The Art of the Memoir: An Interview with Meredith Beardmore

Memoir writing is an act of courage — an excavation of the past, laid bare for the world to see. In her searing new book, The Plan B Chronicles, Meredith Beardmore offers an unflinching account of heartbreak, betrayal, and ultimately, self-reclamation. A psychotherapist and somatic healer by trade, Beardmore's memoir is not just about surviving — but about thriving in the wake of life's most brutal upheavals.

1. Writing a memoir requires extraordinary vulnerability. What was the moment you knew you had to tell your story?

As I began to review a year's worth of journal entries, I stood back and thought: Whoa. This was bad. Like, really bad. And yet — there was something else there too. I could see, in real time, how I had survived without a plan, without a roadmap. Just raw instinct, rage, grief, stubbornness — one foot in front of the other. I wondered how many women were out there, drowning in shame, staying silent, too afraid to share. I felt that if more of us ripped the curtain back — if we told the truth, in all its messiness — we'd all feel less alone.

2. How did your background as a psychotherapist and somatic healer shape the way you processed your own heartbreak?

I felt like a student again. Like I had spent years teaching a class I suddenly had to retake — but this time, the stakes weren't theoretical. Everything I had taught about the nervous system, about trauma, about listening to the body? It wasn't just important anymore — it was everything.

3. How did you navigate the fine line between personal catharsis and writing a story that resonates broadly?

What made it resonate wasn't just my personal story — it was the fact that I kept seeing my story reflected back at me everywhere. In pop culture, in movies, in the way society talks about women and aging and cheating. Betrayal, the gut-punch of being traded in — it's a tale as old as time. And that's exactly why I had to write about it. Because knowing it's a cliché doesn't make it hurt any less.

4. What is somatic healing, and how did it help you reclaim your power?

Somatic healing is about coming back to your body. Trauma, stress, and heartbreak don't just live in your mind — they live in your nervous system. In your jaw when you clench it. In your shoulders when you tense them. Somatic healing says: put the phone down. Stop running. Sit with it.

5. Were there any chapters that were particularly difficult to write?

Absolutely. In the chapter Uncut Truths, I describe a moment when I feared for my life — when I had to crawl into my son's crib and fake being asleep. Even recalling it now makes me nauseous. But I knew it had to be included. Because that moment wasn't just fear — it was confusion. Disbelief.

6. What is the biggest lesson you hope readers take away from The Plan B Chronicles?

That it's never the end. When your life detonates, when you're thinking, This is what breaks me — it's not. The things you think will kill you? Won't. You are stronger than you know.

7. What's next for you?

More writing, more healing, more stories to tell. One of the big things I want to explore next is dating in your 40s as a single mom. Because let me tell you, if you thought dating in your 20s was chaotic, try doing it with a kid, a career, and an instant allergy to red flags.