Name: Glennon Doyle.
Age: 44.
Appearance: Adele’s happiness guru.
Adele Adele? Yes, Adele the woman who made her millions by singing gut-wrenchingly autobiographical power ballads about the turmoil of her emotional life.
And now she’s … happy? It certainly appears that way. Recent photos show her bronzed and beaming – the very picture of post-Goop bliss.
This feels like a crime against art somehow. Listen, Adele doesn’t owe you anything. I’m sure she prefers being content rather than getting rich by singing miserable songs once every four years.
And she has Glennon Doyle to thank? She does. Adele said of Doyle’s latest memoir Untamed: Stop Pleasing, Start Living: “I am so ready for myself after reading this book! It’s as if I just flew into my body for the very first time. Whew! Anyone who has any kind of capacity to truly let go and give into yourself with any kind of desire to hold on for dear life – do it.”
That sounds like some book. It details Doyle’s decision to “let go of the world’s expectations of her”, according to the blurb, and explains how “each of us can begin to trust ourselves enough to set boundaries, make peace with our bodies, honour our anger and heartbreak, and unleash our truest, wildest instincts”.
Do people actually fall for these platitudes? The book is currently the bestselling book on Amazon. So yes.
Lucky her for having a celebrity fan. Oh, Adele isn’t her only celebrity fan. Doyle has also been lauded by the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Reese Witherspoon. Which suggests that Untamed has a gift for unleashing the truest, wildest instincts of women who are already incredibly wealthy.
What about the rest of us? Oprah named her as one of the world’s “awakened leaders who are using their voices and talent to elevate humanity”.
So who is she? Doyle is a former blogger who became notorious for her unflinching honesty, detailing her eating disorders, substance abuse issues and the breakdown of her marriage.
Right. She has written three books – the other two being Carry On, Warrior and Love Warrior – and founded a non-profit organisation called Together Rising, which serves to “transform collective heartbreak into effective action”.
This all sounds hellish. Fine, it might not be for you. But the popularity of Doyle’s work means that she is clearly meeting the needs of lots of people. Besides, her work means that Adele now only gets to do things that fulfil her inner warrior.
Do say: “Glennon Doyle has made Adele happy again.”
Don’t say: “Adele’s heartbreaking new power ballad, Let’s All Have a Lovely Party, is out soon.”
