WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.540 Hey, everyone. Welcome to the show. Great to 00:00:01.540 --> 00:00:06.000 be diving in today. So imagine your brain actually 00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:08.160 having a conversation with you. Like telling 00:00:08.160 --> 00:00:11.019 you it's tired or frustrated. Exactly. Revealing 00:00:11.019 --> 00:00:14.359 its frustrations, maybe even its love. You know, 00:00:14.380 --> 00:00:16.820 that's kind of the emotional heart of what we're 00:00:16.820 --> 00:00:19.039 getting into today. We're talking about a memoir. 00:00:19.440 --> 00:00:22.460 Yeah. The book is All of Us Adams by Holly Dawson. 00:00:22.559 --> 00:00:25.059 And it's really an exploration, isn't it? Oh, 00:00:25.079 --> 00:00:28.690 definitely. It's this very personal look. at 00:00:28.690 --> 00:00:31.670 Holly's relationship with her own mind, her body, 00:00:31.850 --> 00:00:34.429 especially as she's dealing with memory illness 00:00:34.429 --> 00:00:38.030 and like figuring out her identity through all 00:00:38.030 --> 00:00:40.890 that. It's very raw, very honest. Totally. Think 00:00:40.890 --> 00:00:43.210 of it like eavesdropping on an internal conversation. 00:00:43.250 --> 00:00:45.729 You get these really vivid memories, reflections 00:00:45.729 --> 00:00:49.429 on family, love, time passing, all that big stuff. 00:00:49.590 --> 00:00:52.070 And what really jumps out, I think, is how she 00:00:52.070 --> 00:00:54.670 gives a voice to those internal processes. Yes. 00:00:55.280 --> 00:00:57.159 That was something I absolutely loved. It's almost 00:00:57.159 --> 00:00:59.679 like their character's insider head. That personification, 00:01:00.039 --> 00:01:01.960 yeah. It was unique. You get this real sense 00:01:01.960 --> 00:01:07.000 of the brain being weary. It struggles its affection 00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:10.659 even. Right. Here's that one line. Don't be cross 00:01:10.659 --> 00:01:13.060 with me, my love. I am tired. It is so tiring 00:01:13.060 --> 00:01:16.659 being your brain. Yeah. That just. Wow. It really 00:01:16.659 --> 00:01:18.799 hit home, didn't it? It makes you think about 00:01:18.799 --> 00:01:21.060 the sheer effort going on inside us. Stuff we 00:01:21.060 --> 00:01:23.519 don't even notice. Yeah. This like partnership 00:01:23.519 --> 00:01:26.359 between our conscious self and all the biological 00:01:26.359 --> 00:01:28.980 machinery working away unseen. And what that 00:01:28.980 --> 00:01:33.290 means for identity. Are we one thing or. Are 00:01:33.290 --> 00:01:35.349 we more like a committee? Yeah, a committee. 00:01:35.530 --> 00:01:37.750 Another thing that really stuck with me was how 00:01:37.750 --> 00:01:41.209 she treats memory, even really small ones. There's 00:01:41.209 --> 00:01:43.409 this bit about just having beans on toast with 00:01:43.409 --> 00:01:45.290 her grandmother. It's simple, right? But she 00:01:45.290 --> 00:01:47.349 gives it such weight, such meaning. It's like 00:01:47.349 --> 00:01:50.230 these little snapshots become these massive anchors 00:01:50.230 --> 00:01:52.849 for her. And that feels very human, that need 00:01:52.849 --> 00:01:55.310 to find meaning in ordinary moments, doesn't 00:01:55.310 --> 00:01:57.709 it? Building a story from these fragments. Totally. 00:01:57.769 --> 00:01:59.750 It seems crucial for her using these memories 00:01:59.750 --> 00:02:01.959 to understand where she is now. Especially with 00:02:01.959 --> 00:02:04.500 the illness threat hanging over them. The idea 00:02:04.500 --> 00:02:07.180 of losing those memories adds this whole other 00:02:07.180 --> 00:02:11.400 layer of vulnerability. It does. It really does. 00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:14.919 But then there's also this surprising humor. 00:02:15.139 --> 00:02:18.560 Right. Even in really tough spots. Yeah. Like 00:02:18.560 --> 00:02:20.780 when she's doing cognitive tests or dealing with 00:02:20.780 --> 00:02:23.639 seizures starting. There are these flashes of 00:02:23.639 --> 00:02:26.819 dark wit. It's unexpected. But effective. It's 00:02:26.819 --> 00:02:29.120 the way of coping. Finding some light, maybe? 00:02:29.340 --> 00:02:31.620 I think so. That blend of humor and hardship, 00:02:31.840 --> 00:02:34.900 it makes her so relatable. It acknowledges the 00:02:34.900 --> 00:02:37.680 kind of absurdity sometimes, the resilience. 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:39.860 Yeah, it stops it just being purely about suffering. 00:02:40.099 --> 00:02:42.479 Exactly. It gives you these moments to breathe. 