This inspired her to create The Graceful Exit, a comprehensive website that allows women to easily search for everything from local lawyers to financial planners to Facebook help groups. This year, Hoertz will also launch a podcast that presents various conversations with professionals to help women going through divorce.

Hoertz discussed her goals for the free information website and what women (and men) throughout Southern California will gain from it.

What was the inspiration behind founding The Graceful Exit?   The inspiration behind The Graceful Exit was my painful experience with divorce, which caused me to hit rock bottom.  I was a mother of 4, devoted wife, had an extremely successful career and the one that kept it all together.  My marriage was dreadful, but my divorce was insane – an experience I would not wish upon my worst enemy.  During my lowest point in life, I was managing the horrid trenches of divorce while trying to stay sane for my innocent children and my career.  It was then that I realized God had a bigger purpose for me and my story would eventually inspire others.  I knew there had to be a better way to navigate divorce, a way that would allow me to look my children in the eye and say “Mommy did her best and she did it with grace.”    

Is the website geared towards women only, or will men benefit as well?   Yes, The Graceful Exit was designed to help educate, empower and inspire women to navigate divorce, live their best life and also know there is joy on the other side.  However, we are very aware that men need these services and education as well and that is why we’re developing a men’s site, which will be packaged and marketed differently.  It is expected to launch in early 2022.  

What challenges did you come across when building this new web resource?  The biggest challenge we faced when building this business was that there was no footprint to model it after.  This digital resource is the first of its kind that is rooted with empathy and first-hand experience in divorce, so it was difficult for people to comprehend that we are not charging for or selling anything on our website.  Rather, we are a centralized hub of free information for women to find everything they need to navigate divorce and life.  All other business models that address divorce are selling services or cannot identify with women who are going through divorce.  Designed from my personal journey, this business represents everything I wished I had access to while navigating my own divorce.  

What is the best advice you would give someone who is freshly navigating a divorce?   Have faith that this too shall pass.  It is going to be a challenging process and will take longer than you expect, however patience is your best virtue.  If you have patience to navigate the journey, you will find joy on the other side.  

When will you launch The Graceful Exit podcast? What will it feature?   The Graceful Exit podcast will be launching in Q2 2021 (weeks away!).  We are so excited to launch, as our purpose is to normalize the conversation around divorce.  Often times, many women feel embarrassment, shame or guilt.  We are here to build a community to empower and connect with compassion and empathy, so women do not need to walk this path alone.  The podcast will feature real life stories of women who have or are navigating divorce, our trusted professionals who will educate us in specific areas and any other resources that will support and educate women through this journey.  

What are your short term goals for the website?   The short term goal of the website is to build a community for women navigating divorce.  We will do this by expanding throughout all of Southern CA (OC, LA, SD and IE) by the end of 2021, launching a podcast this quarter and increasing our social media and SEO presence.  Our long term business strategy includes (but not limited to): 

– Expanding nationally 

– Expanding internationally 

– Building a men’s site 

– Building a site uniting both men and women after divorce

And what do you hope to achieve overall with this resource?  My hope is to change the narrative and normalize the conversation about divorce.  Women do not have to feel the shame and guilt that I felt, nor do they need to stay in an unhealthy marriage.  I also would like to educate and empower the younger female generation on the signs of a healthy relationship vs an abusive one.  Hopefully, by sharing my story others will not have to endure the pain that I went through and won’t repeat the cycle.  

For more info, visit thegracefulexit.com

The post ‘The Graceful Exit’ founder talks new website and podcast for navigating divorce appeared first on Backstage Socal.

The show will stream on The Locher Room YouTube channel and Facebook to entertain fans around the world during the COVID-19 crisis at 8 p.m. EST. Co-hosted with Laura Wright (Carly from ‘General Hospital’) and Alan Locher, host of The Locher Room, the live event is produced by Daytime Cares, an organization that celebrates and highlights the heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic, encourages volunteerism, and assists those who are in need.

We caught up with ‘Days of Our Lives’ veteran actress (AKA Nicole Walker) and Daytime Cares co-founder Arianne Zucker to discuss her charitable organization, life in lockdown, her new podcast “Everything From A to Z,” and what’s in store for the soap queen.

