Louise O’Neill - ‘Full Recovery Is Possible’

This episode contains references to and descriptions of eating disorders.

Louise O’Neill is a bestselling, award-winning Irish author whose fearless writing has helped shape modern feminism. Her fiction is taught on the Irish curriculum and Paul Mescal starred in a critically acclaimed stage adaptation of her work. Her second novel, Asking For It, catapulted her into the public eye in 2015.

Now, with her eighth book, A Bigger Life, O’Neill turns that same unflinching gaze on herself. Her memoir follows the extraordinary dating experiment she embarked on in her late 30s after the end of a long-term relationship: dating a different man every night, across three cities - Paris, London and New York. What began as a challenge, inspired by something her father said, became an unexpected journey of self-discovery.

In this episode we discuss topics covered in her memoir, A Bigger Life, including: finding hope after heartbreak, pressure on women, extraordinary dating experiences and recovering from a debilitating two-decade-long eating disorder.

A Bigger Life is out this month.

IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Introduction

03:24 Writing Her First Memoir

04:58 Roots in West Cork

08:21 Dating for a Bigger Life

09:26 Choosing Hope After Heartbreak

13:22 Marriage Expectations and Milestones

16:57 Beauty Pressure and Aging Fears

27:12 Fear of Vulnerability

28:48 Aging and Shame

30:34 Trusting Your Instincts

33:35 The Millionaire Date

36:40 Recovery After 17 Years

42:57 Rewiring the Mind

48:35 Good Girl Burnout

52:07 Redefining Success

💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:

I didn’t want the break-up to define me.

Life falls apart around us, and then we have to rebuild. The trick is to keep your heart soft.

If I’m setting the narrative, I want it to be hopeful .

I had to rewire my brain - I had to become an entirely new person. Then it became second nature.

🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS:

Louise O’Neill’s memoir A Bigger Life is out now: harpercollins.co.uk/products/a-bigger-life-lou…

Join the How To Fail community: www.howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content

Elizabeth’s Substack: www.theelizabethday.substack.com

📚 WANT MORE?

Dolly Alderton - swap.fm/l/XM98joc3GFEMTsLfkEfR

Caitlin Moran - swap.fm/l/CaitlinMoran

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