Cheryl Strayed

Cheryl Strayed is a bestselling author, columnist, and podcast host best known for her books Wild, Brave Enough, and Tiny Beautiful Things, as well as her hit advice podcast, Dear Sugar Radio. Born in 1971, Cheryl was raised in rural Minnesota and Oregon by her mother, Bobbi Strayed-Lampshire, who encouraged her daughter’s love of reading and writing from a young age. After graduating from high school, Strayed attended college, eventually earning a Master’s degree in Fiction Writing from Syracuse University.

Cheryl Strayed’s breakout book was her 2012 bestseller Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. The memoir recounts Strayed’s journey along the Pacific Crest Trail — a 2,650 mile route that stretches across Oregon, California, and Washington—as she embarks on a personal quest to start her life anew after the sudden death of her mother. On her quest, Strayed meets a variety of characters and challenging obstacles and ultimately finds grace, redemption, and surrender in mother nature. Wild was a critically acclaimed New York Times Bestseller, garnering high praise from readers and critics alike and has since been adapted into a critically acclaimed film of the same name starring Reese Witherspoon as Cheryl Strayed.

Two years later, Strayed followed up Wild with the release of her book Brave Enough. In this collection of personal essays and quotes, Strayed’s intimate writing shares her stories of moving onward in difficult times with courage and grace. Brave Enough explores weighty topics such as grief, love, joy, suffering, and redemption. It is an inspiring guide for readers who seek comfort and courage to push through life’s overwhelming moments.

In 2016, Strayed wrote Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar. In this collection of essays, Strayed brings together the best of her advice columns as the anonymous internet advice-giver “Dear Sugar” which she wrote between 2010 and 2012 for the website The Rumpus. In the book, Strayed’s profound yet intimate advice covers difficult topics such as family, loss, and addiction. Her words of wisdom offer comfort and assurance to readers from all walks of life.

Cheryl Strayed is also the host of the popular Dear Suger Radio podcast. The podcast has aired over 200 episodes since its 2015 launch. In each episode, Strayed and her co-hosts read real-life advice letters from real listeners and offer advice from a variety of personal experiences. The podcast covers a range of topics from how to heal after a break-up to the best way to parent a rebellious teen. Thousands of listeners have been inspired and comforted by Strayed’s intimate and thoughtful advice.

Today, in addition to managing her podcast and her writing, Cheryl Strayed is also a fervent advocate for outdoors education, nature conservation and protection, and global female empowerment. She is an in-demand public speaker, giving talks and lectures at universities, literary festivals, and workshops around the world.

Cheryl Strayed’s writing and presence have provided comfort and inspiration to millions of readers around the world. Her words of wisdom, compassionate advice, and deep understanding of the human experience have resonated globally and set a powerful example of the power and importance of self-reflection, self-acceptance, and shared vulnerability.