BW 211 Jeannette
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[00:00:00]
Speaker: Today's episode is gonna be a little bit different, but if you like dark humor, if you like stand-up comedy, and if you like supporting a good cause, then I think you're really gonna enjoy the conversation I have today with Jeanette. Let me introduce you to our special guest.
Jeanette Rizzi is a comedian, entrepreneur, and longtime business leader who has somehow managed to make a career out of both making people laugh and managing chaos. As a stand-up comedian and producer, Jeanette has performed and created comedy events across the country, including fundraisers supporting causes close to her heart.
She's also spent more than 20 years in the franchise and wellness industries, leading teams, opening businesses, and navigating the beautiful insanity of entrepreneurship. Today, she brings her unique mix of humor, business experience, and real-life stories to [00:01:00] the conversation. Let's dive in and talk with Jeanette
Emily: Jeannette, I just wanna thank you for being our special guest today, and for being willing to share your story and your take on grief
Jeannette: Oh, thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here with you.
Emily: I know that our audience would love to know just a little bit more about you, and then we can dive into your story wherever you wanna start.
So would you mind to just give them a quick introduction?
Jeannette: Yeah, so I actually experienced, my journey with grief started when I was very young. I was in high school, and, um, I lost a, a good friend to suicide, and then a year later I lost one of my best friends to suicide. So I was introduced to it when I was 16, 17, 18.
And, um, at that time I don't even think that I, I knew [00:02:00] it was grief. I think it was a lot of shock, of course and a lot of sadness
Emily: how do you even wrap your mind around that as a teenager?
Jeannette: You know what? It, sometimes when you experience, extreme grief like that and extreme shock you'll hear people say all the time, "You remember this movie scene?" And it reminds you of different things. And I always say looking back on it now there's a scene in that movie Saving Private Ryan where they're right when they go to shore and a guy, I think, is walking around and they're trying to save their friends, but, like, obviously they're missing body parts.
They're carrying their own body parts and, and they're sort of walking in shock. When I look back at the day we found out that my friend Frank passed away, I remember it so clearly that I was s- in high school, and it was after school and the students were [00:03:00] gathered in the parking lot getting the news.
We were a very small town and, everybody was crying. And I just remember so specifically that the principal driving by and going home from work that day as it was happening. And I remember catching eyes with him and thinking, "I think that he should be stopped to see what these students are doing."
Um, like, what's... There, there obviously, uh, is a lot of emotion. And, um, I remember thinking back on that, like, just watching, being in it, but from afar watching the shock just sort of spread. And everybody crying and, uh, not really knowing what to do with it.
Emily: Yeah. And wondering like, "Shouldn't you be here?
What's happening?"
Who knows? We'll give him the benefit of the doubt, but...
Jeannette: I mean, it's like now when I'm finishing up my work day and I get that one angry customer email, "I'll check that in the morning." Of [00:04:00] course, this is a bit much bigger situation. Yeah. But yeah, it was definitely something that we look back on now, all of us now we're in our 40s, when we were in our teens.
And we talk about it a lot because even with my mom I ask a lot of questions. Like, you guys didn't talk about it, 'cause it was very much like this tragedy happened, we're gonna have a funeral, and then we're gonna move forward. And, and it's sort of, uh, that, that, that fix your makeup and, and keep going forward that women, you know, you talk about.
And so the adults at that time didn't know what to do with it with what happened. And even when my when my, one of my best friends, Katie, when, when my sister called to tell me that she had taken her own life my mom didn't tell me. She m- she had my sister tell me, and it's a conversation I talked to her about today.
Like, "You are my mother. Why [00:05:00] didn't you tell me? Why did you have my sister, why'd you have Anita tell me?" And she said, "I, I just didn't know." what to do. I think that started the journey of now how do I deal with this?
Emily: Yeah. And I'm in my 40s as well, so I should disclose that.
But, then people, at least around me, didn't talk about it, didn't really know much about mental health or suicide or grief or any of these things. There weren't podcasts. There weren't- Mm-hmm ... you know, people on social media talking about it or even going to therapy or anything like that.
And so I have to imagine that was really hard, and then it's like, well, nobody's talking about this. We're just gonna, chin up and keep, keep moving. Like, that, that makes it, um, probably really hard to feel like you have someone to talk to when you're thinking about that person or trying to process what happened.
