My guest this episode is my best friend of over 50 years, Lisa Paulsen. Our friendship has ebbed and flowed over all of that time, but we have always known we will be there through thick and thin. We are more sisters than friends and have had so many big life experiences and we have gotten through them together. Lisa has had big struggles in her life including a progressive neuromuscular disease and living life in a wheelchair and losing her husband Leif 18 years ago leaving her to raise 3 young children alone.
We are huge Whitney Houston fans and attended a concert together 30 years ago. We knew we had to go to the new Whitney movie "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" together. We have a lot to say about the movie that we chat about here. We talk about the expectations put on Whitney that she never could live up to, we talk about how drugs and alcohol were her coping mechanisms because of never feeling like she could truly be herself. We share our favorite songs of hers (although its like choosing a favorite child, its impossible to choose one favorite!). Maybe you don't dissect movies like we do, but there is so much to learn and understand from this movie that totally applies to our own parenting. Whitney's life was tragic and so difficult to understand. Lisa and I both have grown in compassion for her as we have learned more of her story.
I do want to say that we are two white women with privilege who are chatting about Whitney Houston's experience. We are not claiming to understand her experience as a woman of color nor do we try to explain anything away. Much of Whitney's experiences are due to white men controlling and manipulating her into what they wanted her to be. She was a once in a lifetime talent and her voice and exuberance for life are what make us huge fans of hers.