This past September, RHONJ star Jackie Goldschneider released her first novel The Weight of Beautiful. This inspiring memoir delves into her struggles with eating disorders, her recovery journey, and her life on the Real Housewives of New Jersey.
In the Q&A below, Goldschneider tells Spotlight everything from her writing process to her challenges and triumphs, motherhood, and her favorite RHONJ moments.
How do you feel your background in journalism prepared you to write your memoir The Weight of Beautiful? Did you find it liberating to write your own story?
Journalism taught me how to put other people’s life stories into words, so when it came time to tell my own story, I had a lot of experience. I knew how to write in a way that let readers feel what I was feeling and made my story come to life.
On my show (RHONJ), editors have the final say on how your story is told, so it was both liberating and important for me to write my memoir myself—I knew it would reflect my authentic experience.
What has been the most rewarding part of publishing your first book?
Seeing a reader connect with my story, and knowing that I touched—and maybe even changed—their life with my book has been the most amazing part of being an author. I’ve been getting so many incredible messages from readers.
In your memoir, you discuss your battle with eating disorders. How did you decide what you wanted to include and what you wanted to leave out of your story?
It would have been easy to skip over the most disturbing parts of how I tortured myself, but then I wouldn’t have told a complete story. I put in everything that was important for understanding how and why I thought about my body and food the way I did. I also wanted readers to see how harrowing and consuming this illness is, and how you can start to find your way back to life. Everything that was relevant to those ends, I wrote about.
Has being in the public eye inspired you to tell your truth? How so?
Being in the public eye certainly made me comfortable being completely open, especially since that’s the crux of my job on RHONJ. My eating disorder was the only part of my life I wasn’t already open about, and I was finally ready to let people in on that. After 6 years, I was used to the public knowing everything about me, so it wasn’t hard to open up about this once I was ready.
In your memoir, you mention that joining the RHONJ nearly saved your life. Could you touch on how joining the show helped you toward recovery?
Over the last decade, there were so many times I’d wake up and promise myself I’d start eating more that week, or that I’d look for help that week, and I never did. When I was the only one holding myself accountable, I didn’t have the strength or courage to follow through. But I knew that if the world was holding me accountable, I’d never fail. I’d never show people that recovery is too hard. The show gave me the platform to recover in front of millions of people, and I believe that ultimately saved my life.
What advice do you have for people struggling with eating disorders and recovery?
I would tell anyone struggling with an eating disorder or recovery that there are so many resources available to help them. The National Eating Disorders Association website has a screening tool and lots of resources (www.nationaleatingdisorders.org) and you can even Google specialized therapists and dieticians to work within your area or virtually. I’d also advise them to open up to someone they trust and ask them to help you. People want to help. Finally, I’d tell them that life is so much better on the other side.
How did you get your start on the RHONJ?
A casting agent reached out to me in January of 2018, and since I already knew Margaret, the
rest happened pretty smoothly! I was nervous but so excited!
What is your favorite memory with the cast of RHONJ? Why?
Our trip to Ireland during Season 13 was my favorite cast trip ever. Ireland was beautiful, we all
laughed nonstop and had amazing dinners, and since I love beer, the Guinness there put it over the
top! It was a blast.
What is the biggest life lesson you’ve learned from writing your first novel?
The biggest life lesson I’ve learned from writing The Weight of Beautiful is that creating something amazing takes a lot of hard work. People don’t often see how much time and how many tears go into finishing a book. But I would—and hope to—do it all again in the future!
What is the most rewarding part of being a mom?
There’s not enough room on the page! But watching my children grow up into kind, smart, hardworking people who bring happiness to others makes me burst with pride. They’re my best friends and I can’t get enough of them.
Lastly, who is your go-to person on the cast of RHONJ? Why?
Jen Fessler is my best friend. We are so close and we laugh nonstop. It’s so nice to have that kind of friendship at work and in real life.
Jackie Goldschneider’s memoir The Weight of Beautiful is available for purchase online and at your local bookstore. If you are looking for an inspiring read, we absolutely recommend picking it up.
*All images are courtesy of Jackie Goldschneider’s team.
