Blair Facts of Life now: Lisa Whelchel became a life coach

Lisa Whelchel wowed fans with her looks and rendition of The Facts of Life’s theme song during the cast’s mini-reunion on ABC. Her performance seems more impressive considering that her ear monitors malfunctioned mid-song. “I haven’t sung in decades,” Lisa told Extra. “My little in-ear monitors weren’t working, so I was freaking out in the middle of the song.”

Fans filled social media praising Lisa for her singing and inability to age. Lisa told Extra that her agelessness has nothing to do with a vegan diet: “I’m southern. I am like the opposite of vegan.”

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After The Facts of Life ended in 1988, Lisa retired from acting for 13 years. She returned to the screen in 2001 for The Facts of Life Reunion. She then left the screen for another decade before appearing on Survivor: Philippines. 

Whelchel tried to reignite her acting career following her Survivor appearance, but she decided to stay away. Lisa told Entertainment Weekly:

“Shortly after returning from the Philippines, I moved back to Los Angeles to film a couple of movies and TV shows. It didn’t take long to remember why I left show business 25 years earlier, so I left again.”

Lisa then embarked on a spiritual journey that took her to India, Peru, and Spain, culminating in Lisa becoming a certified life coach. “I also became a certified Co-Active LifeCoach, was trained to use the Enneagram and received Level One IFS (Internal Family Systems) credentials,” Lisa added. 

Whelchel’s background as an inspirational author helped her gravitate seamlessly into life coaching. Lisa has written ten books on religion, friendship, motherhood, homeschooling, and child discipline. 

Lisa recently spoke at the Real Life Women’s Conference in Rapid City and Des Moines. In October 2021, she was the keynote speaker at Las Vegas Hoving Home’s 10th Annual Gala. She captioned a mid-October 2021 post: “Celebrate the women who are finding freedom at Hoving Home from addiction and past trauma, anchored by the redeeming love of Jesus.”

Whelchel’s divorce from Steve Cauble was unexpected but amicable. Some outlets reported that the pair divorced secretly, but Lisa willingly talked about the shock divorce. “Steve is still my best friend,” Lisa told People. “We just couldn’t be married.”

Lisa flew to film Survivor: Philippines five days after finalizing the divorce. “Going out to Survivor was helpful for me, to divert my attention and not just dwell on the loss… It was painful to realize that it wasn’t going to work out,” Whelchel told People. 

After returning from filming, Lisa and Steve continued hanging out, which seemed odd to their daughter Clancy. “Clancy said, ‘Mom, I think you’re going to have to let me know when you get divorced, because I won’t be able to tell when it happens,’” Lisa added. 

The divorce experience taught Lisa to be more understanding and empathetic. “You don’t know what people are facing in their lives, so it’s important to love and not judge them,” Lisa continued. Despite the divorce, Lisa affirmed that she still believed in marriage.  

Dr. Pete Harris offered Lisa a second chance at marriage when he proposed to her in November 2019. A delighted Lisa shared the news on Instagram, expressing her intention to spend the rest of her life with Pete.

“To belly laughing over sophomoric humor and word nerd puns. To never-enough could cuddles and kisses on curbs. To creating memories while on a bi-coastal family adventure. To soul growth within the crucible of intimacy. And, fun – lots and lots of fun!”

By marrying Harris, Lisa became the stepmom to his son, who she affectionately refers to as her ‘bonus son.’ On Father’s day 2021, Whelchel shared this lovely tribute to Pete: “Watching you love your son so well, makes me love you even more. You are an amazing daddy!”

Lisa is a dedicated family lady who’s involved in the lives of her adult children. She regularly shares photos of herself enjoying life with her grandchildren, who seem to relish spending time with their grandma. 

During her interview with Extra, Lisa showed up with one of her grandchildren. The interviewer, Billy Bush, couldn’t believe that Lisa is a grandmother, asking, “You’re a grandmother?”

Appearing on Survivor five days after finalizing her divorce was a blessing and curse for Lisa. Survivor requires a level of mental sharpness that Lisa didn’t possess when she got to the Philippines. “Showing up in such a fragile state of mind and soul certainly made me ripe for some life changing soul-shifting,” Lisa told Entertainment Weekly. 

To succeed on Survivor, one needs skill to conquer the challenges and ruthlessness to deal with fellow competitors. Lisa possessed the first trait from the offset, but her Christian values prevented her from going hard against her opponents. 

Somehow, she survived until the Family Visit stage, in which her brother convinced her to ditch the ‘good girl’ act. Reluctantly, Lisa ‘played the game,’ but she regrets that she wasn’t fiercer in her pursuit of victory. Lisa explained:

“I would never second guess myself for bluffing in poker or judge myself for stealing the ball from a player in basketball, so why was I so afraid to ‘do bad things’ in this game? Ugh!”

Lisa emerged second and, thanks to winning the ‘fan favorite’ award, walked away with $100,000. Immediately after filming ended, all the emotions Lisa contained during filming came flooding out in what seemed like never-ending tears. 

“I cried for almost three straight days from the moment I walked away from the Tribal Council,” Lisa said. Thankfully, she got in touch with a Survivor therapist who assured her that contestants often experienced such kind of grief reaction. 

Unfortunately, the worst was yet to come. Lisa suffered a fresh round of PTSD caused by fan reactions to her performance on the show. She explained:

“When I was on television in the eighties, it was before the internet and social media so, although, I got my fair share of public judgment and even shaming, this was so much more. It was the equivalent of giving hundreds of people sledgehammers and submitting myself to a fairly painful ego-annihilation.”

Lisa overcame the PTSD and is in a good place mentally. Needless to say, she wouldn’t want to return to Survivor. “I’m content to enjoy the show from the warmth, comfort and emotional safety of my own home, thank you very much!” Whelchel concluded.