Marilu Henner: Living Best Life and Remembering It All

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/2ent7g/Marilufinal_-_3_23_21_1146_AM8icw1.mp3

EPISODE SUMMARY:

Through movies, books, memories, and more, Marilu Henner has used her acting abilities and incredible knack for storytelling to not only help but inspire people worldwide. In today’s episode, we sat down with Marilu to discuss her career, family, and how her experiences have shaped who she is today. First, we asked Marilu what she’s been up to during the pandemic. She told us that she’s currently filming the fourth film in her Aurora Teagarden Hallmark mystery series and has two films set to be released this year. When talking about the experience of filming on set during the pandemic, Marilu said that safety precautions are taken seriously and everyone, cast and crew, is required to wear a mask or a face shield. Routine COVID-19 tests are given and only a certain number of people can convene in one area at a time in order to maintain social distancing. When asked if she enjoys working on seasonal movies for Hallmark, she said that she loves how, no matter a person’s age or gender, they still enjoy watching the films.

We then asked Marilu about her journey to becoming an actor, and she told us that from a young age she always knew she wanted to act. Two years after a performance in Chicago, she received a call saying there was a new musical called Grease that she should be a part of. After the musical was officially released and received well by audiences, Marilu continued to pursue acting and has continued to do so ever since. Marilu Henner is one of few people in the world with a memory condition known as “Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory”. The condition allows her to recall memories from her past and be able to remember every single detail. When asked about her experience being diagnosed with and living with it, Marilu talked about how when she first received brain scans to get testing, results showed that areas of her brain are ten times the size of the average person’s. She was on the show 60 Minutes talking about her condition and told us that she can’t imagine not having her memory the way it is. Ever since she was five years old, she recognized that her memory worked differently than other people’s, and she became the person her family would go to when they wanted information to be remembered. We then asked about the concept of exploring the primary track, and Marilu said that every person has a primary track for memory and a dominating sense for memory. If a person is able to connect their primary track and dominating sense, they can more easily retrieve and recall memories. When asked if either of her sons have inherited her memory skills, she said that one of her sons, Joey, has an unbelievable memory and was able to recall all the plays for his team when playing football. We asked Marilu about her experience auditioning for Taxi, and she spoke to us about how the process was long and unique. Still working on Broadway, she received a call from a casting director while in Rio De Jannero with her then boyfriend John Travolta that there was a show that they wanted her to audition for. The part was meant for someone older, but Marilu kept being called back to audition. After rewriting the part to accommodate for her age, the director offered Marilu the part. Set life is crazy, and Marilu told us that her crazy upbringing helped prepare her not only for sets but for show business altogether, a fact that she’s very grateful for.

We then talked to her about her experience becoming knowledgeable on health and wellness, and Marilu told us that the defining moment for her was when her mother passed away. She was determined to learn as much about the human body as she could for herself and her siblings to keep them all healthy. After going to medical libraries and nutritionists, she changed her lifestyle and eating habits completely and says that those changes made all the difference. When speaking about her husband’s experience with cancer, she shared with us the journey of him being diagnosed with both bladder cancer and lung cancer, and how changing his lifestyle habits helped him throughout his road to recovery. Years after he recovered, they cowrote a book about his journey called Changing Normal: How I Helped My Husband Beat Cancer. We then asked Marilu about her experience transitioning into menopause, and she explained to us that, unlike other midlife women, her experience with menopause was unique. She did not experience hot flashes, or night sweats, or any of the expected symptoms that come with menopause. For her, the only symptom was losing her period, and she attributes her experience to her dietary habits, since her healthy diet not only helped with menopause but with PMS as well as other health issues. For advice for midlife women, Marilu said that exercise and moving are vital to keeping us healthy. She also emphasized the importance of learning to love your relationship with food, letting things go, and not looking down on yourself. Finally, we asked Marilu about teaching and writing during the pandemic, and she told us that she’s done a few zoom engagements and is currently working on her next book.

Marilu Henner

With the energy of a teenager, the wisdom of a sage, and the memory of a superhero, Marilu Henner has deservedly earned the nickname “Perpetual Motion.” Along with starring in over thirty films, six Broadway shows, and two hit classic sitcoms, “Taxi” and “Evening Shade,” this five-time Golden Globe^® nominee is also a New York Times best-selling author of ten books on health, parenting, memory, and lifestyle improvement. Her books, including bestseller Changing Normal: How I Helped My Husband Beat Cancer, as well as Total Health Makeover, The 30-Day Total Health Makeover, Total Memory Makeover, I Refuse to Raise a Brat, Healthy Life Kitchen, Healthy Kids, Healthy Holidays, Wear Your Life Well, and By All Means Keep On Moving, have changed the lives of millions in her quest to make the world a healthier place.

