PODCAST EPISODE 158: Forging a New Path from Broken to Beautiful with Marie Gould

This week's podcast guest knows all about forging a new path and finding happiness and success. At a young age, Marie Gould found herself with a gaping hole in her heart. Her journey to mend her brokenness took her to all the wrong places, and at times she feared she would never find what she longed for as she continued to make decisions that made her life challenging.

In the introduction to her book, "Love Thirst: a Spiritual Journey from Broken to Beautiful,"  Marie says, "My story is not about anything extraordinary other than the fact that from the time I was young, I needed a lot of love and kept looking for it in the craziest places. I was like everyone, desiring to be loved. So I looked for a lot of it, plain and simple."

Marie is a hairstylist, mother, grandmother, author, and speaker who hopes to encourage others with a longing to heal their own broken, hole-riddled hearts.

What we talked about:

I grew up with Marie, and we had not talked to each other, other than an occasional comment on Facebook, in roughly 38 years. I saw that she had recently released a book, so I bought it. I was struck by all the things that went on in her young life that, as another kid in the neighborhood, I knew nothing about. These days, I hope we would know more about our neighbors and do a better job of supporting them in challenging times. 

Marie's early life, and what led her to writing the book:

Marie: You would have thought it was a simple, easy childhood... and it was beautiful in many ways... but there were a lot of things that happened in my home with my dad's health, and finances, and things that really contributed to a change in how I perceived myself and how I perceived the world. And it impacted decisions that I made in my life.

The journey goes through me becoming a teen mom and having my kids from different fathers. And I had two sons that I gave up for adoption because of circumstances that I wasn't able to care for them.

And, then finding my way out of the welfare system into a professional career, getting married and then reconciling with my kids and learning to really discover loving myself and my journey. I spent many years being ashamed and scared to share my story, and it took me sitting down and really getting real with myself to say, "You know what, surely I'm not the only person who's ever gone through anything like this."

On how those around her reacted to the book:

Marie: My motive is not to out all the dirty laundry that happened at my house. That's not my motive. My motive is to focus on the fact that we go through this life journey, and as we go along, we should be evolving, developing, growing, and changing. And little by little, we have to embrace the fact that we are not going to be the same person we were when we were 20 years old.

Sometimes I think society makes us think we're supposed to try and be the same person we've always been. And we change. Our thoughts change, our perspective changes. The things we experience in our life impact what we think and what we do. And we have to be willing to look past where we were and go forward into who we are.

On her desire to help others:

Marie: I can... through loving myself, empowering myself and turning my perspective around... help other people to see that they don't have to be bound up by it [their past] anymore. They can actually embrace who they are and have peace and joy and happiness in their life by that acceptance of themselves.

To hear more:

Listen to the full interview via the player above, or listen anywhere you listen to podcasts. (Apple link) (Spotify link).

You can also connect with Marie Gould at:

Instagram and Facebook: @MarieGouldInspires
https://www.instagram.com/mariegouldinspires

Email: [email protected]

Website:  www.mariegouldinspires.com

Book: "Love Thirst: A Spiritual Journey from Broken to Beautiful"  available on Amazon and Kindle 

Do YOU have a message to share with the world?

Iris Digital Media Group helps people with world-changing ideas find the confidence and clarity to share their big ideas in ways that transform lives. 

Episode Sponsor: Iris Digital Media Group 

Contact Kim and Abby to learn more about how we shape messages, use strategic content, and elevate our clients' visibility.