Jo Giese’s mother, Babe, liked to drink, dance, and stay up very late. When the husband she adored went on sales calls, she waited for him in the parking lot, embroidering pillowcases. Jo grew up thinking that the last thing she wanted was to be like her mother. Then it dawned on her that her own happiness was derived in large part from lessons Babe had taught her. Her mother might have had tomato aspic and stewed rhubarb in her fridge, while Jo had organic kale and almond milk in hers, but in more important ways they were much closer in spirit than Jo had once thought. At a turbulent time in America, Never Sit If You Can Dance offers uplifting lessons in old-fashioned civility that will ring true with mothers, daughters, and their families. Told with lighthearted good humor, it’s a charming tale of the way things used to be―and probably still should be. - About The Host - Jo Giese is an award-winning radio journalist, author, teacher, community activist, and global traveler As a special correspondent Jo was part of the Peabody award-winning team at Marketplace, public radio’s daily business show, and she’s been a contributor to This American Life. Her non-fiction has appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Los Angeles Review of Books, European Travel & Life, Vogue, and more. - Radio - As a special correspondent Jo was part of the Peabody award-winning team at Marketplace, public radio’s daily business show. Her series Breaking the Mold, which featured women succeeding in male-dominated fields, ran for three years, and was their longest running series. This series won a EMMA—Exceptional Merit Media Award for Exceptional Radio Story from the National Women’s Political Caucus. For her “superior portrayal of the changing roles of women,” Jo received a GRACIE from the Foundation of American Women in Radio and TV. The multi-part series she reported at Marketplace included Checking In, How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?, Starting Over, Life on Fire!, and Reinventing Retirement. For This American Life with Ira Glass, she contributed a half-hour documentary Doctoring the Doctor. - TV - In New York City, Jo produced documentaries for PBS, WNET-TV, WNBC-TV, and was Food Editor for WNBC Nightly News. She was also a host for SNC Cable, a consumer reporter for Group W, and a producer for the Family Channel. - Non-Fiction Writing - Jo authored A Woman’s Path (Golden/St. Martin’s) and The Good Food Compendium (Doubleday). She served on the board of PEN CENTER WEST. She taught in the UCLA Extension Writing Program, and at the Skirball Lifelong Learning Center in Los Angeles. - Community Activist - As Founder and President of the MalibuGreenMachine she helped raise $750,000 for a landscaping project on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. Previously, in the 90s, as part of the Venice Action Committee, she spearheaded a community effort to plant trees in Venice, California on Rose Avenue. The mature trees, from Main Street to Lincoln Blvd, remain to this day. She was honored by the Malibu Times as 2005 Citizen of the Year, and was honored in 2008 with a Malibu Way of Life Award. Jo lives in Southern California and Montana with her husband, Ed Warren.
Hi, there, it’s me again—Jo Giese best selling author of Never Sit If You Can Dance As I’m sheltering in, along with the rest of the country and most the world, I’m also making all my meals and craving some comfort foods. Because as this pandemic lingers, we all need more comfort, and if we can eat it, even better. For breakfast my best comfort food are french crepes. My grandmother made them especially for me, and I ate them as she flipped them directly out of the pan with just a little powered sugar sprinkled on top. I rarely make this treat for myself, but since this virus started I have a pitcher of crepe batter in the fridge for when I need another dose of early morning comfort. What favorite foods and special snacks bring you comfort and are you able to get your hands on them now? And are you getting enough of them? Or too much? Check in tomorrow for another tip on how to get through these tough times with more fun and comfort. I’m Jo Giese author of Never Sit If You Can Dance—available now on Amazon.com
Hi, I’m Jo Giese, author of Never Sit If You Can Dance. A word I keep using now is weird— Living in the time of the coronavirus is weird. The weirdest. It’s weird when it’s required that people wear masks and we all look like bandits—on purpose. After a grocery run, washing our food out in the garage bringing before it inside—is weird. Greeting a best friend from 6 feet away and not being to hug or kiss them –feels weird. I’m looking forward to a time when things are less strange and freaky, less weird. When we will look back and joke, Remember, when we had to wash our hands all the time? Wasn’t that weird? Until then, for a good read during this weird time, try my joyful book Never Sit If You Can Dance. I’m Jo Giese.