Jeannette: Well, and I don't know if you experienced this, but it was a lesson I [00:06:00] learned very young. Very, very young. And I carry with it w- th- when anything bad happens in my life, it's something I know that's gonna happen, which is people didn't know how to talk to me and so they didn't. They went, and if they saw me coming, they went the other direction, and it was incredibly hurtful as a, a, a, a, a teenager, right?
And, when my friend Katie passed away, my sister got me a dog, uh, his name was Flash, and anybody that knew me knew Flash was my entire world. And he lived to be 18, and I knew when he passed away, I knew that people were gonna avoid talking to me. I knew to expect that. And it is, I see people talk about it in the world on like, when someone f- something happens to someone famous and they say, "Well, I didn't know what to do."
And it's like just go and sit next to them. You don't [00:07:00] have to do anything, you know. You can just, just sit there and be quiet and just be there. At that time, that wasn't talked about, so I feel like everybody sort of ran away from me, and it was really hard to then go out into the world and, um- And, uh, try to, to, you know, function with carrying that sadness and that grief.
So I kind of just was a clown. Yeah.
Emily: Yeah.
Jeannette: Like, I'll just smile, and then people will just ask how my day is going.
Emily: You have that mask, and it is really isolating, and you don't know if people treat you like it's contagious or, like, they don't wanna bring it up 'cause they don't wanna make you cry, and then they feel like the bad person.
It's just, just I think makes it even more difficult. And I know so many times I've told people. They'll say, "Well, what can I say? What can I do?" And I'm like, "Just sit with them, and don't say anything." Let them talk about it. Let them unpack, and just sit in the [00:08:00] awkwardness and the sadness and be in it with them because it's, it's hard, but, but we culturally wanna fix it and we wanna make you feel better and wanna tell you it's gonna be okay, and that's just really hard societally to combat with that,
Jeannette: well, it's so interesting 'cause if you, we step out of podcasts that talk about grief, right, and we jump into a parenting co- podcast, what's the first thing they tell you when your kid is crying if you want them to be a strong adult? You gotta let them work it out. You gotta sit there with them, but let...
Make sure they're safe, but let them cry and have the meltdown, and then they're stronger for it afterwards. And so it's so interesting because it's the same concept when y- you know someone and they're going through loss. You just have to do the same. Just sit there and let them go through it, and just, just be there.
You don't really have to say anything. Actually, probably the, the less you say, the more the person is gonna j- just get their feelings out, and,
Emily: Yeah ...
Jeannette: and it's [00:09:00] nice to be in a world now where it's actually talked about. So, the way I learned to deal with it, actually to just get it out and sort of move on, is I wrote a, a one-woman show, and I started to do standup.
And, um- Got on a stage and, you know, I had a audience, so they were listening. I don't know if they...
You know, it, it, it's taken years to really, like, hone it in. But, uh, people in, especially in Los Angeles, were pretty brutal to me because they were like, "Nobody wants to hear about suicide or sadness or grief," and they started to call me the, like, suicide comic. And I was like, "Well, I do other jokes, but, like, this is...
We have to talk about this. There has to be a way." And, and the way I found to sort of open the door was to do a one-woman show that was both funny, but then I did go into the, the hard parts of it. And, um, and it really was a way, the way I [00:10:00] found to talk about it. Mm-hmm. Because, you know, people that I experienced that with, we still...
We, we look back now and we're like, "Nobody was willing to listen or talk to- How, traumatic that was as kids.
Emily: Yeah. And, uh, humor, dark humor, that is very much a way that some people that's appealing or it's like, a way to be able to release some energy, release some laughs, but also deal with the grim reality of what we've gone through.
Like, even my kids, they'll be like, "Oh, let me ask my dad. Oh, wait." Just little things like that that helps them just to be able to normalize and talk about it, but also they're being a little silly. So my late husband was he wanted to be, part of SNL and stand-up comedy- Oh, good
and he loved that. He was part of an improv group and a little theater group and they would also do some stand-up comedy. But I have to say, for people that don't [00:11:00] know, that is a really tough gig. Stand-up comedy, like, that takes so much more work than I think people realize, and so much bravery to get in front of people and work out the jokes that are gonna resonate with people or not.
