What Goes In Early Goes In Deep
Ina Garten, affectionately known as the Barefoot Contessa, has always felt like the warm friend I wish lived next door. I adore her for her doable recipes, genuine laugh and her great sense of style. She makes me feel like I could tackle a towering chocolate cake just as easily as she whips up roast chicken for Jeffrey. But what I love most about Ina is her authenticity. She’s real, relatable and never pretentious. So, when I picked up her new memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens, I thought I was in for charming anecdotes and behind-the-scenes glimpses into her beautiful life. What I got instead was an open, inspiring story of resilience and self-discovery.
Ina doesn’t shy away from the hard truths about her childhood. She writes about growing up in an emotionally and physically abusive home, where there was no comfort, no encouragement and no safe space to be herself. “If it sounds like a cold and lonely life, it was.” Her father, a charismatic but emotionally distant surgeon, once told her, “No one will ever love you.” Yet rather than let those words define her, Ina chose to rise above them, forging her own path with grit, creativity and determination.
While Be Ready When the Luck Happens isn’t marketed as a mental health book, it resonates as one. It reminds me that the most successful, resilient people often come from rough beginnings. Ina’s journey of acknowledging her past and sharing it with the world is an act of courage that can inspire others to take their first steps toward healing.
When we fully embrace our stories, no matter how painful, and recognize that all of our life experiences contribute to our authentic selves, we reclaim our power. By confronting her own history (and by going to therapy), Ina has demonstrated that speaking truth is the first step toward freedom.
“Here’s what I’ve learned from my own difficult childhood. It’s true that what goes in early goes in deep. I will never truly lose that critical voice in my head that says, ‘Don’t do it, it will turn out badly,’ for as long as I live. But I also think that those years of debilitating fear taught me enormous compassion, maybe even for my parents.”
“The second thing a troubled childhood taught me is to work hard and swing for the fences. What’s the worst that could happen if I failed? Everything I experienced made me stronger, and I’m ready to deal with whatever comes along.”
To use an Ina catchphrase, How great is that.