Meet Trixie Neal | author with many hats, including wife, mother, grand and great grandmother, and nonprofit founder.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Trixie Neal and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Trixie, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
If you have a passion, then establish goals by writing down your stepping stones to guide you to your destination. Listen to those who love and support you. Know that you may slip off your stepping stones, but getting your footing again will strengthen you. It is not easy to keep going at times, learning from your past and this could even take you in a different direction. But regardless of how long it takes you, do not lose hope.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

This is my third book but the first time I have used a pen name. This is a very personal journey I am sharing, thus name and location changes are to protect other family members. I know there are individuals dealing with addictions or have loved ones suffering from this epidemic. My story “Living with LDS Alcoholics-Two levels of healing” is a bit different from most. It was quite difficult to write this book as I had to relive some  tearful moments as well as mistakes I made. My goal is to give hope to those struggling with this challenge. My story has great examples to never give up and always pray as the Lord is with you. Those were not easy lessons for me to learn and there were a couple of times when I almost gave up that hope. My family is what kept me going (alive), as they needed me. This lesson gave me insight as to just how much I needed them! My hope is that my book will help others struggling through similar tough trials, to let them know there is always hope!

Here is the description of my book…

Memoirs by Trixie Neal

Trixie Neal grew up as the oldest sibling in her family, active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Alcoholism was present but well-hidden throughout the early years of her life and beyond, with the kind of impact on family systems that have been documented repeatedly and featured in novels, biographies, and movies. The unique twist here is the prohibition against alcohol in the Church, which adds another level of complexity and healing to the recovery process. How safe is it for a family in distress to openly discuss the root cause of the problem in a faith that espouses abstention and has a shadow side of making judgments? Trixie’s objective in sharing her memoirs is to give others struggling with addiction consequences an enhanced hope through the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
In the cooler time of the year if a good friend were to visit, I would love to take them on a stroll through downtown Gilbert and then downtown Mesa. Our large family would be invited to join in as family is important to us. We would attend the Mesa Arts Theater which has excellent shows for every taste. Perhaps we would hop on the light rail and have a picnic or bike ide around the beautiful Tempe Town Lakes. Going further away for a few days would not stay in peaceful and gorgeous Sedona. Jeep rentals, amazing hikes, and interesting shops could fill up many days.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

I have felt and seen God’s hand in my life and recognize it even more so as I reflect on my almost 70 years of living. I also feel blessed to have my husband Troy (name changed) supporting me for almost 40 years. He always encourages me and will not let me quit. That can be irritating at times because it would be easier to quit of course! Our children and many friends encourage me to raise awareness on many important issues that I have experience with. Although I have lived through some difficult challenges, I try to remember the fun times as well.

To explain some of the photos (fun times), which we get a kick out of, my family seems to have daredevil genetics. My father rode a motorcycle until his mid eighties. My youngest brother rode a unicycle with his young daughter on his shoulders. A nephew can jump over his young children on his mountain bike several feet off of the ground. Our youngest daughter was the “flyer” in high school cheer. I was still enjoying doing stunts on my children’s playground bars at school in my forties. Now Troy and I ride a tandem and we love to see the reaction of people we pass when I stand on the seat. To note, a friend spotted us as I was doing this little stunt on our tandem. She started calling me “Trixie” so that is how I came up with my pen name.

Website: https://fultonbooks.com/books/?=living-with-lds-alcoholics

Other: Check out my paperback and eBook on Amazon!

Image Credits
Most photos taken by Troy Neal.