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- [00:00]
A
Hey, I'm Dr. Maya Shankar. I host a podcast called A Slight Change of Plans that combines behavioral science and storytelling to help us navigate the big changes in our lives.
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B
I get so choked up because I feel like your show and the conversations are what the world needs. Encouraging, empowering, counter programming that acts like a lighthouse when the world feels dark.
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A
Listen to A Slight Change of Plans wherever you get your podcasts.
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Hi, this is Zibby Owens and you're listening to Totally Booked with Zibby, formerly Moms don't have Time to Read Books. In my daily show, I interview today's latest best selling buzziest or underrated authors and story creators whose work I think is worth your time. As a bookstore owner, publisher, author, and obviously podcaster, I get a comprehensive look at everything that's coming out and spend my time curating the best books so you don't have to stay in the know, get insider insights and connect with guests like I do every single day. For more information, go to zibbymedia.com and follow me on Instagram. Iby Owens.
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D
Today's episode is the number six master most downloaded Totally Booked episode of 2025.
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C
We're halfway there to number one. Christie Brinkley is the author of Uptown Girl, a Memoir. Christie is a model, actress, entrepreneur, illustrator, photographer, humanitarian, best selling author, smile train ambassador, activist in children's environmental health and wellness, creator and owner of Bellissima Wines and Prosecco and the clothing line twrhl, and proud mom of three amazing kids. In her five decades in the modeling industry, Christie Brinkley has been photographed on six continents in more than 30 countries and has appeared in more than 500 magazine covers worldwide. She lives in the Hamptons.
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D
Welcome. Christy, thank you so much for coming on Totally Booked with Zibby to talk about Uptown Girl, a memoir.
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B
So pleased to be here. Thank you for having me.
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D
Oh, it's my pleasure. What a journey. There are so many surprising things in this book. I feel like it is such a wild ride. Like I had to buckle my seatbelt. I was really taken by just how much grief and loss and sort of trauma has been in your life. You have had, yes, of course, so much glamour and success professionally and all that, but all these sort of unlucky things. How can maybe you could talk a little bit about about that and just how you find the strength to always just keep going.
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B
Well, you know, it's funny because in retrospect I feel that it's like you say unlucky, but I feel like some of the bad things if they hadn't happened, the next great thing wouldn't have happened. And I'm seeing now, as I put it all together, that it really has been an opportunity to find the silver linings in all those bad things and either learn from it, find out about my own strength that I didn't know that I had, or allow it to propel me kind of in a, oh, yeah, I'll show you kind of way. So I don't think of them. I think of them almost like a good thing now, like a gift that propelled me onto the next thing.
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D
Well, that's a. It's a lovely attitude, but I just, you know, some of the abuse that you faced as a young age, losing Olivier, the times you almost died, I mean, the stalker, the Hulker outside your room in Crete, and just like, I just couldn't believe one thing, and you're just like. And then I just picked up and did the next thing. So it's a lot, and it's really amazing to.
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B
And, and those are the stories that made it. There are so many more that, you know, that's the, the thing when you wait until you're 70 to write your. Your memoir. It's just not all going to fit in the book. It's just not. So I have. Have a lot of stories that, that I, I couldn't fit in there because my publishers knew kind of the right size of book, otherwise it could be intimidating, too expensive. And so we had to sort of pick and choose and. But I think that it was a good idea and I think that somehow people are relating to it and are giving me such positive feedback. It is really great because when you do put it all out there, the good, the bad, the ugly, and you feel very vulnerable the day before it's coming out. Like, you know, what if it just sits there? You know, what if nobody gets it? What if? What if? But I'm so relieved it has been so wonderfully received so well.
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D
I am. I am not surprised. Thank you for. It's a privilege that you shared your whole life with us. You know, one. Another thing I was struck by is, is your humbleness throughout everything. And you had a quote in the book that said, during my 50 years as a model, I've always assumed that every job I've ever had would be my last. How do you tell me about that? This attitude, like, oh, this was great, but it, you know, I'm sure this is. This is the end of the line, like, that kind of attitude.
