Untamed by Glennon Doyle: A Complete Book Summary
Untamed by Glennon Doyle is a bold and heartfelt memoir that explores what it means to live a truly authentic life. Through deeply personal stories, Doyle encourages readers to break free from cultural expectations, embrace their true selves, and find freedom in self-trust, love, and inner truth. This powerful narrative continues to inspire those on a journey of self-liberation and social consciousness.
Who May Benefit from the Book
- Individuals struggling to find their true identity
- Readers navigating major life transitions or personal growth
- Women feeling trapped in roles of “good girl,” wife, or mother
- Activists and change-makers seeking emotional clarity
- Anyone questioning traditional norms and desiring authentic living
Top 3 Key Insights
- Living authentically requires rejecting roles and expectations that silence your inner voice.
- True love, especially self-love, can be the catalyst for transformation.
- Pain and discomfort are signs pointing toward change, not things to be avoided.
4 More Lessons and Takeaways
- Intuition is a vital guide: Learning to listen to your inner voice can help make clear, powerful decisions.
- Integrity over approval: Telling your truth—even if it risks rejection—is the foundation of inner peace.
- Spirituality is personal: Faith doesn’t have to align with religion. It can evolve with your values.
- Growth is uncomfortable but necessary: Real change comes from confronting pain, not avoiding it.
The Book in 1 Sentence
Untamed is a memoir urging readers to reclaim their truth, embrace love, and reject societal cages in pursuit of freedom.
The Book Summary in 1 Minute
Glennon Doyle’s Untamed tells the story of how she broke free from the life she was “supposed” to live and found her truth. From a life of addiction, people-pleasing, and conformity, she emerged into love, activism, and inner clarity. Meeting soccer star Abby Wambach was a turning point that pushed Doyle to reimagine her identity, career, and spirituality. The book encourages readers to listen to their intuition, speak their truth, and stop settling for a life that doesn’t fit. With powerful metaphors and raw honesty, Untamed offers a path toward liberation.
The Book Summary in 7 Minutes
Glennon Doyle’s Untamed isn’t just a personal memoir. It’s a universal call to break free from the cages that hold us back—be they roles, beliefs, or expectations. Her journey invites us to listen more closely to ourselves and embrace who we truly are.
The Spark: A Life-Changing Meeting
The book opens with a life-altering moment. While promoting her previous book, Love Warrior, Glennon meets Abby Wambach. That instant connection stirs something deep. She realizes her current life—though orderly and externally successful—feels hollow. That moment sparks an awakening.
Glennon was a mother of three, married, and seen as a “good woman.” But inside, she was unfulfilled. Meeting Abby confronted her with a truth she could no longer deny. It began her journey to wholeness.
The Caged Cheetah: A Symbol of Suppression
One of the book’s most striking metaphors is the “caged cheetah.” Doyle visits a zoo and watches a cheetah trained to perform tricks. The cheetah behaves, but something feels off. Glennon sees herself in that animal—tamed, silent, and detached from its wild nature.
This metaphor drives the book’s central message: Many people live like the cheetah—performing roles that society has assigned to them, while their true selves remain suppressed.
Sobriety and Self-Reconstruction
Before meeting Abby, Doyle had already faced transformation. At twenty-six, she found herself pregnant and addicted to alcohol and drugs. Choosing sobriety, she married and stepped into motherhood. Yet, while externally stable, she felt disconnected from herself.
That earlier transformation was about survival. But Untamed is about thriving. It’s about going beyond coping and stepping into full authenticity.
Choosing Love, Choosing Truth
Glennon’s love for Abby wasn’t simple. It threatened her marriage, public image, and book tour. Her publisher warned her to keep quiet. But Glennon chose love—and truth.
She told her audience the truth: she had fallen in love with Abby. That decision, while risky, was liberating. It showed that living authentically often means making hard, unpopular choices. But those choices can bring real peace.
Listening to Inner Knowing
A key practice Doyle adopted was what she calls “the knowing.” Each day, she spent quiet time connecting with her intuition. She believes answers live within us, but we silence them with busyness and outside noise.
By cultivating stillness, Doyle was able to make aligned choices—whether about parenting, activism, or relationships. This theme runs throughout the book: our inner voice often knows best.
| Practice for Inner Knowing | Description |
|---|---|
| Stillness | Spend quiet time daily, free from distraction |
| Observation | Watch feelings instead of rushing to change them |
| Trust | Honor your inner voice even when it’s inconvenient |
Faith Beyond Religion
Doyle’s faith journey also takes center stage. Raised in traditional Christianity, she began to feel disillusioned with its exclusionary teachings. Her relationship with Abby—another woman—forced her to rethink spirituality.
She reimagined faith as something more inclusive and loving. For her, divinity lives within us. It speaks through conscience, compassion, and connection—not doctrine. That realization gave her the freedom to hold onto faith without betraying her identity.
Parenting Through Example
As a mother, Glennon wanted her children to know courage and self-trust. But she realized that preaching those values wasn’t enough. She had to live them.
Leaving her marriage and embracing her truth was scary. But she saw it as a lesson for her kids. They needed to see what it looked like when a woman listens to her heart and acts with integrity—even when it’s hard.
Facing Pain Without Numbing
Earlier in life, Doyle numbed pain through addiction. But Untamed is a book about feeling—deeply and fully. She writes that pain is not a sign something’s wrong. It’s often a sign that something needs to change.
By embracing discomfort, she learned resilience. She also helped others do the same through her nonprofit, Together Rising, which raises millions for families in crisis.
Commitment to Justice and Racial Sobriety
The book also explores social justice. Doyle admits she once ignored racial inequality. But a series of events woke her up. She began learning, listening, and confronting her own bias. She describes this as becoming “racially sober”—clear-eyed, uncomfortable, but honest.
She now uses her platform to advocate for equity, not just in gender but in race and class. Her transformation wasn’t just personal—it was societal.
Table: Key Themes and Their Messages
| Theme | Message |
|---|---|
| Authenticity | Stop performing. Start living your truth. |
| Love and Courage | True love demands bravery. |
| Intuition | Answers lie within—if we learn to listen. |
| Faith and Identity | Spirituality can grow beyond religion. |
| Pain and Growth | Pain isn’t the enemy. It’s the invitation. |
| Activism | Personal change should lead to social action. |
| Parenting | Kids learn more by watching than by listening. |
About the Author
Glennon Doyle is a bestselling author, speaker, and activist. Her books include Love Warrior, Carry On, Warrior, and Untamed, all of which became New York Times bestsellers. She is the founder of Together Rising, a nonprofit that supports families and communities in crisis. Doyle is known for her raw honesty, emotional depth, and advocacy for women’s rights, mental health, and justice. She lives with her wife, Abby Wambach, and their children.
How to Get the Best of the Book
Read the book slowly and reflect on your own life patterns. Pause often to write down moments when you feel discomfort or recognition. Revisit chapters that resonate deeply.
Conclusion
Untamed is an invitation to live wide awake. Glennon Doyle’s journey reminds us that freedom comes when we stop trying to be “good” and start being real. This book challenges readers to choose love, truth, and courage—every single day.