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Evening Standard
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Who is Glennon Doyle? Here's what you need to know about the 'Untamed: Stop pleasing, start living' author who helped Adele

Adele might have hit the headlines for her dramatic weight loss but turns out she underwent an emotional transformation too.

Taking to Instagram the award-winning singer praised a book by self-help author Glennon Doyle saying she was an "absolute don" whose writing will "shake your brain".

On Saturday the 32-year-old posted the front cover of "Untamed: Stop pleasing, start living" to her 38.5 million followers.

Let's take a look at who the author is and what Adele said about the book.

The singer is reported to have lost in the region of seven stone (@adele)

Who is Glennon Doyle?

She is an American author and creator of the online community Momastery.

She is also the founder and president of Together Rising, an all-women-led nonprofit organisation supporting women, families, and children in crisis.

According to Google, Doyle is worth at least $1 million, through her books sales and speaking engagements in the company of Oprah Winfrey and TED-talker Brené Brown.

Glennon Doyle on stage during Together Live in New York (Getty Images for Together Live)

Growing up in Virginia she struggled with bulimia, addiction, anxiety and depression as a teenager and young woman.

She started out her career in teaching but gave it up when she had three children with husband Craig Melton, a former model.

In 2009 Doyle launched a Christian blog, momastery.com, and gained a big following after contributing to a Facebook meme called 25 Things About Me, in which she said she was a recovering food and alcohol addict.

Glennon Doyle at a public speaking event (Getty Images for Together Live)

It proved a hit and she drew in seven million reads to her website.

She went on to write her first book Carry On, Warrior which covered how she overcame her addictions and how family life gave her stability.

It went on to sell more than 200,000 copies and debuted at number three on the New York Times bestseller list.

However as she was taking her book on a promotional tour in the US, her husband revealed he had cheated on her throughout their marriage.

The author takes to the stage for an event (Getty Images for Together Live)

Although separating, they successfully worked on their platonic relationship, and she detailed how the pair rebuilt their union in her second book Love Warrior, which was then picked as an Oprah Book Club read.

While promoting this book she bumped into former professional women’s soccer player turned author Abby Wambach at a literary festival.

Glennon Doyle and Abby Wambach on stage together (Getty Images for Together Live)

Although she had never questioned her heterosexuality before, when she saw Wambach Doyle realised she had to be with this person.

The couple later married in 2017, but the authors kept their relationship under wraps during the second book's publicity.

Her third book details this period in her life and clocked up 68,000 sales in its first week out in March 2020.

What is her book about?

Like the first two books, the tone is a fusion of memoirs and self-help advice.

The blurb for the book reads: “When women learn to please, we forget who we are.

The couple with Glennon's three children (Getty Images)

“When women lose themselves, the world loses its way. We do not need any more selfless women... A woman who is full of herself knows and trusts herself enough to say and do what must be done, and lets the rest burn. THIS IS HOW YOU FIND YOURSELF.”

What has Adele said about the 'self-help' book?

Adele gushed about the book on social media and encouraged her followers to read it.

She said: "If you’re ready - this book will shake your brain and make your soul scream. I am so ready for myself after reading this book!

"It’s as if I just flew into my body for the very first time. Whew!

"Anyone who has any kind of capacity to truly let go and give into yourself with any kind of desire to hold on for dear life - Do it. Read it. Live it. Practice it.

"We are a lot! But we are meant to be a lot!"

The singer advised readers to have a "highlighter on hand" to make notes to refer back to.

She added: "I never knew that I am solely responsible for my own joy, happiness and freedom!!

"Who knew our own liberation liberates those around us? Cause I didn’t!!

"I thought we were meant to be stressed and dishevelled, confused and selfless like a Disney character! ProBloodyFound!! You’re an absolute don Glennon ♥️"

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