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B
Definitely. I thought, well, you know, I'm going to Say yes, because this may be the last time anybody asked me. And. And then I'd go in with the attitude of, well, I better make it good because this is the last one and, you know, something to remember. And I think that it kind of, it kind of worked for me because I gave it my all. And then miraculously there'd be another job and another job. And it wasn't until I realized that there was actually a possibility that I could actually make a go of this thing. Then I got very nervous about it. Like, once I decided, okay, I'm doing this and I'm gonna like, I'm going to become a model, I'm gonna eat nothing and I'm gonna exercise and I'm gonna really try and succeed. Then I got anxiety because I think it's, it's almost better to look at it like a one off because really now is all you really know that you have.
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D
That's true. Well, I appreciated the times when you're like. And then I had a lot of anxiety. So I finally decided to do something about it. You did like a couple different points in your life. And I'm like, okay, I can understand that. Look at all the time. One thing you didn't really talk that much about in the book is how it feels having been a model and having. Even though, you know you have a very, like, I'm so lucky this happened. And it was not like your goal in life to be a model or anything. How it feels having, you know, aging and being in the public eye and having to cope with all the stuff that we all have to deal with, both publicly and because of your role with the beauty world. How do you feel about that?
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B
I think it's really interesting time to age because aging never had so many options. It's like optional now. If you want to age or not, that's up to you. And so I think we see examples all around us of aging. Not aging gracefully, not aging, not gracefully aging like aging yourself because you're trying so hard not to age that it's actually making you look older than you are. I mean, it's very interesting. So with all the options out there, there's a lot of talk about aging. And also we are the generation like that my age and I would say 10 years below, well, even 20 years below me and up. We're really the generation that is changing the way we think about those numbers because this is an industry that told me I'd be chewed up and spit out at 30. And at 30, I remember I was on top of a mountain I had just hiked, and I never felt better. And I was like, so much for. For your idea of, you know, chewing up and spitting out. And there were moments where the business, my. My beauty business, my, you know, fashion and beauty world no longer was, like, so sending me offers all day long and all of that. And it was kind of up to us to create ourselves and talk about aging and talk about representation. Just like the industry has spread its arms so beautifully to be accepting and to actually help people see beauty in all sizes, all shapes, all colors, ethnicities. But age is like the last frontier. It really remains the last frontier. And everybody's aging in their own individual ways. And I think that all those different ways should be represented and discussed because there are so many options now. And so I think it. As I said, I think it's kind of an interesting time to be aging In America.
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D
Absolutely. 100%. And what is it like bringing up so your daughter, Alexa Ray. I was her counselor a long time ago in a day camp out in the Hamptons. I was like a CIT at the time, and she was in my group, and it was so cute, like, watching whatever little performances and whatever. Oh, my gosh.
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B
In the city or in the country?
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D
No, no, in the country.
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B
Like in East Hampton.
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D
Yeah, East Hampton. It doesn't exist anymore. It was like a tiny little camp. East Hampton day camp or something.
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B
Yes, yes, yes. Oh, she's so terrified to go there. She would cry, like, the whole way there, and then she would get there and always had fun. She'd always come back going, we had fun, and da, da, da, da, da. But she did not want to go there.
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D
Well, you write about her and your other kids in the book, and I'm wondering how you handle sort of being in the public eye. And then when things happen with your kids, you touch on this in the book when she had so much heartbreak and how supportive you were of that. And as a mom of four myself, that really, you know, hit home to me. Like, how do you go through those moments, A, in public and just B, as a mom.
