How can you embrace the silver linings in all the ups and downs of the human experience? Cheryl Strayed, #1 NYT bestselling author, writer, producer, and podcast host went on a physical and spiritual quest when she trekked the Pacific Crest Trail, and the challenge uncovered a powerful strength within herself. She shares how to have the courage to be vulnerable, see the light when you’re stuck in the dark, create change through small steps, and turn all your failures and triumphs into a gift.

– Come to Cathy’s retreat in Boca Raton, June 25-27! cathyheller.com/retreat

– Watch Tiny Beautiful Things on Hulu this Friday, April 7th! 
– Sign up for Cheryl’s newsletter & Dear Sugar letters 
– Get Cheryl’s books (Wild, Tiny Beautiful Things, Brave Enough, Torch) at https://www.cherylstrayed.com/
– Follow Cheryl Strayed on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @cherylstrayed

TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE:

1. Stories are powerful. They tell us how to live. They tell us that we’re not alone. They allow us to both deeply recognize ourselves, but also to expand our visions of who we are.
2. Vulnerability is the most powerful form of strength.
3. We all have that strength and courage and wholeness. We don’t need to go out and find it. It’s inside of us. The way we find it is to trust the deepest, truest things.
4. You can continue on even when it hurts. When you get really quiet with yourself, you’ll almost always find that there’s a light within that will guide you forward.
5. How wild it is to accept everything – the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly. All your failures and triumphs are yours, and you get to turn it into a gift if you choose.
6. You don’t have to be the sage and know how to do everything. You can say, “I’m right here with you. I am down in the muck too. Let’s grapple and dig really deep to find the answers.”
7. Make a list of the 5 hardest experiences in your life. Then make a list of 5 things that taught you something, that allowed you to grow and become strong and brave. You’ll find that very often they’re the same. When you can recognize that silver lining, you’ll realize what a gift that is in the end.
8. Change happens on the level of the gesture. It’s doing one thing differently than you did before. The little things that accumulate over time are what usually contribute powerfully to our lives.

Thank you so much for listening!

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram!

If you have any general questions or comments for the show, click here.

If you’d like to advertise with us, click here.