Mm-hmm. I just have a lot of respect for what you do and what you've done, because I think people have no idea how hard and how much work that actually goes into that.
Jeannette: And it's gotten a little harder now because everybody's got a camera, everybody wants to label you as something, whereas, uh, you, you, you have to bomb.
You have to go through that to get the joke. And for example, I, you know, my husband is African American, and I run a lot of jokes about what it's like being an interracial couple. And and he comes to all the shows, and he's watched it where sometimes it does well, but then the next show, they're, like, saying I'm racist.
And it's like, no, I'm just [00:12:00] trying to figure out the joke. It's a difficult place to be in. But when you... I have to give credit to, um, like Jason Sudeikis and what they do with Ted Lasso, because they do hit these heartbreaking subjects, and then they make them y- funny, you know?
They find a way in the end to pull the humor and uplifting and, and so it is, uh... I think it's a great way to to work towards healing and getting emotions and feelings out. It's what saved me, honestly
it was jumping up there and just, just doing it. And I always, uh, talk about this one particular show.
I was doing my one-woman show. There were only three people in the audience, and, I, uh, was like, "Well, they paid and, and I'm gonna do this show. I love the show." It gives me an hour and a half of pretending like all these people that have passed away are still alive, 'cause I'm doing them.
And [00:13:00] so I do this show and, and because there was only three people sitting in the front row, I could see their faces very clearly. And this one girl, like her, she never reacted to anything. So as I'm doing the lines, I'm thinking, "She hates this. Like, she's mad that the, her boyfriend brought her here. She's so miserable."
And then I did the last line, and she jumped on the stage and dove into me crying and said, "This is so important. My mom took her own life, and I wish she would have, like, listened to someone like you so that she wouldn't have done it." And so, uh, you realize, like, it's so important to talk about uh, you know, grief and, and loss and overcoming these, these things that happen to us.
Emily: I think in your own way, you're trying to help normalize the conversation and to allow people not to feel so isolated. Like, "Well, nobody else gets this, and [00:14:00] I can't talk about it." Even in today's society, people don't necessarily like to talk a lot about it. Or it's almost like the sympathy is lessened because, well, that person chose it or, other people didn't have a choice, but they decided to do this.
So then you've got that stigma or dynamic sometimes that goes hand-in-hand with that too. But you're creating a space where people can feel seen and feel a little more understood and making it where they could share it with other people, even if those people don't know personally what that, what that experience has been like.
Jeannette: Yeah. I absolutely agree with you. It's important for, for everybody to, uh, feel seen and feel heard. And, I got to do Gilda's LaughFest and that was such a privilege. And a lot of people that attend that event lost someone to cancer. But I still did my show there.
The community just was, like, [00:15:00] so welcoming, and I got to talk to so many people afterwards that even though it was a different type of loss, like, it was still great to connect with people a- and, and talk about how there are different ways to handle grief. There's different ways grief shows up. 'Cause sometimes it's, it is through laughter 'cause you just gotta get the emotion out.
Sometimes it's through tears, sometimes it's through yelling, and, um, we have to, let people go through that process.
Emily: Yeah, for sure. So share with us a little more about, how often you perform, can people come find you or, what is your goal with kinda growing the message and, and what all it is that you do?
Jeannette: So I initially started, to just talk, this, this one-woman show, uh, just to get it off my chest. But what I do is I donate the, ticket sales and any [00:16:00] proceeds to, specific charities that, that help with either mental health or one of my favorites that I got to work with was Teen Line.
So they were wonderful, and so I generally will perform my one-woman show. I'll put it up, I'll produce it, and then I find someone to, you know, a, a charity or an organization to, to donate to. And then, um, when my twins were born, my son has, neurofibromatosis.
It's NF. There's, uh, NF1 and NF2. And, um, and, uh, obviously when there's something that your, your ch- is, your child is dealing with y- you as a parent worry yourself sick. But I wanted to teach him, 'cause depression is one of the things that, uh, children with, he has NF1, can have. Mm-hmm. And I wanted to teach him that, like, I think one of the best ways, one of the best anti-anxiety, uh, or anti-uh, depression medications is, is to go [00:17:00] be kind and do kind things for others.