What was the inspiration behind co-founding Daytime Cares?

It’s always so interesting how people begin new businesses, create ideas and collaborate together. As my fellow co-founders, Bob Wall and Sonia Blangiardo and I were working on some other ideas, the corona virus hit us all pretty hard. We decided to put our project on hold and Daytime Cares was created by Bob and Sonia. We all spoke about how we wanted to do something more because people are now at home during the day looking for ways to help or donate or looking for resources to help their family and neighbors.

What are the goals of Daytime Cares?

Daytime Cares is in its early growth stages, but the long term goal for this website is to be interactive in more than just finding non-profits they can donate and volunteer. We are working on providing informative videos on what people can do financially during COVID-19 and we will provide updates as the weeks progress. The most important goal for us is to make sure people can receive the answers they need to find the help they are looking for. We are available through email and take those questions and provide vidoes for the Daytime Cares website. We know many people have the same question, so it is great for us to be able to share answers to the best of our ability on the website.

We are focusing on two nonprofits:

Disaster Responder Assets Network https://disasterassets.org/ focusing on hosting free and confidential online support via Zoom for front line Healthcare workers and First Responders and so much more.

Feeding America https://www.feedingamerica.org helps millions of children and adults get the meals they need to thrive.

We will have the two organizations on our https://www.daytimecares.com/ home page and you can donate directly to one or both organizations and watch the donations grow through the evening.

Tell us about your “Everything From A to Z” podcast. What do you hope to achieve with it? Who do you hope to feature on it?

Everything From A To Z was actually inspired by my friend Sonia Blangiardo. I write, host, edit and post the show. Everything From A to Z is about helping people “Find the Hero in you”. Since I was young, I always knew I was supposed to give back and do more to help in this world. I always believed that each and every one of us has a superpower and it’s just a matter of who or how someone says something that resonates with you to help you find your hero within yourself.

My long term goal is helping people on an individual, corporate and goal oriented level which I have just begun to do with “Sunset Sessions and Aloha Vibes” which you can find out more information on my website http://www.ariannezucker.com/.

I’m earning my way interviewing some wonderful guests who have incredible journeys and inspire others to do the same. I have so far interviewed heroes such as a Principal, a Life Coach, an Accounting Professional, a Doctor of Chiropractic, and the list is growing. Of course, as time goes on, I imagine my guest list to grow as I do.

In what ways have your fans reached out to you during this isolation time?

The fans really enjoy seeing Tik Tok videos I do with my daughter. I’ve done about three of them with her and fans seem to go wild for them. However, between the podcast, Daytime Cares, Cameos and Tik Toks, I have to find time for my family. It seems as though I’m busier now than before the isolation. Which is wonderful.

What are your favorite qualities of Nicole Walker?

I have one big favorite quality of Nicole. She is slowly growing into an HONEST woman. She has learned from her mistakes. Even though her mistakes were always because of her long desire for love and affection.

Here is what I miss. All of her “Bad Girl” qualities. She was funny, savvy, dressed great, and didn’t care what anyone thought of her.

What has been a pivotal moment in your career that has helped shape you today?

Probably a few years ago when I realized my value. I actually took a year off of work and I found out some wonderful things about who I am as a person. Not working will do that for you. It makes you deep dive into who you are and where you want to be in your life. Not to say that working on yourself isn’t difficult because it is. I just always find the positives in that difficult journey. Let’s not forget some tears. I look back and see where I am now and I truly believe when you believe in yourself from the depths of your stomach (soul), that dream, that wish, that goal has already happened for you.

Where is your Soap Opera Digest Award currently?

Flashback! My Soap Opera Digest Award is exactly where it should be. On the book shelf holding up my series of Twilight books! Thank you for asking.

What is your current favorite quarantine activity?

My daughter’s P.E. time. She can play a mean game of handball. It gives me one heck of a workout!

What can we expect in the near and/or distant future of Arianne Zucker?

If all goes well, I’ll be hosting a show somewhere in a studio, not in quarantine at home, while still working on “Days,” filming and narrating shows. Along with building my podcast, and all the things I talked about early in this article. Girls gotta dream.

For more information, visit https://www.daytimecares.com/

The post Soap opera diva Arianne Zucker talks live COVID charity event, new podcast & more appeared first on Backstage Socal.

