Untamed

Like the cry of a caged animal, this book reminds me that the systems in place aren’t working, but more than that, it points to the open cage door, offering me the option of a different way of living. It is a wake-up call and a deep, nuanced examination of what makes life worth living.

Glennon is not only a deep thinker but also quick as a whip; nothing escapes her. Her insights are priceless and sharp and cut through the densest of binds.

This book sits on my shelf as a daily reminder that my life is my own,… show more.

When my husband left me, I was distraught and confused. I had done all I could to force myself into the box he built for me, to be the perfect wife and mother, and he still left. In the middle of my spiral of hurt and self-hate, a friend recommended this book to me, and I devoured it in a matter of days. 

In Untamed, Glennon—who also did all she could to be the perfect wife and mother before her ex-husband engaged in a string of affairs—argues for women to stop killing and abandoning themselves to win the love… show more.

This book has zero to do with quitting the 9-5 and creating your dream life, but don’t let that put you off.

With more sass and sparkle than most books out there, Untamed is an unmissable addition to your future dream life.

From the get-go, I couldn’t put this book down and came away from it thoroughly inspired to shake off society’s expectations, wake up to what I really want, and live big. It gave me the shove I needed to realign my dreams and keep on working towards them.

This is a fabulous confident-boosting book; teeming with vulnerability,… show more.

I read this book during the pandemic when book talks were off and my authors were pissed. (I’m a publishing consultant.) I needed a writing gal pal to help me find and use my outside voice when so many of us were literally stuck in place. Her badass attitude and clarion writing lifted me out of my seat and got me pacing the living room, with a drumbeat of questions in my ears. What is my truth? What is in the way of that truth? What’s my superpower and where’s my damn cape? Reading this book charged me up.… show more.

Possibly an unlikely pick as Untamed doesn’t purport to be a spiritual book, but what is more spiritual than loving and accepting yourself? The moment you abandon yourself in favor of societal “ideals” or what other people expect of you is the moment you close the door to the life you came here to live. As a recovering Catholic, I also appreciate the way she invites readers to liberate themselves, without guilt or shame, from institutions and cultural norms that don’t support you. I listened to this on audio because Glennon’s signature sweet voice in my ear is like having… show more.

Doyle is an excellent storyteller, and I found this memoir revealing and powerful as she explores the cost of striving to meet others’ expectations, something I could totally relate to. She begins the book with a metaphor, comparing the life of a caged cheetah with the lives of women who get caged into believing society’s truth about them instead of finding, and living, their own truth. I learned that I need to stop that behavior and start trusting the voice deep within me. This follows two other memoirs that she wrote: Love Warrior and Carry on, Warrior, which I… show more.

Doyle describes her history with addiction and bulimia, though she does so from a place of stability. For example, she reflects on the trauma of her past, but her trauma is couched in her presently transformed existence. I related to this powerful story as it is not unlike my own journey—a story of convalescence, a burning desire to transcend the perils of mental illness and addiction. Doyle uncovers how both the personal, familial, and social constraints of her childhood, and indeed of her adulthood, had historically shaped and constrained her choices. In both Doyle’s story and my own, the reader… show more.

What I love about Glennon’s writing (and her podcast) is that she gives people permission to be fallible human beings. Her honesty and vulnerability in sharing her own struggles make her message accessible to all, and validates how I’ve lived my own life—wearing my heart on my sleeve! My mission in life is to continue to peel off the layers of social conditioning so I can express my authentic self a bit more each day, and this book, even simply with the title, inspires me to stay on my path to freedom. I love that she’s not trying to “fix”… show more.

This book perfectly combines self-help wisdom and memoir stories from the author's interesting life. There were so many takeaways – I underlined something in almost every chapter. Utter gems: “We forgot how to know when we learned how to please,” “Maybe in a different life… As if I had more than one” and “I am worthy of rest.” Shivers. Overall, this is a book I think every woman needs to read right now.

Reading Untamed by Glennon Doyle was like having dinner with a combination of my best friend from childhood and the world’s best therapist. I felt seen, understood, and inspired. Her life experience and mottos invigorated me in lasting, exciting ways. The book made me feel great about being female – lucky to be female – and powerful inside myself. Her journey from a wife and mother who self-medicated with alcohol to her truest, strongest self helped me set my own sights for myself a bit higher, but with far more compassion for how hard it is to do “the right… show more.