Glennon Doyle (born March 20, 1976) is an American author and queer activist known for her books '' Untamed,'' ''Love Warrior,'' ''Carry On, Warrior,'' and '' We Can Do Hard Things.'' Doyle is also the creator of the online community Momastery, and is the founder and president of Together Rising, an all-women-led nonprofit organization supporting women, families, and children in crisis.

Early life and education

Doyle was born in

Burke Burke (; ) is a Normans in Ireland, Norman-Irish surname, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (''circa'' 1160–1206) had the surname'' de B ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, and was raised with one sister, Amanda Doyle. She writes and speaks frequently about early struggles with

bulimia Bulimia nervosa, also known simply as bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating (eating large quantities of food in a short period of time, often feeling out of control) followed by compensatory behaviors, such as self-induc ...

and

addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...

. In her 2013

TEDx TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "Ideas Change Everything" (previously "Ideas Worth Sprea ...

talk "Lessons from the Mental Hospital", she discusses time spent in a mental hospital when she was a teenager. She completed her

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree at

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public university, public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1908, the institution was renamed in 1938 in honor of the fourth president of the ...

in 1999. Following graduation, she became a teacher in

Northern Virginia Northern Virginia, locally referred to as NOVA or NoVA, comprises several County (United States), counties and independent city (United States), independent cities in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. ...

Career

In 2009, Doyle began writing online with her blog Momastery as a way to share "a look at her life as a progressive Christian raising three children." This was the start of her writing career and led to her first book, a memoir titled ''Carry On, Warrior'', in 2013. This book unifies faith with themes of honesty and authenticity, but her subsequent writings shift further away from having a core religious focus. In 2016, a follow-up memoir, ''Love Warrior'' was released. In September 2016, it was selected to be a part of

Oprah's Book Club 2.0 Oprah's Book Club 2.0 is a book club founded June 1, 2012, by Oprah Winfrey in a joint project between OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network and '' O: The Oprah Magazine''. The club is a re-launch of the original Oprah's Book Club, which ran for 15 year ...

. A third memoir, ''Untamed,'' was published in 2020. In April 2020, the book was selected to be a part of

Reese Witherspoon Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Reese Witherspoon, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Aw ...

's ''Reese's Book Club'' (Hello Sunshine • Book Club). ''Untamed'' has sold more than two million copies as of February 2021. A television series based on ''Untamed'' is being developed by

J. J. Abrams Jeffrey Jacob Abrams (born June 27, 1966) is an American filmmaker and composer. He is best known for his works in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. Abrams wrote and produced films such as '' Regarding Henry'' (1991), '' Forever ...

's production company, with

Sarah Paulson Sarah Catharine Paulson (born December 17, 1974) is an American actress. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award. In 2017, ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 1 ...

expected to be the lead. Sarah Paulson was the only actress to audition for the role, and Doyle said Paulson is the perfect actress to play her because she is "somebody who is a transformational actor, who is in touch with the world and involved in everything we care about, and who is queer". In May 2021, Doyle launched a podcast titled ''We Can Do Hard Things''. This podcast stars Doyle's wife,

Abby Wambach Mary Abigail Wambach (born June 2, 1980) is an American retired Association football, soccer player, coach, and member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. A six-time winner of the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year award, Wambach was a regular on ...

, and sister, Amanda. It carries similar themes to ''Untamed''. Doyle has also made several appearances on the ''Together Live Tour'', created by

Jennifer Rudolph Walsh Jennifer Rudolph Walsh is a board member at the talent agency WME and runs the agency's worldwide literary, speakers, and conference divisions. Walsh's department publishes over 200 books a year, half of those landing on ''The New York Times'' B ...

. The Together Live Tour is a storytelling event aimed at connecting communities and helping each other find purpose. Doyle has appeared on this tour alongside Latham Thomas,

Connie Britton Connie Britton (born Constance Elaine Womack; March 6, 1967) is an American actress. Her accolades include nominations for five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. She gained prominence for her roles in the television series ''S ...

, and

Sophia Bush Sophia Anna Bush (born July 8, 1982) is an American actress. She starred as List of One Tree Hill characters#Brooke Davis, Brooke Davis in The WB/The CW, CW drama series ''One Tree Hill (TV series), One Tree Hill'' (2003–2012), and as Erin Li ...

Awards and recognition

In 2014, ''

Parents A parent is either the progenitor of a child or, in humans, it can refer to a caregiver or legal guardian, generally called an adoptive parent or step-parent. Parents who are progenitors are first-degree relatives and have 50% genetic meet. ...

'' named Doyle and Momastery the winner of its award for Best All-Around at Social Media. In 2021, Doyle was included in the

Fast Company ''Fast Company'' is an American business magazine published monthly in print and online, focusing on technology, business, and design. It releases six print issues annually. History ''Fast Company'' was founded in November 1995 by Alan Webb ...

Queer 50 list. Doyle appears on Oprah's SuperSoul 100. She has been featured in ''

O, The Oprah Magazine ''O, The Oprah Magazine'', also known simply as ''O'', is an American monthly magazine founded by talk show host Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Communications. In 2021, Winfrey and Hearst rebranded it as ''Oprah Daily''. Overview It was first pu ...

,'' ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'', ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...

'', and ''Glamour,'' and has also appeared on multiple talk shows.'' In 2024, Doyle's podcast We Can Do Hard Things won two Webby awards, one for Best Co-hosts (overall) and one for Best Individual Episode (Health, Wellness & Lifestyle) for Episode 165: Glennon’s Diagnosis & What’s Next.

Philanthropy

Doyle founded Together Rising, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, with an effective date of May 25, 2012. As of December 2020, Together Rising has raised over $25 million for people in need. Together Rising exists to "transform collective heartbreak into effective action." Most of Together Rising's funds are raised through time-limited crowd-sourced fund-raisers in which contributors are limited to giving a maximum of $25 to meet a particular need. This strategy is designed to build community, to enable people from all income groups to be able to donate ("democratize the giving"), and overcome indecision about how much to give. In 2020, Doyle became a co-owner of the Angel City Football Club in Los Angeles, California.

Personal life

Doyle was married to Craig Melton, a former model, until 2016; and they have three children. The family moved from Centreville, Virginia, to Naples, Florida. Doyle met

on a book tour. In November 2016, Doyle announced that she was in a relationship with Wambach; they married on May 14, 2017. They moved to

Hermosa Beach, California Hermosa Beach (, Spanish for "Beautiful") is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its population was 19,728 at the 2020 U.S. Census. The city is located in the South Bay region of the Greater Los Angeles area; ...

, in 2021, purchasing a $6.5 million home. Doyle, Wambach, and Melton co-parent the three children and Doyle states that they all have family dinners together.

Published works

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References

External links

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''We Can Do Hard Things'' podcast
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doyle, Glennon 1976 births Living people 21st-century American memoirists American women bloggers American bloggers 21st-century American women writers American women memoirists Audacy people People from Burke, Virginia Writers from Virginia James Madison University alumni Journalists from Virginia LGBTQ people from Virginia American LGBTQ journalists American LGBTQ writers American women podcasters American health and wellness podcasters Angel City FC owners American nonprofit chief executives American women nonprofit executives Schoolteachers from Virginia