Brief

This honest and straightforward book is based on one woman’s real life experiences as the wife of a doctor who was both brilliant in his field of anti-aging medicine, but also toxic and emotionally abusive. Her journey of finding her inner strength is one that spanned years.

What We Liked

This is an honest, engaging, and inspiring book. Many people will empathize with Marlies and see themselves and their relationships in her character. The honesty in this project is refreshing. It really feels as if Marlies is sitting down with readers and telling them her authentic story. Philip’s work with SomaLife and the Youth Formula also makes this book stand out more, as it is unique and engaging.

Film: This story feels perfect for a Lifetime or Hallmark movie adaptation. It has all the drama and tension required to make it an enticing movie, but it also has an inspiring and satisfying conclusion.

TV: This story spans many years, so it would definitely have plenty of stories for a television show. The characters also have plenty of drama and complex relationships. They are also nuanced and emotionally interesting characters, which would work well on a television show.

Key points: Honest story. Engaging and relatable premise. Likeable narrator. Inspiring message. Strong and descriptive writing.

Synopsis

We first learn that the narrator was married to Dr. Philip White, the developer of a product called SomaLife’s Youth Formula; it is similar to a fountain of youth product. Marlies’ goal is to inspire readers to pursue their passions and make their own choices in life.

Marlies was born in Germany in 1948. The family moved to Rutland when she was young and had a relatively happy childhood. She became a hairdresser and found work at a salon and at a local funeral home that needed help with their open casket funerals. The work was all right until a bout of lice inspired her to move on and try out new jobs.

Meanwhile her relationship with her current boyfriend, David grew closer and closer. They got married and Marlies felt relatively happy and lucky until David became increasingly angry and unfaithful. Marlies left and moved back to Canada.

When Marlies met Philip, she was his banker and he was a family doctor. They were an excellent fit, supporting each other and sharing adventures together. The two married in April of 1991.

Philip and Marlies bought a house she didn't initially want, and her parents moved in. The arrangement, however, worked quite well - but Philip began to get more critical, distant, and negative. Marlies felt like she could never be enough for Philip and she questioned his love for her. Philip was spending money faster than they could make it, and lying to Marlies on a regular basis.

Marlies went as far as talking to a divorce lawyer, but she agreed to try and fix things with Philip. After all, he wasn’t happy either. The next phase in her life would bring the product that would change both of their lives: SomaLife’s Youth Formula.

Before jumping into Philip’s time at SomaLife, Marlies shares a little more about his early life. Born and raised in Bristol, England, Philip knew from an early age that he wanted to be a doctor and he easily became one through excelling at school. Philip was fascinated with anti-aging medicine and believed it could be a possibility using human growth hormone therapy.

After the death of a close family member, Marlies and Philip worked to perfect the Youth Formula. If aging is like riding and elevator, then the Youth Formula is like a brake to slow it down. Marlies herself tried the formula before it was released in 1998, and she felt its results working.

Marlies and Philip worked together to get the company off the ground. They hired employees and learned about running a business. Philip made some poor decisions though. He hired employees who only wanted to exploit the company, and Marlies often found herself cleaning up the messes.

After years of employee turmoil and accounting mishaps, SomaLife was forced to fire nearly everyone in the company and scale down production. They were back where they started.

After another family tragedy, Marlies discovered that Philip had been having an affair with Lena, his office manager. Marlies terminated Lena and called Philip out on his lies, but he only denied the truth, which prompted Marlies to discover even more women he was having affairs with. She gave Philip options as to how he would proceed, but she didn’t realize the power he held over her.

Philip and Marlies tried to coexist in their home, since both parties refused to move out. In the midst of the turmoil with Philip, Marlies’ father’s heart gives out and he dies. The pain was devastating for Marlies and her mother.

After laying her father to rest, Marlies had to face her painful situation with Philip. He was becoming increasingly difficult to reason with, even implying he might commit suicide because of the situation. He didn’t though, and Marlies and Philip went on vacation for a week to try and reconcile. It was a wonderful week, but when they returned home, little changed.

In fact, Philip got worse during an argument about SomaLife’s CEO. He lost control and pointed a gun at Marlies. She was petrified. She really wanted to leave Philip and finally get a divorce, but she didn’t want to abandon SomaLife. Thinking of her father, Marlies decided to stand her ground.

Things did get better after a while and Marlies set some ground rules for Philip. However, she discovered that he was still seeing Lena and resigned herself to the fact that things would never get better. She kept busy with SomaLife and she loved the work she did there.

Tragedy struck when Philip was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Philip declined rapidly and died soon after his diagnosis. Marlies felt heartbroken to lose her husband, but she also felt relief at being free from their tumultuous situation.

Philip left a mess to clean up, both financially and emotionally. Marlies worked to save SomaLife and she forgave Lena, who was also a victim of Philip’s manipulation and abuse.

Marlies would go on to remarry with Bob, a biker who she shared a fairytale wedding with. Though her life is still difficult, she has learned to let the past go and always find the strength and confidence to speak out. Tragedies have taken place since Philip’s death, but now Marlies is prepared to deal with them. She will never let anyone try to hide her light again.

About The Author

Marlies White is a successful businesswoman, author, and active athlete. Her work with her previous husband has helped others stay active as they age, and her writing has helped people find their own inner strength and power.