You’re never too old to reach your full potential.

That’s one of the messages in longtime Bird Rock resident Dr. Louise Stanger’s recently released fourth book titled “Reflections on Aging from the Sunset Marquis.”

At age 78, Stanger, LCSW, CIP, CDWF, CLCI, a renowned interventionist, brings her signature blend of professional wisdom and personal truth to her meditation on aging, adventure, and authenticity. Each chapter unfolds like a conversation with a trusted friend, offering insights that challenge conventional wisdom about what’s possible as we age, or at any age.

As a special bonus, Stanger’s narrative is enriched by world-renowned photographer Cheryl Fox’s stunning images, which capture both the timeless allure of the Sunset Marquis and Stanger’s infectious zest for life. These visual stories complement Stanger’s reflections on love, loss, triumph, and the art of forever becoming.

“I’m a rare bird in the field, as I’m one of the few Ph.D.’s and licensed clinicians in the world who does interventions who’s co-written a textbook on intervention, “The Definitive Guide to Addiction Interventions: A Collective Strategy,” noted Stanger, who added she’s learned from other intervention experts that it’s usually unwise to “surprise or ambush” someone with an intervention.

Stanger got her start doing addict and mental health interventions after being introduced to the field by New Found Life in Long Beach, a drug rehab center that has been helping individuals and families through addiction treatment for 30 years. In the early 2000s, New Found Life asked Stanger to speak at a breakfast – which launched a new career for her. “I started traveling the world, speaking and helping families and individuals, which is what I do today,” she said adding, “I work and consult all over the world with other collaborative teams.”

Of her four books thus far, Stanger noted they all stand on their own despite being thematically related. “My first self-published book was ‘Falling Up,’ an autobiography about how I got in the (drug recovery) field,” she said noting she has had the misfortune of having experienced six sudden deaths of those close to her in her life. In that book, Stanger offered her view, regarding adversity, “That you can be resilient, you can fall – but you can keep falling (back) up.”

Stanger characterized her most recent book, inspired by the iconic Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood as “very different, very saucy,” compared to the first three. She added, “It’s full of vitality and is certainly colored by my experiences and my view that you can enjoy life and achieve your potential no matter what age you are. It’s about how we can approach life with resiliency, optimism, and opportunity.”

Featured chapters in Reflections on Aging are titled: Let the Music In, Be Active, Talk About the Tough Stuff, and Put Your Big Girl Panties On, which are self-explanatory of their subject matter.

Of what she’d like readers to get out of “Reflections on Aging,” Stanger said: “I’d like them to learn how you can celebrate yourself at any age. And that you can have hope, enthusiasm, and courage as long as you have a willingness to try. And to know that there are others out there who can help them navigate their way. What I’d like people to know is there is always help. That there’s always a blueprint for success. And that there’s always a solution.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Louise Stanger is the author of four books and the founder of All About Interventions, dedicating over 40 years to helping individuals and families navigate addiction and mental health challenges. Currently serving as director of family programming at YPO and clinician-interventionist at The Balance Group Zurich and Mallorca, her unique blend of professional expertise and personal wisdom offers readers both practical guidance and inspiring insight. allaboutinterventions.com.

About Sunset Marquis: Located at 1200 Alta Loma Road in West Hollywood in Los Angeles the Sunset Marquis, for the past 50 years, has been the home away from home for celebrities. That list includes actors, comedians, writers, artists, filmmakers, fashion designers, supermodels, restaurateurs, billionaire entrepreneurs, and the newest breed of entertainers when the hotel opened its doors in 1963. Set just off the Sunset Strip, the Marquis became a haven for those seeking to escape the chaos of the surrounding big-city jungle. Today, the Sunset Marquis has grown into a full-service hotel with 154 suites and villas, a restaurant, a spa, and a recording studio where dozens of Grammy Award-winning records have been produced. The hotel’s main building has recently undergone a face-lift that completes a $35 million renovation and expansion.