The 3 AM Confession
So there I was, 3:47 AM, charting on a patient who'd finally stabilized after a rough code, and I needed something to keep me from spiraling into that post-adrenaline crash. I'd been meaning to listen to Untamed for months - my sister-in-law wouldn't stop talking about it at Christmas dinner. "Maria, you HAVE to listen to it. It changed my life." (She says this about every book, but still.)
Glennon Doyle's voice came through my earbuds like she was sitting across from me in the break room, coffee in hand, just... talking. Not performing. Not reading. Talking. And look, I've listened to a lot of author-narrated audiobooks that made me cringe - writers aren't always performers, you know? But this woman knows how to tell a story. Her pacing is conversational, like she's letting thoughts land before moving to the next one. There's this warmth there that makes you lean in.
The cheetah metaphor at the beginning? I almost rolled my eyes. I'll be honest. A cheetah at the zoo who forgot how to be wild. Okay, Glennon, I see where this is going. But then she kept circling back to it throughout the book, and by the end - ugh. It got me. Carlos asked why I was crying in the car after my shift. I blamed allergies. (It was not allergies.)
When It Hits Different
Here's the thing about this book - it's not linear. It's not a traditional memoir with a beginning, middle, end structure. It's more like... essays? Meditations? Little moments she's stringing together. And at first, I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Some chapters are three minutes long. Some are twenty. The rhythm takes getting used to.
But the format actually works perfectly for audiobook listening. I could finish a chapter during my drive from the parking garage to the freeway. Pick up another one while waiting for labs to come back. It's bite-sized wisdom that doesn't require you to remember where you left off in some complicated plot.
The parts about her divorce and falling in love with Abby Wambach - those hit different when you're hearing them in her own voice. There's vulnerability there that I don't think a hired narrator could capture. When she talks about telling her kids, about the fear of blowing up her "perfect" Christian mommy blogger life... you can hear the weight of it. The pauses. The places where her voice gets a little tight.
My mom would love this. (She still thinks I should've been a doctor, but she's also been married to my dad for 43 years and has Opinions about women who leave their husbands. So maybe I won't recommend it to her just yet.)
What Might Make You Yell at Your Dashboard
Okay, let's be real for a second. This book is not for everyone.
If you're allergic to self-help language, you're going to struggle. There are moments where Glennon gets... preachy? Repetitive? The "know what you know" mantra shows up approximately forty-seven times. (I didn't count. It felt like forty-seven.) And some of the metaphors are laid on thick - the caged woman, the untamed self, the wild knowing. I get it. I got it the first three times.
Also - and this is just me being a practical Filipina eldest daughter here - some of her advice feels very... privileged? Like, "quit your job and follow your dreams" is great when you're a bestselling author married to a World Cup champion. Some of us have student loans and three kids and aging parents who need help. The "burn it all down" energy doesn't always translate.
But. BUT. There's enough genuine insight mixed in that I kept listening. The chapter about her daughter's anxiety and how she handled it? As someone who works with families in crisis, that was actually solid. The stuff about feeling your feelings instead of numbing them - I mean, I work night shift in an ICU. I know about numbing. That hit close to home.
Perfect for That Post-Shift Decompression
This is not a book you listen to while doing focused work. It's a feelings book. A thinking book. Perfect for that 45-minute drive home when you need to transition from "nurse brain" to "human brain." Perfect for folding laundry or doing dishes or any task that leaves your mind free to wander.
I wouldn't recommend it for workouts - the pacing is too contemplative. You want something with more energy when you're on the treadmill. But for that quiet time when you need something that feels like a conversation with a smart friend who's been through some stuff? Night shift approved.
Glennon's narration is warm without being saccharine. She doesn't over-perform the emotional moments, which I appreciated. When she cries, she cries. When she's angry, you hear it. It feels honest in a way that a lot of memoir audiobooks don't.
The Verdict
Look, I'm not going to tell you this book will change your life. My sister-in-law says that about every book and it's annoying. But I will say this: I finished it in three shifts, which is fast for me. I highlighted passages in my Audible app, which I never do. And I've been thinking about that stupid cheetah for two weeks now.
If you're a woman who's ever felt like you're performing a version of yourself that doesn't quite fit - especially if you grew up in a religious household or a culture with strong expectations about what women should be - this one might land. If you're looking for practical advice or a structured self-help program, look elsewhere. This is more of a permission slip than a roadmap.
Sample first if you're skeptical of the self-help genre. But if you're in the right headspace for it? It's worth the eight hours.
