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One of the best-selling books last year was by an author and activist who has inspired millions with her writing, podcast, and non-profit work. Her name is Glennon Doyle, and she’s full of experiences and life lessons that are changing the world, especially for women and the LGBTQ+ community.
If you’re in need of inspiration, Glennon is a wise and witty leader to follow, as she has a remarkable life story that includes overcoming alcoholism, anxiety, infidelity, divorce, and bulimia, among other challenges.
But who is Glennon Doyle, and what is she known for? Read on to learn about her and five ways she’s encouraging women and people all over the world.
Who Is Glennon Doyle?
Glennon Doyle is a self-help author who originally rose to fame as a Christian mom-slash-author. She wrote about parenting and marriage in her personal memoirs, as well as her popular blog, Momastery.
Glennon was loved for her raw and relatable thoughts on life. She discussed hard subjects that she has firsthand experience with, like perfectionism and the pressure to conform to society’s expectations, as well as gritty subjects like addiction, anxiety, adultery, and eating disorders.
Even still, it came as a shock to many when, during the promotion of her second book Love Warrior, she revealed that she had fallen in love with pro soccer player Abby Wambach.
While the news surprised many, her courage to reveal the relationship became a rebirth of sorts. She was living into what she was writing about, which was seeking to live your “truest and most beautiful life”. In her candid style, Glennon talked about falling in love with a woman after being married to a man, reclaiming her identity, and celebrating imperfect authenticity.
She would later go on to release her best-selling book yet, Untamed, in 2020.
5 Ways Glennon Doyle Is Changing the World
Glennon Doyle has used her voice in activism, women’s rights, and non-profit work, such as in her organization called Together Rising.
But she’s also changing the world through the lessons she’s learned, which she shares with people online, in podcasts, and through her books. Here are five of those lessons worth adopting in your own life.
1. Challenging Society’s Norms
Glennon is a champion at questioning (and crushing) society’s norms and the ways that we are conditioned.
And she doesn’t just talk about the problems in society—she actively challenges them.
Glennon knows that gender and sexuality can feel limiting, especially for women and nonbinary people. But she reminds us that there’s not one “right” way to express yourself and your identity.
She’s an example that it’s okay for a mother to struggle with parenting, a woman to put herself first, and a person to experience a new side of their sexuality or gender that they weren’t taught to embrace.
Not only is it okay, it’s a necessary part of living a brave and true life.
2. Fighting Perfectionism
Glennon Doyle has a lot to say about managing expectations.
Specifically, she teaches us to lower the perfectionistic expectations we place on ourselves and raise our expectations in life.
Glennon uses her experience with bulimia as an example of how she tried to be perfect, following the messages she received from the people and media around her. She also encourages us to stop using words like “should” or “supposed to” when talking about ourselves.
Instead, we can focus on living in a way that is authentic to us. People, and especially women, are taught to be perfect, while expecting little in return. Society’s message is, sacrifice yourself and settle for a life you don’t love, to keep others are satisfied.
She fought this notion when she started her relationship with Abby Wambach, even though she faced some backlash. She trekked forward anyway, knowing it was time to demand more out of life.
3. Talking Openly About Sexual Fluidity
Glennon Doyle may have seemed like a surprising gay hero, after being known for her heterosexual marriage, but that’s the point.
Glennon shows that sexuality is fluid and it’s a part of us that can take time to uncover and understand. That is a beautiful thing.
You don’t have to choose one box, unless you feel that box truly suits you. Instead, sexuality and gender should free you, not limit you.
As Glennon reminds us, trust yourself, trust your truth, and trust you heart. Society doesn’t get to dictate the terms of you life.
4. Celebrating Sensitivity
Regardless of our personality, gender expression, or identity, we all have emotions. But society often tells us in indirect ways to quiet those emotions.
Glennon, on the other hand, is ready to swoop in and remind you that it’s completely healthy to feel your feelings. No feelings are “bad,” even though some may be uncomfortable.
In fact, she reminds us that sensitivity as a strength. It can help us see what we don’t like or what we don’t agree with in the world so we feel compelled to make changes.
Most importantly, she reminds us that we can “do hard things.”
5. Encouraging Us to Be Cheetahs
In Glennon Doyle’s book Untamed, she talks about the theme of women being put into metaphorical cages and boxes within society. Women are groomed to be tame, instead of embracing their authentic and “wild” selves.
In one thought-provoking quote, she says, “Right around ten is when we begin to internalize our formal taming. Ten is when the world sat me down, told me to be quiet, and pointed toward my cages.”
She opens the book with a story involving her daughter and a cheetah. Her daughter notices a cheetah at the zoo that has been tamed by the zookeepers, yet shows her wildness in subtle moments.
According to Glennon, we all can be cheetahs, untaming and allowing ourselves to be natural and authentic, even when it disappoints others.
Especially when it disappoints others.
Who Is Glennon Doyle? An Unlikely Proponent for Brave Living
Who is Glennon Doyle and what does she have to offer the world?
As a best-selling author and activist, she has inspired millions with her personal stories and observations on society. Take a cue from her words of wisdom and start untaming yourself to live life on your own terms.