‘I was detained in China (why on Earth would they want me?)’: Meet Alisa Kennedy Jones
Bespoke brand consultant and bestselling author Alisa Kennedy Jones is recognized as one of today’s most insightful and original voices on brand intelligence. Fluent in five languages, her celebrated TEDx talk on epilepsy changed the way we think about creativity, electricity, and the brain, and her debut bestseller Gotham Girl, Interrupted became a global phenomenon in the field of narrative medicine.
When not working on her next comedic novel, Ellery Goes Dark, Alisa is having the best time ever heading up a variety of initiatives, including The Empress, gotham girl, and the newly announced midlife women’s publishing house, Empress Editions.
She also founded the non-profit Institute for Women’s Futures with partners Alicia Dara of Womancake Magazine and Heather Bartos, MD, of Menopause Rocks. The goal of the foundation is to fund menopause physician education and low-income menopause care, as well as provide corporate education to keep midlife women thriving in the workplace.
The mother of two grown daughters, she’s trying… and failing. A LOT. But that’s OK.
Read on to learn more about this powerhouse of midlife inspo that is part of The Midst’s community.
The Midst: You were recently detained in China. What the heck happened?
Alisa Kennedy Jones: My trip to China was all about attending the Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair — a chance to celebrate a kids’ book I worked on about navigating an AI-native world and exploring the ins and outs of global publishing. What I didn’t expect was a crash course in international immigration law, courtesy of a misunderstanding about 144-hour transit visas.
So there I was, suddenly with a guard taking away my phone, my passport, and my plane ticket. It was a moment of sheer What the actual—? that forced me to reckon with some deep, primal fears. Alone, in an unfamiliar system, I asked myself: Do I even exist right now? It was terrifying and humbling, but ultimately, it shaped me in unexpected ways.
I’d packed enough anti-seizure medication for travel but not enough for jail.
— Alisa Kennedy Jones
I mean, I’d packed enough anti-seizure medication for travel but not enough for jail. This was the scariest part. The rest of the story is here, but let me say this: the experience opened my eyes — not just to my own resilience, but to the tech and problem-solving leaps we in the West are still catching up to. It was a trip in every sense of the word. And I love the Chinese people. They are incredible.
You were diagnosed late in life with epilepsy. Can you tell us about that journey and how you focus on neurodiversity and epilepsy activism?
Yes, I was diagnosed at age 40, right as the perimenopausal night sweats kicked in, with a type of epilepsy that’s often preceded by very potent “auras” that are both visual and musical. They’re gorgeous but terrifying in that the seizures themselves can be quite injurious if I’m alone or out somewhere, like the grocery store. I had one last year that had me cos-playing Marie Antoinette on a particularly deadly coffee table in my living room. But before that, the idea of neurodiversity was something deeply familiar to me. My eldest is proudly neurodivergent, so I’d worked on projects involving not only her early education but also seeing that her voice was represented as one that was multifaceted and singularly insightful and powerful. When I was given my diagnosis, so much fuss was made over whether to disclose it, but I just couldn’t fathom being ashamed of something I have zero control over. It’s like being ashamed of the weather?
You’re also an author with a No.1 debut novel on Amazon (Gotham Girl Interrupted) and another novel forthcoming in 2025. And a parent and an accomplished TedX speaker. How do you decide where to spend your time and energy when considering everything you want to be part of in life?
Oh, here’s where I really kind of suck as a person, lol. I’m terrible at prioritizing. I want all the things. I want to be there and there and there, and spend time, and be present… and my kids are grown and don’t need me butting in all the time. So, I do have more time than before… I have Empress Editions, my next book, Ellery Goes Dark, and the streaming series adaptation of it, which has been super exciting. Anything leftover from that goes to sleeping and yogic things to keep my midlife body from further decoupling… it reeeeeallly feels like it’s decoupling. 😂
What’s the best thing about being 55 right now?
The best thing about being this age is that I no longer panic. Even in China, I kept my cool. It’s like… I’d seen this movie and all the ways it could unfold.
What are your current must-haves in life?
Sleep – I am a basketcase without it. (And lack of it… is my main seizure trigger.)
My crazy Oral B AI toothbrush… it’s like having a dentist right in your mouth.
It’s funny… I’m having a tough time answering this one because I’ve been caring for my dad for the past six months out in the mountains of northern California, living without any of my must-haves or small comforts… it’s been complete camping. I so miss my big framed poster of the film “After the Thin Man” I’ve always said I can’t write without that looking over my shoulder.
A must-have when I get back to real life will be a trip to Khiel’s for midnight cleansing oil and some shine shampoo. I definitely could use some shine, lol.
Who are the GALs (Grown-Ass Lady) you look up to and why?
Oh, gosh – the usual suspects – Michelle Obama, Helen Mirren, Audra McDonald, Isabella Rossellini, and Martha Stewart because they are gutsy, strong, brilliant, and funny and managed to break through and persist in tough, if not brutal, environments.
What do you want most for/from the community of women you surround yourself with? And what progress do you hope to see in society for future generations of women?
The etymology of the word empress translates roughly as “the one who makes way” or “to be a waymaker.” I want women to be waymakers for each other, not just for our GenX generation, but through our voices, our art, and our work for generations of women to come. It goes back to what I was saying in “Do Midlife Women’s Stories Matter?”
What if we all—not just a handful of us, but millions—pledged to support midlife women? To buy their art, read their writing, hire their services, hop into their Lyfts? Could we shift the tide?
My hope is we keep shifting the tide.
We obviously know and love your work on Substack. Can you tell us what else you have in the pipeline?
I recently announced The Empress’s move into publishing with the post: Do midlife women’s stories matter? More than ever. Say hello to Empress Editions!
Thanks so much for sharing with us! If you’d like to follow Alisa, you can find her on:
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