Episode 22: Themes in Surviving Sue with Vicki Atkinson

In this episode, Wynne Leon is with co-host, Dr. Vicki Atkinson and they talk about Vicki's newly released book, Surviving Sue. In this episode that is near and dear to our hearts, we dig in to what it takes to write a memoir about such a complex character as Vicki’s mom, Sue who was afflicted with anxiety, depression, alcoholism, Munchausen’s by proxy and later on, Alzheimer’s. We talk about the huge personal benefit of doing the work to turn anger into compassion and positive regard and how that facilitates intergenerational healing in our families as well as our own relationships. We laugh about all the funny parts of Sue as well as a character with infectious positivity and gravitational pull. Because there is always a lighter side to go with the shadow, so we highlight all the fun that Vicki included into the book that makes it such a complete and satisfying story and picture of a woman. Vicki tells us about uncovering the secrets that Sue carried her whole life, many of them filed away in an ugly gray-green filing cabinet, and the unspoken relationship Sue and Vicki had because as her daughter, she often saw more than Sue wanted her too. As part of the sandwich generation, taking care of her mom at the same time as raising her daughter, Vicki talks about the tough spots trying to balance it all. Show Notes: Episode 22: Themes from Surviving Sue with Vicki Atkinson on HoTM Surviving Sue | Eckhart Press Vicki's blog: Victoria Ponders This is a great episode filled with inspiration and depth as Vicki and I talk about doing the important but difficult work to understand our parents as people. I know you’ll love it.