Waking Up in Winter audiobook

Turning 40 was some kind of a wake-up call for me to reexamine my life from within. And I have been doing so much soul-searching within the past year or more it's been exhausting but I have managed in the course of the year to define certain things that were undefined for decades. I know what I want, where I want to be, what my true priorities are and of course, I know what I don't want anymore. I am a work in progress still, but I feel like I have made so many breakthroughs. I even took up journaling again, my favorite childhood and adolescent activity that I abandoned during my entire adulthood (save for TODO lists) I stumbled across this book on audio and listened to it in 20-30 minute increments on my ride to work and back. I didn't think it would hold my attention because I find audiobooks hard work, my mind wonders too often. But this book drew me right in probably because I could relate to it so well. While Cheryl defines her midlife at 50, mine really is kind of at 40, but that is ok, the earlier we do this soul search and start leading an examined life the better.She touches on many subjects some a bit of a taboo too, such as sex with her husband "if I am saying no to him, what am I saying yes to?" she says. Deciding to get a room of her own and sleep there on her own, doing regression hypnosis and exploring her past lives, how the decision not to have children is impacting her from time to time, etc. Well worth a read if anything it will inspire you to do your own soul searching in a journal. She even lists some questions at the end that you can answer for yourself or in a support group that should help the process. I see that the author is a famous life coach and has published many bestsellers. This is my first book by her but I may check out a few more.

I was feeling really unsettled when I started reading this book. The book steadied me a little. Before reading an ad for this book, I had never heard of this author. In this book Cheryl gives you a true glimpse into her life. A life that is not much different from yours or mine. Cheryl shares her discoveries on how she centered her life. Some of her ideas I might try to assist myself in finding center. The book was an everyday person telling her story in a very straight forward way. I took away this quote from the book: "I must tend to my inner life like I do my garden-with consistent attention and loving care. My inner life must now be granted equal weight with my outer life." Balance must be or wholeness will not happen.

Insightful * Empowering * I was struck by many truths that resonated in my soul. I don't believe it was a coincidence that this book found it's way to me when it did.

Excellent. So good, in fact, that I plan on listening to it again.I particularly liked her emphasis on journaling, her battle with food and the importance of “moving your body” every day as a form of deep connection to yourself, as well as her experience as a coach and with her therapy. I’m on the fence about her dream analysis.I began this one over a year ago before the tumult of my life began, set it aside, and am so glad to have finished it now. This was a great book for me at precisely the time that I needed it.

OK, I have to start by saying that I love Cheryl Richardson. I’ve been reading her books since college, and I attended a weekend retreat with her the summer before last. I love the picture she paints of the life you can have. I’ve not achieved that life, but I keep reading the books, anyway! Her latest book is completely different, but it doesn’t disappoint. Written in journal form, Cheryl looks at her daily life and how her needs and desires have changed as she has entered her fifth decade in the planet. She talks about her career and her relationships, and she openly discusses what she wants her remaining years to be like and how that that vision doesn’t fit neatly with the life she’s currently living. Life is full of these transitions, and it’s both comforting and helpful to hear from others in the throes of navigating them, and not only once they successfully arrive on the other side.

One of the best books that I have ever read

I enjoyed this book. Cheryl writes it like a diary, which I can appreciate since I myself love journaling. She discusses the pull between living life quickly and slowing down to feed her soul. Shw discusses purpose, passion, and self-care. It was perfect for this time in my life!

As we are all taking the journey though our own "Winter" of life, Waking in in Winter was a compelling read, that encourages the reader to discover what really matters to them. Good for any age, and at any time.

As I’m dealing with caring for my elderly mother and have reached statistical “old” age, I picked up this book. Reading it reassures me that I’m normal and on the right path.

