The Boozeless Book Club: Brave Enough, Grief, and Learning to Play the Hand You're Dealt

What if the loneliness you feel isn't proof you're broken — just proof you're human?

Amy and Dr. Sarah Michelle return for another episode of The Boozeless Book Club, this time diving into Cheryl Strayed's Brave Enough — a slim collection of quotes that packs a serious emotional punch. From the danger of "gathering receipts" to prove you're an outcast to the necessity of saying your feelings out loud even when it feels like vomiting, this conversation is raw, relatable, and real. They talk about codependency, compassion, courage in close relationships, and why sometimes the bravest thing you can do is grieve what didn't happen so you can finally move forward. If you've ever felt too messy, too much, or too alone — this one's for you.

Key Takeaways

• Loneliness and feeling like an outcast are often self-created stories — and saying them out loud breaks the spell
• "You're only as sick as your secrets" — vulnerability is the spark of human connection
• Not everything will be okay, and that's okay — acceptance is a small, quiet room
• Don't own other people's crap — their unkindness is usually about them, not you
• Grief is about time, feeling your feelings, and eventually realizing you're okay
• You have to be brave enough to tell the truth in close relationships — even when it's uncomfortable
• Sometimes healing means moving forward even when it still hurts

Guest Bio

Dr. Sarah Michelle is a psychologist, recovery advocate, and co-host of The Boozeless Book Club with Amy. She brings decades of clinical experience, spiritual curiosity, and a healthy dose of Gen X wit to every conversation.

Episode Resources

Brave Enough by Cheryl Strayed

Notable Quote

"We know we're telling the truth when we feel like vomiting." — Dr. Sarah Michelle

Connect with Amy

Amy Liz Harrison: amylizharrison.com | @amylizharrison

Amy's Books: amylizharrison.com/books

Memoir Coaching & Courses: amylizharrison.com/services-7

Eternally Amy is hosted by bestselling author Amy Liz Harrison — a sober mom of eight sharing her journey from jail to joy with humor, heart, and hard-won wisdom. Each episode blends raw storytelling, spiritual insights, and the kind of honesty that makes you feel less alone. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

This podcast shares personal stories and spiritual insights. It is not a substitute for professional medical, mental health, or addiction treatment. If you're struggling, please reach out to a qualified professional.

Grief isn’t just about death.

In this deeply honest Boozeless Bookclub conversation, Amy, Dr. Sarah, and Erin unpack The Grief Recovery Handbook by John James and Russell Friedman — and what surprised them most about grief.

Spoiler alert: It’s everywhere.

From friendship breakups to miscarriages. From career shifts to empty nests. From childhood wounds to identity loss.

If you’ve ever said, “I don’t really have anything to grieve,” this episode might gently prove you wrong.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• Why grief isn’t limited to death and divorce
• How unresolved grief can show up as addiction, busyness, anger, or depression
• The friendship wounds that still live in us decades later
• Miscarriage and pregnancy loss as invisible grief
• Parenting transitions and empty nest emotions
• Sexual trauma and identity loss
• The surprising power of writing a completion letter
• How grief can shape our triggers
• Why our culture makes no space for grief
• Teaching our kids how to process loss early

Book Featured

The Grief Recovery Handbook

By John James & Russell Friedman

An action-based guide for processing grief beyond death, divorce, and other losses.

Key Takeaways

• Grief is cumulative — and most of us are carrying more than we realize.
• Many of us were taught: Don’t feel bad. Replace the loss. Just give it time.
• Avoiding grief often shows up as addiction, overworking, shutting down, or relationship patterns.

• Grief isn’t linear.
• Completion doesn’t mean forgetting — it means releasing emotional charge.
• Making meaning out of loss can transform pain into growth.
• Curiosity toward your triggers is more powerful than self-judgment.

A Powerful Reminder

“All human beings experience grief — and yet our culture makes no space for it.”

So this episode is your space.

Connect with Amy

Amy Liz Harrison is a bestselling author, speaker, 12-step coach, meditation teacher, and mental health advocate.

amy lizharrison.com

Follow @AmyLizHarrison on all platforms

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and review. It truly helps.

Five days before heart surgery, Amy Liz Harrison opens her heart—literally and spiritually. In this intimate solo episode, Amy reflects on mortality, fear, surrender, and the surprising peace found by going inward. Drawing from Christian mysticism, neuroscience, meditation, and lived recovery, she explores what it means to stop striving, let go of outcomes, and find the calm center within—even when everything feels uncertain.

This episode isn’t about answers. It’s about presence. About the heart as both a physical organ and the seat of the soul. And about learning how to do hard things scared.

Key Takeaways

• Why heart illness carries a unique emotional weight—and how it mirrors vulnerability itself
• How Christian mysticism and The Interior Castle reframe spiritual transformation
• The difference between emotional regulation and emotional suppression
• Why surrender isn’t passive—it’s courageous
• How meditation and the parasympathetic nervous system support healing and peace

Key Timestamps

• [02:40] — Facing heart surgery and the loss of control
• [05:20] — Why heart illness feels different than any other diagnosis
• [08:45] — St. Teresa of Avila and The Interior Castle
• [13:30] — The nervous system, fear, and emotional regulation
• [17:05] — Meditation, ADHD, and 175 days of showing up
• [22:15] — The defibrillator, resentment, and letting go of outcome
• [27:40] — “Doing it scared” and finding the true center

Notable Resources & Mentions

• The Interior Castle — St. Teresa of Avila
• Father Richard Rohr — Falling Upward & Immortal Diamond
• HeartMath Institute
• Insight Timer (Amy as meditation teacher)

If this episode resonated, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone navigating uncertainty, recovery, or a health journey of their own.

Thank you so much for listening to Eternally Amy, a mom of eight’s journey from jail to joy. Amy Liz Harrison is a bestselling author, speaker, meditation teacher, and recovery advocate. To learn more, visit www.amylizharrison.com and follow @amylizharrison on all platforms.