*Untamed by Glennon Doyle is a guest post
Untamed by Glennon Doyle sold over a million copies in the first 20 weeks, made the best-seller list in the New York Times and is endorsed by the vulnerability guru – Brene Brown. The memoir describes the author’s struggles and discoveries to gain self-confidence and self-worth. As I review the book, I’m also going to reference how this supports self-care, a topic I am deeply interested in.
Brene Brown’s incredible research on vulnerability highlights how taking risks and opportunity can create moments to learn who we are. Untamed takes the reader on a tour of Doyle’s self-discovery featuring her vulnerabilities.
Untamed simply ends with the words ‘I am’. The 328 pages explore what these 2 words mean. When you are asked, are you happy, brave, or wrong? What is the first thing that pops into your head? What flurry of emotions do you feel? Would you ever answer with “I am”? I can honestly say I have not once thought ‘I am’. It would feel unnatural and yet, I’m motivated by what that would mean. To be completely content and open with life’s ups and downs with only me at the driving seat. I believe Untamed explores how to enable ourselves in accepting everything about ourselves, thus giving us the energy to be how we want to be.
I feel Untamed is written for women. Doyle offers insights on how girls are parented, for example, she explains how girls are encouraged to please others, which takes a significant amount of energy to keep up. “This is why we live hungry” p24. Do we hide our truth to make others feel comfortable? It’s a great question to reflect on how this impacts our self-care. For instance, do we spend our energy on meeting the expectations of others or ourselves? Equally important, does our emotional wellbeing rely on feeling validated and accepted?
Untamed is very frank and to the point and comes across noticeably confident. She fiercely writes about her unconditional love and acceptance for her children. I paused many times to gather my thoughts as she explores how to find a life that is true for oneself. There is a poignant chapter, where Doyle describes the critical moments of change and having to have honest conversations with her children. I can imagine, like me, this resonating with her readers. Do we stick with what we know, or do we adapt for a more fulfilling life?
Throughout the memoir, Doyle challenges the readers to reflect on their own emotions, intuition, imagination, and courage, to unlock their true self. She does this by highlighting her own struggles and how it feels when you begin to take ownership of yourself. To accept all of you is a responsibility that she explains wonderfully. Untamed offers strategies to help maintain the concept of self through mindfulness. For example, being still and what she calls ‘knowing’ is to look within to find the answers.
“When my body tells me the truth, I’ll believe it” p324
What I found extremely powerful was accepting the feelings at any given time. For example, feeling exhausted, terrified, or angry is ok. Those feelings or thoughts are communicating something. It’s permitting yourself to stick with those feelings and thoughts to learn from them. I feel like I must wear a happy mask all the time. When I feel glum, I feel the pressure to snap out of it. Untamed helps to put this into perspective, challenging the reader to do what is right by them.
The chapters are short which is a bonus for anyone who is busy. The messages are clear, written with passion and honesty. I can understand why over a million copies were sold in such a short period. If you are seeking to learn something new about yourself or if you are interested in other people’s psyche, then Untamed would be right up your street.
About The Author
“I am” – enthusiastic and passionate about caring for children and young people. I have spent 22 years working in children services as a youth worker, youth theatre director and now a trainer. As a professional, we use evidence-based research to shape our practice. So, by the time I had my 2 sons, I wanted to use parenting strategies that were also based on scientific and psychological evidence. I never thought I’d be a blogger; however, I created a space to explore child development and attachment parenting as I clamber through daily situations. You can check out my work on http://raising2children.com/
If you enjoyed reading the book review of Untamed by Glennon Doyle and would like to guest post for The Kelly Diane Report, click here.
I’ve heard of Untamed and seen it’s lovely cover before but this is the first review I’ve seen, so I was so excited to read it! Sounds like an amazing read, and Doyle sounds like a passionate writer which is always a plus. Great review!
Anika | chaptersofmay.com
A friend of mine gave me this book as a gift and I’m about to start it, can’t wait to get stuck in!
Didi | http://www.didicrawford.com
I found this book so interesting, we all need to listen to ourselves more, I don’t think it was groundbreaking but seeing that it’s okay to put yourself first in black and white is pretty comforting
I’ve not heard of this book but it sounds like one that I would really enjoy. I love the sounds of the excerpts that you’ve shared here x
My sister read this book recently and she said she couldn’t put it down. She’s since shared it with my mum to read so I’m next in line!
Rosie
It sounds like the perfect book for our times. We have so many conflicting views imposed on us, and sometimes it’s nice to simply be reminded that we exist as our own people. It’s always intriguing to explore other perspectives too, especially relating to issues like this
I have never heard of this book but it sounds interesting! I am always up for a book that helps with finding yourself, great review! i will add it to my reading list x
I do like a short chapter in a book, it does make it a lot easier to read and I find I get through the book quicker then! This sounds like a good read also x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
I can relate to the quote in the book, ‘girls are encouraged to please others.’ This book is now on my reading list. Thanks for the thoughtful review!
I haven’t heard of this book before but it sounds like such an interesting read. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and recommendation.
This sounds like such an interesting book. I enjoyed getting to read the excerpt of the book that you shared.
Great review! Thank you for sharing this book! It sounds incredible and I love the sound of the messages in this book! It sounds like a very good read!
I came across Glennon Doyle following a quote, somewhere. It read “What if in skipping the pain, I was missing my lessons?” It resonated with me.Glennon Doyle is a woman of our time.
I must say you’ve done a superb job of reviewing Untamed, I wanted to keep reading until the end.
I will reshare.
I’ve been contemplating reading this book for quite some time now. I love following Glennon Doyle on Instagram, so thought her book would be a great read. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it!
Interesting review, I didn’t know about this book 📖
Thanks for sharing
https://uncuaderno4cero.wordpress.com/
I love the sound of this book, this is deffo something I’d love to read!! The author is so right in saying it’s important to feel every emotion your body is telling you x
Sounds like a book I’m gonna have to check out! I’m trying to grow my reading list so thanks for sharing!
I’ve also thought similarly about how most women are raised differently than men. Most of the time, we’re raised in a way that teach us how to take care of others. And, sometimes, trying to fulfill this role can cause us to delay pursuing our own passions and dreams.
I appear to have missed out on the power sweep of Untamed, but the name alone says it all for me! I love that this book explores deep feelings of being rewilded, the differences in child-rearing that lead to girls growing still hungry, and ways to reconnect with the “I am” aspects of our being.
Thanks so much for sharing a lovely review!
A beautiful review! My people pleasing tendencies seem to stretch down to my core. I’m glad to have found this review, because this book is definitely for me.
Sounds like a great read actually! Feel like it’s my type of book, so will definitely look out for it.
Oh wow, what a glowing review! I haven’t heard of this one but it sounds so poignant and definitely the type of book I need right now. Thanks for the recommendation!
Wow great post, I love books that are confident in style and they are to the point x
I’ve read Untamed! It’s such a great book and I definitely agree with your review x
Your review is great! I like how it focuses on the women’s perspective and has lines filled with women empowerment. Your review makes me want to read it, especially that the chapters are short haha. Thanks for sharing!
http://www.lifebeginsattwenty.com
This book sounds like a good read and a book I want to read. Thank you for sharing your review with me.
I would really love to read this book
I’m adding this to my reading list. Thanks for the recommendation!