The Karol Markowicz Show: Gen X & Midlife Reset: Lisa De Pasquale on Weight Loss, Financial Comeback, and Thriving in Middle Age

Summary

The Karol Markowicz Show: Gen X & Midlife Reset

Guest: Lisa De Pasquale
Host: Karol Markowicz
Date: December 10, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on midlife reinvention, tackling the unique challenges and opportunities facing Gen Xers from weight loss and financial resets to geographical moves and romantic renewal. Lisa De Pasquale, author of Gen X Handbook for Middle Age, joins Karol Markowitz to candidly share her personal transformation—losing 170 pounds, paying off substantial debt, moving to Texas for a new life and love, and thriving in middle age. Their conversation explores stereotypes and realities of Gen X, the difficulty of asking for help, and practical advice for anyone seeking a reset at midlife.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Lisa's Rock-Bottom & Transformation

• Catalyst for Change: At 41, Lisa found herself "single, unemployed, over 300 pounds, and…about $50,000 in credit card debt," all after a career in political nonprofits.
  "[I] just spending too much time working for political nonprofits...I started with, with weight loss to just get my health back on track." (04:10)

• Mindset Shift: Inspired by a biblical verse—I have put before you, life and death, therefore choose life—Lisa transitioned from passively hoping things would improve to actively pursuing a better life.
  "It was like, no, I'm actually going to choose to have a better life." (04:42)

• Achievements:

  • Lost 170 pounds
  • Became debt free by 2021
  • Moved from Virginia to Texas in 2022
  • Began a new relationship: "Also to be with the love of my life." (05:47)

The Gen X Experience & Pop Culture

• Motivation for the Book: Lisa wanted to counter the notion "you can't teach an old dog new tricks," highlighting her transformation in her 40s.

  • "For women, you know, in my 40s...my love of pop culture and particularly Gen X pop culture was just a way to have fun with the subject." (06:09)

• Gen X’s Unique Identity and Challenges:

  • Seen as the "forgotten generation," less discussed than Boomers, Millennials, or Gen Z.
  • Primary concerns include retirement security and the stress of being the "sandwich generation"—caring for both aging parents and children. (06:51)
  • Gen X's independence can be a double-edged sword—strength and stumbling block:
    "On the negative side, our independence is probably not asking for help." (08:06)

Openness About Struggles

• Public Discussion of Weight Loss:

  • Lisa reflects on how being open about her weight and setbacks helps provide honesty to others—"If I didn't talk about, say, my weight at all, that the actual number...someone who might be slightly over slightly under...wouldn't know where I was coming from." (09:54)

• Facing Public Judgment:

  • Points out difficulties of public scrutiny, referencing her interviews and public appearances (e.g., with Michael Malice, at CPAC with Rush Limbaugh and Donald Trump). (10:57–11:23)
  • Experiences with online feedback: "I was kind of expecting...credit for what I had done so far, and there wasn't really any." (12:22)

Biggest Adjustments & Life Changes

• Leaving Comfort Zones:

  • Lisa considers moving to Texas the biggest leap, leaving behind two decades in Virginia and starting anew in a smaller city, focusing on writing and creative work. (14:04–15:00)

• Relationship & Creative Partnership:

  • Met her partner through mutual professional interests; both are creatives—she's a writer, he’s an artist who worked with DC and Marvel and illustrated her book cover. (16:00)

Personal Reflections & Hard-Won Wisdom

• Proud Accomplishments:

  • Lisa says starting her weight loss journey is what she’s most proud of, given a lifetime of struggle.
    "I had been overweight most of my life...I think it takes a lot of courage to [try again] when I've failed a million times and just still [keep going]." (21:05)

• Feeling Like a Different Person?

  • Despite the physical changes, Lisa admits she sometimes still doesn’t believe what her body can do, i.e., hesitating to do burpees even when fit. (22:31)

Five-Year Predictions: AI and the Future

• Lisa is skeptical that AI will change art and culture as profoundly as some predict:
  "When it comes to art, it's a giant bubble and it's just a parlor trick. Like, look at this silly dancing dog I made." (24:11)
• She is optimistic about AI for health data and diagnostics:
  "I think healthcare is probably the biggest place...uploading like X rays and things like that...faster and...across not just [one] radiologist but what like every radiologist [has seen]." (25:33)
• Both agree people still want human connection and soul—in art, culture, and medicine. (26:26)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Choosing Life:
  "No, I'm actually going to choose to have a better life." – Lisa DiPasquale (04:42)

