The Second Story
When The Life You Built No Longer Feels Like Enough
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Pub Date 22 Sep 2026 | Archive Date 24 Sep 2026
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Description
“…thoughtful, beautifully written, and deeply relatable. Essential reading for everyone over 40.” —Steven Petrow, Washington Post columnist, author of The Joy You Make
“Caudron has written the book many people need but few have the courage to write.” —Chip Conley, founder of Modern Elder Academy, author of Learning to Love Midlife
For fans of Lori Gottlieb’s Maybe You Should Talk to Someone and
Katherine May’s Wintering, a candid, psychologically probing memoir about
a lifelong achiever who is forced to confront—and begin to rewrite—the
internal script that has driven her pursuits.
If you’ve ever woken up in the middle of the night and wondered, “Is this all there is?”—you’re not alone.
At sixty-one, Shari Caudron has everything she’s worked for: a meaningful career, a loving marriage, a home in the foothills of Colorado. But beneath the surface, something is missing. The harder she tries to fill the void, the further she drifts from herself. When a personal growth workshop cracks something open, she can no longer outrun the truth: the life she spent decades creating no longer feels like her own.
The Second Story is an honest, often wry account of what happens when the strategies that once helped us succeed—proving, pleasing, performing—stop working. What begins as a search for how to age well becomes a deeper exploration of how to live well.
More than a midlife memoir, The Second Story is a companion for anyone who has ever felt lost inside a life that looks fine from the outside. It’s a story about letting go of the narratives that shaped us so we can finally stop striving and start living.
A Note From the Publisher
Advance Praise
"Shari Caudron’s memoir might just change your life. Many of us spend years trying to become the person we think we're supposed to be. Caudron asks a more challenging question: What happens when that version of ourselves no longer fits us? The Second Story is a beautifully-written and deeply relatable exploration of the tales we tell ourselves, the identities we construct, and the freedom that comes from outgrowing them. Essential reading for everyone over 40."
—Steven Petrow, Columnist, The Washington Post and author of The Joy You Make
"Shari Caudron has written the book many people need but few have the courage to write. The Second Story explores what happens when outward success collides with an inner longing for something more. Thoughtful and deeply relatable, it reminds us that aging isn't a crisis to overcome but an invitation to become more fully ourselves."
—Chip Conley, founder, The Modern Elder Academy, and author, Learning to Love Midlife
“Caudron writes with rare frankness about feelings and vulnerabilities that often prove difficult to talk about… Her open, relatable journey has power, both in the truths she discovers along the way and as an example for readers.” —BookLife
“In a crowded field of books on aging, she finds a fresh new approach to the subject of growing older. Caudron brings a rare transparency to the page… This deeply human book made me laugh, cry, smile, and think.”
—Darla Worden, author of Cockeyed Happy
Marketing Plan
Marketing plans include outreach to the author’s established newsletter and Substack audience, a virtual launch event, ongoing social media promotion, podcast and media outreach, and direct outreach to book clubs and readers interested in midlife, aging, identity, and personal growth. The book is being supported by advance review outreach through Goodreads and NetGalley, with additional reader-review efforts planned for publication. Paperback distribution will be available through Ingram, with ebook distribution through major online retailers.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9798993009414 |
| PRICE | $7.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 248 |