Awakening in the Second Half: Jen Hatmaker on Loss, Love, and Letting Go

Dec 11, 2025

Jen Hatmaker, bestselling author and cultural commentator, opens up about her transformative journey in her memoir, Awake. She shares her life-altering experience on July 11, 2020, when her 26-year marriage ended, sparking a spiritual awakening. The conversation dives into midlife transition, the courage to let go of societal expectations, and embracing vulnerability. Jen discusses shedding the need for perfection and finding peace in authenticity, making this a heartfelt guide for anyone navigating change.

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ANECDOTE

The Night That Split Her Life

Jen Hatmaker describes a single night—July 11, 2020—that split her life into before and after.
That moment ended a 26-year marriage and began a painful public transition she calls waking up.

INSIGHT

Letting Go Of Outcome Control

Jen noticed she no longer white-knuckled outcomes when releasing a vulnerable book.
She realized she had done her work and could let the book land without controlling others' reactions.

INSIGHT

Nothing Left To Lose Frees Honesty

Losing large parts of her life stripped Jen of fear about public opinion and exposure.
That vulnerability became a relief and allowed her to tell humiliating truths honestly.

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What happens when the life you built—carefully, faithfully, and publicly—splits down the middle in a single night?

On this episode of Typology, I sit down with bestselling author and beloved cultural commentator Jen Hatmaker to talk about her stunning new memoir, Awake. Jen, an Enneagram Three with a courageous streak that can look a whole lot like an Eight, opens up about the "before-and-after date" that changed everything—July 11, 2020—when her 26-year marriage ended, and her whole world cracked open.

Together, we explore what it means to wake up in midlife:

to grief and betrayal,
to leaving behind scripts you never chose,
to freedom from needing to be liked,
to discovering what really matters in the "second half of life."

We dive into the Enneagram and the unique way Threes navigate identity, image, success, and failure—especially when life doesn't cooperate with the plan. Jen shares how therapy, embodiment work, and raw honesty helped her rebuild, and why this memoir isn't about spectacle, but about hope.

This is a conversation about midlife transition, spiritual awakening, and the quiet miracle of becoming more fully yourself—right when you thought everything was falling apart.

If you're navigating change, heartbreak, faith shifts, or a midlife renaissance of your own, this episode will feel like a hand on your shoulder and a light on the path.

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ABOUT JEN HATMAKER

Jen Hatmaker is a bestselling author, award-winning podcaster, speaker, and fierce advocate for women living in freedom and agency. With 14 books—including four New York Times bestsellers—along with her beloved For the Love podcast, Jen Hatmaker Book Club, and more, she reaches millions with her signature mix of humor, vulnerability, and wisdom. Her newest book, AWAKE: A Memoir, (released on September 23, 2025), chronicles her raw, real-time journey through the shocking end of her 26-year marriage and surprising reinvention. She lives in a creaky old farmhouse, loves 90s country, and drinks Almond Joy creamer like it's a personality trait. Find her at JenHatmaker.com.

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