• On Gen X Independence:
  "Our independence is probably not asking for help. Like you said, you know, when in the places where we need it." – Lisa DiPasquale (08:06)

• Weight Loss Courage:
  "I think it takes a lot of courage to...when I've failed a million times and just still right?" – Lisa DiPasquale (21:31)

• On AI in Art:
  "Without that soul there, people will crave, you know, writing in art and movies more." – Lisa DiPasquale (24:11)

• Advice to Listeners:
  "I think it's to do uncomfortable things. I mean for me it, it was kind of everything, weight loss for you, maybe leaving your home state, you know, it might be have having kids before you're ready or financially ready. I think generally, we need to be more attuned to doing uncomfortable things because that can, you know, lead to, you know, a better life." – Lisa DiPasquale (26:57)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Lisa's background and why she wrote her book: 03:51–06:09
• Gen X as a 'forgotten' generation & our unique challenges: 06:25–08:06
• Independence as Gen X's asset and liability: 08:06–08:48
• Discussing weight loss publicly, handling scrutiny: 09:54–13:02
• Biggest personal transitions (weight, debt, moving): 13:34–15:00
• Meeting her partner and creative collaboration: 15:21–16:18
• Proudest accomplishment—weight loss & ongoing struggle: 21:05–22:31
• Five-year outlook for AI, art, and healthcare: 23:19–26:26
• Final advice: Do uncomfortable things: 26:57

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Closing

Karol thanks Lisa for her candor and inspiration, encouraging listeners to check out Gen X Handbook for Middle Age and Lisa’s Substack (getbright.substack.com). The key takeaway: growth happens through discomfort and reinvention is always possible—no matter your age.

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For more:

• Lisa De Pasquale: getbright.substack.com
• Book: Gen X Handbook for Middle Age

Transcript

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[Lisa DiPasquale]

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[Carol Markowitz]

Hi, and welcome back to the Carol markowitz show on iheartradio. My guest today is Lisa DiPasquale. Lisa is author of the Gen X Handbook for Middle age, writer and [e-mail] and the former director of CPAC. Hi, Lisa. So nice to have you on.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Hi, Carol. Thanks for having me.

[Carol Markowitz]

So the Gen X Handbook for middle Age. I guess this is it. We're middle aged. This is a fact.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

I mean, we should be lucky, right?

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

I guess.

[Carol Markowitz]

All so true. Yeah. What made you write the Gen X handbook?

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Well, basically for me, at like age 41, I found myself single, unemployed, over 300 pounds and.

Basically. Oh, and in about $50,000 in credit card debt. This is all like post CPAC. Wow. And basically just spending too much time working for political nonprofits.

[Guest or Commentator]

Yeah.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

And I started with, with weight loss to just get my health back on track. There was a bible ve that I had read from Moses. I have put before you, light and dark.

Therefore choose, or life and death. Light and dark, therefore choose life. And that's kind of when I went from the mindset of rather than, you know, kind of pretend to lose weight so that when something happened to me, my family would think, you know, she did all she could do. It was like, no, I'm actually going to choose to have a better life. And that was kind of the beginning of, you know, for me losing £170 and just the catalyst for, you know, other good things in my life. I, you know, obviously found, found a job. I became debt free by 2021. By 2022, I left a blue state like you to find smart, better life.

[Carol Markowitz]

Where'd you go?

[Lisa DiPasquale]

I'm in Texas.

[Guest or Commentator]

Okay.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

I left DC, Northern Virginia for Texas in 2022. You know, right after they're kind of in the midst of COVID and. And all of that. I don't have kids, but it was just an overall, you know, like, also to be with the love of my life.

[Carol Markowitz]

All right, so a lot of things.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Went right, like I said, for the. The book then is just like, you know, we hear so often that, you know, you can't teach a old dog new tricks. And, like, one day it just sort of came to me. Wait a minute. I did all of these things, you know, particularly for women, you know, in. In my 40s.

And my love of pop culture and particularly Gen X pop culture was just a way to have fun with the subject.

And, you know, shoehorn all of my, you know, favorite John Hughes movies and quotes and things like that.

