While both were famous prior to meeting one another, Abby Wambach and Glennon Doyle stole the spotlight when they announced a relationship in November of 2016 and married in early 2017. They’re impressive for many reasons, including that they make marriage and parenting look easy, manage a blended family, and have powerful careers.
They are also working in partnership with each other—and other powerful women—to change the world.
Before Glennon Met Abby Wambach
After retiring from professional soccer, Abby Wambach wrote the book, Forward: A Memoir, and made speaking appearances across the country. After partnering with Glennon in 2016, Abby released another book on leadership, Wolfpack.
Prior to meeting Abby, Glennon Doyle had authored two books—Love Warrior and Carry On, Warrior—both New York Times best-sellers. She also founded the nonprofit Together Rising, and perhaps most impressively, built up her popular blog launched in 2009 (Momastery.com) to millions of views per year.
While many people have labelled Glennon’s blog a “mommy blog,” that doesn’t do it justice. In my opinion, her blog is a “truth-telling blog” where Glennon had the courage to reveal all of her life, including the dark, gritty parts that most people would hide.
In her daily essays (blogs), she shares her struggles with bulimia, alcohol, drugs, mental health, sex, relationships, and importantly, her ex-husband’s infidelity and porn addiction.
It is this honestly and transparency that has allowed Glennon to create a zealous community of followers, including 609K on Instagram and 755K on Facebook.
Recently, in March 2020, Glennon released her latest and most masterful book to date, Untamed.
Abby Wambach and Glennon Doyle
Power couples are pairs who excel under pressure, create change, made waves in art and literature, become entrepreneurs, and break boundaries. They are couples with powerful careers, fame, and the ability to positively impact the world.
Below are five reasons that Abby Wambach and Glennon Doyle are stronger together.
1. They’re Both Mavericks in their Field
As an athlete, Abby Wambach set national and international records.
Playing as a forward, she holds the record as top goal scorer of all time. She also has the world record on the international soccer scene with 184 goals. In 2015, she was one of TIME Magazine’s top 100 most influential people in the world.
Glennon Doyle is a maverick because she made the choice for love and is an avid spokesperson about sexuality and gender, bringing her positive take that they exist in “a wide, beautiful spectrum.”
She also dares to admit that faith and religion can try to contain you and hold you back from your true spot on that spectrum.
Glennon has authored three books:
- #1 New York Times Bestseller and 2016 Oprah’s Book Club selection Love Warrior, a memoir about betrayal and self-discovery
- New York Times Bestseller Carry On, Warrior, offering reflections on life. Both inspire and encourage readers to find love and live authentically.
- New York Times Bestseller Untamed, released March 2019
Abby and Glennon put their careers, personal lives, and activism out there for all to see. For anyone who has tested this out on even a small scale, it takes enormous courage.
2. They’re Both Established Professionally
Abby and Glennon met after they had established careers. Abby Wambach was an athlete and author. She won two Olympic golds with the U.S. women’s soccer team. She’s received the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year award six times and is a Women’s World Cup winner.
Glennon Doyle was an author and a blogger, motivational speaker, social media influencer, and activist, among other lofty accomplishments.
They’re both extremely successful. They’re both financially free, with revenue from books, speaking, and in Glennon’s case, her wildly popular blog. They know how to maneuver in this world as entrepreneurs.
How did Glennon and Abby meet? In case you’re wondering, Glennon saw Abby walk into a room and her inner voice told her this was the one and she “just knew”.
3. Abby and Glennon Have the Same Goals
Both women openly voice their beliefs and put it out there as activists to solve big problems in the world. One of their shared goals is equality for all.
They were both already doing work toward this goal when they met as vocal and successful authors.
Together, Abby and Glennon created Together Rising, a nonprofit that helps women and children in crisis who don’t know how or where to get help and could use emotional and financial support.
Together Rising has raised over $20 million and offers help around the globe. They’ve rescued children from refugee camps offshore of Greece, paid to heat the home of a foster care family, set up a home for pregnant teens recovering from opioid addiction, and helped kids abandoned on the streets in Indiana, to name a few.
With their ever-positive outlook, Abby and Glennon are showing us how it’s possible to transform difficulty into effective action.
4. They Both Have Relationship Experience
Abby and Glennon’s marriage is the second for both women. Abby Wambach married Sarah Huffman in October of 2013. Sarah was a pro soccer player. They split in late 2016.
Glennon Doyle was married to Craig Melton from 2004 to 2016. They have three children together.
Both Abby and Glennon recognized what wasn’t working in their previous marriages, which gives them insight into what is working in theirs.
They have the experience to draw from. They know what it’s like to have a commitment. They’re older and wiser this time around, and they’re willing to share their experience.
Abby has stepped into the role of step-parent and the couple openly talks about having a blended family in a way that truly inspires.
5. They’ve Both Powered Through Adversity and Won
Both Abby and Glennon are sober and more powerful for it, because it allows them to be advocates for leadership and empowerment for women.
Wambach struggled with depression, prescription drugs, and alcohol abuse and came through stronger because of it. She fought discrimination against women soccer players during her soccer career and made huge strides for women in the sport and elsewhere.
She also worked and worked and worked to become an amazing athlete that achieved a career of breakthroughs and milestones.
For her part, Glennon Doyle beat addiction with bulimia, alcohol, and drugs. She has been sober since the day she found out she was pregnant with her first child.
Get Inspired by Abby Wambach and Glennon Doyle
Clearly, Abby Wambach and Glennon Doyle are working as a couple to make the world a more inclusive and kind place. Through their live appearances, non-profits, guest podcasting, and books, they are changing the world one mission at a time.
Ready for more? Get 107 of Glennon’s life-changing quotes in a PDF that you can download, print, or share with a friend.