Playing dumb, weak and silly is a disservice to yourself and to me and to the world. Every time you pretend to be less than you are, you steal permission from other women to exist fully.

 

 

Untamed by Glennon Doyle is that book, y’all.

Once in a great while, I will read a book that just rocks my world and makes me want to buy a copy for all of my friends. Untamed by Glennon Doyle is that book right now. This is the first book I have read by Glennon. I’m late to the Glennon party because I had not heard of her until she married Abby Wambach. Nevertheless, I’m happy to be at the party now because Glennon is a delight on Instagram (follow her now), and this book just served me in so many ways. It’s a little bit of everything. It’s a little bit of a love story…how she and Abby met and fell in love (Glennon was married to a man at the time), a female empowerment guide, and a deep dive into Glennon’s heart and mind – which is, frankly, the true gift of this book. She’s honest, open, and unapologetic (my favorite type of women lately).

 

A few excerpts from Untamed.

Cheetahs are meant to be wild
If the prologue doesn’t hook you, I’m not sure you can be hooked (maybe check your pulse?). It’s a story about being at a zoo watching a Cheetah “show” and ends with this sentence: “You are a goddamn cheetah.” This analogy continues throughout the book. Cheetahs are not meant to be locked up in zoos; they are meant to be wild and to live like they were destined to live. Friend, so are we!

 

 
The “Knowing”
 Early on in the book, she talks a lot about sinking down to find her “Knowing” and how this place has served her well in making life decisions. The “Knowing” is about getting still, getting quiet, and just listening to our hearts. It is in those moments that we see the knowing because the answer is inside all of us. We just have to stop and listen. In other words, “be still and know.” 

 

 
We are to practice humility, not modesty

In the chapter called “Comfort Zones,” Glennon reminds us to choose joy (YES!) and gives a masterclass on modesty…or at least recalls a masterclass from Oprah and Dr. Maya Angelou about modesty. When Glennon tries to downplay a compliment from Oprah, Ms. Winfrey says: “Don’t do that. Don’t be modest. Dr. Maya Angelou used to say ‘Modesty is a learned affectation. You don’t want modesty, you want humility. Humility comes from inside out.’” Glennon follows this up with this: “Playing dumb, weak and silly is a disservice to yourself and to me and to the world. Every time you pretend to be less than you are, you steal permission from other women to exist fully.” This…just this.
 

 
We won’t have any strong women left!
Later, in this same chapter, she talks about supporting other women: “I want to find inspiration in the joy and success of other women…if we keep disliking and tearing down strong women instead of loving them, supporting them and voting for them, we won’t have any strong women left.” Talk about a book stirring you to the core, y’all!
 

 

Honestly, I will read this again.

Two ways I rate a book and its effectiveness:

  1. Whether or not I highlight a lot of passages
  2. Do I want to read it again?
 

And let me tell you, 1. I definitely marked this book up and 2. I can’t wait to read it again because I know there’s more to learn from Glennon. If you’ve read Untamed by Glennon Doyle or plan to read it, let me know…I’d love to discuss! 

Speaking of great books, I created a bookshelf at bookshop so I can share my books with friends and also keep up with all the books I read each year (I’m weird like that). Check out my bookshop here.

Here you can create the content that will be used within the module.