[Carol Markowitz]

I love it. So Gen X is kind of unique where I think that we aren't as obvious what our problems are. Like, I can tell you what millennials problems are or what Gen Z, for sure. I could tell you what the boomers issues were. But Gen X, we're sort of the forgotten generation. And I don't think that our problems have been explored as much as the other generations. So what would you say is our biggest issue?

[Lisa DiPasquale]

From what I see from a lot of people, it's that they're kind of worried about retirement. And we kind of grew up thinking that we were not going to see Social Security, you know, we're going.

To retirees, but it's all, you know, kind of on us. I mean, the good thing about it is that I think we're well equipped for that. And then the other thing that I hear from other people is just being the sandwich generation in that they're finding themselves taking care of their parents.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

And then also navigating, taking care of, you know, of their. Their kids.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, absolutely. I think that that's, you know, that's just where the age is at right now. But, like, you know, I feel like with millennials, they're kind of thought as people pleasers, and then Gen Z is like, lazy. The boomers won't let go. Do we have something like that that makes us a problem for other people?

[Lisa DiPasquale]

I think it's like, it's like with a lot of things, you know, like if we were in a job interview and you asked me for my biggest weakness, you know, I would kind of tell you how it was. Also my strength.

[Carol Markowitz]

Perfectionist, of course.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Well, and I think for Gen X, it's probably our independence. So, like, on one hand.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, that's a good one.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Yeah. You know, I read this statistic the other day, that was something like 20% of kids that are 16 are getting their driver's license or have an interest in getting a driver's license. And I. That was just like, crazy. Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

We couldn't wait to be free.

[Guest or Commentator]

Yeah.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

And so you wanted to have your own space. You wanted to be out of the freedom just to even, you know, go a couple streets over. You wanted to be able to get a job so that you could have the independence of your own money. And I think on the negative side, our independence is probably not asking for help. Like you said, you know, when in the places where we. We need it. I mean.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

We want to do it all ourselves.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Apologizing for asking people. Oh, do you want to talk about my book?

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah. Right.

[Guest or Commentator]

Yes.

[Carol Markowitz]

That is one of our issues, for sure. Asking for help when you lost the weight and you got yourself out of debt and all of that. Is it hard to talk about and to go back to a place where you were in a dark place? Right. I mean, you couldn't have been happy then. Is that hard to discuss with the public? Like, I saw you on Michael Malice's show, for example, and I was like, she is brave talking about this, talking about weight loss. And he's, you know, Malice asks some. Some real pointed questions. So I thought of you as very brave for doing that.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Yeah, I'm. Hopefully I'm going to get my third chance, or actually, I think it's my fourth episode with him. And so this will now be after my loose skin removal surgery. And so, you know, hopefully we'll get into the issues of the book. But also, I'm kind of looking forward to not having to go back to the past, but I.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right, right.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

That helps. Is. I think at the very least, you know, it sounds kind of cliche to say that I do want to help people that, you know, might be in. In my situation and come at it from an honest way. I mean, if I didn't talk about, say, my weight at all, that the actual number, like being at my highest £320 at 5 4, you know, someone who might be slightly over slightly under all of that, they kind of wouldn't know where I was, you know, coming from. Yeah. As far as, you know, having that same, you know, Hill. Hill to go up. The other thing that I think made it kind of easier for me is being in politics for. For so long, you know, some of my most public moments were at that, you know, highest weight. I mean, when I was the director of CPAC, I introduced Rush Limbaugh in 2009 when he was on stage, and we basically looked like the same size. We were both wearing, very slimming.

And then in 2011.

I invited Donald Trump to speak at CPAC for his first ever political speech. And that picture of me and him at CPAC is on his Wikipedia for, like, forever. I think it'll probably be forever because he looks really angry. So I think they'll probably keep it. They love that.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah. Huh.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

And so, I mean, if I get anything out of this experience, I just want, like, another picture taken with. With. For sure.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah. And he's looking svelte also. He's, like, lost weight.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

And.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, it's also, it's funny because, you know, there's the commenting on weight. Right. Like, I, I. You know, I don't love when people are like, oh, my God, you lost weight. Like, often I haven't. Like, it's just my makeup's a little bit better that day. I like, contoured out the chin a little bit better. And so then you have to be like, no, actually, I haven't lost any weight. I don't really know what you're talking. You know, just, like, there's, like, the. The running commentary on stuff like that.

[Guest or Commentator]

I don't know.

