Today Liz Dolan interviews Phil Pizzo, the founder of Stanford's Distinguished Careers Institute, a deep thinker on transitions and lifelong learning. His career has taken him from pioneering pediatric oncologist to Dean of Stanford Medical School to rabbinical studies and chaplaincy training. He is a man who thinks a LOT about doing things differently. 

Welcome to our sponsors:

 Stanford Federal Credit Union. To use their $620 New Member offer, go to sfcu.org/lizness

Welleco. To try The Super Elixir, go to welleco.com and use promo code sisters15 at checkout

HOMEWORK:

More on Phil Pizzo, his work and his contributions:

The Doctor’s Art podcast: An episode called Courage and Curiosity Discussion of what drew him to medicine in the first place with more about his work caring for seriously ill children and his pioneering work at the National Cancer Institute.

Stanford Daily: Phil Pizzo moves from Stanford Medical School to rabbinical studies https://stanforddaily.com/2022/04/10/from-stanford-to-the-rabbinate-phil-pizzo-moving-on/

The Atlantic The New Old Age by David Brooks. What a new life stage can teach us about how to find meaning and purpose.  

Corrected book title from last episode:  

Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering The Lost City One Step At A Time from 2021. 

A fascinating and funny account of a journalist's travels through some of the world’s most majestic, historic, and remote landscapes.

If you are new to Lizness School, we suggest you listen to Season 1 to hear all about Liz's year as a Stanford Fellow. Everything from Neuroscience and Chinese History to Pickleball! Plus a great community experience with her fellow DCI Fellows.

Season 2 is about how she puts her lessons to work in the wild with the help of her millennial mentor Leah Sutherland.

To listen to Liz +. Leah's recap of Lizness School Season 1, go to our FINALE here.

For more on Liz Dolan, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠

For more on Liz's work in podcasting, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠Satellite Sisters⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Lizness School on all podcasting platforms including ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify.⁠⁠⁠⁠

On Instagram, follow the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/liznessschool/⁠⁠⁠⁠ and follow Liz at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/satellitesisterliz/⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow Producer and Millennial Mentor Leah Sutherland @leahhsutherlandd on Instagram and Leah Sutherland on LinkedIn. 

To email Lizness School with your own voice memos/questions/thoughts/suggestions for Liz or Leah, use ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]

The Distinguished Careers Institute is a unique program for late career people. Fellows are graduate students at Stanford University, able to take classes in any area. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Complete information here.⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email the podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected] ⁠

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today's special Lizness School episode is inspired by a letter we received from listener Laura Tiberi asking us to consider how life choices can be different for "those who are faced with significant transitions as a result of medical illness or injury." Laura was "retired by leukemia", has experienced two stem cell transplants and "is 3 1/2 years old in transplant years."

We speak to Kira Dales, a fellow Fellow of Liz's at Stanford last year, who tells us of her life since a brain tumor and stroke. Her story includes physical, communication, cognitive and emotional recovery over the last 6 years.

Kira Dales on Stanford DCI site and LinkedIn.

Homework:

Kira recommends Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir Of A Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad.

Here is Suleika Jaouad's substack Creative Alchemy: The Isolation Journals.

Here is an interview on CBS Sunday Morning with Suleika Jaouad and her husband Jon Batiste. 

Welcome to our sponsors:

 Stanford Federal Credit Union. To use their $620 New Member offer, go to sfcu.org/lizness

Welleco. The Super Elixir from Welleco. Use promo code sisters15 at checkout.

If you are new to Lizness School, we suggest you listen to Season 1 to hear all about Liz's year as a Stanford Fellow. Everything from Neuroscience and Chinese History to Pickleball! Plus a great community experience with her fellow DCI Fellows.

Season 2 is about how she puts her lessons to work in the wild with the help of her millennial mentor Leah Sutherland.

To listen to Liz +. Leah's recap of Lizness School Season 1, go to our FINALE here.

For more on Liz Dolan, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠

For more on Liz's work in podcasting, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠Satellite Sisters⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Lizness School on all podcasting platforms including ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify.⁠⁠⁠⁠

On Instagram, follow the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/liznessschool/⁠⁠⁠⁠ and follow Liz at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/satellitesisterliz/⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow Producer and Millennial Mentor Leah Sutherland @leahhsutherlandd on Instagram and Leah Sutherland on LinkedIn. 

