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[0:15] Robert Bannon: Well, hi everybody. Thanks for listening to us on the Broadway Podcast Network. My name is Robert Bannon and I am here with you know, I get nervous when we have authors on the show because this is a trashy messy show, usually where we talk about artists and actors and all sorts of fun things. But our guest, Christina Wilson, everybody, has a story to tell. It's a movie in the making, literally. And I am so excited you can get the book. The book is out. And uh it's been a lifetime, I'm sure, of 20 years plus to tell this story. Christina Wilson, thank you for being here. Welcome to the show.

[0:46] Christina Wilson: Thank you so much for having me. It's such an honor. Thank you.

[0:50] Robert Bannon: Well, you use a publicist that is near and dear to my heart. Miss Angela Thomas is my was my publicist for my album and has worked with me. And I appreciate her. She sent me an email, she sent me your book, and I said, wait, this is a real life story. Christina, this is a real story.

[1:05] Christina Wilson: Yes, it is. I know it's um crazy and sensational and emotional, but it's just really my life.

[1:15] Robert Bannon: It's like Wolf of Wall Street-ish. It's it's like um a mafia movie or uh or or a modern, you know. Uh you tell it, how do you describe the book?

[1:25] Christina Wilson: Well, I actually describe the book. So I describe it as a tapestry of life lesson stories of events that impacted my life. Um, you know, people are, you know, jokingly called me uh a female Forrest Gump. Um and so it's really just um, you know, it's st it's funny. I I read a book years ago, uh Trevor Noah's um book, Born a Crime, where he had his childhood stories in there, and I was like, you know, and I had been writing my stories for uh, you know, like you said, 20 years. And I thought, like, if I was ever write a story, this is how I would do it. I would write it in, or if I was was ever to write a book, I would write it in stories. And so that's what I did. But it's really, you know, like I said, there's stories are sensational, dramatic, emotional, spiritual, um, you know, you name it. Um, but it's really, like I said, in the beginning, it's really just my life and my life lessons. And so uh very humbly speaking, that's really what it is.

[2:38] Robert Bannon: Well, reading about the book, you're from Pennsylvania and your family, you know, owns a restaurant and you had a regular, it seems like, like we all do, many of us do, working class family going to school and and making things work here in in this country, etc. But then at 25 years old, you you meet your your your husband. Well, uh soon then to be your husband, who was a Wall Street big shot, and your whole life really flipped upside down. How do you describe what that experience was like? What was that relationship like?

[3:13] Christina Wilson: So I met Jeffrey when I was 25. So I was young. And you know, we met in the late 80s, and New York, you know, was just crazy. Um it was uh an exciting, fascinating place to be. And then add to the fact that, you know, he had a lot of money. Um, you know, he was working and he worked very hard, but he afforded us uh a very lavish uh lifestyle. So for five years, um, from 25 to 30, we were you know we're single. Um, and we just lived a really fun life. Um, you know, New York was really at our disposal, which sounds crazy at such a young age. Um, but you know, and it it's hard not to get caught up in it. Um, you know, being able to walk into Chanel and have my personal shopper there, you know, uh, you know, Cartier, you know, you name it.

He liked the C, you know, Jeffrey used to say, I could shop at the C stores, Carte and Chanel. And that's just, you know, it it sounds so ridiculous, and it was ridiculous. Um, but you know, at 25, 26, 27, it's you don't you don't see it that way. You know, you're just living it, and it's it's it's just like wow.

[4:48] Robert Bannon: Well, um everyone, the book is available. I I want while we're talking about it, I I want people to know that you can get the book Believe a memoir and stories Christina H. Wilson, and it's available where you can go to Christina H. Wilson.com as well. And we'll talk about the podcast and all that stuff because you have other things on the on the docket besides the book. I was reading when I was reading and doing research about the book, your life, like people are rich, people can go to a fancy mall, people can go to Chanel, but then there are people who have you know, $400,000 cars and personal drivers, and you know, million dollars worth of credit at a casino, and literally like there's rich, and then there's whatever you want.

And there's there seems to be in society, we've learned a lot over the past few years, that there's a an underside, like a like a like a side to that that isn't always as pretty and fun as it looks like in the movies. Did you find that to be true? Was there a?

