We Can Do Hard Things: Answers to Life's 20 Questions

by Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, Amanda Doyle

The #1 New York Times bestselling authors and award-winning podcasters Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Amanda Doyle created We Can Do Hard Things—the guidebook for being alive—to help fellow travelers find their way through life. When you travel through a new country, you need a guidebook. When you travel through love, heartbreak, joy, parenting, friendship, uncertainty, aging, grief, new beginnings—life—you need a guidebook, too. We Can Do Hard Things is the guidebook for being alive. Every day, Glennon Doyle spirals around the same questions: Why am I like this? How do I figure out what I want? How do I know what to do? Why can’t I be happy? Am I doing this right? The harder life gets, the less likely she is to remember the answers she’s spent her life learning. She wonders: I’m almost fifty years old. I’ve overcome a hell of a lot. Why do I wake up every day having forgotten everything I know? Glennon’s compasses are her sister, Amanda, and her wife, Abby. Recently, in the span of a single year, Glennon was diagnosed with anorexia, Amanda was diagnosed with breast cancer, and Abby’s beloved brother died. For the first time, they were all lost at the same time. So they turned toward the only thing that’s ever helped them find their way: deep, honest conversations with other brave, kind, wise people. They asked each other, their dearest friends, and 118 of the world’s most brilliant wayfinders: As you’ve traveled these roads—marriage, parenting, work, recovery, heartbreak, aging, new beginnings—have you collected any wisdom that might help us find our way? As Glennon, Abby, and Amanda wrote down every life-saving answer, they discovered two things: 1. No matter what road we are walking down, someone else has traveled the same terrain. 2. The wisdom of our fellow travelers will light our way. They put all of that wisdom in one place: We Can Do Hard Things—a place to turn when you feel clueless and alone, when you need clarity in the chaos, or when you want wise company on the path of life. We are all life travelers. We don’t have to travel alone. We Can Do Hard Things is our guidebook. Featuring wisdom from: ALOK • Sara Bareilles • Dr. Yaba Blay • Kate Bowler • adrienne maree brown • Brandi Carlile • Brittney Cooper • Brittany Packnett Cunningham • Kaitlin Curtice • Megan Falley • Jane Fonda • Stephanie Foo • Ashley C. Ford • Ina Garten • Roxane Gay • Andrea Gibson • Elizabeth Gilbert • Dr. Orna Guralnik • Tricia Hersey • Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson • Luvvie Ajayi Jones • Dr. Becky Kennedy • Emily Nagoski • Esther Perel • Ai-Jen Poo • Cole Arthur Riley • Dr. Alexandra Solomon • Cheryl Strayed • Sonya Renee Taylor • Ocean Vuong • And many others ✳ This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF of additional information about the authors and Wayfinders.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Audiobook, Mental Health, Psychology, Personal Development, Inspirational

497 pages, Hardcover

First published May 6, 2025

About the author

Glennon Doyle is the CEO and Founder of Treat Media, an award-winning media company that makes art for humans who want to stay human. She is an author, podcaster, producer, and philanthropist. Her books include the #1 New York Times bestseller Untamed, which has sold more than three million copies; the #1 New York Times bestseller Love Warrior, an Oprah’s Book Club selection; the New York Times bestseller Carry On, Warrior; and Get Untamed: The Journal. Glennon, named one of the “50 Most Powerful People in Podcasting,” is co-host of the chart-topping podcast We Can Do Hard Things, which has received over a half billion plays. She is an executive producer of the Sundance award-winning film Come See Me in the Good Light. Glennon was Founder and President of Together Rising, a nonprofit organization which distributed more than $55 million to women, families and children in crisis. Her most recent book, We Can Do Hard Things: Answers to Life’s 20 Questions, created with Abby Wambach, Amanda Doyle and Treat Media, is being hailed as “the guidebook for being alive.”

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve read all of Glennon’s other books, and I’ve followed her since her first viral blog post over a decade ago, so I really wanted to like this. I DNF’d at 20% because the format feels chaotic and messy. It’s just a collection of quotes. The narrator constantly changes, and without knowing the back story of many of the narrators, it feels empty. I’m not invested. It’s hard to get into it when I’m constantly flipping back and forth to see which narrator I’m reading. There’s a lot of redundancy and cliches. There are some pearls here and there, but if you’ve followed her for any length of time, you’ve heard them already.

