Shari Leid — former trial attorney, cancer survivor, author of Table for 51, and founder of An Imperfectly Perfect Life — joins Dr. Dan for a powerful conversation about belonging, authenticity, and the courage to flip the box. Found in a cardboard box in South Korea as an infant, Shari spent much of her life carrying that metaphorical box representing disconnection and lack of belonging. Through a courageous journey sharing meals with 50 women across all 50 states, she transformed that box into a table of connection and wrote the book Table for 51. This conversation explores the difference between living a "good life" versus a "great life," why living someone else's story wears down our health and systems, how integrity functions as a daily health practice, and what happens when we finally write our own story. Shari shares lessons from her cross-country journey — from landing in Cleveland during a white supremacy rally to discovering her deepest connection with a woman from that same city, and why the person who looked most like her "on paper" didn't create the same energy. This episode is for anyone feeling stuck, living someone else's version of success, or ready to ask themselves: "If today were my last day, would I be doing what I'm doing now?"
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
The critical distinction between a "good life" and a "great life" — how settling for good can prevent us from achieving great
Why living in integrity is a health practice — when we live out of alignment, we carry stress that wears down our systems physically, emotionally, and mentally
How to shift from living someone else's story to authoring your own — getting unstuck requires uncovering who you were before you learned to meet expectations
Why connection starts with curiosity — approaching people with openness reveals lessons you didn't know you needed
What "flip the box" means — transforming the symbol of your disconnection into the foundation of your purpose
The power of asking hard questions — "If today were my last day, am I doing what I would be doing now?" and "Did I live today in a way my kids would be proud of?"
How small acts of connection create transformation — sharing meals, smiling at strangers, reaching out to those you've lost touch with
LEARN MORE
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July 31, 2025
Shari Leid
Flip the Box: From Belonging to Becoming
"The story you tell yourself changes everything. When you become the author of your own story, living in integrity becomes effortless."
TIMESTAMPS
00:00:04 – Good vs great: Why we let our good lives prevent us from having great lives and the hard questions that reveal truth
00:02:34 – Living in integrity as health practice: How alignment affects stress, cortisol, and physical/emotional/mental systems
00:06:11 – Living someone else's story: Why we get stuck in narratives others gave us and how to find your own story
00:07:05 – Getting unstuck: What people need to rediscover who they were before they learned to meet expectations
00:14:46 – The "flip the box" origin: Found in cardboard box in South Korea; transforming disconnection into connection through 50 meals across 50 states
00:16:50 – Lessons from Table for 51: Commonality over differences across ages, races, economic levels, political beliefs
00:17:17 – Cleveland paradox: Landing in white supremacy rally, then deepest connection with woman from that city; person who looked most like her "on paper" didn't create same energy
00:19:04 – Curiosity as gateway: Approaching people with curiosity reveals lessons you didn't know you needed
00:19:58 – What's next: Flip the Box as National Archive holiday (March 6), three-day retreats in Dallas, 52 weekly connection challenges
SHOW NOTES
In this powerful and heart-opening episode, Dr. Dan interviews author, speaker, and life coach Shari Leid, founder of An Imperfectly Perfect Life and author of Table for 51: Lessons Learned from Sharing Meals Across America. Together, they explore the transformative journey from living someone else’s story to fully stepping into your authentic self.
Shari shares her personal “flip the box” origin story—being found in a cardboard box in South Korea and how that symbolic box followed her for years, representing disconnection and lack of belonging. But through a courageous project to have meals with 50 women across all 50 states, she turned that box into a table of connection, compassion, purpose, and the book Table for 51.
LINKS & RESOURCES
Shari Leid
Website — animperfectlyperfectlife.com
Instagram — @an_imperfectly_perfect_life
YouTube — Shari Leid
Book — Table for 51: Lessons Learned from Sharing Meals Across America
Programs & Resources
52 Weekly Connection Challenges (free) — contact Shari through website
Flip the Box Retreats — Three-day women's retreats in Dallas (bring you back home to yourself)
Flip the Box Day — National Archive recognized holiday, March 6 (share a meal with someone)
GUEST BIO
Shari Leid is a former trial attorney turned connection coach, author, speaker, and founder of An Imperfectly Perfect Life. Found in a cardboard box in South Korea as an infant and raised in the United States, Shari spent much of her life searching for belonging. A cancer survivor now in her mid-50s, she authored Table for 51: Lessons Learned from Sharing Meals Across America, documenting her journey sharing meals with 50 women across all 50 states. Shari's "Flip the Box" philosophy — transforming the symbol of disconnection into a foundation for connection — is now a National Archive recognized holiday celebrated on March 6. She speaks nationally on flipping the box for yourself, your career, and your community, and leads three-day retreats for women in Dallas designed to bring participants back home to themselves and their story.
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