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B
Yeah. You know, having kids is probably one of the areas that's the toughest. Dealing with a certain amount of celebrity and the scrutiny that goes along with it is hard when that overlaps and they start scrutinizing your kids and comparing. And that really hurts. Really. It's the one thing that I can say has been the biggest bummer of being, you know, sort of famous is that because you never want what you're doing to hurt anybody. And Alexa, you know, she really got hurt by things that the media would say about her and continued to say about her through the years. It was really hard on her, and it really affected her. And I think. I think it's. It's really hard. My other two came 10 years later. And Sailor, who got compared to me for looking like me, had, you know, also difficulty with that because she struggled with her weight. And she dabbled in modeling. She didn't really love it. It wasn't her thing. But when she was younger and she dabbled in it, she thought, now I have to look like a model and I have to lose weight. But it was rough on her, too. And she got an eating disorder and she got, like, anorexic, and it's just tough. So now I. I say to them, look at somebody like Kate Hudson, who's so well adjusted. She's got Goldie Hawn, super famous, like, really, really famous, and Kurt Russell as her dad and her stepdad. And she just keeps doing things. Like, she never lets any of the press bother her or catch up to her. Like, if anybody ever dared call her a nepo baby or whatever, she just, like, shrugs it off and is on to the next thing, you know. So I try and just say to them, don't even read the press, for starters. And, like, not the press, but the letters or the people. Right. You know, Although I must say, I think we have a very nice group of people on our Instagram. I rarely see anybody being mean there. I think they. It's just all beautiful souls. But it has been, you know, difficult to get through all of that. And really, I. I think the best advice that I can give is to just keep charging ahead and don't let anything slow you down. And if they say. I say to Alexa, if they say you're a nepo baby because you sing, it's like, do they say to the kid whose dad, you know, owns the hardware store and he takes over the hardware store, is that a nepo baby? It's like, it's a family business. Like, you grew up on a sound stage or on a the edge of Madison Square Garden stage. That's your life. That's how you grew up. Of course that's going to be an influence. And of course you're going to want to go into showbiz yourself. And, you know, so what? Nepo baby is just a term that means your parents were in showbiz, so run with it. Who cares?
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D
You also wrote about another book you found Useful about divorcing a narcissist and dealing with narcissistic personalities. What's your, what's your advice or experience there that something that affects so many people?
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E
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D
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E
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B
Yes, well, luckily there are resources now that will connect you to other people that are going through similar things. When I was going through my last divorce, there was very little information on narcissism and what that really means. And now luckily there, there are resources and specifically divorcing, divorcing a narcissist. And one mom's battle website will help people navigate these waters. Not feel like they're crazy, not feel alone because it is a long haul battle that you're going to face. It's very, very hard to divorce a narcissist because they can't have a chink in their armor. They can't have a chip that's anything less than perfect and you're putting that chip there, that chink in their armor and so they need to destroy you. And so that's really hard to deal with. So I'm glad that there are resources now and Tina Swithin has written these like several books now and as I mentioned, has a very good website and Instagram and can help people understand what they're up against.
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D
Amazing. You had another best selling book come out years ago and now this book, Uptown Girl is a New York Times bestseller. Congratulations.
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B
Thank you.
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D
How have you found the industry to have changed in those intervening years? I know the books are quite different, but what do you think?
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B
Well, the books are very different. Like I've had two beauty books out before. Both of them were on the New York Times bestseller list. My first one stayed there for a while because it was supported by a Diet Coke commercial that had me reading my book cover open like this and then dropping the book, you know, to, to see me behind the book and sipping my diet Coke, which was new on the market. And we thought that was so good for you, you know, so that was a, a big seller. And I, when it came to the memoir, I was told, you know, it's extremely hard to get in this category. It's extremely hard to get on the bestsellers list. So do not be discouraged. It's, you know, it may not happen. And then we came out of the box. And we went to number four. And I was, it was really great because, you know, I did put it all out there and I felt then like the night before it was going to hit the, the bookstores and everything, I was feeling kind of vulnerable and I felt like, what if nobody cares? And what if nobody picks it up? What if they all think, oh, my God, she's been around 50 years, we know all there is to know about her. And I just, I thought I could just picture the piles of books just sitting there. And I was like, oh, but my goodness, people have been so, so sweet, so lovely. They're connecting with the material. I'm getting letters non stop in my Instagram and real reviews, you know, that are really glowing and people are saying the nicest things, like, I didn't want it to end. And I picked it up and I couldn't put it down. And I sat and read it, read it in two days, and I'm nearing the end, so I'm savoring it now. I don't want it to end. So I'm reading. I'm only allotting myself two pages a day so I can make it last.