To email Lizness School with your own voice memos/questions/thoughts/suggestions for Liz or Leah, use ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]

The Distinguished Careers Institute is a unique program for late career people. Fellows are graduate students at Stanford University, able to take classes in any area. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Complete information here.⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email the podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected] ⁠

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Description

Today's Lizness School episode starts with a conversation with John Evans, a Lecturer in Nonfiction in the Creative Writing Department at Stanford University. John was Liz's memoir writing teacher during her year as a Fellow in Stanford's Distinguished Careers Institute. Their conversation is about why people get interested in memoir writing and why being in a memoir writing group can be so meaningful. John leads groups and workshops through Memoir Mentors His two published memoirs are Young Widower: A Memoir (University of Nebraska Press, 2014), and Should I Still Wish: A Memoir. (University of Nebraska Press, 2017)

In the second half of the episode, Liz and Leah discuss what they learned about themselves by using The Values Bridge, an assessment tool created by Suzy Welch of the NYU Stern School of Business.

Welcome to our sponsor:

 Stanford Federal Credit Union. To use their $620 New Member offer, go to sfcu.org/lizness

Welleco. Try The Super Elixir at welleco.com. Use promo code sisters15

Homework:

More about John's writing: John Evans Author Page

Recommended Memoirs:

Arthur Ashe, Days of Grace: A Memoir. Arthur Ashe's poignant memoir was co-written with Arnold Rampersad and published posthumously in 1993. 

Katherine Graham, Personal History. Pulitzer Prize 1998. The fascinating story of the woman who changed American history running The Washington Post.

Michelle Zauner, Crying In H Mart. A 2021 memoir by Zauner of the band Japanese Breakfast about her Korean-American family and identity.  

Other recommendations from John Evan’s syllabus:

Dani Shapiro, Inheritance

Annie Dillard, Living Like Weasels

Samuel Wilson Fussell, Muscle - Confessions of an Unlikely Bodybuiilder

The Values Bridge:

Suzy Welch Becoming You book and newsletter. 

Assessment Tool developed by Suzy Welch: The Values Bridge 

If you are new to Lizness School, we suggest you listen to Season 1 to hear all about Liz's year as a Stanford Fellow. Everything from Neuroscience and Chinese History to Pickleball! Plus a great community experience with her fellow DCI Fellows.

Season 2 is about how she puts her lessons to work in the wild with the help of her millennial mentor Leah Sutherland.

To listen to Liz +. Leah's recap of Lizness School Season 1, go to our FINALE here.

For more on Liz Dolan, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠

For more on Liz's work in podcasting, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠Satellite Sisters⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Lizness School on all podcasting platforms including ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify.⁠⁠⁠⁠

On Instagram, follow the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/liznessschool/⁠⁠⁠⁠ and follow Liz at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/satellitesisterliz/⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow Producer and Millennial Mentor Leah Sutherland @leahhsutherlandd on Instagram and Leah Sutherland on LinkedIn. 

To email Lizness School with your own voice memos/questions/thoughts/suggestions for Liz or Leah, use ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]

The Distinguished Careers Institute is a unique program for late career people. Fellows are graduate students at Stanford University, able to take classes in any area. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Complete information here.⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email the podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected] ⁠

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wellness. At Lizness School, wellness means health + fun. Liz and Leah both have wellness goals this year that include training for a big event. Today's special release of Lizness School episode S2E12 to Satellite Sisters is our first ever wellness episode. Specific training plans are put in place! First Leah, an ultra runner and certified trainer herself, gives Liz her plan from now until September to be ready for physical activity at altitude in Peru with her Stanford DCI classmates. Then Leah lays out her own goals for the LA Marathon in March, her first race since she moved to Nashville.

Welcome to our new sponsors:

Stanford Federal Credit Union. To use their $620 New Member offer, go to sfcu.org/lizness .

Wellco Super Elixir. Go to Wellco.com. Use promo code sisters15 at checkout

Homework:

Read a good book about Macchu Picchu. That's Turn Right at Macchu Picchu: Rediscovering The Lost City One Step At A Time by travel writer Mark Adams. What happens when an adventure travel expert-who's never actually done anything adventurous-tries to re-create the original expedition to Machu Picchu?

Suggest a good book about Peru and the Incas. Send liz any suggestions for some good reading before the Peru trip. Email us at [email protected]

Listen to Dr. Zeke Emanuel talk about his new wellness book where he stresses the importance of social connection and interaction along with all the other usual stuff. Here's a good extended interview about "Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life," on CBS Sunday https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsoVhSks35U.

Here's a link to the book.

