Shari Leids And Hopes Others Follow
Friendship Expert And Authors Shares 50 Meals With 50 Women
Friendship expert and author Shari Leid is nearing the end of her nine-month, 50-state tour where she’s been sharing a meal with 50 different women (one woman per state) searching for their commonalities.
Leid, who dubbed it “The 50 State Project,” is a mindset coach, author and friendship expert. Her goal is to find things that unite people in an increasingly divided world. She began her journey in Albuquerque, N.M. in January and will complete it in Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska at the end of September. Some of the women are strangers, others are connections she’s made over the years.
“I aim to learn the story that brought each woman to her current state of residence. I want to learn about the community she has created, her thoughts on aging, motherhood, relationships, careers and any pivotal life experiences she is comfortable discussing and wishes to share,” Leid says.
Her fourth stop was in Boca Raton where she met Paula Rizzo, author, TV producer and media trainer. The two discussed Rizzo’s plans to obtain dual citizenship in Italy, her father’s birthplace. Leid, who was adopted from South Korea, said the meeting gave her pause to consider doing the same through a special law for those born in South Korea who became American citizens through adoption.
“It was the first time I thought of dual citizenship as an ‘and’ and not an ‘or,’” Leid says.
She is documenting her travels on Instagram (@an_imperfectly_perfect_life) and TikTok (@sharileid) and is working on a book about her experiences that she hopes will be published sometime next year.