Forgiveness, Family, and Finding Freedom Through Storytelling- Kennerly Clay EP 429
Send me a Text Message 🔍 Episode Summary: What if the stories we’ve buried hold the power to heal us? In this deeply personal and moving conversation, Brian D. Smith speaks with Kennerly Clay, author of Letters from East of Nowhere, about the long road to forgiveness, the wounds of parental abandonment, and the unexpected redemption found in decades of handwritten letters. Kennerly’s father, an alcoholic and long-haul truck driver, was largely absent from her life. But through raw honesty, ea...
🔍 Episode Summary:
What if the stories we’ve buried hold the power to heal us? In this deeply personal and moving conversation, Brian D. Smith speaks with Kennerly Clay , author of Letters from East of Nowhere , about the long road to forgiveness, the wounds of parental abandonment, and the unexpected redemption found in decades of handwritten letters.
Kennerly’s father, an alcoholic and long-haul truck driver, was largely absent from her life. But through raw honesty, early sobriety, and years of storytelling, she found a way to forgive—and even to love—the man who shaped her pain.
💬 This episode explores:
- The power of writing to reclaim your narrative 🖋️
- How forgiveness frees us, even when others don’t change 🕊️
- Rediscovering lost love through preserved letters 💌
- Turning personal trauma into a purposeful message 🌈
You’ll walk away with a new lens on your own past—and perhaps the courage to look at it with more compassion.
👤 Guest: Kennerly Clay
Kennerly is a memoirist, speaker, and storytelling strategist helping others transform personal pain into powerful purpose. Her memoir Letters from East of Nowhere: Daddy’s Words to Live, Drink, and Die By is available now.
🔗 Learn more & get the book: https://lettersfromeastofnowhere.com
🔗 Links & Resources
- 💻 Visit our community: grief2growth.com/community
- 📘 Get Letters from East of Nowhere : lettersfromeastofnowhere.com
- 🎧 Subscribe on YouTube: Grief 2 Growth Channel
- 📬 Join Brian’s newsletter: grief2growth.com
🔁 Share This Episode
Know someone who's struggling to forgive a parent? Or searching for purpose in pain?
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💭 We Want to Hear From You
What’s one story from your past you’ve learned to see in a new light?
👇 Leave a comment on YouTube or join our community discussion:
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[Brian D. Smith] [0.56s] Close your eyes and imagine what are the things in life that cause us the greatest pain, the things that bring us grief, or challenges, challenges designed to help us grow to ultimately become what we were always meant to be.
[Brian D. Smith] [17.18s] We feel like we've been buried.
[Brian D. Smith] [19.26s] But what if like a seed we've been planted, and having been planted, we grow to become a mighty tree.
[Brian D. Smith] [27.98s] Now, open your eyes, Open your eyes to this way of viewing life.
[Brian D. Smith] [33.21s] Come with me as we explore your true infinite, eternal nature.
[Brian D. Smith] [38.81s] This is grief to growth.
[Brian D. Smith] [40.73s] And I am your host, Brian Smith.
[Brian D. Smith] [45.42s] Hi there.
[Brian D. Smith] [45.83s] I'm your I'm Brian Smith, your host, and I wanna welcome you to Grief two Growth.
[Brian D. Smith] [49.10s] So whether this is your first time tuning in, you've been walking this journey here with me for a while, what I'd like to let you know is this show is all about helping you navigate life's toughest challenges, grief, trauma, transformation, and understand the deeper questions of who we are, why we're here, and where we're going.
[Brian D. Smith] [65.16s] Today's guest is Kennerly Clay.
[Brian D. Smith] [67.56s] Kennerly is an author, a thought leader, and a storytelling strategist who has turned personal pain into powerful purpose.
...
[Brian D. Smith] [3414.34s] Kimberly, again, thanks for being here today, and enjoy the rest of your day.
[Kennerly Clay] [3417.68s] Yeah.
[Brian D. Smith] [3421.51s] You too.
[Brian D. Smith] [3429.18s] Thanks.
Kennerly Clay
Award-winning author Kennerly Clay is a word-wielding adventurer with a penchant for candid storytelling and a soft spot for furry friends. From penning travel narratives for major U.S. newspapers to crafting a snarky guide on surviving menopause, Kennerly’s diverse portfolio reflects her zest for life and irreverent humor. Her memoir "Letters from East of Nowhere" delves into her unconventional hippie upbringing with alcoholic parents, showcasing her talent for turning personal experiences into compelling narratives. When she’s not dreaming up her next literary escape, you’ll find Kennerly in the Philadelphia suburbs, juggling family life, her marketing communications business, and plotting her next adventure—preferably one that doesn’t involve working.