Along with hosting her own nationally syndicated radio show, “The Marilu Henner Show,” Henner has previously hosted and executive produced two talk shows (“Marilu” and “Shape Up Your Life”), and has guest-starred on most major talk shows, earning her the title “Talk Show Guest of the Year” several years in a row. As a two-time competitor on Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice (2008) and Celebrity Apprentice All-Stars (2013), she made it to the Final Five and played for her favorite charities: The Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and the Alzheimer’s Association. In fact, at PCRM’s 25^th Anniversary Gala, she was awarded their Voice of Compassion Award.

As one of only 12 people documented with Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory, Marilu was the subject of a three-part special on “60 Minutes” and on “60 Minutes Australia,” as well as news programs and newspaper articles around the globe. She also served as the consultant on the CBS series “Unforgettable,” which premiered in the fall of 2011. Her ninth book, Total Memory Makeover: Uncover Your Past, Take Charge of Your Future! was released in 2012, and became an instant New York Times and Publishers Weekly Best Seller. The release of her book was followed by a national multi-media book tour, which included appearances on Nightline, Good Morning America, The View, Anderson, Piers Morgan and The Talk, to name a few. Her tenth book, Changing Normal: How I Cured My Husband’s Cancer, was released in 2016, and became the number one book on Amazon its first day.

With an acting career that continues to thrive, Henner most recently starred in feature films Life with Dog, In-Lawfully Yours, Vamps, and film festival darling Imperfections. She co-stars with Candace Cameron Bure in the ongoing Hallmark Movies & Mysteries “Aurora Teagarden Mysteries” series, based on the books by Charlaine Harris. Some of her other Hallmark films include Love on a Limb, Hitched for the Holidays, June In January, and High School Holiday Reunion. Henner also starred in the finale of Two and a Half Men (playing Ashton Kutcher’s love interest!), in a recurring role on the Golden Globe^® winning sitcom with Andy Samberg, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and as Robin Williams’ ex-wife and Sarah Michelle Gellar’s mother on the season finale of The Crazy Ones. Broadway audiences have seen her in Chicago starring as Roxie Hart, The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife” and most recently Gettin’ The Band Back Toegether. Additionally, she co-starred (as Masha) with Christopher Durang (as Vanya) in his Tony Award winning play Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike and The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife at the Bucks County Playhouse. Henner also tours around the country in her one-woman cabaret show , A Memorable Evening with Marilu Henner! which debuted at New York’s famed 54 Below to rave reviews.

Henner was a pioneer on the Internet, starting her own website, Marilu.com in 1999. In 2000, she began teaching online classes for her growing membership, as well as offering online counseling and support along with her 20 coaches who teach her Total Health Makeover (THM) lifestyle.

She has spoken before Congress on seven occasions about various subjects ranging from dietary supplements, to women’s cardiovascular disease, to The Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act of 2010, to the Veggie Caucus, to deadbeat parents. She was also one of only two private citizens selected to contribute to the shaping of our government’s food pyramid. In January of 2014, she again faced Congress to present her recommendations for the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Henner frequently lectures throughout the country as a keynote speaker and motivator for professional organizations, universities, government agencies, interest groups, and corporations on topics including memory, diet and fitness, women’s health issues, cardiovascular disease, cancer survival, and child rearing, as well as lifestyle, entertainment, and business organization strategies.

In 2016, she competed on the 23^rd season of Dancing with the Stars on ABC reaching the quarterfinals with partner Derek Hough.

Marilu Henner has two movies upcoming movies. She continues her appearances in the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries on Hallmark with How To Con A Con premiering March 14^th on Hallmark Channel (and a another new one premiering in May) along with the movie Pearls in the Wind, one of the VC Andrews series premiering on Lifetime on March 21. She will call you from Vancouver as she is quarantining with her friend and co-star Candance Cameron Bure and preparing to shoot yet another film.

Marilu Henner is married to Michael Brown, CEO of Browntrout Publishers, and is the busy mother of two sons, Nick and Joey. Because she practices what she preaches, Marilu has truly become the quintessential portrait of what health and fitness can do for one’s life, and she loves to give back to her community in so many ways!