Friendship, Reinvention & Real Talk with Diana Maria Riva of Netflix’s Dead to Me
What happens when a Hollywood actress realizes her glam-squad friends and her hometown Ohio friends are all wrestling with the exact same midlife stuff? In this episode of The Midlife Makeover Show, Wendy Valentine sits down with Diana Maria Riva — beloved as Detective Ana Perez on Netflix’s Dead to Me and now host of the iHeart podcast How Hard Can It Be? — for a warm, funny, no-filter conversation about friendship, reinvention, and finally claiming your turn.
Diana shares the train-in-Spain moment (yes, with Eva Longoria) that sparked her podcast, why honesty is the secret to everything, her two-question rule for speaking your mind, and how she’s learned to give herself grace while still chasing big dreams in her fifties. If you’ve ever felt stretched too thin or wondered “am I really living?”, this one’s your permission slip to lean on your people and rise. Because midlife isn’t a crisis — it’s a catalyst.
What You’ll Learn
- Why your closest friendships are your real midlife lifeline — not a luxury
- The “train in Spain” moment that turned a complaint into a calling
- Diana’s two-question filter for when to speak up (and when to let it go)
- How to give yourself grace while still chasing big dreams in your second act
- Why “it’s my turn” might be the most freeing thing you say in your fifties
👉 Connect with Diana!
https://www.instagram.com/dianamariariva
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