[Carol Markowitz]

And then you. And then you're talking so openly about it.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Yeah. And I think what helped is being, like, slightly better, you know, at certain times. But then, you know, there are times, you know, like the first interview I did with. With Michael Malice.

I did have, you know, regrets. I. I hope. I don't know if he'll hear this. And, you know, this isn't negative against him because he's a good friend, but I thought based on the comments, you know, I did this too soon because I. I was kind of expecting kind of to get credit for what I had done so far, and there wasn't really any really, that's too bad.

Jokes. Not from him. Although, of course not from him. I mean. Yeah, yeah, he did have.

[Carol Markowitz]

How much had you lost by that point?

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Maybe around £100.

[Commercial Voice]

Wow.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Yeah, but I was still. I was over 200. Um, but you just.

[Carol Markowitz]

People on the Internet, you can't. You know what I mean? Like, it's just. You can't take them seriously. You gotta just imagine that they're, like, 400 pounds and in their basements and mad at you for.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

For.

[Carol Markowitz]

For fixing yourself for, like, trying to be better, for, you know, making positive changes. What was the hardest kind of adjustment? Was it the weight? Was it the. You Know, getting out of debt. Was it. I mean, was it leaving the blue state? Like, what was the. The to change for you?

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Oh, my gosh. It. I think probably as far as getting out of my comfort zone, I mean, this is such a good time to talk about it with. After, you know, the election.

[Carol Markowitz]

We're recording this the day after the election where Mamdani becomes the socialist mayor of New York City and Virginia and New Jersey, unsurprisingly.

[Guest or Commentator]

Really?

[Carol Markowitz]

But they stay blue.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Yeah. I think that's important to remember is like, blue states remain blue. Yeah. It's like.

Blue motors, vote blue. Yeah. It might have been leaving that comfort zone of. Of where I had been for the last, you know, 20 some years. I mean, prior to that, I grew up in Florida.

So I left Florida at 21 and then left Virginia at.

45. So I lived in Virginia a slightly.

[Commercial Voice]

Wow.

[Guest or Commentator]

Yeah.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Northern Virginia. So like the blue Virginia.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah. The real blue Virginia.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Yeah. And, you know, coming to a state.

You know, working remote and it's kind of like. And I'm not in a big city. I'm between Waco and Austin.

So, you know, my. My plan A is to be a writer on. On Substack, sell books. I don't know what job opportunities are here.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

When something happens there, I mean, I can obviously commute to Austin or. Or move, but I think it was a really big chance. On top of that, you know, moving, it does shift.

[Guest or Commentator]

Yeah.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

For a relationship. Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

I mean, that's also from. Yeah.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

Did you guys meet online or was.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

It like not in a dating way? He had read some of my stuff on I'm Breitbart, and as you know, we're in Arizona to let him know. And as it happened, I was going to be there the next week. This was in 2014. And then we were just, you know, friends for. For years and years. And then one day we're kind of just like, wait a minute. You're my person. You're my person.

[Carol Markowitz]

I love you. Yeah, I love that. And that's how my husband and me also, we were best. Best friends for like a decade. That's great. That's the way to do it. I recommend it to everybody. Go find a best friend, wait a little while, and then marry them.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Well, and I should mention he's, you know, I'm a writer. He's a very talented artist. He was with DC and Marvel for 20 plus years. He did my book tour. He did the graphic novel edition of Clinton Cash.

So we fit very well together.

[Carol Markowitz]

I love it. We're going to take a quick break and be right back on the Carol Markowitz Show.

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[Carol Markowitz]

What are you most proud of in your life?

[Guest or Commentator]

Oh geez.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

I think probably starting that weight loss journey even though it did lead to lots of other bigger, better things. Because I had been overweight most of my life, the last time I was at a normal weight was probably when I was born and that was because I was a preemie. So.

I mean, I think, you know, I don't want to pat myself on the back too much, but I think it takes a lot of courage to.

When I've failed a million times and just still right?

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, I fail at losing 10 pounds very often all the time. Actually.

I fail at least once or twice a year, if not more.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Yeah, it's funny because it never gets easier because I would like to lose about 10 more and I have the same amount of anxiety as like when I a Hundred.

[Carol Markowitz]

So what was the total? How much did you lose in total?

[Lisa DiPasquale]

I've lost 170 pounds.

[Guest or Commentator]

Wow.

