Compassion for Yourself: Suzy Hopkins and Hallie Bateman on Domestic Violence; What to Expect in Relationships; Walking Through Grief; Asking for Help; and Talking

Authors of “What To Do When I’m Gone” and “What to Do When You Get Dumped”, a mother-daughter team, share their mothers’ lessons. Suzy Hopkins is a former newspaper reporter and magazine publisher. Her daughter Hallie Bateman is a freelance writer and illustrator based in Los Angeles whose work has been published by The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Awl and others. Suzy talks about her mother, a soft-spoken librarian, and mother of six, who suffered domestic abuse and managed to leave the marriage after 30 years - only after she found out her husband had a mistress. We learn about leaving the moment somebody lifts a hand to you; about asking for help; talking about elephants in the room; and knowing what you have the right to expect from a relationship. While Suzy learned what not to follow, Hallie learned from Suzy’s example: how important it is to talk about everything; the power of unconditional love; and turning the sense of discovery and question-asking into art. Suzy also talks about recovering from grief after her husband or 30 years surprisingly asked for a divorce, a process which took four years, during which she wrote highly inspiring and comforting “What to do When You Get Dumped”.

To learn more about Suzy, follow her on Instagram here. 

To learn more about Hallie, visit her website here. 

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