Award-winning journalist, author, advocate, and former Good Morning America host Joan Lunden has spent her life and career reinventing herself and the world around her. Join her for an inspirational talk on her new memoir, Joan: Life Beyond the Script, where Lunden shares her inspirational story of life transitions, reflecting on the most pivotal moments in her life and career while encouraging an open-minded embrace of change.

Why You Should Come
This is a rare opportunity to hear directly from a woman who has spent decades at the center of American life. In this intimate author talk, Lunden goes beyond the headlines to share the personal moments behind her public life — from breaking barriers in broadcast journalism to navigating motherhood, caregiving, health challenges, and profound change with honesty and grace.

At every turn, Lunden has been willing to step out of her comfort zone while reinventing herself and the environment around her. Joan: Life Beyond the Script shares the extraordinary transitions this journalist, television host, author, and advocate has undergone and how she has influenced our life transitions as well. By deeply reflecting on the most pivotal moments in her life and career, accepting the times when she faltered as much as when she was sure of herself, Lunden encourages us all to be open to change and the profound transformations it brings.

About Life Beyond the Script
Since bursting onto the national morning news scene in 1980 as cohost of Good Morning America, Lunden has been a catalyst for revolutionary societal changes. She didn’t just report the headlines; she made headlines for shattering the mold in a news industry dominated by older white men and rewrote the rules entirely. In a bold move that challenged workplace norms, Lunden was one of the first to bring her newborn daughter to work so she could continue breastfeeding, showing the world that she could be a dedicated mom and a top-tier journalist at the same time.

In her 50s, after raising three grown daughters from her previous marriage, Lunden and her husband, Jeff Konigsberg, welcomed two sets of twins via surrogate, proving women can embrace motherhood at any age. Then, in her 60s, she discovered she had breast cancer. She bravely went public with her diagnosis, chronicling her journey and fearlessly posing bald on the cover of People Magazine. Standing in her truth, she became an advocate for women to be better informed about the disease.

She testified before Congress to expand the Family and Medical Leave Act to include senior care, explaining that caregiving isn’t just something we do at the start of life— it happens at the end, as well.

About the Author
Joan Lunden is an award-winning journalist, best-selling author, television host, and motivational speaker and the trusted voice in American homes for 50 years. For nearly two decades, Lunden greeted viewers each morning on Good Morning America, making her the longest-running female host on early morning television.

Recognized as an icon in broadcast journalism, Lunden is an ardent health and senior advocate, has testified before the Food and Drug Administration for mandatory mammogram reporting and before the Congressional House Ways and Means Committee in support of expanding the Family and Medical Leave Act. She has also served as a visiting professor at Lehigh University’s College of Health, where she taught Population Health and the Media.

Lunden has graced the covers of more than 60 magazines and 10 book covers. Her book, Why Did I Come into This Room: A Candid Conversation About Aging, became a New York Times bestseller. She is the author of 11 books. In June 2014, Lunden was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. Ever the optimist, she turned her diagnosis into a mission to help others, becoming a powerful advocate for breast cancer awareness and chronicling her journey in her book, Had I Known: A Memoir of Survival.

Lunden has served as national spokesperson for organizations including the American Heart Association, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, American Lung Association, American Red Cross, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Colon Cancer Alliance.