[5:42] Christina Wilson: Definitely I you know I I always say that um at the height of our wealth is probably the lowest in my life. You know I always say it's perspective, right? You could look outside from the outside my life looked like this glamorous you know like oh my goodness you know lucky her but what I knew to be my life was um very difficult. It was uh you know I was in an abusive relationship um and people did not know that and even my sister after she read the book she called me and she said you know Tina why didn't you say anything all these years and I said you know it was and what I believed these were my lessons to learn in life um what did it give me? It it provided me with inner strength and it made me a stronger more independent person and I the lessons I learned from that time in my life it wasn't about the money it was about what I was going through and I needed those tools that I was going to learn during that time to get through the rest of my life because the rest of my life was crazy um you know, talk about ups and downs, you know, to go from ultra wealth to having everything taken from you was, you know, unheard of and at a young age. But if I didn't learn that, if I didn't develop that inner strength and understanding about what money is, I wouldn't have been able to get through the what was really tough times of life.

[7:33] Robert Bannon: Well, I don't know how much you share, Christina, about the book, or I don't want to spoil the whole story because I want people to buy it, obviously. You gotta listen to it, read it. But traumatic, tragic things do happen.

[7:46] Christina Wilson: Yes.

[7:48] Robert Bannon: Yes. And I I was taken aback because when I first think of Wall Street, and I think of September 11th, I think of September 11th, 2001. And it's interesting the symbolism of the date and and what your life has had gone through at that time. What was the without I don't know how much you want to share, but what is the lowest point? Was there a day where you thought this is as bad as it can be, that it felt unsurmountable that you were in the dumps? Like life, like the life you knew was forever changed.

[8:20] Christina Wilson: Well, I think surprisingly, I wouldn't say I I know where you're getting at is that September 11, 2000 was an extremely tragic and life-changing changing moment when I found out that my husband was in a car accident and then um you know not it's not giving it away, but ultimately passes after 13 months. But I never saw that as I couldn't. I couldn't allow myself to go there to be down, um, because I knew I had to make things better. I knew I had to be strong and figure out how I was going to, you know, at this time we had two little boys. I was like, you know, how am I going to make a life that's okay for all of us and you know bring Jeffrey back into our lives? Um, he was minimally conscious at a point.

Um, he was in a coma for a long time. But I'd never it I know it sounds crazy, but I think when you read the book you get where I'm going at. But the 13 months that he survived and I was with him, and our children would come every weekend, really was a gift to us. Um it was a time that we were together just as a family, and it was all about positivity, strength, hope, um, optimism. And these are the, you know, and truth and honesty. And um, you know, my life with Jeffrey was very up and down. Um, but I knew that because people will wonder why. I know people have asked, like, why did you stay in the game with him? And the reason simply is because I knew how much he loved me. I knew that he was loving me the best he could.

And so when I believe in someone, you know, I I I love unconditionally. And so, yes, you know, I loved him unconditionally, and I I tried the best that I could to bring our life back. Um, but when after 13 months, when that didn't happen, and people say, Yes, it is a tragedy, and yes, it was a really, really tough time, and there were days, you know, during grief that I was literally on my knees, like giving up. But I would dig deep into my faith, and my faith is really my belief in that everything happens for a reason. And so when you think this way, that everything happens for a reason when you're you're at your lowest of lows, you're able to find that just little bit of inner strength to get you off your knees, and you know, but on the flip side of that, when you're living life and it's great, and you think you have it all, you have gratitude.

So that's why I think you know, the whole my premise of you know, everything happens for a reason. It goes along with that everything happens for you and not to you, and I think that's where people get mixed up. Um, you know, people like, oh, it was so happy you know, hard that this happened to you. I said, No, no, no, it was for me. There was a lesson, there was something I had to learn, and you know, this was part of my destiny, and I believe everyone's destiny is like a fingerprint, everyone has an individual destiny, so I can't say what I'm going through is a bad thing.

