Holly Whitaker Reports From the Liminal Space

What happens when you have to quit the thing you thought you’d never quit? Welcome to the Holly Episode: Who is Quitted co-host Holly Whitaker, how did she get here, and why does she want to talk about quitting stuff? 

Holly is publicly known for quitting things: drinking, drugs, bulimia. Her book is called Quit Like A Woman. What we’re saying is: quitting has been a key part of Holly’s narrative. And getting sober sent her down the path to what became her purpose: creating a personalized recovery model as an alternative to the two existing options of rehab or AA. 

In this episode, Holly shares the story of building her company, Tempest, in the best way she knew how; and then, of leaving it, partially by choice and partially not. What do you do when you have to quit the thing you thought you’d never quit? How do you deal when your identity isn’t your identity anymore, and there’s nothing to replace it with? What comes with an extended stay in the in-between space? Why do we need to turn “failure” into “success” in order for it to be worthy? 2021 was the hardest, worst year of Holly’s life. But also, at the same time, it was beautiful?

About Holly Whitaker: Holly is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol. Her work has been featured in Vogue, The New York Times, Time, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, and many others. Holly's work focuses on understanding the intersections of systems, culture, and individual experience and identity through the lens of addiction and recovery. She lives in upstate New York. She writes a weekly newsletter called Recovering, and is on Instagram @holly.

Music: Michael Blumenfeld, mikebloomstudio.com

Sound engineering + edits: Michael Blumenfeld, mikebloomstudio.com

Producer: Cathleen Kisich

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