The Board of Directors of Teresa Incorporated – Theresa F.

About This Speaker Tape

Appalachian Roundup - 2024

Teresa F. maps out the internal wreckage of Steps Six and Seven treating her character defects not as moral failings but as 'superheroes'—like the Avengers—who arrive to solve a problem but leave the town in ruins. She dismantles the illusion of being the CEO of 'Teresa Incorporated,' admitting she sat in every seat on the board of directors just to keep control. Through the lens of recent grief—the loss of her mother and brother—she explores the brutal necessity of surrender moving from a place of 'playing Higher Power' to a humble recognition of her own flaws. She describes her recovery as a process of 'stretching spiritual muscles' to survive the tsunami of family trauma eventually finding a Higher Power that requires her permission to act rather than one that simply takes things away.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:45 Teresa F. discusses her 'broken heart syndrome' and the anxiety of speaking before a large crowd.
• 3:15 The Avengers metaphor: how defects of character protect the speaker but demolish the surroundings.
• 6:20 Laughter: A story about a cousin's absurd attempt to negotiate quitting crack for cigarettes.
• 8:45 Step 6: The 'gift of awareness' and seeing defects become '3D' and objectionable.
• 11:10 Step 7: The transition from the list of defects to a humble request for removal.
• 13:30 Teresa F. describes the failure of 'Teresa Incorporated' and the need for a new board of directors.
• 16:45 The struggle of applying Step 7 while caregiving for her dying mother and brother.
• 19:20 A raw account of her brother Tony's suicidal ideation and the realization of her own self-will.
• 22:10 The 'stinking thinking' and the cycle of cleaning house, trusting in a Higher Power, and being of service.
• 25:40 Reflections on her mother's 38 years of sobriety and the 'tsunami' of family rubble.
• timecode Closing thoughts on the Higher Power that requires permission (Step 3) and the identity of being an alcoholic.