Greg’s son Jake, 23, has lived with seizures since he was a small child. Despite trying multiple medications, Jake’s seizures persisted and became worse as he grew older. By age 12, he was having hundreds of seizures per day. It turned out that Jake has drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), which meant there was only a 5 percent chance that medications alone would be enough to control his seizures.

After years of searching for the right mix of treatments, Jake is now a thriving young adult. His seizures are controlled thanks to medication, VNS Therapy, brain surgery, and a combination of lifestyle modifications and other treatments. On Nov. 5, Greg and Jake spoke at the 7th Annual Epilepsy Awareness & Education Expo at the Disneyland Hotel. The free expo featured over 60 non-profit support groups, several epilepsy centers, drug and related product manufacturers, seizure dogs, and a variety of professionals and exhibits from all over the world. 

In celebration of National Epilepsy Awareness Month, Greg will also host the End Epilepsy Live! telethon on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 2-6 p.m. PT. The celebrity-filled event will raise funds for the Epilepsy Foundation. He hosts the podcast “Talk About It! – The Podcast,” produced by the Epilepsy Foundation, which helps raise epilepsy education and awareness with interviews and profiles of people living with epilepsy, facts and stats about epilepsy and seizures, tips on healthy living, and special celebrity guests.

We chatted with Greg about his growing efforts as an epilepsy advocate, and his hopes for the future of his son and the epilepsy community.

Jake’s story really touched me. As a young adult with epilepsy, what challenges is he currently enduring?  

Jake’s doing really well, but at the same time, he has to be confident enough until it’s safe enough for him to drive. It’s one of those things, like swimming. If he swims, he doesn’t swim alone. It’s not like he doesn’t swim or ride bikes or anything like that, but he just has to be cautious about it. When he swims, he makes sure he’s in the deep end as little as possible, or with people. It’s just common sense for him. It’s like why would you put yourself in danger? And for Jake, it’s tough because he’s 23 and he’s got two younger brothers. His youngest brother just yesterday got his license. So it’s like all of a sudden, Sam’s driving; like literally last night, I called my wife and she was like, “Sam just took the car and got chicken wings and went over to his friend’s house to study.” And Jake is sitting there in the car listening, and it’s hard for him. He would love to do that, or just go grab frozen yogurt or something. And we don’t live in a small city where you could just Uber or something around. L.A. is very spread out. So he still faces those challenges. 

In what ways has being an advocate for the epilepsy community do you feel has helped Jake in his journey?

You know, there are times I’m sure that he feels I’m too vocal (laughs). He’s always done the National Walk for Epilepsy, but then VNS Therapy (Vagus Nerve Stimulation) reached out to us asking if Jake wanted to be an advocate. He’s had VNS Therapy for all these years and he’s doing well with it. And he really just embraces the role of standing there talking to others about it. There are concerns that people have or questions about VNS, and he’s so happy to share his story; it seems like it’s therapeutic for him. It’s so great.

There has always been a stigma that surrounds epilepsy. Since you became involved within the epilepsy community, what changes have you seen with this?

Oh my gosh, it’s funny, you take 10 steps forward and then all of a sudden you’re reminded why you’re doing this. I mean, I started helping the foundation because of that stigma. I thought if we can’t find a cure, we can find new therapies. A cure for me is a tough conversation because there’s so many different forms of seizure and people have seizures for so many different reasons. So is there going to be one thing that really finds the cure? Maybe not. But we can all benefit from taking naps, eating right, taking our medicine on time. And you know, something like VNS therapy is something that helps so many people, but there’s all kinds of different therapies and different things that you can do to help yourself. So if you don’t talk about it, you don’t know what’s out there. 

It used to be really rural. I would meet people that have told me, “I don’t live anywhere near a city that has a hospital with a neurologist.” Not to mention pediatric neurologists or epileptologists. Like that word alone, epileptologist, people are like, ‘What is it?’ It’s a specialist; a neurologist that specializes in epilepsy. So this tunnel of knowledge — it wasn’t out there the way it is now; you really had to seek and find it. I mean, I’ve been doing TalkAboutIt.org for a long time. I get a company like VNS Therapy to get behind me, because we want to support this. We want to help. They helped with the podcast. They help with the Epilepsy Telethon that’s coming up this weekend on Saturday from 2-6 p.m. live with all of these incredible performers. 

