Podcast Summary: Ready For Love with Hilary Silver

Episode #86: From Walls Up to Wide Open: Meryl’s Reset on Love & Life

Release Date: October 17, 2025
Guest: Meryl Stern (Interior Designer, The Stern Studio)

Episode Overview

In this candid and inspiring episode, host Hilary Silver welcomes her former program graduate, Meryl Stern, a renowned interior designer, to discuss her deeply personal journey of transformation in love, career, and life. The conversation centers around breaking down emotional walls, the power of self-understanding, and how personal growth radiates into all areas, including business and relationships. Meryl's story moves from years of guardedness and self-doubt to newfound confidence and openness, offering listeners practical wisdom and hope for their own journeys.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Recognizing Emotional Walls & The Need for Change (02:18–04:31)

• Backstory: After years of not prioritizing dating and being divorced for a decade, Meryl recognized she’d built emotional walls and was defaulting to “no” in relationships.
• Meryl admits even “ridiculous” reasons, like not liking someone’s name, became dealbreakers—a sign she was protecting herself from vulnerability.
• Quote:
  • "I was just very comfortable being alone... I would find what they didn't have for me instead of focusing on what's important. Honestly, if I didn't like their name, I would swipe left. Like, that's ridiculous." — Meryl (03:10)

2. The Power of Self-Discovery & Writing a New Story (04:53–09:14)

• Program Structure: Meryl praises Hilary’s Ready for Love program’s structure: weekly meetings, recordings, and especially the deep-dive journaling homework.
• Breakthrough Exercise: Writing a resignation letter to old family roles stood out as transformative and freeing.
  • Quote:
    • "You had to write a resignation letter, which was brilliant. You literally have to think of the reasons why you're resigning and why you don't need to be that role anymore." — Meryl (05:49)
• Root Cause Reflection: Meryl shares childhood experiences—feeling alone, being a “people pleaser,” and growing up in a dark household—which later shaped her self-worth and preference for solitude.

3. Self-Worth, Imperfection, and Being 'Good Enough' (09:14–10:37)

• Shift in Self-Perception: Through Hilary’s program, Meryl recognized old messages that she wasn’t “good enough.” She reframed imperfections as sources of uniqueness and value.
  • Quote:
    • "It took me until after graduating your program to realize that the imperfections are what make me me and make me special." — Meryl (00:00 & 09:14)
• Discussion extends to society’s obsession with fixing perceived flaws, plastic surgery, and the importance of true confidence.

4. Translating Personal Growth into Professional Success (11:01–14:18)

• Identity Expansion: Meryl highlights how inner work and confidence spill over into her business—mentoring others, making confident choices, and not settling for less in clients or relationships.
• Business & Boundaries: The importance of discernment—just as she now carefully chooses romantic partners, she’s selective with clients.
  • Quote:
    • "Picking your person is kind of the same as picking your client... It's not that your client picks you, and it's not that your guy picks you. You pick them." — Meryl (13:14)
  • Hilary emphasizes:
    • "Let’s just stop. Because that's a really big paradigm shift, especially in the business world." (13:33)

5. Launching a New Venture: The Stern Studio (11:19–12:54)

• Mother-Daughter Business: Meryl details her new, equal partnership with her daughter and how generational differences strengthen their firm.
• Daily communication, clear roles, and boundary-setting are key to their successful dual relationship.

6. Celebrating Business Wins – Architectural Digest Feature (15:43–18:49)

• Milestone Achievement: Meryl shares the story behind her dream-come-true Architectural Digest feature, a 12,000 sq foot project for a trusting young couple. She handled everything from design to final details.
  • Quote:
    • "My goal, my biggest business goal was to get into AD since I'm, like, a young kid. That was the top magazine. So the fact that they took this was just—it worked out, all around." — Meryl (17:11)

7. Reframing Success in Love (19:08–20:27)

• Redefining Outcomes: While Meryl isn’t currently in a relationship, she now knows her values and is confident being single—refusing to settle for misalignment.
• Program Success: Hilary reframes making empowered choices (even to leave a relationship) as the ultimate “success rate.”
  • Notable Quote:
    • "Women say the old me would have stayed with this person and made it work, but the new me broke up with him. I love celebrating breakups because of that very reason." — Hilary (20:07)

8. Final Thoughts & Universal Applicability (20:27–end)

• Beyond Love: Meryl says Hilary’s program should be universal, as it’s about getting “everything you want”—not just in love, but in all areas of life.
  • Quote:
    • "Your first printout was 'Get the Love You Want.' I crossed it out and wrote 'get everything you want.' I love it. That's the truth, though." — Meryl (20:27)

Memorable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• "It took me until after graduating your program to realize that the imperfections are what make me me and make me special." — Meryl (00:00, 09:14)
• "You had to write a resignation letter... you literally have to think of the reasons why you're resigning and why you don't need to be that role anymore." — Meryl (05:49)
• "Picking your person is kind of the same as picking your client... you pick them." — Meryl (13:14)
• "Women say the old me would have stayed with this person and made it work, but the new me broke up with him." — Hilary (20:07)
• "Your first printout was 'Get the Love You Want.' I crossed it out and wrote 'get everything you want.' That's the truth, though." — Meryl (20:27)

Useful Timestamps

• 02:18 – Meryl describes her walls and avoidance of dating
• 04:53 – Program features and early breakthroughs
• 05:49 – The impact of the “resignation letter” exercise
• 09:14 – Embracing imperfection and self-worth
• 13:14 – Paradigm shift: Picking partners and clients
• 15:43 – The process and meaning behind the AD feature
• 19:08 – Meryl’s current stance on love and relationships
• 20:27 – Universal applicability of the program’s lessons

Tone & Style

• The conversation is warm, honest, and direct—a hallmark of Hilary’s “truth-teller” approach.
• Meryl’s vulnerability, humility, and humor shine through, making her personal evolution both relatable and inspiring.
• The episode delivers paradigm-shifting insights applicable far beyond romantic relationships—into career, self-image, and personal fulfillment.

Episode Takeaways

• True transformation starts within; when you change, everything changes.
• Emotional openness requires dismantling long-held beliefs about worth and identity.
• The same self-knowledge that fosters healthier relationships can lead to greater professional success.
• Success isn’t just about finding “someone”—it’s becoming someone who chooses, rather than waits to be chosen.
• Celebrating growth means celebrating aligned choices, even if those mean being single or making tough business calls.

To see more of Meryl’s work, visit thesternstudio.com.