Hi there—it’s me again—Jo Giese author Never Sit If You Can Dance Not so long ago being busy was a mark of being important, being in demand. It also meant that you were probably too busy to accept an invitation for a meal, a drink, a walk. A busy life could give the illusion of urgency and confer a certain status to rushaholics. Once I was at my mailbox and a neighbor said to me: I’m so busy. I doubt she was really that busy. She was just giving me a brush off. But now unless we’re essential workers, or we’re taking care of too many kids at home, many of us are not busy. We have the gift of idleness, the ability to goof off, to waste time. I hope we’re appreciating it. Check out my colorful posts on Instagram. Until tomorrow I’m Jo Giese.
Hi, there, it’s me again—Jo Giese—author of Never Sit If You Can Dance Here’s a important ritual I observe as a writer. When I’m at my desk the first thing I do is a light a candle. The candle is always in view, and its flame signifies to me that what I’m doing is important—it means during this time that I’m at my desk I’m supposed to be paying attention—and it also means, don’t dink around. Lately, when my husband and I have been sitting down to dinner, I take a moment to light the candles on our table. This gesture symbolizes that there may only be the two of us here, and we’re still sheltering at home, but the comfort of this meal we’re sharing is precious and important. What ritual helps you make it through the day? For a entertaining read, try my book Never Sit If You Can Dance.
Hi there, I’m Jo Giese, author of Never Sit If You Can Dance. During this virus crisis, I’ve been thinking about small, ordinary things we can do that can reduce stress and increase happiness. I’m reminded of the power of a smile. Anyone can do it. Babies do it. Grandparents do it. It costs nothing. It’s contagious. And it makes the smiler feel better and the smilee. Why is that? Because smiling boosts levels of serotonin, which is a natural stress reducer in the brain. When I married my husband, during the marriage ceremony marriage we explained why we’d chosen each other…I told him, I chose you because when you smile, your smile lights up my life. And it still does. Once when I was traveling in Bali, the smile of the Balinese people seemed to last forever. Their smile spread across their beautiful faces and lingered and lingered. I was puzzled, how do they do that? I went back to my hotel room and standing in front of the mirror I practiced trying to make my dinky thin smile spread wider and last longer. Children smile about 400 times a day, cheerful adults about 40-50 times a day, while most of us only smile 20 times a day. So there’s room for improvement. Since the very act of smiling makes us feel better, in these uncertain times smiling is one easy way to deal with all the agony and woes. For more ideas on how to get through tough times, first try smiling more, and then try my book Never Sit If You Can Dance—available now
Hi, there, I’m Jo Giese, best-selling author of Never Sit If You Can Dance: Lessons from my Mother. My mom always stressed the importance of giving thanks. I took this business of giving thanks to a different level. One day I was remembering how my speech and drama coach in junior high and high school—Sherry Billing-- had believed in me long before I believed in myself. Her coaching helped me win every first place in every speech tournament I entered. She even gave me my name—one day she said to me, You’re not Jo Ann Giese. You’re Jo Giese! On the spot, I changed my name. One day when I was in my 40s and I was living in NYC, and maybe I was feeling a little bit lonely, I was thinking that I wanted to thank this teacher, let her know what a lasting impact she’d had on my life. I picked up the phone and learned she’d been promoted to principal in her Houston school district. Think about it. Who has made a important contribution to your psyche—someone who believed in you before you believed in yourself—it could be anyone--a neighbor, a relative, a colleague—and why not reach out and thank them. Today. Do it today. Lord knows, most of us have extra time now. It could be a written note, a Zoom chat, a phone call. I guarantee you’ll be glad you did it. If you’d like to hear more of these flash briefings---- check them out my website: https://www.jogiese.com
Hi there, I'm Jo Giese, bestselling author of the joyous book "Never Sit If You Can Dance, Lessons From My Mother."" When things get tough, like now with the coronavirus, we can get scared and sad---or--we can make the best of it. In 1961, Hurricane Carla with 175 mph winds was headed to smash into Houston. My family with 3 kids and our neighbor with 5 kids were gonna evacuate in my Dad's small car. Except when our neighbor also brought a parakeet in a cage, Mom realized this wasn't going to work. Instead she invited all the neighbors to gather at our place around a campfire of candles and lanterns. We hung out--playing board games. Luckily, the hurricane missed us, but I still savor Waiting for Carla as one of the scariest and friendliest times of my childhood. This current crisis is different in that we're denied the comfort of gathering together. But my mom's attitude can still help you in this emergency. While we're sheltering in place, use this time to create memories with those you love. If you'd like more of cool stuff I learned from my mom, check out my book, "Never Sit If You Can Dance." Available at Amazon.com
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