[Sharon Orlopp · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few days ago, a friend and I connected by phone. It had been at least a year since we had spoken. One conversation we had in 2020 during the pandemic was about several friends who had recently died. During our conversation a few days ago, my friend recommended We Can Do Hard Things: Answers to Life's 20 Questions and I had picked it up at the library that day.

Last night I learned that two of my women friends had passed away from cancer. It was a sobering night. Today has been a day of stillness and introspection. We never fully know how much time we have left.

While being still and reflective, I read We Can Do Hard Things: Answers to Life's 20 Questions. I could not put it down.

It is a compilation of answers to life's 20 questions. The authors are Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Andrea Doyle. It includes contributions from hundreds of people such as Michelle Obama, Martha Beck, Kate Bowler, Ina Garten, Brene Brown, Brandi Carlile, Kelly Clarkson, Jane Fonda, Ashley C. Ford, Christine Blasey Ford, Roxane Gay, Billie Jean King, etc.

As I started reading the book, I thought of a quote that has hung on my wall for years, "You are the artist of your own life. Don't hand the paintbrush to anyone else." We Can Do Hard Things: Answers to Life's 20 Questions has a very similar theme to each chapter. This book was a salve to learning about my two friends' deaths the night before.

The chapters deal with tough questions: Who am I really? Why am I like this? How do I know when I've lost myself? How do I return to myself? How do I figure out what I want? How do I do the hard thing.

I took a TON of notes. Some of the memorable passages are belwo:

* Nobody survives by accident. Survival is a creative act.

* I am shaped by the boxes culture put me in.

* Brene Brown: Belonging doesn't request to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are.

* If you have to trade your integrity and abandon yourself for belonging, it's not belonging.

* Life is a dance.

* Billie Jean King: It's really important to get comfortable being uncomfortable.

* I accept that nothing will change until I do.

* What's something you say you want to do but supposedly you don't have time for?

* Live by your own compass.

* Don't live by consensus. Live by coming to your senses.

This book is powerful, thought-provoking, insightful, and outstanding. I'll close with a passage from the book that links to the quote on my wall, "Your body is not your masterpiece. Your life is."

Highly recommend!

[Delaney]

Absolutely incredible

[Melanie Briscoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars- Glennon Doyle writes this book as a primer for her daughter. “To help her make sense of her life, her people, and her world. To remind her that she already has all the wisdom she needs inside of her.” This book is an exploration of 20 questions in life and it is a collection of quotes and conversations of hundreds of great minds who have been on their podcast. There were some chapters in this book that I wanted to celebrate and shout to the heavens- what a gift to have all this wisdom in one place! And other chapters felt a bit repetitive, but overall I loved it! Normally I am a super fast reader but this one took me 3 days to read- because I kept having to pause the listening of it, rewind and make a note about what was said or jot down the name of another author I want explore! It was a treasure!!!

One word of advice - read the physical book! It is a beautiful anthology of the quotes with varying font sizes and occasional doodles and drawings that don’t translate to the kindle version and are completely lost in the audio version! Plus- what a great reference to have on my shelf for the years to come!!

[Natalie · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF.

This book was basically a bunch of those inspirational/motivational posters in book format. Stupid and boring and not for me.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn’t a novel. It’s a bunch of short stories and quotes so it felt somewhat choppy to me.

Lots of great advice in this book, broken down by categories. I listened to the audio version and I enjoyed hearing Glennon, Abby and Amanda read their own passages. There are over 100 other famous people who contributed tidbits of wisdom.

[Will Lyman]

How and why did I read this in one sitting

[Jan Peregrine · Rating 2 out of 5]

We Can Do Hard Things~~

Always beware of books that are entitled with a vague platitude and a subtitle that promises answers to life's questions. I didn't go looking for the 2025 book We Can Do Hard Things: Answers to Life's 20 Questions by Glennon Doyle, Amanda Doyle, and Abby Wambach. My female neighbor, about thirty, loaned me her copy after telling me she'd gone to hear Glennon Doyle speak and was raving about the latest offering by the author.

I did really enjoy Doyle's book Love Warrior, but this new book wasn't like that one. I thought it would be, except told by her sister and wife as well. I was wrong.