So what I've done is I've shifted gears a little bit, and what I've started to do is, uh, it's called Giggles for Good, and we do a stand-up comedy fundraiser for the Children's Tumor Foundation, which does research for all types of n- uh, neurofibromatosis. And so, uh, we have our big show coming up in October.
It's October 29th in, uh, Pasadena at the Ice House. I'm building my lineup. I'm super excited. I've got some great comics on board, and it's a really fun event because everybody comes out, gets... Everybody's always happy to be out for a good cause. And, uh, we raise, uh, money, and we give it to the organization.
And then, uh, and with the Children's Tumor Foundation, it all goes towards research and, and trying to find a cure for this specific, um- For neuro- neurofibromatosis, not a lot of people know about it. It was just in the news, uh, I think it was last year or the year [00:18:00] before, a woman was trying to get on the plane, and they thought she had, like, the measles or something, so they told her she couldn't board the flight.
But what it is is with NF1, it tiny tumors can grow on your nerve endings.
And so they had never heard of this, and so they wouldn't let her board the flight. But they're really, this organization is really working to bring information out. So, I just did, uh, my one-woman show in, uh, in April, and we donated some money for, uh, for mental health and suicide prevention.
And then October 29th is my, it's my fourth year doing it. We're just about to cross raising $100,000, so we have this big event planned, and we're very excited. And I, my son is very funny. He's only seven right now, but hopefully, my goal is one day to pass the torch to him and let him, uh, host it and, try to help bring more [00:19:00] awareness to something that he has, but also just understand that when the world feels heavy and you're, you're, you're swimming in that grief, one of the quickest ways to get out of it is just to go do some kindness in the world, uh, try to help people, uh, in any way you can.
And, uh, it, it does make you feel better instantly. Mm. At least in my opinion.
Emily: That's awesome. And I'm curious as you were creating the jokes and the content and what you wanted to cover, that had to have been a difficult process where maybe it's like, "Oh, I think this might be funny, but now I'm also crying."
Yeah. "Now I'm gonna say this with people staring at me." Yeah. But I, I think it's very admirable 'cause it's a very brave thing to do to- Mm ... pull all of these pieces together. Like, what helped you work through the messiness and through the, "Am I doing the right thing?" What are people gonna say, and when people make crappy comments, [00:20:00] like what has really helped you to keep going in spite of all, all the doubts, the fears, all of that?
Jeannette: I, I joke, of course it hurts my sister's feelings, but I have an older sister, so she was pretty tough on me. So I'm pre- I'm usually like, "Yeah, you can't... You... No one could ever hurt my feelings in the way my older sister did." Like, I'll give you an example. My daughter, uh, she does competitive cheer, and, uh, she's only seven, and they can say some pretty harsh stuff to these little girls.
And she came home and she was crying. And she's like, "You don't know how it feels, Mom." I said, "Oh, yeah? When Mom did her first trying to get an agent for stand-up comedy..." This was back, like, I, I sound like an old lady, like, back in the day where you had to burn the DVD, and you had to write your name on it, and you had to put a printed headshot and mail them all out, right?
Like, you'd go to the post office with this thick, like... And I said, "Once somebody, it [00:21:00] literally returned it to me and across my headshot wrote 'not funny.'" Like, across my face. They mailed it back to me, and I was like, "Was that necessary?" Like, right on
Emily: the face.
Jeannette: So I told her, I'm like, "Listen, you can't let the world pe- people take your dreams and your hopes away from you." And so I was on a mission that I was gonna talk about suicide, and I was going to make it okay to talk about, because we were kids and everybody acted like it never happened.
And, um, I wanted to make it okay. And so, you know, writing it, even with the charities that didn't even help me, they were just coming to swoop the check, would say, "We don't like that line. You need to change it. You can't say that." And I would and I would be like, "No, that's my favorite joke, so I'm gonna say it.
Like, you don't have to come. I'll still give you the money. It's okay." Um, but working through it, there was a lot of [00:22:00] tears and, um, of course the jokes kind of naturally came. But I would say the hardest part about all of it is, like, oh, did that really happen or am I, like, imagining it, right? Like, I was like...
