Paradise FOUND

The actor and Life Is Lifey author tells Us about stepping into her power in her 40s, and helping others to do the same

- by YANA GREBENYUK

In 2020, the great equalizer of the pandemic tested the immune systems, emotional well-being and intimate relationships of regular folks and celebrities alike, leaving in its wake wreckage but also clarity. For Sarah Shahi, that meant divorce after more than a decade of marriage to Steve Howey, and the prospect of starting life all over again.

“On the surface — or from the outside perspective — everyone thought I had everything I ever wanted,” the actress, who shares son William Wolf, 16, and 10-year-old twins Violet and Knox with Howey, exclusively tells Us. “I was living the dream, but deep down, it was the furthest thing from what I wanted for myself.”

The change in her personal life gave her the courage to chase similar contentment in her career, leading Shahi, 45, to a dream role as Billie Connelly on 2021’s Sex/Life after a string of network shows including The Rookie, Fairly Legal and Chicago Fire. The sexy Netflix series — about a woman who seems to have it all but craves more (sound familiar?), especially in her sex life — not only brought creative satisfaction, but real-life romance with her onscreen love interest, Adam Demos. (The two broke up after five years together.)

Then came 2025’s dystopian Hulu hit Paradise, starring Emmy Award winners Sterling K. Brown and Julianne Nicholson. (Season 2 premieres Feb. 23.) The more inspired Shahi felt, the more inspiring work she found.

And that led her to an entirely different sort of project: Her inspirational guide, Life Is Lifey: The A to Z’s on Navigating Life’s Messy Middle (out Jan. 27), which she started writing in 2020 as a personal outlet. “I thought I was going to write a divorce journal or manifesto,” she says. Then she realized her experience could help others, because “in order to get a divorce, you need courage.”