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D
I.
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B
And then one person wrote, your book makes me want to get up and live. And I just, you know, it's just really, it's better than I ever could have imagined. This feedback has just been so great. I am so grateful to everybody that's written to let me know how much they liked it. It means so much to me. I really thank you, everybody.
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D
If you're listening, when you were worrying that night, before it came out and feeling quite vulnerable, was there one part that you were like, ooh, should I not have put that in?
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B
Yeah, well, I. Part that distressed me the most because I'd never, ever want to hurt him is about Billy. And, you know, I, I, I don't like to ever say anything bad about anybody. And so I tried to, but I needed to explain myself. Like, why would I ever have walked away from that relationship that was so wonderful, that was so, just beautiful. So. But there was something that was, that I couldn't compete with that. I tried and I tried to come at it every angle I knew how. And, you know, I tried to make our life as perfect as I could, his life as perfect as I could. And I tried, but I had to, I had to do some, you know, just preserve my own soul at that time. And so I had to walk away. But I had to also write so that people understood why. And I think that in context, I make it clear that he was under a kind of stress that people. No one should have to deal with the kind of stress that he was under extenuating circumstances that were really awful. And so obviously, it doesn't excuse. You know, there is the disease and there's. But it. It kind of explains why that got out of hand. But I. I worried about that. You know, I just don't want to ever hurt anybody.
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D
And how has it landed? Have you gotten. Have you heard from him about it?
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B
When it first came out, the first day it started sounded like some sort of revenge novel, the way it was being perceived, like, written about in the press. And so I. I had to explain to the press that I didn't like it being lifting. You know, we were together for 12 years. We dated the first year and lived together. We were engaged the next year, and then we were married for whatever the years. And so during that time, I have, like, maybe four instances in the book of where, you know, his behavior hurt me. And I explained it, and in context, I think it's understandable. Out of context, I had to say, hey, this is not a revenge memoir. This is not written with the purpose of hurting anybody. So please don't pluck things and make it seem like out of context that I'm just complaining because I think I made it very clear how magical my time with him was.
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D
I thought you wrote about it with a lot of respect. I really do. I mean, you're not the only woman who has had to deal with a spouse who has, you know, alcohol or drug problems. And, you know, I. I felt you were very compassionate, and you even showed us some of the reasons why he was under all that stress. So I didn't take it that way, having read it.
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C
Just saying.
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B
Good. Well, that's what I'm hearing. Also, people are like, no, I actually was always a Billy Joel fan, and I love him even more after reading your book.
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E
Oh.
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B
But I'm hearing from most people that's good.
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D
I'm so glad. Okay, well, Christy, thank you so much. I really loved it. I loved learning about you and all the things I never knew. And you're speaking French and being an artist and photographer and just, like, your whole story, your deep love for your parents, and, I mean, it was just really. It was quite a ride. So thank you for that. Thank you for sharing it.
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B
Thank you so much for your time today and. And for reading my book and giving me such a nice review.
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D
Oh, thank you. All right, Thanks a lot. Okay, bye.
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B
Bye.
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C
Thank you for listening to Totally Booked with Zibby, formerly Moms don't have Time to Read Books. If you loved the show, tell a friend, leave a review. Follow me on Instagram Iby Owens and Spread the Word. Thanks so much. Oh, and buy the books.
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E
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D
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F
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A
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