[12:15] Robert Bannon: No, it's just a part of what my life is supposed to be about. I think everybody that's listening right now, and everybody that reads your book is going to know that we've all been through something and we all have our saga and sometimes the perspective or we look at it years later and see I don't want to say silver lining or things, but there's an acceptance. There, like it is the way it was supposed to be. I went through a terrible divorce. Um that I thought my life was over. You know, I I thought that was there was never going to be a a better day. And um to find the strength and and the fortitude to keep going sometimes is so hard. Uh I know you had your children, um but you but sometimes we don't even we can't get out of bed, we can't move forward, even for them. So, what were the things that got you through those days? What can you tell people listening to us or your readers some some things that helped you survive through those tough times?

[13:16] Christina Wilson: Well, it was always my children, you know, knowing that I was responsible for creating a life for my children that um, you know, I knew that, you know, Jeffrey and I didn't have children for five years because I was not sure that I was ready for children. So we had our first son when I turned 30, and um there's an a story that half precedes my having children that probably was one of my most impactful life lessons was dealing with a young boy who had cancer. And um, you know, the lessons that he taught me about life, about waking up, no matter how dire your circumstances are, but waking up and smiling and saying, okay, I'm I'm awake and I'm given a chance here, so I'm going to make the best of it.

And he taught me that at 12 years old, you know, a terminally ill child. And you know, so every day I would wake up thinking, like, okay, you know, I don't know why this is happening. I don't know what all this is about, but there's a reason for it, and I've just got to hang in there, and one day I'm gonna turn around and look and see the see the message. And like you said, the whole silver linings, um there is, you know, when you when you're far from the incident or the event, you can turn around and say, Ah, I see. I mean, yes, I went through the tough time and I I needed the inner strength, and you know, my family and friends and my children, you know, forcing me to get out of bed, you know.

It's like I said, when we talk about grief, um, I always say, just take a baby step forward every day. That's all you have to do. And that baby step could be getting up and brushing your teeth. I mean, you know, you can't expect when you're grieving, you cannot expect anything really of yourself, just to have one little thing every day, and then every day add something, and eventually it accumulates, and you take these steps forward, and then you eventually look back and you're like, wow, look at how far I got. And that's what my life was.

[15:40] Robert Bannon: Well, I I know there are gonna be so many people who hear this and see this and read this and and and are are so moved by your story. You do in the book, uh, and in your life, I guess it's not a book, it's your life. Um, you move forward. You do you you have been married, you have you have a a blended family that is that is how long are you together and how was that process like to um to share this story? But you have your husband and and and and your family together and you're you're you tell these stories. Some of them are very hard, or some of them are from a another time in your life. So how was the support at home about telling your story uh in this book?

[16:17] Christina Wilson: Oh, you know, the support has been amazing. Um my now my husband is was the one who really was like, you know, you've got to tell these stories, you've got to share your stories. And you know, crazy to think, but I was always very private, extremely private person. Like I said, my sister didn't even know my life, and I'm so close to my sister. Um when the time came that we, you know, d I decided, okay, I will I will let this be a a book. Um the support that I've received from my children and my husband have been, you know, just overwhelmingly full of love. And you know, they're all so excited. And you know, um my oldest son, he read the book. So I I I got them all a copy of the book, you know, before it was out.

And Sam read it in, I think he said, I think it was a four hours. And he said to me, Mom, you know, I I thank you for writing this book because I I learned so much about questions that I've always had but never wanted to ask. And he said, Well, I don't know if I'm mature enough yet to understand some of the things that you chose to do or ways you chose to go about things. I, you know, I appreciate your sharing this and in a sense teaching how to get through life. Um and so I thought that was very mature and uh, you know, and like I said, you know, life is evolution, right? You're you're always evolving. So even though I have an ending to this book, I'm always I'm still planning to evolve and have and you know, and keep going on.

But it's, you know, yes, 14 years after, you know, that my I'm together now with my husband, and I can look back and say, you know, yes, all this happened because of all the events in my life, right? As led me to where I am now and the an evolution of who I am now.

