At 17, Shelley Anne Crawford ignored the first red flag from the charming man she would later marry. Chapter 4 of her memoir, My Three Husbands: A True Story, is where her intuition spoke up and she chose not to listen.
In this episode of My 3 Husbands Book Cast, Shelley reads Chapter 4, The Glitter Before the Crack, then sits down with her editor, Dr. Kent Gustavson, to talk about the girl on the page.
She was already dating Martin, her first love, when Jason walked into the store where she worked and told her to break up with him. One stood-up weekend and a long bus ride home settled it. Days later she climbed into Jason's VW Kombi, and when he called her baby, she shot back, "I'm not your baby." Within two weeks came the ultimatum: "It's him or me."
Shelley and Kent talk about how childhood trauma can damage a young woman's intuition, and why hearing that inner voice is not the same as believing it. Shelley traces her "I'm not your baby" fire to the part of her that has helped her thrive, and names the irony underneath it: "he actually did end up owning me."
Tune in to hear the first decision in a chain that runs through the rest of the book.
Content Warning:
This episode discusses suicide, self-harm, and other sensitive topics that some listeners may find distressing. Please take care while listening.
If you or someone you know is struggling:
Samaritans (UK & Ireland): Call 116 123
Pieta (Ireland): Call 1800 247 247Chapters:
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00:04 Shelley Anne Crawford reads Chapter 4: Jason asks her out at 17
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02:39 The bus ride home where she let go of her first love
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05:15 A first date in Jason's VW Kombi: "I'm not your baby"
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06:46 "It's him or me": the ultimatum and the choice she second-guessed
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08:17 The first conscious decision and the domino effect it started
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10:21 How childhood trauma mars intuition and what it takes to rebuild it
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12:05 The warrior part of her that refuses to be owned
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15:08 Mentoring her daughters and young women to own who they are
Reach out to Shelley to continue the conversation about learning to hear and trust your intuition, the thread she carries through this memoir and her other books.
Episode 4