The book was interesting and I enjoyed following her along on her journey of trying to find herself and figure out what’s next for the second half of her life. Some of what she has learned to do, I’m already doing. I take joy in little things like watching birds at our feeder, the cats “hunting” lizards on the patio, wandering through gardens and marsh lands. But I felt a little bit like some of the things (like enjoying the little things) might be a big revelation for someone as busy as this author appeared to be. I’m not that busy and I’ve spent a lot of time enjoying these types of things already. And she’s a life coach, traveling the world helping others to make changes in their own lives, so I feel like she has tools available to her that I’m not necessarily knowledgeable about. I think it would have been great if she could have maybe shared a couple of her most important tools so that those of us who will never make it to a live event, will be able to apply some of her ideas for ourselves. Certainly she has written other books that likely cover some of those things, so I’ll look into some of her books for future reference, as I move along in my own journey. That having been said, the tools might well be that she provides a list of questions to ask yourself that you can journal about and try to dig down to your more authentic self. So, I’m going to work through all of those questions and see what I can discover. That, I think, is likely to be the gold mine of this book.

I read this book quickly and took some notes. The questions at the end will be helpful to me. The "journal" did not always feel authentic. As some other reviewers noted, it seemed like the author wrote the journal knowing that she would publish it. I had some trouble with the author's complaints about her life. She feels that she works too hard and travels too much. I had never heard of this author before finding her book at the library, but she seems to have the financial security to stop working so hard and pick and chose her projects; she works with Oprah and Alanis Morissette. As I read the book, I wondered about her childless state. Had she chosen not to have children? Had she tried to have children? Toward the end of the book, she gets teary seeing a father with his young child and acknowledges that she chose not to have children because she didn't she didn't trust herself to be a good parent. I would have liked to hear more about this decision; I grew tired of reading about her cat. Like this author, I value the messages found in dreams and understand that we need to release old patterns, relationships, etc. to make room for the new. I am unfamiliar with past life regression. I appreciate the author's discussion about the benefits of separate bedrooms and her reminder that meandering and sitting with uncertainty lead to new beginnings.

I have followed Cheryl Richardson since I saw her on Oprah in the late 90s. I attended her first Retreat at the Sea in Maine in Spring, 2016. Her Dad passed away a few days before my Dad and I found great comfort and insight in her sharing her journey of her loss. Cheryl is like a compass for me- when I get a little off track, not sure which way to go, etc I re-read one of her books or maybe just a chapter, listen closer to her weekly Facebook chat or re-read a blog I have saved. Her newest book Waking Up in Winter is insightful, thought provoking, inspirational, and once again just what I needed at the moment I needed it. I have come to believe that is not a coincidence. Her honesty, sharing of her story and her thoughts are true compass points to challenges, opportunities and the importance of quiet, solitude and the gift of time we all desire and need. Her thought provoking questions at the end for the readers are questions (when answered honestly) will help me to grow into “the best version of myself” as Matthew Kelly often shares many of us are trying to be. All I can say is “Thank you, Cheryl”. I am grateful you are a part of my life.

I read this book as part of my research for my book and actually ended up liking this book a great deal. Initially I didn't like it because it felt too much like she was working hard to get points across and share her personal story. It felt too forced. I didn't care that much about her personal story (I hadn't heard of her before) to begin with but over time I did start to like her and care about her journey. She got a little too woo woo at one point but that's her journey. The entries became better blended between messaging and her actual journalling as the book progressed. I visualize it like the making of caramel. The parts were all separate and didn't meld well but eventually became nicely blended, warm, soft, complex, and sweet. There's great messaging in here for anyone taking the time to examine who they are and where they are in life and begin to uncover who they want to be and how they want to operate in the future. Definitely not prescriptive. If you are searching for ideas, they can be found in here. Well worth the time to read if you are in your mid to late 40s and through to your 60s.

IlluminatingThis book resonated with me in so many ways, putting words to an inner search didn't realize was playing out in my life. Cheryl Richardson delivers her memoir with such profound insight that I often felt she was talking to and about me. "The role of lone ranger is a familiar one for me, a firstborn child with a legacy of sucking it up and dealing with difficult feelings on my own." Yes, indeed. Waking up in Winter is a spiritual journey that I am grateful to have read. When your soul needs something, the universe puts it in your reach. I bought this book exactly as I struggled through the changes and transitions of midlife. ..or, as Richardson puts it, that period when there is more life behind you than ahead. For anyone wondering why old life patterns have begun to jar, and looking for ways to optimize the rest of their lives, Waking in Winter is a must-read.