Because that, that couldn't have happened. Nobody would actually do that. But even just this last show I did in April, one of my friends who had never seen it, she came, um- It's very hard to perform when someone who lived through it with me is there, 'cause, uh, it's just like they're going through it and, and, uh, I had done this show, this is the first time I ever did it in a restaurant setting, and, uh, I now appreciate w- waiters and waitresses in the comedy world because they swoop in and serve quietly so it never disrupts the comics.
But this situation, I had to stop because the, it was so loud and when they were changing the food, 'cause I wanted to try to do it like an Italian style [00:23:00] dinner. And so in between each, uh, like break- Um, she was telling me that the table she was at, they were like, "Well, that couldn't have happened that way."
And she was like, "No, it's exactly how it happened. Like, that's exactly how that person was. That's exactly what that person said. She's not exaggerating it. That's exactly how we found out." And so I was like, okay, I didn't like, hallucinate that this happened. Like, this actually happened. And so that was probably my most insecure thing was, did it really happen that way?
Emily: Mm-hmm.
Jeannette: Uh, yeah. And it's part of the reason why I don't put the... My show isn't, you can't really find it, is because it's all true. And, uh, and, uh, my husband's an entertainment attorney, so he's like, "Well, you better be careful 'cause you use like the real names. And so, they could come after you."
But, uh, yeah, it was a, it was an interesting process. It [00:24:00] took me about eight years to write it. It's the hardest thing I've ever done is writing that one-woman show. But, uh, now I perform it like once a year. And it is... I still just, for that hour and a half, it feels like everybody's alive- ... that has, passed away.
'Cause it's my friends, it's my grandmother, it's, the dog.
Emily: Right. Yeah.
Jeannette: That saved my life. Uh, yeah, it's, it's a, it- it's a very cathartic experience. I, I highly recommend if someone is having a hard time moving through the grief to, you know, write something. Maybe not perform it, but definitely write and, uh, read it out loud, 'cause it does help you get it out of your system, for lack of a better saying.
Emily: Yeah. And I, even as someone who I've told my story many times, when I went a couple weeks ago to write it out for a specific chapter I was working on it was really a [00:25:00] lot harder to write it than I thought, and I'm like, "Why?" Like, I talk about it all the time. Why is this so hard? But as I really tried to go back and be in those moments and what I was thinking and hearing and seeing and, you know, like you said, kind of reconstructing the scene of what happened, it was very draining, and it was really hard to write, but it felt good to- be able to get that, get that out at least on the computer screen.
So it is very helpful to, to write those things out.
Jeannette: And it's, it, it, I mean, I do remember, crying through a lot of it, laughing through a lot of it. W- we, uh, m- my friend Katie's sister and I are still very close, and one of the things is that she ha- uh, when we were in her room after we had found out about this, the theme song from the Titanic was playing, you know, that Celine Dion song?
And so still to this day, like, if that song comes on, we, we all talk. Like, we're like, "Oh, [00:26:00] not this song." It's like, you know, earplugs on. And I have different reactions. When I was writing, I tried to, like, play it so I could relive the scene, but I realized, like, oh, I don't need... Like, it's embedded in my head.
I don't need to physically hear the song to be able to write it out, you know?
Yeah. Um, and, uh, and, uh, yeah, the, it, it, you, you do kind of the smells and everything, it, it, it comes back to you as you're writing. And then sometimes too, I mean, I've performed the show all over the US. I've, I've done it many times, and still, like, uh I'll be telling s- like you said, you talk about it all the time, and then every once in a while I can't get through it.
Uh, when I did this last show, because my friend was there and I could see her, going through the scene of how- Mm ... like we f- we found out that Katie had passed away, I couldn't, I was really having a tough time ge- [00:27:00] getting it out. Like, not fully, like, breaking down.
Emily: Our brains are so powerful at pulling us back through time to that moment re- rem- reminding us what it felt like, and it just can really create some strong emotion, which is, like, crazy.
I can't even remember what I did last week half the time, but there are those strong moments where it's like, wow, I really can feel like I, I was there.
Jeannette: Yeah. You know, my son, he doesn't even know what he was saying. I'm sure somebody at school said something and he made a joke, uh, a couple weeks ago, "I, I, I'm just gonna kill myself."
And it, I just, like, a- and I'm pretty calm. I was like, "You don't say that." Like, it just, like, flew out of me. Like, you're not gonna say that. We're ne- we're not gonna talk like that. I mean, and then of course I felt horrible, but 'cause I realized, like, that was my... You know, it just triggered me, like about my, my child saying that, or...
