In this episode, Wynne Leon is with co-host Vicki Atkinson and they are talking to author and blogger Cheryl Oreglia.

Cheryl reads an essay from her book, Grow Damn It, called True Grit and we talk about what we develop as we grow through life – the ability to get up and dust ourselves off again and again. In her charming and funny way, Cheryl makes us realize that each failure is a delightful opportunity.

We talk about how Cheryl found a letter she’d written to her mom, but never delivered, a few years after her mom passed and the reluctance to open it. We touch on that feeling that beckons us to think back to the moment we were before our parents died and the bittersweetness of crossing back to that time.

But for each increment of wisdom and perspective we gain, there are many things we also get to lose as we get older. Vicki and I ask Cheryl about the most delightful things she’s found useful to leave behind in middle-age and beyond. Cheryl talks about letting go of perfectionism, over-apologizing, and over-pleasing and using the space to focus instead on family and faith.

This is a great conversation with Cheryl, a wonderful and authentic writer and essayist. So, of course, we ask what she’ll write next and we talk about a perspective on retirement that we rarely hear about. This is a wonderful episode full of love, laughter, and a little risk. We know you’ll love it.

Episode 30 show notes

Grow Damn It!: The Feeding and Nurturing of Life by Cheryl Oreglia

Cheryl's blog: Living in the Gap