[18:33] Robert Bannon: Well, I hope that people know you can get on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, you can go to go to your website and et cetera. All the links will be below us if you're listening to us and get a copy. I know there are people this holiday season or in your life that are going through transformative stages, uh, the grief process, the journey to relationships, or overcoming a hard obstacle. It doesn't have to be relationship based, just humanity, just people going through a moment or looking for inspiration or looking to a higher power this season. This is the perfect gift that you can get them and grab a copy. We can also listen to you, Christina. Um there's a podcast that you have out that it's called Sisterhood Through Grief, a podcast about getting through grief together. Tell us about it and what's it been like to have these episodes out and hearing from people who maybe your journey and your sisterhood with these lovely people have inspired them.

[19:18] Christina Wilson: Yes, the the podcast has been amazing. Um we came about doing it in during COVID when so many people were losing their spouses and didn't have a grief support group to go to. And I spoke to five of the girls that I was so fortunate to go through a grief support group with. And we decided, oh, you know, let's try it. You know, let's let's do our support group on a podcast. And so, you know, almost I think we're 28 or 30 episodes in. But it's um number one for us, it's therapeutic, and it but seeing and knowing how many people we've been able to help just from the feedback and then the messages I get, it's incredibly rewarding, you know, to know that it's another way in which what we went through has meaning, right?

Um, because if we didn't go through this, we wouldn't be able to help, or you know, we we speak from as we were always taught from our eye space. So it's our experiences, but what it does, it validates our listeners' feelings because you know, they're listening at a time when they want to find answers, and they're questioning, you know, can I get through this? Am I supposed to feel like this? Is this normal? And I think hearing us, you know, five women who have been through and survived grief, um, hearing our voices and our stories, and like I said, it validates what people are going through. So that's the beauty and the strength of the podcast, which is sisterhood through grief. Um, because that's what it's been, it's been a sisterhood.

[21:13] Robert Bannon: I I'm so interested to uh to you know, having my own little little show, my own little shenanigans is really interesting to um to hear other people's podcasts. And I know that it the reach you have on this podcast is gonna move and help a lot of people. How can we support you? How can we follow you? What can we do? We can go to the website, we could buy the book. Can we find you on social media?

[21:34] Christina Wilson: Oh yes, I'm on social media. It's I'm on Instagram, I think it's Christina H. Wilson with the two ends. And then on Facebook, uh Christina Hom Wilson, I believe. Hom H O M Wilson. Um and LinkedIn and other things. But we'll put up we'll put the links below us so people can find out. I know you said in your press release that there's no necessary plans for another book, but maybe.

[22:07] Christina Wilson: Yes, you know, my husband's like, oh, you've got to have these stories. And I'm like, oh my goodness. It's you know, it's a lot, and I I I love that it's you know, the book is receiving the the feedback, you know, that and and people are really I I'm so happy to see that people are really getting my messages, and it's helping and it's inspiring and captivating. Um I I don't know. I mean to write another book. I don't, I don't know.

[22:39] Robert Bannon: Well, we at least know there's gonna be episodes of your podcast, there's gonna be projects your sleeve, there's going to be other ways that we can follow. So we're definitely gonna follow. And you're part of the family of our show now. I'm really moved and inspired by people who write their story and tell their truth. I think it's so freeing. It gives us all, you know, the the ability to tell our truth and to be free to share our experience as well. So it is really uh a gift, a gift that you give to us all. I can't wait to my copy comes, and I can't wait to read it. I'm gonna reach out to you and let you know uh how it moves me, and I'm excited for for all the people that are going to be touched by your words.

[23:14] Christina Wilson: I will thank you so much. This has been wonderful, and I appreciate your optimism and support. Are you in the tri-state area? Are we in New York or New Jersey?

[23:22] Robert Bannon: I'm actually no, I'm now a Floridian.

[23:23] Christina Wilson: A Floridian.

[23:27] Robert Bannon: I am a Floridian. I've been in Boca Raton, so we moved down here 30 years ago.

[23:34] Christina Wilson: That sounds good to me.

[23:35] Robert Bannon: Christina, it is cold up here.

[23:36] Christina Wilson: I'm good for you.

[23:39] Robert Bannon: I get up to New York all the time.

[23:41] Christina Wilson: You earned to love New York.

[23:42] Robert Bannon: Yes, I hear you. Well, you earned the break down there in Florida, and we are looking forward to all the things to come. Thank you so much for being here. Happy holidays.