[00:28:00] It, it's a, it's a definitely a, a huge fear in me- Yeah ... that I, that would happen. And I really, I think when you experience that kind of loss, uh, in such a shocking way, you're always very afraid that's gonna happen around you.
Emily: Yeah. And I don't know why for kids that just seems to be something they joke about or say to each other, or...
it's like they don't even really mean it, but it's just something they say. And I'm like, this is kind of dist- this is disturbing that it's this normalized that, you know, it's just become kind of a joke. But yeah. Yeah. It would be, After you experience something like that, it is very, like, you just l- look at life through a different lens than you did before.
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Jeannette: Yeah. You do. And you, and, and I, and I do wonder when do you talk to them about it? Because- Five-year-olds and seven-year-olds do, they do this, I just put him in there. I'm a big believer, like, let the [00:29:00] professional handle it. So like, I put him in therapy and, and I made the joke like, "Well, he seems like his, he, his self-esteem isn't very good, and I don't want him marrying a bad woman."
"So can we just
handle it now?" But I tell them, uh, my daughter is very strong, very, and, and I don't want her to lose that. And she was kind of asking what therapy was for, and I was like, "Well, it's just somebody extra to talk to." And she goes, "Well, do you go in there with me?" And I said, "No, you go by yourself. That way if you're mad at me or daddy, you can talk to the therapist about it."
And she goes, "Well, that's just dumb. I'll just tell you if I'm mad at you." And I'm like, "You don't know how healthy that is. Hold on to
Emily: that one." Exactly, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's, uh- I think it can be super helpful, especially if you find someone who can give them tools to use, can help them see things with a different perspective. Yeah, so your kids are gonna be very emotionally intelligent self-aware [00:30:00] individuals, which is awesome.
Jeannette: I hope so.
I hope so. I, I talk about this in my show so, you know, even like in, uh, when I was a s- senior in high school when Frank passed away, like nobody had a therapist. Like we nobody did. And so my, my mother sent me to one, but it was her friend who like never, battled horrible depression, horrible, couldn't get out of bed, all these things, which I didn't know at that time.
So my mom decides to send me to that therapist and, um, you know, so I go in and, and then I explain like all about the suicides and everything. And it and I'm just telling her probably deadpan, 'cause that's how everybody else was acting, so I thought that's how I was supposed to act. And she was like crying on the floor, and she was like, "How are you ever gonna survive this?"
And I was like, "Isn't that what you're supposed to help me with?" That's scary. Like, so that was, so then I learned like you gotta be real careful who the therapist is. And [00:31:00] uh, so, uh, my kid's got a much better introduction to, to it. She's very peaceful and, uh, and understands. Of course, it's a much lesser thing.
It's like, what, someone was mean to them on the playground. But you're right, like I'm just like, let's just get ahead of it because- Yeah ... it's, uh, it's, you don't want to, put your, uh, trauma onto them, but you do want them to be able to- To be able to talk and, and your situation is much different 'cause you as a family are in it together, and that's, that's harder.
Emily: Yeah. You know, it just, even then sometimes they don't wanna talk about it and even in our, our widows groups it's like it may be a few years before the kids are ready to talk about it. And then they start bringing it up, and I think as parents, all we can do is just try to help normalize it.
You know, not force them into like sitting down and having a serious conversation, but just like [00:32:00] bringing it up or mentioning it. And so you were like, "I don't know. When do I talk to them about these things? When do I not?" And it's like, well, you know, in the context of being seven years old, you know- Yeah
how do we talk about this and explain it in a way that a seven-year-old can maybe grasp a, a tiny piece of it? And just knowing that they can come and talk to you and that they can tell you things is incredibly helpful. I've tried to, to make it where my kids can tell me the most mundane, silly, superficial things so that when there's something important they already have that like, "Oh, I can tell my mom and she's gonna listen."
Jeannette: Yeah. Mm-hmm. I can imagine. That's, that is, it is, uh, important to make them feel like they can tell you an- any- anything. So I, I do as well. Like, I try not to correct things or, say D- I think that's the only thing I've ever said, was when he was like, "I'm gonna..." And of course, like the one thing that he should be able to tell me is if he wants to kill himself.