If you are new to Lizness School, we suggest you listen to Season 1 to hear all about Liz's year as a Stanford Fellow. Everything from Neuroscience and Chinese History to Pickleball! Plus a great community experience with her fellow DCI Fellows.

Season 2 is about how she puts her lessons to work in the wild with the help of her millennial mentor Leah Sutherland.

To listen to Liz +. Leah's recap of Lizness School Season 1, go to our FINALE here.

For more on Liz Dolan, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠

For more on Liz's work in podcasting, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠Satellite Sisters⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Lizness School on all podcasting platforms including ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify.⁠⁠⁠⁠

On Instagram, follow the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/liznessschool/⁠⁠⁠⁠ and follow Liz at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/satellitesisterliz/⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow Producer and Millennial Mentor Leah Sutherland @leahhsutherlandd on Instagram and Leah Sutherland on LinkedIn. 

To email Lizness School with your own voice memos/questions/thoughts/suggestions for Liz or Leah, use ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]

The Distinguished Careers Institute is a unique program for late career people. Fellows are graduate students at Stanford University, able to take classes in any area. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Complete information here.⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email the podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected] ⁠

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

SPECIAL DROP FOR SATELLITE SISTERS WHO DREAM 0F WRITING ROMANCE!

It's never too late to totally switch it up. Just ask Sue Fleishman who went from being a Communications Guru at big entertainment companies like Universal, Amblin and Warner Brothers to rebranding herself Campbell Linden, Romance Novelist! On today's episode, she shares her story including a juicy Hollywood bad-behavior- behind-the-scenes tale and how she came up with her nom de plume. Millennial Mentor Leah is jealous and tests out her own potential pen name.

To follow Campbell Linden and her books: Buy the latest Settle For More on amazon.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCampbellLinden/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/campbelllindenauthor/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@campbelllinden

Website: https://campbelllinden.com/

Check out the trailer for Robert Evan's film The Kids Stays In The Picture

Article in Stanford Longevity Magazine RX Creativity for Health Life and Fun by Laura Holson featuring Sue Fleishman.

Novel Liz mentions by Lian Dolan about Gen X Couple: The Marriage Sabbatical

HOMEWORK

Where to go for your own creative inspiration.

Sue recommends: 

Find a class at Grub Street

Leah recommends:

Stephen King On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.

Anne Lamott. Bird By Bird.

Liz recommends: 

Mr. Scorcese 5 part doc by Rebecca Miller. A new series on Apple TV + about Martin Scorcese and his life's work.

Love, Gilda. Documentary about Gilda Radnor. Weaving together recently discovered audiotapes, interviews with her friends, rare home movies and diaries read by modern day comediennes (including Amy Poehler).

If you are new to Lizness School, we suggest you listen to Season 1 to hear all about Liz's year as a Stanford Fellow. Everything from Neuroscience and Chinese History to Pickleball! Plus a great community experience with her fellow DCI Fellows.

Season 2 is about how she puts her lessons to work in the wild.

To listen to Liz +. Leah's recap of Lizness School Season 1, go to our FINALE here.

For more on Liz Dolan, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠

For more on Liz's work in podcasting, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠Satellite Sisters⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Lizness School on all podcasting platforms including ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify.⁠⁠⁠⁠

On Instagram, follow the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/liznessschool/⁠⁠⁠⁠ and follow Liz at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/satellitesisterliz/⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow Producer and Millennial Mentor Leah Sutherland @leahhsutherlandd on Instagram and Leah Sutherland on LinkedIn. 

To email Lizness School with your own voicememos/questions/thoughts/suggestions for Liz or Leah, use ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]

The Distinguished Careers Institute is a unique program for late career people. Fellows are graduate students at Stanford University, able to take classes in any area. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Complete information here.⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email the podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected] ⁠

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What's up with some of the Satellite Sisters this summer? We'll let you know. Liz is in Santa Monica and working on a new season of Lizness School. Lian took July off but now she's ready to go to... Summer Camp. More details on that. Plus, Book and TV Recommendations and conversations.

Get Yer Links Here:

Satellite Sisters website and Pep Talk sign up

https://satellitesisters.com/

Lizness School podcast homepage

https://art19.com/shows/lizness-school

Lizness School on instagram @liznessschool

Camp!