Though the last pages of this large-siized, very wordy book declare that we can never have answers in our life journeys and must keep dancing with the questions, and though Doyle tells us she's always, until recently, struggled to find the answers, you wouldn't know it from the subtitle.

I am not, in short, the target audience here.

I'm not a recovering alcoholic, never had an eating disorder or two, never struggled with coming out as gay, have never needed to conform to beauty standards or been a parent or spouse to either sex. I don't have a problem with wanting to be “God” or, paradoxically, not wanting to be “God,” either. I love living with the questions and in the moment. Having an incomplete spinal cord injury tends to do that....

This is a motivational tome that includes mostly lengthy quotes by not only the authors, but celebrities like Jane Fonda and writer Cheryl Strayed and psychiatrists I've never heard of.

I'm sure the book will inspire many love-hungry women like my neighbor who feel lost in their bodies, confused about their hard lives, and stuck in relationships or careers they hate. The authors will give them permission to love their human flaws and risk reaching for their authentic selves and what makes them feel warm and tingly.

I couldn't help but skim and skip most of the second half.

Not recommended for voracious readers like myself. While I love reading I learned little from the book, which could've been reduced to a fraction of its size.

[Jackie Liu · Rating 5 out of 5]

you know you listen to the podcast too much when you know who every speaker is before their name is revealed…

[James Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

less answers to life's 20 questions, more tangential, neurotic rambles

[Natalie Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook. Sometimes it was hard to follow as each chapter was filled with snippets and short stories related to the topic. I think I’m going to read the book as well. Yet, it was great to hear the three authors read their sections as well all the other readers (as themself or someone reading on their behalf). It has a lovely ending with their daughter, Tish, singing a song. Wonderful!

5/22/2025 I also read the hard copy, picking out my favorite sections. I would have liked to read the book along with the audio. I love the different fonts and the key points or reminders that are on the bottom of the page. One can go deep and read the whole chapter or get a summary from the bottom of the pages.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

I'm not quite sure what to rate this book. It's a collection of quotes and while it has some great advice and interesting perspectives, it didn't captivate me like I was hoping it would.

[Janine · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75

I was really excited when Glennon announced this book. I’ve been following her work since the Momastery days and have read all her previous books. This one includes some truly beautiful reflections and life lessons, but the format didn’t quite work for me. It’s essentially a collection of quotes from various people, and since I’m not familiar with a lot of them, there wasn’t much context to connect with. Maybe it reads differently in a physical copy (I listened to the audiobook), but I wouldn’t particularly recommend it.

[Karla Rizzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this and rate it higher, but unfortunately having listened to the podcast, I didn’t find much new content and didn’t love how it lacked cohesion including blurbs from SO MANY different people. It’s probably a good source to find a couple of valuable nuggets, and I think that would work better than reading straight through for me.

[CM · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Ayo · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s rare for a non-fiction to leave a substantial mark on my mind. This unexpectedly did 😍🥰❤️

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was good but a difficult audiobook with 100+ narrators cutting in and out. Some said their names before and some after their quips, so it was difficult to always get the context.

[Allison Mcgee · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was recommended to me by my sister, and i’m so thankful it was. this book felt like a reassuring hug.

the book is laid out for 20 different questions to attempt to make sense of life, the difficult things, or the why of it all. aren’t we all asking or thinking these things?
i appreciated the different outlooks, some i never had, and maybe some that don’t necessarily line up for me but they are honest. all of them deserve a thank you because the answers were always beautifully and thoughtfully written out.

this book is one that you can pick up at any time, look through the chapters for something specific, read fully through, or find comfort in just one page. a lovely one to have on your shelf for all stages of life.

not only did i love the book but i will now be checking out this podcast on the regular.

[Belinda Storms · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 so much insightful advice, common sense advice that makes you really think about life. a simple happy life, that can be extraordinary just the way it is. This book has made me think of past trauma and figure out how not to let it ruin my future, but to stay in my past!

[Brielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A literal handbook for life, if there ever was such a thing. Soooo many amazing nuggets in here. Some of it felt a little repetitive (re: some tidbits from Untamed, which I’ve already read. And also other authors like Esther Perel whose books I’ve also read) but overall I really got a lot out of reading this. Audiobook was well read and you get a special little bonus at the end that made me cry. Walking away from this book feeling hopeful and implementing some practices into my life that foster creativity, patience & joy.

[Lizzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

With this book, and also in Untamed, the place I always get tripped up is the messages about inner knowing/following your heart/returning to yourself/"being your own person". In a past life, I would have felt super judgmental of these ideas and rolled my eyes at them.

Now, I just feel like I'm being sold something that has not been true to my experience. I don't find that I am a good predictor of what will make me happy. I don't find that I can spend time looking inward and come up with the next right thing. While I really appreciate the practical advice of taking care of my body and focusing on emotional health, I have not found those things to help me "return to myself" nor do I fully understand what that means. As someone who has struggled throughout life with self-esteem and confidence, somehow these empowering and inspirational messages do not help me. I wish they did.

That said, I really do appreciate the We Can Do Hard Things brand/podcast/worldview in a lot of ways. I think there is a ton of wisdom in this book. I especially benefit a lot from the embodiment and presence stuff and I am enjoying learning about the Internal Family Systems model which they discuss here too. I also like a lot of the 20 questions just in and of themselves. There is a lot of good stuff in here just for general mental health.

The format of this book is a lot of inspirational quotes. I like that, but I could see it being annoying to some.

[Nikki Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

It’s affirmations, it’s journal prompts, it’s reflections, it’s reaffirming.

Listening to the audio with all the voices felt like a podcast meant to calm and empower me.

Easily a book to return to on any page and find reassuring ideas during hard times. You know. Like every day.

[Kyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leaning into the woo-woo

[Doree Krage · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read all of Glennon’s books and listened to the podcast since it began. Nonetheless, when I realized this book was a compilation of conversations from the podcast, I was a little disappointed.

I got over that very quickly! This is taking 5 years of wisdom from hundreds of conversations with dozens and dozens of guests, and organizing it into broad topics that ALL of us ponder. Genius!

Love this book almost as much as Untamed.

[Carly Friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook and loved it so much that I bought the hardcopy. There were numerous insights, concepts, and quotes that I have applied in my own life and with my clients. This is not a book with in-depth research or hard evidence for the viewpoints. The personal stories and anecdotes are interesting and make for an easy, thought-provoking book!

[Lauren Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I can’t have Glennon, Abby and Amanda on speed dial… I guess I’ll have to keep this book close by instead. Truly such a comfort book that I will cherish forever, even more so given that Hank and I got to be a part of the book tour. This book is a work of heart that deserves the highest of honors. WCDHT!

[MMill · Rating 3 out of 5]

It makes me so so sad not to give this book a higher rating, but it just didn't entirely deliver for me. Set up in 20 sections, it's designed to provide powerful insights about life's challenges in easily digestible, bite-size chunks. There are pages with just a few words on them, and some where the text is broken up with font-size changes or little diagrams. In that way, it reminded me of Rupi Kaur's books of poetry, and I think the idea behind the strategy must be similar...give readers a little bit of space to process the big ideas being delivered in small packages.

However, a lot of the ideas here come via quotes directly from the authors' conversations with other writers/speakers/actors/activists/teachers, and while I appreciate that complete transcripts of the dialogues might be tedious (and they want you to tune into their podcast for those), this felt like coming into a room where two super cool people are talking and you've missed the first half of what they were saying so you're trying to play catch-up. You really want to hear what was said before you showed up. What did you miss?

That's not to say that there aren't some lovely and important kernels of truth here. I absolutely believe these are important conversations, and I love the bravery and vulnerability Glennon, Abby and Amanda show throughout. But I guess I was ready for the meatier stuff, and while I understand they were distilling it down to its simplest form to make it accessible for more readers...I just felt like I was reading a "See Spot Run" version when I wanted the full chapter book.

I wanted more. (But I still love these ladies and will likely read anything they ever publish.)

[Emily Loomis Cole]

The structure of this book was interesting. Pages upon pages up pep talks and paragraphs of wisdom. In the end, I found some chapters spoke to me deeply and others I just skimmed through with disinterest. I would have liked more stories. Stories helped me remember wisdom far more than a paragraph pep talk.

[Jennifer Raponi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I could travel back in time and give this book to me when I graduated college and tell her this is where we are going. You won’t be alone on the way.

[Erika · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why did I do this to myself.