Many of us have a difficult time finishing a book let alone writing a memoir, yet Kay Eck, author and host of the Alive & Kicking podcast, knew she was destined to write about her journey in some aspect, she just never knew it would be a book about a topic as personal as divorce.
“The most difficult thing for any of us is to be vulnerable enough to be seen for who we really are,” shared Kay. “But that’s the only thing that can heal us. I wrote the book to heal myself, and I am sharing my story to help others heal themselves.”
Kay describes herself as an “astute observer of the devastating and incandescent shared human journey.” Her career path has tapped into the fields of journalism, public relations, motherhood, fine arts, business management, and yoga. Kay is the founder of Shine Yoga in Batavia, Illinois, where she actively devoted her life to creating a community of conscious and purpose-filled life. Mentoring others along a sacred path of self-love, Kay's first work, Divorce: a love story, has received heartfelt reviews since its launch November of 2018.
“I’ve been very touched by the support I have received and awed by the courage of people willing to try a new way forward through divorce,” said Kay. “Honestly, I am humbled by people’s commitment to healing because pain is easier to ignore or avoid. It must be faced and experienced to be healed, and that is a brave journey.”
Divorce: a love story is more than a peek into one woman’s journey through divorce, in fact, Kay shared that she feels she’s “flung open the front door and the windows” of her life. “I began writing during a difficult time to help me process the emotional tumult I was experiencing, without the thought of publishing or even sharing,” said Kay. “And even after it became clear that I was writing a book, I gave myself the out of being in control of whether or not it was shared. Eventually, I understood that my experience could offer a healing.
Because while we’ve figured out how to start relationships, we haven’t yet mastered the art of ending them, and that has caused us much, much pain.”
Kay was rooted in a hopefulness that this experience could yield a positive outcome.
“As I found my way, I felt compelled to share the hopefulness I felt.”
While many can connect to Divorce: a love story simply from their own journey of separating from a partner, I asked Kay if readers who were single or happy in a relationship could benefit from reading her memoir.
“This book is working on so many levels — It is about learning to say “yes” to yourself regardless of what others have to say about it, especially for women and moms who are not habituated to doing so,” explained Kay. “It’s about allowing your biggest challenges to serve your greatest growth. It’s about maintaining more conscious relationships by uncovering the roots of our issues within them. It is about the ability of self-love to heal everything. It’s about the truth of our radiant and perfect humanity. One of the biggest surprises has been how it is helping people understand and heal from their parents’ divorce.”
Kay, driven by an agreement with herself to be honest during this time of self-discovery and documentation, is excited at the prospect of helping others heal. The reviews for Divorce: a love story shine and describe Kay as a guide for readers.
“Kay has an ability to delve into the most vulnerable facets of the human experience and explore them with honesty, kindness, and fascination. She guides the reader through personal accounts that are at once singular and universal — providing a mirror for which the reader can explore their own emotions, rationality, and spirituality in the most difficult of life’s challenges.” (Review from Amazon reader, Kelly)
Life provides a whirlwind of experiences and emotions, some devastatingly challenging, and with an account like Divorce: a love story, hopefully Kay will bring a much-needed element of support to those in search for healing and rebuilding self-love.
“I had a lot of buried pain,” said Kay. “I didn’t understand who I was or how to be in a conscious relationship. I didn’t have much love for myself. So what I am most proud of is that I was brave enough to try and strong enough to share my experience.”
Divorce: a love story is available on Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com.
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A version of this article was originally published in the Kane County Chronicle on February 28th, 2019.