The Power of Owning Your Story with Ruthie Ackerman
Dec 10, 2024
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Ruthie Ackerman, an accomplished author and journalist, specializes in empowering others to tell their own stories. In this insightful conversation, Ruthie shares her transformative journey from journalism to teaching creative writing. She discusses the importance of memoir in understanding personal pain and resilience, and how storytelling can foster connection and healing. Ruthie also reflects on the challenges of balancing motherhood and professional aspirations, offering valuable lessons on self-discovery and growth.
Ruthie Ackerman emphasizes the transformative journey from self-silencing to advocating for one's own needs and desires.
Through storytelling, Ruthie illustrates how creative nonfiction can lead to personal healing and connection with others.
The podcast highlights the emotional complexities of navigating relationships and desires for parenthood amid conflicting wishes between partners.
Ruthie's journey reveals the power of vulnerability in fostering deeper connections and enriching relationships on the path to motherhood.
Deep dives
The Journey of Self-Discovery
The podcast episode delves into the internal struggle of self-silencing, where individuals are conditioned to overlook their deepest desires, leading to a lack of self-advocacy. The speaker emphasizes the importance of recognizing and voicing one's needs and desires as a crucial step toward personal fulfillment and authentic living. This journey of self-discovery is highlighted as a transformative shift from repression to self-acceptance, where owning one’s story becomes paramount. The episode inspires listeners to break free from societal expectations and prioritize their own narratives.
Power of Storytelling
The guest, Ruthie Ackerman, brings to light the significance of storytelling, particularly in the context of creative nonfiction and memoir writing. Ruthie teaches aspiring writers how to transform their experiences into compelling narratives that promote personal healing and connection with others. She underscores the therapeutic nature of writing, which enables individuals to articulate their identities and experiences through storytelling. By fostering a sense of ownership over their stories, writers can not only heal themselves but also resonate with others facing similar struggles.
Navigating Relationships and Choices
The episode explores the complexities of navigating relationships, particularly in the context of desires for parenthood and the conflicting wishes of partners. Ruthie candidly shares her experiences of being in a marriage where her desire for children clashed with her husband's refusal to have kids. This tension leads to difficult decisions about love, partnership, and personal fulfillment, showcasing the emotional toll of such choices. The dialogue illustrates that recognizing one’s own needs is essential to making informed decisions about relationships.
The Impact of Motherhood
Ruthie discusses the multifaceted journey to motherhood, emphasizing how past experiences shape one’s readiness and desire to become a parent. Her desire for motherhood is illustrated as a driving force that compels her to confront fears and societal norms. Despite the societal pressures and personal losses experienced along the way, Ruthie gains clarity about her goal of becoming a mother. This commitment ultimately fosters personal growth and prepares her for the joys and challenges of parenting.
Discovering Love After Loss
The episode recounts Ruthie’s experience of newfound love after a devastating loss, as she navigates the dating landscape following her divorce. Ruthie humorously recounts her use of dating apps and the myriad of personalities she encounters, bringing out the absurdities of modern dating. This phase of her life is marked by a profound sense of urgency to find the right partner in time for her parental dreams. Through this process, she advocates for the importance of understanding compatibility and recognizing individual desires within partnerships.
Healing Through Vulnerability
Ruthie reflects on the healing power of vulnerability that arises from sharing one’s story and experiences, especially in her personal journey toward motherhood. The episode positions vulnerability as a strength that enables deeper connections with others and fosters emotional growth. As Ruthie opens up about her grief and heartache, she inspires listeners to embrace their own stories, regardless of how painful or complex they may be. This pursuit of authenticity enriches her relationships and strengthens her resolve to fulfill her dream of parenthood.
A Commitment to Self-Love
Throughout the episode, both Ruthie and the host examine the importance of self-love and acceptance in navigating life’s challenges. Ruthie describes her ongoing journey to love herself and recognize her worth, shedding the burdens of societal expectations and past traumas. This commitment signifies a shift in perspective, where she learns to advocate for her needs and desires. As she embraces her journey and its imperfections, she becomes a stronger advocate for herself and those around her.
This week, I talk with Ruthie Ackerman—a talented author, journalist, and writing teacher who has turned her own journey into a blueprint for helping others find their voice. Ruthie’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Modern Love, and many other renowned outlets, but her true passion lies in empowering others to discover and write their own stories. Through her workshops, one-on-one coaching, and book incubators, Ruthie helps writers connect with their experiences, heal from the past, and find deeper meaning in their lives. We explore Ruthie’s journey—from traveling the world in her 20s, to pivoting into journalism, to teaching creative nonfiction and memoir to students around the globe. We also dive into the deeply personal moments that shaped her path, including her journey to motherhood. Ruthie’s insights on storytelling, healing, and personal growth are inspiring, and I hope our conversation encourages you to reflect on your own story and its potential to create meaning and connection. Let’s get to it!
In this episode:
(00:00) - Intro
(02:48) - How Ruthie ended up in Malawi
(10:31) - The path to journalism
(13:19) - Brooklyn dreams
(18:38) - Reporting from Liberia and Lebanon
(28:18) - The Forbes experience
(32:05) - Starting Write Your Life
(36:12) - How Ruthie teaches writing
(47:51) - The importance of memoir
(53:25) - Balancing personal and professional life
(01:03:55) - The journey to motherhood
(01:09:28) - Dealing with changing desires
(01:16:14) - Understanding self-silencing and emotional repression
(01:24:02) - The reality of fertility treatments
(01:28:24) - Dating after divorce
(01:33:17) - Finding love and facing heartbreak
(01:44:19) - Meeting Rob
(01:48:37) - Reflections on the journey and personal growth