00:02:42.860 --> 00:02:45.259 Okay, so on the flip side, was there anything 00:02:45.259 --> 00:02:48.060 that maybe didn't land quite as well for you 00:02:48.060 --> 00:02:50.620 or required more effort? What? wouldn't say didn't 00:02:50.620 --> 00:02:53.300 land but for me sometimes the stream of consciousness 00:02:53.300 --> 00:02:56.780 style it could get a bit dense okay yeah i see 00:02:56.780 --> 00:02:58.819 that you know the thoughts shift really fast 00:02:58.819 --> 00:03:01.340 different perspectives pop up i really had to 00:03:01.340 --> 00:03:04.039 focus sometimes to like keep all the threads 00:03:04.039 --> 00:03:07.659 straight but that style it kind of mirrors consciousness 00:03:07.659 --> 00:03:10.560 itself doesn't it that constant flow thoughts 00:03:10.560 --> 00:03:12.819 bumping into each other it's not always neat 00:03:12.819 --> 00:03:15.599 and tidy that's true It does feel authentic to 00:03:15.599 --> 00:03:17.460 that inner world. It's trying to capture that 00:03:17.460 --> 00:03:20.620 internal monologue, I think. And similarly, some 00:03:20.620 --> 00:03:23.919 of the more abstract ideas she explores about 00:03:23.919 --> 00:03:27.060 the self, about identity, they weren't always 00:03:27.060 --> 00:03:30.120 like immediately easy to grasp. They took a bit 00:03:30.120 --> 00:03:33.060 of chewing over. Sure. But isn't that often where 00:03:33.060 --> 00:03:35.819 the really deep stuff is in those abstract bits? 00:03:36.120 --> 00:03:38.879 Yeah, probably. She's wrestling with huge questions 00:03:38.879 --> 00:03:41.379 there. What makes us us? How does our internal 00:03:41.379 --> 00:03:43.960 world shape how we see everything else? Definitely 00:03:43.960 --> 00:03:47.099 food for thought. So thinking about everything, 00:03:47.199 --> 00:03:49.319 the honesty, that unique voice, the way she handles 00:03:49.319 --> 00:03:52.360 memory. I'm going with four out of five stars. 00:03:52.740 --> 00:03:54.800 Yeah, I think that feels right. It's a really 00:03:54.800 --> 00:03:57.620 compelling, very human journey. It really is. 00:03:58.080 --> 00:04:00.639 Offer some powerful insights. So what's the one 00:04:00.639 --> 00:04:02.280 thing you think people will really take away 00:04:02.280 --> 00:04:05.939 from it? The big idea. For me, it's probably 00:04:05.939 --> 00:04:08.840 that reminder about the constant chatter inside 00:04:08.840 --> 00:04:11.419 our own heads. The hard work our minds are doing, 00:04:11.560 --> 00:04:15.340 mostly unnoticed. And how much meaning can be 00:04:15.340 --> 00:04:18.019 packed into just tiny little fragments of memory. 00:04:18.180 --> 00:04:20.279 Yeah, appreciating that inner world a bit more. 00:04:20.500 --> 00:04:22.939 Exactly. And maybe thinking about how we even 00:04:22.939 --> 00:04:24.899 talk about this stuff. The limits of language, 00:04:25.220 --> 00:04:27.740 yeah. Trying to describe these really internal, 00:04:28.019 --> 00:04:32.459 often fuzzy experiences. So we've just scratched 00:04:32.459 --> 00:04:34.740 the surface today, really, looking at how she 00:04:34.740 --> 00:04:37.819 navigates that inner landscape and her place 00:04:37.819 --> 00:04:39.800 in the world. It's a lot to unpack. Definitely. 00:04:40.339 --> 00:04:43.540 So if this deep dive into memory, self -discovery, 00:04:43.620 --> 00:04:45.779 all that complex stuff, if it resonated with 00:04:45.779 --> 00:04:47.759 you, please do like and subscribe. Yep. Helps 00:04:47.759 --> 00:04:49.860 others find the discussion. And there's a link 00:04:49.860 --> 00:04:52.040 to the book on Amazon down in the description 00:04:52.040 --> 00:04:53.720 if you want to check it out yourself. Highly 00:04:53.720 --> 00:04:56.310 recommended. Thank you so much for joining us 00:04:56.310 --> 00:04:58.170 for this exploration today. We'd love to hear 00:04:58.170 --> 00:05:00.629 what you think. Yeah, absolutely. What moments 00:05:00.629 --> 00:05:02.910 stood out most for you? Let us know your favorite 00:05:02.910 --> 00:05:05.430 takeaway in the comments below. And share this 00:05:05.430 --> 00:05:07.670 with anyone else you think enjoys these kinds 00:05:07.670 --> 00:05:11.750 of deep, personal memoirs. And maybe just leave 00:05:11.750 --> 00:05:14.350 you with this thought. You know, in our day -to 00:05:14.350 --> 00:05:17.110 -day rush, how often do we actually stop and 00:05:17.110 --> 00:05:19.870 just, like, listen? Listen to that conversation 00:05:19.870 --> 00:05:22.569 happening inside. Yeah. Acknowledge the complex, 00:05:22.810 --> 00:05:25.350 sometimes weird, always ongoing dialogue within 00:05:25.350 --> 00:05:27.149 our own minds. Something to mull over.