I'm like, "Don't say that!"
Emily: Well, he [00:33:00] probably didn't really mean it, but...
Jeannette: No. No. And a child's intuition is interesting because, um, the kids, So for the fundraiser, the, they perform. Usually Lucian will tell jokes, and Antoinette, my daughter, she'll sing or something. But the one-woman show, they wanna come in and I won't let them.
I'll let them come and have a nice dinner, family fam- dinner before, and then I send them home. My daughter said, "Mom, sad stuff happened to you, I think." She kinda has the intuition already. And my husband said, like, "Well, you know, she's gon- they're gonna read it, like, at some point.
Like, when do you tell them?" 'Cause my... He was asking, my son was asking the other day. I said something to my husband that it reminded me of Katie, and, and h- and my son said, "Who's Katie?" And I said, "Oh, she's my, she's my friend." And he says, "Well, how come I haven't met her?" And I said, "Well, she, she passed away."
And, um, he [00:34:00] said, "Well, how?" And I was like uh, I said, "You know, it's n- it's, it's a conversation we'll have a different day." And my daughter's like, "Obviously that's upsetting to Mom, and you should stop." And
Emily: You know. Well, they're gonna grow up quickly, so I'm sure you'll find the perfect moment to be able to share that with them, and that'll work out. So I'm gonna put all of your links and everything in the show notes, but if people wanna connect with you or they wanna follow you, what would you say is, like, the one best place for them to do that?
Jeannette: So two things. Instagram, I'm always posting. We're gonna start posting soon about the big fundraiser show, so thank you for having me on right before we're doing that because, uh, it's for a good cause. Um, and it's gonna be, again, at the Ice House in Pasadena on October 29th in California if you live in the area.
So you can follow me on Instagram. Always like to say it's Jeannette Rizzi, two Ns, two Ts, two Zs. So J- the long [00:35:00] version of Jeannette, um, Rizzi. And then the other thing is if any of your listeners are in the LA area, I do own, um, a health and wellness business. It's called Pure Sweat and Float. Uh, have you ever done that?
Have you ever done- I haven't. Okay. Th- so it's, uh, we have the infrared saunas, and then the, the float is, uh, 1,000 pounds of magnesium salt, so you float like you're floating in the Dead Sea. It's very relaxing. And then the contrast is the cold tub and the infrared saunas. We are... That is under Pure Sweat Woodland Hills, so if you're in the area, we're very happy to welcome you, welcome any, uh, listeners in for a complimentary session.
So if you're dealing with grief and you just need a place to exhale and, um, relax and detox and de-stress, we're happy to pass out a complimentary session and have you in and make you, make your day just a little bit better.
Emily: Oh, I love that so much. I know. Is it, is it similar to the sensory [00:36:00] deprivation tank-
Jeannette: It is sensory deprivation
flo-
Emily: okay.
Jeannette: Yes, exactly.
Emily: Okay.
Jeannette: We, yeah, and, and we don't, we don't have the pods. We have the actual float room. So a lot of people like that 'cause they, they feel like the pods close down and it makes them feel a little claustrophobic. This is, is, it's much bigger. So, so, uh, yes, sensory deprivation. Or you can listen to any type of, uh, float tracks or meditation.
And if you're weird like me, I go into the sauna and watch murder documentaries, but- And very relaxing.
Emily: Exactly. All the true crime, yeah.
Jeannette: All that true crime right there. A friend of mine was having a tough day, and I told her to come. I was like, "Come to my new business." And, and I, and I... And she loves those as well, and I asked her if she watched Maternal Instinct, and she was like, "No."
And I said, "Oh my gosh, you have to watch this." And then, like, an hour and a half later, I was like, "Did y- are you alive in there?" Like, she totally lost it. I tried, she's like, "This is a good [00:37:00] documentary." Uh, so. Oh,
Emily: it's amazing.
Jeannette: To each his own. We handle our stress like our grief. As long as we get it out, however you do it, it's, it's, uh, and it's legal, go for it.
Emily: Amazing. Well, thank you so much for coming and sharing your story and all the good things that you're doing, out there in the world. And just look forward to staying connected and seeing how people can help support you.
Jeannette: I appreciate it. Thank you so much for including me on your journey.
