What do you do when your life looks totally different than you think it should?
Judge yourself? Go to therapy? Start traveling around the world? Do deep inner work? Write a book about it? Dr. Melanie Hicks did all of those things.
In this episode of AMPstigator, Dr. Hicks shares more on her two failed marriages in her 20s, domestic abuse, a traumatic sexual assault in her 30s, and losing the ability to have children. She shares the deep inner work required to shrug off the weight of expectation and live her life, free of judgement, even though it looks totally different than the norm.
She shares her life lessons (many of which were learned while staring out airplane windows), exposing her deepest secrets while exploring countries both near and far. This is the conversation every 30-something woman wished they heard at age 19. But then again, would we have listened?
**Trigger Warning: if you've been a victim of assault or abuse, this conversation may be difficult to hear.**
💥 This episode is for you if 💥
- You love candid and authentic conversations between women who choose to share their past traumas to help others heal.
- You thought you were alone in your experience with abuse or assault.
- You want to hear a story of hope and healing from a woman who's found love from a place of wholeness
📺 What you'll hear in this episode📺
The episode begins with host Lauren Lowrey asking Dr. Melanie Hicks why she chose to share such difficult experiences so publicly. Together, they weave through the most difficult story Melanie ever had to write: the one where she shared her sexual assault.
- [5:18] Mel shares why it took her 6 years to tell ANYONE, even one of her closest friends, that she had been sexually assaulted.
- [11:57] Mel and host Lauren Lowrey both share their traumas around domestic abuse (*Trigger warning*)
- [21:20] There's a fallacy around searching for your 'other half.' Dr. Melanie shares the moment she decided she was a WHOLE PERSON all by herself and she would never seek out a relationship to make her whole.
- [37:29] How travel ignited personal growth for Dr. Mel as she hopped from continent to continent.
Plus, Dr. Mel shares how she developed a healthy romantic relationship with another healthy, whole person [51:50] and lays out her two rules in her own marriage.
🔖 Chapters 🔖
0:30 - Lauren's opening monologue
3:20 - Why share the hardest parts of your life in a book?
5:18 - Sexual assault and the trauma it caused Dr. Mel
11:57 - Host Lauren Lowrey & Dr. Mel both share their personal experiences with domestic abuse
17:15 - When Dr. Mel made the choice to share the traumas through the book
21:20 - The fallacy of searching for your 'other half'
24:12 - Arriving at 'surrender' (#openpalms)
27:16 - "No one can give you directions to places they've never been."
30:10 - How Mel helps people amplify the messages of other people
33:02 - The duality: professional life on fire, personal life in tatters
37:29 -
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Ruthie's Table 4
For more than 30 years The River Cafe in London, has been the home-from-home of artists, architects, designers, actors, collectors, writers, activists, and politicians. Michael Caine, Glenn Close, JJ Abrams, Steve McQueen, Victoria and David Beckham, and Lily Allen, are just some of the people who love to call The River Cafe home. On River Cafe Table 4, Rogers sits down with her customers—who have become friends—to talk about food memories. Table 4 explores how food impacts every aspect of our lives. “Foods is politics, food is cultural, food is how you express love, food is about your heritage, it defines who you and who you want to be,” says Rogers. Each week, Rogers invites her guest to reminisce about family suppers and first dates, what they cook, how they eat when performing, the restaurants they choose, and what food they seek when they need comfort. And to punctuate each episode of Table 4, guests such as Ralph Fiennes, Emily Blunt, and Alfonso Cuarón, read their favourite recipe from one of the best-selling River Cafe cookbooks. Table 4 itself, is situated near The River Cafe’s open kitchen, close to the bright pink wood-fired oven and next to the glossy yellow pass, where Ruthie oversees the restaurant. You are invited to take a seat at this intimate table and join the conversation. For more information, recipes, and ingredients, go to https://shoptherivercafe.co.uk/ Web: https://rivercafe.co.uk/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/therivercafelondon/ Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/therivercafelondon/ For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iheartradio app, apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com