Learning How to See with Brian McLaren When Loving Means Letting Go with Jen Hatmaker
9 snips
Dec 18, 2025 
Join New York Times bestselling author Jen Hatmaker as she shares her journey of navigating loss and rebuilding life after an unexpected divorce. With humor and authenticity, she reflects on her memoir, *Awake*, discussing the importance of embodied grief and trusting intuition. Jen explores how community support and self-compassion can guide us through upheaval, and highlights the liberating power of honesty. She also shares how creativity can aid in healing and encourages embracing a holistic approach to life.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Humor As Healing, Not Bypass
- Jen uses humor as a genuine, healing salve during dark seasons, not as a bypass.
- She believes losing the capacity to laugh would be a form of doom and an important part of recovery.
Marriage Loss As A Catalyzing Story
- Jen Hatmaker recounts losing her 26-year marriage unexpectedly in July 2020 and the ensuing grief and recovery.
- She frames the divorce as a small story nested in a larger examination of the cultural bricks that built her life.
Structural Causes Behind Personal Collapse
- Jen identifies cultural forces — patriarchy, purity culture, spiritual dysregulation — as structural bricks that can crumble a life built on them.
- She suggests parsing those elements helps explain why a seemingly solid life can collapse.