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What Lights You Up


Jan 13, 2022

“Secrets keep you sick. Secrets keep you ashamed.”

Lauren Duke is a writer, educator, entrepreneur, community activist, and all-around amazing human. Her recently published memoir, “Sh!thouse,” details her painful upbringing by parental figures. Grownups who were carrying their own traumas, exposing her to their addictions, criminal activities, and neglect. Lauren was able to recognize early on that her life looked much different than the lives of her friends, yet there was still some comfort in the familiar of the unknown…never able to anticipate what would come next.

As with many who have lived experiences with trauma, Lauren disconnected in order to survive. In adulthood, she realized that she would have to do the hard work of unraveling her past in order to heal and grow. Part of that process included becoming bold to write this book in a raw and real manner. We discuss elements of her childhood but spend the majority of this conversation on recognizing the humanity and fallibility of our parents and how to face the truth of our ancestral wounds.

As Lauren says, “When we are angry, when we don’t forgive, when we hold resentment, we create our own prison. Everyone needs to set themselves free.”

Pick up your copy of “Sh!thouse” wherever books are sold. Check your local indie stores first!

View the full video on YouTube.

While all of my platforms are currently under revision, reach me at sunnythelifecoach@gmail.com

Intro/outro music: “Feeling Free” by Martin Riopel.