40: Blow Your House Down with Gina Frangello

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• Gina Frangello describes her new memoir, Blow Your House Down

• The stigma of infidelity and how it commonly erases a woman’s other identities and relationships

• Gina talks about facing difficult choices and embracing discomfort

• The affair bubble versus reality

• How Gina’s book strayed from the traditional memoir narrative

• Gina and Dr. Marie Murphy discuss society’s bias toward middle-aged women

• Is fear holding you back from making positive changes in your life or marriage?

• The challenges involved with infidelity and the lack of non-judgmental resources available for people having affairs

• The importance of accepting yourself for who you are — no matter what anyone else thinks

In this episode…

When everyday life is chaotic, difficult, or unfulfilling, affairs can offer an escape from reality. However, the deception of an affair isn’t always limited to the lies we tell others — trying to escape reality can also be a way of deceiving ourselves.

According to author Gina Frangello, nothing is really an escape. She understands how, at first, leading a double life can feel exciting and intoxicating. But, while it may initially seem like a neat compartmentalized part of your life, your affair will eventually overlap with your other relationships and challenges. Once this happens, Gina suggests that the best way forward is finding a way to face your fears, accept yourself for who you are, and make the necessary changes to live a happier, healthier life.

In this episode of Your Secret is Safe With Me, Dr. Marie Murphy sits down with author Gina Frangello to talk about her new memoir, Blow Your House Down. Together, they discuss why infidelity often overshadows all other aspects of a relationship, the discrimination middle-aged women face in today’s society, and how fear can prevent you from putting your well-being first. Plus, Gina explains why it’s so important to find a way of accepting yourself for who you are. Stay tuned.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

• Gina Frangello’s website

• Gina Frangello’s books on Bookshop.org

• Blow Your House Down: A Story of Family, Feminism, and Treason by Gina Frangello

• Other Voices Books

• Circe Consulting, LLC

• Emily Rapp Black on LinkedIn

• Emily Rapp Black’s books on Bookshop.org

• Deborah’s Place

• Dr. Marie Murphy

• Schedule an Introductory Coaching Session with Dr. Marie Murphy

• Dr. Marie Murphy on LinkedIn

About Gina Frangello 

Gina Frangello is an accomplished editor and the Founder of the independent press Other Voices Books. She is also the author of several fiction books, and her short stories, essays, book reviews, and journalism have appeared in Ploughshares, The Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, HuffPost, and many other publications. Her most recent book, Blow Your House Down: A Story of Family, Feminism, and Treason, is a personal account of her awakening to the fault lines in her marriage, her passionate affair with another man, and the ways our culture seeks to cage women in traditional narratives of self-sacrifice and erasure.

Sponsor for this episode... 

This episode is brought to you by Marie Murphy PhD Relationship Coaching.

Dr. Marie Murphy provides shame-free, blame-free, and non-judgmental relationship coaching. She draws from different philosophical traditions and approaches in order to better understand the human condition and the different types of professional assistance that can be germane to people in complicated relationship situations.

To learn more about her and her relationship coaching practice, visit www.mariemurphyphd.com today and schedule an introductory coaching session with Dr. Marie Murphy