otherwise

501

are not, they're untenable, but yeah.

502

And sense of humor isn't based on

what you've been through either.

503

It's a choice because you've

been through things just like

504

many others, and yet you right.

505

Have a funny bone.

506

So you're, yeah.

507

You gotta hit protect it backbone.

508

Mm-hmm.

509

Yes, yes.

510

No, it was, it's been a, a great

experience and I, I can't believe a

511

year ago, you know, I was still in the

thick of it, writing it, and, , no, I'm

512

really, and I, and I'm, you know, proud

I, there's a sense of pride in having.

513

Your story out there.

514

And , it's something that it'll always

cherish because now everything's kind

515

of in one place and people can read

it and they see themselves in there.

516

It's just, it's fun.

517

It really has been fun.

518

It's such a good book and

people are growing crazy over

519

it because not only, yes.

520

So you had your Dallas book signing, talk

about all the sprint events and things.

521

I know you have a Chicago

book signing or had Oh yeah.

522

Like Houston, Minneapolis, Boston.

523

Tell us everything.

524

Okay, so I had the Dallas one.

525

The Dallas one was my gift to the

book launch team and all my friends.

526

And after that, , my girlfriend Karen,

she's a, a socialite in Chicago actually.

527

And so she had a beautiful

reception for me at the Women's

528

Athletic Club on Michigan Avenue.

529

And there was folks there and there

was a lady there who was the editor

530

in chief of classic Chicago Magazine.

531

She loved the presentation so much

'cause we did a presentation instead

532

of just a party, like a q and a.

533

And , so she interviewed me and I was

just in classic Chicago magazine as a

534

feature on Easter, which is terrific.

535

And then, , through a friend I

Southlake is a little, , suburb

536

that's right by DFW airport.

537

And my son works at a

very, , upscale brokerage there.

538

As a residential realtor.

539

So, , his boss called, , the clear

blue sky and said, you know what?

540

A couple, these women have read that

book and I wanna have a party for you.

541

Why don't we have a q and a?

542

So he opened his office and we had

a beautiful party and a q and a.

543

, my son was the moderator.

544

It was a little bit frightening,

but we had a good time.

545

I saw some people I

haven't seen in many years.

546

, and by virtue of that, , they're going to

do a future article for me in Southlake

547

style, which is their magazine that comes

out once a month, which is so wonderful.

548

'cause that's where actually

I raised the children.

549

, we raised the children, so

that's coming out in June.

550

And then, , Houston is in two weeks.

551

, then, , August is gonna

be Minneapolis and Boston.

552

All these are like friends or friends

of friends who've read the book.

553

And want to kind of spread

the gospel, so to speak.

554

And I just think it's

gonna be so much fun.

555

Oh my God.

556

Yeah.

557

So it's been, it's been wonderful.

558

I truly think this is just the beginning.

559

Like I, I just, oh, you truly, you are.

560

No, you really are.

561

You're remarkable.

562

Everyone who's met you feels the exact,

but I do think this book is speaking

563

to so many, it's just speaking to

all the things that women go through.

564

Right.

565

And yeah.

566

But doing it in a funny

way that makes, mm-hmm.

567

We're just kind of laughing at the

not so great stuff all the time.

568

Right, right.

569

But yeah, but doing it together,

which is, which is mm-hmm.

570

So you're Well, and it's,

it's, , I think it makes people

571

pay attention a little bit more.

572

Yeah.

573

I, many people came up to me after

the book signings and said, wow, the

574

fact that you captured the stuff that

your kids said and that you were able

575

to write down, you know, funny things

that happened because you forget.

576

You just forget.

577

So you pay at now?

578

I think some people are paying more

attention to situations and, and

579

funny things that are happening

and, and all these happenstance

580

meetings you happen to, to have.

581

And, , nothing's random, you

know, when you think about it.

582

And all of our lives are, you know,

painted in different ways, but.

583

You know, pay attention.

584

'cause my scrapbook is not finished yet.

585

Right.

586

It's, it's alive and well and, , getting

fatter and fatter and so, , yeah.

587

So I think it makes people kind of

notice more that happenstance meetings

588

and, you know, signs that you, you

find that are urging you one way or

589

another, , can be a lot of adventures.

590

So, yeah.

591

One last question and yeah.

592

Aside from, you have all of these,

the book signings coming up and

593

all of these events, but, but what

is your next, what, what is the

594

next, , what's the next for Isabel?

595

Hmm.

596

Oh my gosh.

597

It's,

598

. I'd have to give a lot of thought.

599

I would like to do another book.

600

, one of my, you know, one of my

chapters is Rations and Rants,

601

which is his, my son's name for

the restaurant he wants to buy me.

602

I love to cook.

603

And he named it Rations and Rants because

I'm, I always, I'm giving everybody my

604

opinion whether they want it or not, while

I'm in the kitchen or serving dinner and,

605

. I thought to myself, maybe I should

do a cookbook with all my rants in it.

606

Now here's my favorite recipes

and here's the rant that goes

607

along with each one of those.

608

I don't know that I'm just kind

of playing with that one right now

609

and seeing if that would even have

any, , could get any traction.

610

But, , but yeah, I might do an offshoot

of one of the chapters and make it

611

a whole book, is what I'm thinking.

612

So I love the idea of a cookbook.

613

I think you should do that no matter

what because you, you know, okay.

