Melissa Etheridge: "Why did I waste all that time thinking I wasn't good enough?"

In the latest episode of Next Question, Katie Couric talks with Grammy award winning singer songwriter, Melissa Etheridge.

Melissa Etheridge has written two memoirs now. Her new one is Talking to My Angels. For many people, writing more than one memoir might seem excessive, but Etheridge has lived a lot. She’s reflective on just how much she’s learned between 40, when she wrote her first memoir, and about 60 where she’s writing from now, especially how a definitive spiritual experience (thanks to what she calls a hero dose of cannabis) really separated her life into “before” and “after.”

On the other side, Melissa finds herself happier and more centered than ever. She’s articulate and sure about how she found that peace, and seems to have an amazing capacity to learn from and process the not-so-peaceful events in her life.

And of course music is the thrumming throughline underpinning everything from her career to her memories of childhood, to what drives her now after so many challenges that could have broken many. But Melissa seems to ground herself even deeper in times of trial, and has a lot to teach anyone about resilience, grit, and grace.

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0:00 Intro
0:11 How did Melissa write two memoirs?
00:52 What happened during Melissa's spiritual awakening?
03:09 What new understanding did Melissa come to?
05:10 How did her spiritual event change Melissa?
07:36 How do you discipline yourself to see things through love?
11:30 Melissa's relationship with her mom
15:45 Melissa's story of abuse
17:35 How music was a lifeline for Melissa
19:53 Melissa's father's love of music
21:36 When Melissa realized that she would become a famous musician
23:02 Was Melissa a natural born singer?
24:58 How Melissa's voice is unique
25:52 How hard was it growing up as a lesbian in the 1960s?
30:54 Melissa's first relationship with a woman
33:39 Melissa's relationship with Julie Cypher
36:33 How we waste too much time comparing ourselves to others
39:03 Melissa's breast cancer journey
44:06 Melissa's son Beckett and his struggles
47:48 Melissa's new Broadway show
50:52 How does Melissa feel about not being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
54:24 How Melissa came up with the title for her new book
55:28 Melissa's Broadway show, "My Window"