September 11, 2016

The Bravest Truthteller: A Conversation with Glennon Doyle

I can’t even tell you how excited I am to bring you this Featured Truthteller interview with my new favorite person, author Glennon Doyle.

Glennon’s brave experiences with bulimia, alcoholism, and infidelity are chronicled with gut-wrenching honesty and moving detail in her two New York Times–bestselling memoirs Carry On, Warrior and Love Warrior. Glennon is also the founder of Momastery, an online community for “truth tellers” and “hope spreaders.” As the founder and president of Together Rising, a nonprofit organization that raises money for women and children through its Love Flash Mobs, Glennon is an incredible example of someone who continues to show up for her life in huge ways.

You can probably already guess why her message is so close to my own heart, right? 

I haven’t been this excited about a conversation with a truthteller in years–and Glennon is truly the raw, real, honest voice of a new generation of truthtellers. When I read Love Warrior, I literally couldn’t put it down—and I’m still carrying my dog-eared copy around and absorbing its many gorgeous messages around truth, addiction, parenting, marriage, sex, infidelity, empowerment, and finding your wholeness. 

With so many themes that hit me straight in the heart, I had to ask, “Where have you been all my life, Glennon?” (And I’m not the only one taking note. Glennon was featured on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday on September 11!) 

In our illuminating conversation, Glennon and I talk about experiences we’ve each felt that are so difficult to name and openly discuss, from body shame, to navigating the ongoing difficulties of marriage, to defining faith and spirituality on our own terms as women.

 

1:00 “Where have you been all my life, Glennon?”: The new face of truthtelling
4:00 The theme of truthtelling and authentic sharing in Glennon’s work
7:48 Coming to terms with shame
12:30 The only thing you really need to know (that you’ll probably end up having to learn over and over again)
16:51 The body/mind/spirit connection—and we learn to disconnect from our whole selves
19:05 The journey of trust in partnership
20:00 The importance of speaking your truth in the moment you feel it
21:42 What the word “warrior” means to Glennon
28:00 It’s not your job as a parent to protect your kids from pain—but to help them walk through it
33:45 Glennon’s advice for women struggling to share their truth and live life on their own terms
35:20 How to live an authentic life
37:10 What it means to remember who you are and to identify as a soul rather than a role

Avatar photo

About the Author | Glennon Doyle

Glennon Doyle is a New York Times bestselling author of Love Warrior and Carry On, Warrior; an activist and a philanthropist. She is the creator of the online community Momastery, and founder and president of Together Rising, a non-profit that has raised more than four million dollars for women and children in crisis.

Leave a Reply

3 comments to "The Bravest Truthteller: A Conversation with Glennon Doyle"

  • Reply
    Sheryl Fischer
    September 20, 2016 AT 6:25AM

    Hi Kelly,
    I loved this interview with Glennon and what you said was incredibly brave and inspiring!
    I have a question on what you said about your marriage and the 10 years.
    I was thinking, if I would be in your husbands shoes, I would feel scared to be completely myself. The self, that is not always in a good mood, messes up and has flaws. Because every time I would mess up, I would think, is this now going to lead to her ending the marriage after 10 years? Or it would lead to me holding back my true feelings and thoughts.
    Plus if you already go in with a negativ mindset and think this is not going to last, you are more likely not going to work on it as hard as you could and the chances, that it will last are probably smaller.
    I would love to know further thoughts/ experiences from you about this?
    Thank you, 
    Sheryl

    • Avatar photo
      Reply
      Women For One
      September 20, 2016 AT 8:51AM

      Hi Sheryl – Thank you for your heartfelt response and question! I love your question, and I am in the middle of writing a blog on the very topic you asked about! But for time sake, I do want to let you know that my comment about 10 years for my husband was actually a commitment to our relationship – not a threat – as I may have portrayed it as (or it may have been interpreted as). With my commitment of 10 years, I am saying, that my last marriage was NOT an failure, but that I believe I was out of my personal integrity by agreeing to a lifelong relationship in the traditional sense that marriage is usually seen in. I do not subscribe to the traditional definition of marriage any more. Instead, I believe that each of us needs to personally define what we are willing to commit to – and clearly state our intentions for ourselves and our partners (so that we are making a conscious agreement in integrity). I hope this explains where I stand a bit better. I will email you my blog on this topic when it is complete. Thank you again for your thoughts!

  • Reply
    Sheryl Fischer
    September 22, 2016 AT 8:14AM

    Hi Kelly, thank you so much for your great response! It gave me yet another way of looking at marriage/ relationships.
    After reading your answer, I realizer, that I interpreted it the wrong way.
    I’m super exited to read your blog post about it and hearing more from you!
    Thanks,
    Sheryl

PERFECTION IS OVERRATED

Subscribe to Notes to My Messy Self for a daily dose of encouragement to keep you moving forward.