614

I love to cook know about you.

615

I, I have not, , had, I've never had

one of your meals, but I hear about

616

your, the meals you've made for the

kids, even when they were like younger

617

at the lake house and stuff like that.

618

So I know you're a good cook,

and I say get those down.

619

And, , okay.

620

The rants are what people

are gonna really wanna read.

621

So I I, oh, there's plenty in this book.

622

Yeah.

623

But I never run out of 'em.

624

That's the beauty.

625

That's the beauty, right.

626

, right.

627

, and I'm just gonna put a bug in your ear

and I'm not sure that this is gonna come

628

of anything, but I just, like I said, I

wrote it down and I absolutely love it.

629

That humor is the sixth love language.

630

And there is just something to that

and there's something to reminding.

631

Just reminding people of that.

632

So maybe, maybe there's something

else to expand upon in that, because

633

I think that's a really great concept.

634

Well, there's something here.

635

Just real quick.

636

I just, I just thought

this while you're talking.

637

Yes.

638

, this is the last page of the book

actually, and I say, so what, what is,

639

what is, is the secret to happiness?

640

Low expectations?

641

I'm not sure, but what

I know is what's real.

642

It's always worth it.

643

Regardless of what we are expecting.

644

And then I say often in our lives, we

don't realize the significance of a

645

relationship or situation until much

later when the experience has passed.

646

So I pay attention and I say in the

meantime, I've learned that there is

647

more carbonation in life if you embrace

your funny bone, wishbone and backbone

648

humor is both a love language and armor.

649

Dreams are fuel, and we are

stronger and braver than we think.

650

That is so beautiful and this

is that everyone listening needs

651

to get again, it's the secret.

652

, hold up that cover again.

653

I wanna, I want everyone to see

that cover 'cause it's gorgeous.

654

I love this color cover.

655

Love the colors.

656

It's so cute.

657

It's so you.

658

The secret of happiness of two Happiness

is low expectations by Isabelle Bolt.

659

And where can they get in touch with you?

660

Get a copy of the book.

661

What's the best way to,

to reach out to you?

662

It's on both Amazon and on

Barnes and Noble websites.

663

And, , I will say that if you

want to get on my Instagram, I

664

have a special Instagram that's

called at Isabelle Funnybone.

665

So that's easy to to remember.

666

And each of the reels or the, the

posts that we've done on there, , it

667

talks about a chapter in the book.

668

And behind the chapter title is seemingly.

669

Pictures that seemingly don't go together,

but when you read the book, you'll see

670

the breadcrumbs because every one of those

chapters has those images in it somehow.

671

So it's kind of a little bit of a word

search kind of thing, but, , people

672

have really liked it, so it's hilarious.

673

You have to, everybody listening, go

to Instagram, , at Isabelle Funnybone,

674

right, at Isabelle Funnybone, right?

675

Correct.

676

Awesome.

677

Well, you, and thanks in advance

for everybody who's bought the

678

book and come to the signings and,

679

. Thanks in, in advance for

everybody who does go pick one up.

680

Absolutely.

681

Well, thank you so much

for being on the show.

682

This is so much fun.

683

Thanks, Michelle.

684

I really, truly just know that this is

the beginning of something beyond what you

685

can imagine and, and, well, you were my

launching pad, so I'll never forget that.

686

And, , I really treasure our

friendship as well, so thank you.

687

I do too.

688

All right.

689

Well, everyone, that is it for

the Power of Authority Spotlight.

690

Definitely go out, get the book, go

to Amazon right now and grab a copy.

691

, the secret to Happiness

is low Expectations.

692

Expectations Bolt, BOLT,

and , like lightning.

693

Like I love that.

694

I dunno, I heard you say that,

but that, that is so true.

695

You are so much like lightning.

696

, and just encourage everyone

listening that, you know, I,

697

there's so many great stories and

so many good, , lessons learned.

698

Yes, it is funny.

699

But just that whole, the

concept of the whole.

700

You know, looking in the rear

view mirror and all the things

701

that are ahead of us, right?

702

There's so many good things regardless

of, of what's happened in the past.

703

And, , but this book is just such

a great reminder of, of how to use

704

that wishbone, the funny bone and

the backbone in all that you do.

705

So thanks for listening.

706

We'll see you next.

707

Thank you, Michelle.

708

Thanks.

709

Bye-bye.

710

Bye-bye.

711

Thanks so much for listening to

the Power of Authority Spotlight.

712

If you are a successful founder,

entrepreneur, business owner, or

713

leader that's getting results and

making a difference, and you'd like

714

to be on this program, please visit

performance publishing group.com/podcast

715

to apply.

716

That's Performance

publishing group.com/podcast.

717

Also, if you got some.

718

Out of this interview,

please share this episode.

719

Just do a quick screenshot with

your phone and text it to a

720

friend or post it on the socials.

721

If you know someone that would be a great

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722

them know about the show and include the

hashtag, the Power of Authority Spotlight.

723

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and guest suggestion.

724

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725

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by subscribing your thumbs up.

726

Ratings and reviews go a long way to help.

727

Promote the show and mean

a lot to me and my team.

728

Wanna know more?

729

Go to our websites performance

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730

or michelle prince.com

731

and follow me on LinkedIn,

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732

Thanks so much for listening,

and we'll see you next time.