Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lisa Marshall. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lisa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project I’ve ever worked on is the one I never planned for and certainly never asked for, telling the story of my husband Peter’s journey with early-onset Alzheimer’s and what it taught me about love, presence, and radical acceptance. Oh Hello Alzheimer’s started as my attempt to make sense of a world that had suddenly tilted, but it became so much more than that. It became a way to honor Peter, to document the tiny triumphs buried inside the heartbreaking moments, and to give other caregivers something I desperately needed at the time, companionship, validation, and a reminder that they weren’t alone.

Writing that book required me to live the story twice, once as it happened and again on the page. But in doing so, I found a surprising sense of clarity and even gratitude. Caregiving cracked me open. It stripped away so many of the “shoulds” and expectations I used to carry and replaced them with an understanding of what truly matters, connection, compassion, and showing up with as much grace as we can muster.

And that experience became the bridge to my second book, Find Joy, No Regrets. After Peter passed, I found myself standing in a quiet space I didn’t recognize, rebuilding a life on my own terms. That project grew out of the question I kept asking myself, Who am I now? And how do I choose a life that feels joyful, peaceful, and intentional, even after loss?

So while these books are separate projects, they’re really two parts of one journey. Oh Hello Alzheimer’s gave me my voice. Find Joy, No Regrets taught me how to use it to inspire others. Together, they’ve become my way of helping people move through hardship with hope and toward their own version of a life well-lived.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I often say I did not choose this path, it chose me. My name is Lisa Marshall, and my work as an author, speaker, and motivator grew out of one of the most challenging seasons of my life. When my late husband Peter was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, everything I thought I knew about love, partnership, and the future shifted. Caregiving was not something I trained for. It was something I learned moment by moment, mistake by mistake, grace by grace.

I started writing simply to survive the experience, to give shape to emotions that did not have names yet. Those journal entries grew into my first book, Oh Hello Alzheimer’s, which tells the story of our journey with honesty, tenderness, and humor. That book opened doors I never expected, including speaking at conferences, supporting caregivers, and connecting with people who were walking through heartbreak of their own. It showed me that storytelling is not just a creative craft, it is a lifeline. It is how we feel seen. It is how we heal.

After Peter passed, I found myself standing at another crossroads. I knew I could stay in the grief, or I could choose, intentionally, to create a life filled with purpose and joy again. That became the heart of my second book, Find Joy, No Regrets: Cultivating Peace and Ease Through Choice. This work is all about helping people reclaim their power, rewrite old narratives, and embrace a life guided by authenticity, gratitude, and radical acceptance.

Today, I see myself less as an author and more as someone who walks alongside people as they navigate the complexities of being human. My creative work includes books, speeches, workshops, and uplifting content on social platforms, all rooted in the same mission: to remind people that joy is not something we wait for, it is something we choose again and again, even in difficult seasons.

What sets me apart is the blend of lived experience, emotional honesty, and unwavering optimism I bring to my work. I do not write or speak from theory. I write from the messy middle, from the moments that bring you to your knees, from the quiet victories, from the rediscovery of love after loss. I believe in telling the truth, but telling it in a hopeful way.

I am most proud of the community that has grown around this work, including caregivers, grievers, seekers, and everyday people who want to show up for their own lives in a more intentional way. My brand is not about perfection. It is about possibility. It is about choosing peace when life feels chaotic, finding joy when the world feels heavy, and knowing that it is never too late to rewrite your story.

For anyone who is new to my work, what I want them to know is simple: whatever season you are in, you are not alone, and you are allowed to choose a life that feels good to you. My books, my talks, and my content are all created to support that journey with compassion, honesty, and a whole lot of heart.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think the heart of my reputation comes from choosing to be real in a world that often rewards the polished version instead. When I began sharing my caregiving journey with Peter, I made a decision early on to ignore the “shoulds.” I stopped worrying about how I was supposed to feel or how I was supposed to present myself, and instead I spoke from the truth of my experience. People connect with honesty. They feel it.

Being authentic, even when it is uncomfortable, has been the most powerful foundation of my work. I have always been a truth teller, willing to say the quiet parts out loud, and over time that has allowed me to become both a pioneer in this space and a beacon of hope for people who are looking for a way forward.

I think another part of my reputation comes from my willingness to show up consistently in service. Whether I am speaking on stage, writing a book, or posting online, my intention is always the same, to help people feel less alone and more empowered to make choices that bring them peace and joy. I do not pretend to have it all figured out. I simply share what I have lived, what I have learned, and what continues to guide me.

In a way, my “market” built itself. People who value authenticity, compassion, humor, and growth tend to find me, and we create community together. I am proud of that. It is proof that when you lead with heart and truth, the right people gather around you.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

A story that illustrates my resilience begins in the quiet space after my husband Peter passed away. For years, my entire identity had been wrapped in caregiving. My days, my emotions, my energy, even my purpose were centered around supporting him through early-onset Alzheimer’s. When that chapter ended, I felt both deep grief and a strange sense of emptiness. I remember looking in the mirror and thinking, “Who am I now?”

That question became the start of my rebuilding. Instead of rushing to fill the silence with “shoulds,” I allowed myself to explore what joy, purpose, and identity looked like on my own terms. I gave myself permission to grow, to rediscover what lit me up, and to imagine a future that could hold both the love I lost and the life I still wanted to create.

Choosing joy after loss was not a single moment, it was a practice. It took resilience to step forward, to write again, to open my heart to new love, and to begin new creative projects that reflected the woman I had become. That journey led me to write Find Joy, No Regrets, a book rooted in intentionality, healing, and possibility. It also opened the door to a new wave of work focused on helping others move from survival to purpose, from overwhelm to empowerment, and from holding back to fully blooming.

That willingness to keep evolving is at the core of my resilience. I learned that you can rebuild a life from the inside out, and it can be beautiful.

And the most exciting part is that my journey is still unfolding. I am working on something new that continues this mission of inspiring others to choose joy, step into their truth, and create a life that feels authentic and alive. Joy is a choice that everyone can make.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ohhelloalz.com
• Instagram: @findjoynoregrets and @ohhelloalzheimers
• Facebook: @findjoynoregrets and @ohhelloalzheimers

Image Credits

Dan Brehant Photography