For decades, UC Berkeley-trained engineer and high-tech executive Lena Fein lived as a master of survival disguised as success, using academic achievement and corporate ambition as armor to mask the deep trauma of a violent, controlling childhood. But at age fifty-one, standing at the deathbed of her abusive mother, a profound moment of connection sparked an unexpected journey toward reckoning, release, and midlife reclamation. In this episode, Terry Shepherd sits down with Lena to discuss her deeply moving and redemptive new memoir, Shattering the Mirror, exploring how healing doesn't follow anyone else's timetable—and why it is never too late to reclaim your true voice.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

🪞 The Metaphor of the Distorted Mirror: How a childhood amusement park memory and a harrowing, glass-shattering window accident became symbols for living with a distorted self-image and a fear of "falling" into love.
🚪 Ambition as Armor: How academic perfection and a corporate career in high-tech served as a refuge and a survival mechanism to bypass emotional pain.
🌾 Generational Trauma & Cruelty: Understanding the hidden history of her parents' generation—marred by the Depression and the Holocaust—and how Lena and her sisters eventually compared notes in midlife to discover they were not alone in their abuse.
💃 Reclaiming the Heart in Midlife: Lena’s evolution after quitting her high-tech job, from working as a hospice caregiver to embracing freeform dance, singing, and finding genuine presence with her grandchildren.

About the Guest

Lena Fein is a UC Berkeley-trained engineer, former high-tech executive, and past hospice worker. After decades of navigating life out of her head, the passing of her mother catalyzed a profound emotional awakening, leading her to trade corporate metrics for creative and somatic healing. She is the author of the redemptive new memoir, Shattering the Mirror.

About Terry Shepherd

Terry Shepherd is the host of In Conversation, a podcast dedicated to deep, insightful dialogues with authors, creators, and thinkers who share powerful personal narratives and life-changing truths.

Links & Resources

Visit Lena Fein’s Official Website: shatteringthemirror.com
Buy the Book: Shattering the Mirror
Connect with Host Terry Shepherd: [Terry Shepherd's Official Website]
Listen to More Episodes: [In Conversation Podcast Archive]

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