DeepSummary
The episode begins with Glennon Doyle recounting her first attempt to have author Laura McKowen on her podcast years ago, which failed due to a recording mishap. They discuss McKowen's rock bottom moment at her brother's wedding, where she left her young daughter alone after heavily drinking and blacking out. This incident forced McKowen to confront her alcohol addiction and ultimately led to her path of sobriety.
McKowen shares her perspective that sobriety is an invitation to live a life of dignity, truth, and connection - what she calls the 'bigger yes.' She explains that addictions often stem from unmet attachment needs in childhood and are attempts to soothe pain. By removing the numbing addictive behaviors, one can finally address the underlying wounds and find healing.
The discussion explores the idea that recovery from addiction offers profound wisdom applicable to all people, as everyone has their own 'thing' or ritualized comfort-seeking behavior to avoid pain. McKowen presents nine essential truths as stepping stones towards facing one's struggles, taking responsibility, and living authentically. The ultimate goal is the simple dignity of being oneself without regret.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Addictive behaviors often develop subconsciously in childhood as ways to cope with unmet needs and attachment issues.
- Sobriety forces you to confront and heal the underlying traumas and 'boil' that the addiction was covering up.
- The 'bigger yes' of sobriety is not about grand achievements but discovering the dignity of simply being your true, authentic self.
- Recovery wisdom applies to all people, as everyone has their own version of a 'thing' or compulsive behavior to avoid pain.
- McKowen offers 9 essential truths as a guide for taking responsibility, facing struggles, and living with integrity.
- Simple acts of self-care like being present, asking 'how do I feel?', and stillness can reveal your soul's truth.
- Sharing vulnerable stories erases shame and allows healing for the struggles all humans face.
- Living authentically means some relationships end as you can no longer tolerate that which doesn't align.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “We all get these invitations. They look different for everybody. Could be a divorce, could be death. For me, nothing. The rock bottoms, it couldn't get bad enough.“ by Glennon Doyle
- “If I want the love that I want from a man, which was like the holy grail, as far as I understood, I have to be a certain way. So you create all of these mechanisms to do that, and they're almost always subconscious.“ by Laura McKowen
- “You can be who you are. You can find out who that person is. You can be curious about that person. You can figure out how to get to know that person, maybe love that person. There is an infinite well available there.“ by Laura McKowen
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Episode Information
We Can Do Hard Things
Glennon Doyle and Audacy
1/16/24
Author Laura McKowen shares her incredible hard-earned wisdom about how to get sober and how to live with dignity, power, and peace.
Laura shares: