Why a Searching and Fearless Moral Inventory Is Not a Sermon – Candice M.

About This Speaker Tape

August 16, 1995. That date is everything. Candice M. enters the room not with a sermon, but with the grit of a woman who knows that lipstick can't fix the wreckage. She describes a life lived in facades and delusions, from the high-stakes world of advertising to the concrete reality of a mother who murdered children and buried them in cement. She speaks of the shame of a sister handcuffed to a nightstand and the haunting knowledge that her own fear of arrest kept her from calling the police.

For Candice, a searching and fearless moral inventory is a "fact-finding and fact-facing process." She dissects the "spiritual deformity" that led her to lash out at a coworker, calling him "fat and sloppy" because she felt washed up herself. She avoids Hallmark platitudes, focusing instead on the "magic when pen hits paper" and the brutal honesty required to stop being a walking liability. By facing the brokenness, she moves toward a Higher Power, seeking to be a woman her daughter won't regre...

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Candice M. opens by discussing the power of gathering women together and the importance of consistency in friendship.
• 5:45 Laughter: Candice describes her physical state upon entering sobriety, including missing a front tooth and weighing 96 pounds.
• 11:20 Candice recounts a confrontation with a woman who questioned the authenticity of her purse after a spiritual talk.
• 18:30 Candice discusses the necessity of a searching and fearless moral inventory to move past shame.
• 23:15 Candice details a workplace resentment involving a vaping coworker and the subsequent failed attempt at making amends.
• 31:40 Raw and Emotional: Candice shares the trauma of her mother's crimes and the memory of her sister, Latoya, being handcuffed.
• 42:10 Candice describes hitting a bottom at nine years sober and the toxicity of her first love.
• 51:15 Candice explains her 'three-column' fear inventory and her work with women in jail.
• 58:40 Candice reflects on the 'sex inventory' and the realization that she was a 'taker' in relationships.
• 1:05:20 Candice discusses the 'ideals list' and her non-negotiable requirement for a partner she can pray with.
• 1:12:10 Candice answers questions about the Fifth Step and the role of a sponsor in building trust.
• 1:21:00 Applause: Candice closes with a reflection on how she has met herself in everyone she has ever met.