[Carol Markowitz]

Wow, that's amazing.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Yeah, so. And that's the thing is it's, it's such a weird number. I mean, I remember having different goals, like, oh, I would just like to be in the 2002 or it'd be cool if I could, you know, say I've lost a hundred pounds. Yeah. You know, you.

[Carol Markowitz]

Do you feel like a different person? Like, do you feel like a different human? I mean, or are you the same just in a different body?

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Yeah, I mean, I definitely have been able to do things I didn't think I could do, but I also find myself not thinking I can do certain things. Like I have a personal trainer.

And there'll be times when she'll have me do something and, you know, I'll like a bir. Something as simple as a burpee. Yeah. And feel myself hesitating because I don't think I can. I can do it.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right. I only know what a burpee is because my 12 year old son has gotten into working out. So he does burpees.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

I, I don't like them.

[Carol Markowitz]

I just, I don't think anybody likes them.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

I get tripped up on, on my feet.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah. Give us a five year out prediction and it could be about anything. The world, the country, you know, art, anything.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Yeah. So I was listening to your last podcast and as it turned out, I have the same one but the opposite prediction.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, I don't know. This is airing in a few weeks. So who, who was the last podcast?

[Lisa DiPasquale]

I'm blanking on the name, but the, the gender biologist scientist. Oh yeah, Colin Wright is the AI bubble. I think it won't make as much a difference, particularly when it comes to art and culture. I think it's very easy to tell the difference. I think the crowd sourcing is smarter. I mean, there's an ad that just came out from Coca Cola where they kind of boasted that they fired people and they did all AI within five minutes. You know, the Internet is pointing out that the truck is a different truck in every single.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

I think without that soul there, people will crave, you know, writing in art and movies more. I mean, Justine Bateman's been really good about that. I think it might still be good for, you know, healthcare and data sourcing and all of that, but when it comes to art, it's a giant bubble and it's just a parlor trick. Like, look at this silly dancing dog I made.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, it's funny. AI has become the answer like for this question and just you know, for other, for advice questions that I ask. People are very focused on, on AI for positive and negative. Some people are just like, it's going to ruin society. We're all going to lose our jobs. You know, my 15 year old daughter was like, I don't know, I could see the future being communism where the government just pays us not to work because AI does everything. And it's like that is terrifying actually. But then I love to hear that people think it might be a bubble because we've been through bubbles. I know how to handle a bubble. I don't know how to handle nobody working and nobody having to work because AI does everything.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Yeah. I mean I don't know if it'll be, you know, as I, I think it'll have like some, some usage. I mean I think healthcare is probably the biggest place where, I mean I.

[Carol Markowitz]

Love running my stats through AI to get the healthcare. Like what do you think this is? And it's like nothing, you're fine.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Well and also just uploading like.

You know, X rays and things like that.

You know, faster and across. Not just what say oncologist.

Radiologist has seen but what like every radiologist.

[Carol Markowitz]

I don't know economically how that works. Like are we going to just have fewer doctors or you know, fewer people reading charts? I don't know. But if it leads to healthier people and people, you know, having things found that wouldn't be found otherwise, it's hard to complain about.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Yeah, I mean hopefully it will lead to less of that, you know, computer or burnout work that doctors complain about you adding back the human connection. I mean similar to why I think it will fail with art. Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

People want the humanity, they want the soul.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Yeah. I mean generally like when you hear physicians talking about burnout, I mean they're not saying, you know, I have to talk to people.

[Guest or Commentator]

Yes.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Spend too much time with the patient. You're talking about, you know, inputting stuff.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right, right. Yeah, you're absolutely right. Well, I have loved this conversation. I can't wait to read your Gen X handbook because I feel like it's, it's written specifically for me. Leave us here with your best tip for my listeners on how they can improve their lives.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

I think it's to do uncomfortable things. I mean for me it, it was kind of everything, weight loss for you, maybe leaving your home state, you know, it might be have having kids before you're, you're ready or financially ready. I think Generally, we need to be more attuned to doing uncomfortable things because that can, you know, lead to, you know, a better life.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah. All right.

[Guest or Commentator]

Finally.

[Carol Markowitz]

Sal, do the burpees. Okay.

She is the author of Gen X Handbook for Middle Age. Check out her [e-mail] Lisa DiPasqually thank you so much for coming on.

[Lisa DiPasquale]

Thanks Carol.

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