Read about Ann Garvin's Bummer Camp here

Books, Books, Books – Summer is still happening so keep reading! Lian recommends 3 titles on the show

Everyone is Lying to You by Jo Piazza

The Witch's Orchard by Archer Sullivan

The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham

Summer Reads List

https://bookshop.org/lists/summer-2025-books-for-satellite-smisters

Books I enjoyed in July and August

https://bookshop.org/lists/books-i-enjoyed-in-july-2025

From Netflix

The Biggest Loser Doc

Lena Dunham’s Too Much

Fisk

From HBO

And Just Like That

Will you read the Gwyneth bio by Amy Odell? 

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Lizness School Season 2 Premiere: New Life Choices

This is a special new Lizness School for all Satellite Sisters listeners.

To continue to get this show, follow Lizness School on any podcast app.

It's all about choices now. Liz Dolan completed her year as a Fellow at Stanford's Distinguished Careers Institute and now she's back in the wild figuring out what's next. There are always lots of choices to make and she's got goals about work, community and wellness. Her millennial mentor Leah Sutherland is in the middle of her own transitions, so they've got lots to share. New this year is that Liz and Leah will be inviting guests to talk about their own big life decisions. They'll also be conducting Office Hours for listeners.

Do you have a question or a thought to share? Record a voice memo on your photo then email it to [email protected] or DM it to Liz on the @liznessschool Instagram.

If you are new to Lizness School, we suggest you listen to Season 1 to hear all about Liz's year as a Stanford Fellow. Everything from Neuroscience and Chinese History to Pickleball! Plus a great community experience with her fellow DCI Fellows. Season 2 is about how she puts her lessons to work in the wild.

Other Learning Suggestions:

If you are interested in learning about artificial intelligence, Liz recommends the newsletter from Stanford HAI. That's Stanford University's Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. It's newsy and not too crazy techy. Just enough to keep you in the loop. Here's a link. Subscribe.

Listener Nicole also recommends all the free courses now offered by MIT. Here's a link to their site.

Since 2001, MIT OpenCourseWare has been creating new opportunities for millions of learners and educators, sharing Open Educational Resources (OER) from MIT and helping to lead a global revolution in free access to knowledge.

MIT OpenCourseWare continues to build on this foundation. With a new web platform, ever-growing content, and collaborations across the vibrant open education ecosystem, we're creating a world of more equitable and inclusive education for all.

MIT OpenCourseWare is a free and open collection of material from thousands of MIT courses, covering the entire MIT curriculum.

Knowledge is your reward. Use OCW to guide your own life-long learning, or to teach others. MIT does not offer credit or certification to users of OCW – and asks for nothing in return.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Well, not quite all. But a classic Ask Us Anything from 2023 that answers your questions about family, birth order, production question and the meaning of life. Julie Dolan, Lian Dolan and Liz Dolan answers your questions.

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It's a classic from July 2019. Lian, Liz and Julie want you to sit back, relax, sip lemonade and enjoy the day. It's a Summer Splash episode with the history of Blueberries, facts about High heels and Festive food.

Blueberry Muffin Recipe

https://satellitesisters.com/red-white-and-blueberry-muffins/

The Blueberry Council

https://blueberry.org/

Blueberry Sangria

https://blueberry.org/recipes/blueberry-sangria/

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New episode! Lian Dolan is back from her book tour for Abigail and Alexa Save the Wedding. Liz Dolan is back in home after her year at Stanford. Updates, tales to tell and what's next for these two Satellite Sisters.

To find out more about Abigail and Alexa Save the Wedding, click here. To register for the Newport Beach Happy Hour with Lian Dolan, click here. To listen to the preview episode about Lian's new book, click here.

To listen to Lizness School, click here. To follow Lizness School on Instagram, click here. To subscribe to Lizness School on Apple Podcasts, click here.

Entertaining Sisters Recommendations:

Hamilton Reunion on The Tonys ! Watch here.

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow with Cynthia Erivo and Sara Bareilles Watch here.

How to Lose Your Mother, a memoir by Molly Jong-Fast

New Documentary: about Jacinda Ardern called Prime Minister 

In theaters June 13  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brEFCizM9ws

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

New episode with fresh updates! Lian Dolan previews her new novel Abigail and Alexa Save the Wedding. Plus, Healthy Aging, College Reunions and Entertaining Sisters Recommendations.

Get ready for Abigail and Alexa Save the Wedding ! Links you need:

To Pre-order Lian's book and find out about tour stops, click here. https://www.liandolan.com

Information and links to buy Abigail and Alexa Save the Wedding here.

For event details, please visit this page at Lian's website.

Entertaining Sisters Recommendations:

TV:

The Four Seasons on Netflix

Wine Country on Netflix

Books:

The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.