Having said that though, somebody just came up to me (at the expo) and told me that the fact that her grandparents are here is monumental. She said she has been dealing with epilepsy for 23 years, but her parents are in complete denial and won’t even use the word “epilepsy.” I said, ‘Wait a minute. You’ve been dealing with this for 23 years by yourself? What happened before that?” And she said doctors would tell her parents that she had it, but they wouldn’t acknowledge it. Until she reached adulthood, they would not even acknowledge it. I mean to think of somebody struggling like that within their own family! 

So, yes, we’ve come a long way, but individually, everybody’s fighting their own unique stigma battle. And I’m just there to help and give people the tools so that they can say to their grandparents or family members or teachers or coaches or spouses or boyfriend or girlfriend, “Hey, go to this website, look at all these famous people that are talking about it.” This is not something to be ashamed of, you know?

How wonderful. So would you say your mission is to continue to bring a positive light to the disorder so others will be more open to talking about it? 

Yes! That’s why I have rock stars joining my cause. I have a comedian, I have a magician. I’ve partnered with the Lamborghini, I’ve partnered with Ford. I partner with all of these cool brands so that it’s like, ‘Oh, this is just as normal as Stand Up to Cancer’ or any of these other charities that do it so well. But we have a long way to go, because the awareness of the community is very low. Many don’t know anything about the telethon this weekend for example. I mean, it’s crazy to me. It’s such an uphill battle. It’s going to be on CBS stations locally and on Twitch, YouTube and on my social media @GregGrunberg on Instagram and on Twitter. We have so many stars this year. We’re doing this thing where it’s Star Wars versus Star Trek. So we’re getting all these people to go honest. William Shatner for example, is like, ‘Yeah, I’m all Star Trek.’ (laughs). But we’ve got so many celebrities attached to this year with great performances, and it’s going to be a lot of fun. 

Especially being in the limelight currently with “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” premiering soon, do you feel like that has helped a lot with your advocacy movement? 

Oh my gosh, for sure. I’m at this expo signing my own action figure, for instance. I have like all these things that attract people. It’s all about getting people to come. So others aren’t afraid to talk about it. If they come up and ask for my autograph, I can say, “Oh, by the way, why are you here?” Then boom. I’ve converted one more person to not be afraid to talk about it, which is great. 

I also just announced something huge. If you go to omaze.com/greg, I am giving people the chance to win the opportunity to go to the “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” premiere with me. Two tickets to go walk the carpet, see the movie, and go to the party; they’ll fly out and will be put up at a four star hotel. All of the money will go to the Epilepsy Foundation and anybody from all over the world can enter. I’ve been teasing it. I’ve been saying big “Star Wars” news because if I said “big epilepsy news,” people sadly will not pay as much attention to it. But to have Lucasfilm and Disney behind it? That’s huge. Daisy Ridley has one, Adam Driver has one, and I have one for the foundations we support. It’s so wonderful. 

What are your hopes for the future of the epilepsy community?

Well, looking around at the (Disneyland Epilepsy Awareness & Education) Expo alone, makes me wonder how is it possible that it is not packed? 65 million people around the world have epilepsy or a seizure disorder. One in 26 is going to have a seizure in their life. I look at the size of the expo, and while there’s a lot of people that came, it’s nothing compared to what it should be. This is all because of the low amount of awareness. The world needs to know more about epilepsy, and I’m putting in the work to help.

END EPILEPSY Live!

When: Saturday, November 9, 2019, 2:00-6:00 p.m. PT

Where: Broadcast live from Hollywood and streamed here on epilepsy.com/live, talkaboutit.org, YouTube, and CBSlocal.com/EndEpilepsy

Why: To raise awareness and funds to support the more than 3.4 million people in the United States living with epilepsy and seizures

Go to: epilepsy.com/live

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE EPILEPSY AWARENESS & EDUCATION EXPO AT DISNEYLAND, VISIT https://epilepsyawarenessday.org/event-info/information/

Follow Greg Grunberg at: @GregGrunberg and his Talk About It! podcast at http://talkaboutit.org/podcast

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