“When we feel like all is lost, if we dig deep and look for a better way, we can find a greater strength and better version of ourselves than we ever knew before.”
That’s what Amy Herrig did. After overcoming a heroin addiction as a teenager, she faced an entirely different addiction 20 years later: money. Then, as she and her father were thriving as retail store owners in Dallas, a government lawsuit threatened to take away everything.
Herring writes about her journey in No More Dodging Bullets: A Memoir About Faith, Love, Lessons, and Growth. She described many details of her story in this recent interview.
Q: Tell us about your addiction to money.
A: People often associate addiction with a substance — drugs, alcohol, and even food. I’ve learned, though, that we can be addicted to many things, including unhealthy behaviors. I carried a lot of shame and insecurities with me for years because of living through my late teen years with a heavy drug addiction. I thought I could erase or make up for what I considered shortcomings by making lots of money and having status in that regard. We do live in a society that focuses a great deal on money and materialistic values. I misplaced my priorities and put too much importance on non-intrinsic things, and the more money I had, the more I wanted — just like an addiction to anything else.
Q: How did a government lawsuit threaten to take away everything you had?
A: The lawsuit centered around a product that we sold in our retail stores, and the ultimate problem (legally) with the product was that it was mislabeled, which is actually a misdemeanor. But the government seized absolutely everything we owned and then followed that up with a 17-count federal indictment, which if convicted, could have meant life in prison.
The product we sold is not something I’m proud of, and it wasn’t a positive or good thing. But the product itself wasn’t illegal, and people shouldn’t face losing absolutely everything, including their freedom, for mislabeling a product.
Our legal battle has consumed over six years of our lives, and it cost millions to defend ourselves. I’m infuriated that our justice system is so complicated, and designed in a way that inhibits most people from fairly defending themselves. We were fortunate, but too many people are not, and it’s heartbreaking.
Q: Do you believe that sometimes a person has to hit rock bottom before he or she starts to see the light?
A: Absolutely. I’ve had people ask me if I’m grateful for the experience of the last few years; I’m grateful for what I’ve learned. Nobody would voluntarily choose to learn the lessons I did in the manner I did, but I made it to the other side, and I am a better person for it.
But I had to make a conscious effort to use the experience as a platform for growth and change. I had to realize that when we feel like all is lost, if we dig deep and look for a better way, we can find a greater strength and better version of ourselves than we ever knew before.
What I’m not grateful for is how many other people (family, employees, the community) were negatively affected by my decisions. I can’t change that. But I now know that I want to be defined by how I live my life, not by how much money I have.
Q: How did you turn things around?
A: The first thing I had to do was take a good, hard, deep, and even painful look at myself, and I had to admit that I didn’t like a lot of it. Then I had to look at what was good in my life so that I could rebuild from there. I’m very blessed to have an amazing support system of family and friends, and I realized that I was lovable and worthy despite my wrongdoings. Knowing that people could love me and want me in their lives, even when I was at my worst, gave me the courage to make the necessary changes and believe that I could live a better and more meaningful life.
Q: How did it feel to open up so much about your life and your struggles?
A: I’ve often said that writing the book was like having a very intense therapy session with myself. It became a roadmap of my life, and I could clearly see how each decision in my life led to another. It was very emotional at times, and even a bit overwhelming at others, but ultimately it was part of my growth and something very necessary for me to do.
It was important for me to tell my story. Our legal situation had been publicized frequently in our local media, and there had been a lot of talk about me, but it was never my story being told. Being able to finally do that was freeing.
Q: What do you hope readers will take away from your story?
A: I hope they feel inspired, and they understand that even when all feels lost, there is always a tomorrow. There is a rainbow after the storm, but sometimes you have to be in the storm for a long time. You never know what someone else may be going through, and we all need to live with love and compassion. If a reader is living with shame and guilt, I hope they realize they don’t have to live with that forever. We are all fallible people who have done something wrong, and we need to know that we are still worthy of goodness and positivity and we all can work toward finding a better way.
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About Amy Herrig:
Amy Herrig is a mother, wife, business owner, and lifelong Texan. She currently resides in Dallas with her family, but she also enjoys spending time in remote Alaska helping run the family business.
She loves hiking and fishing, and she is a self-professed “foodie” who enjoys cooking with her family and hosting dinner parties for friends. Amy’s family and friends are everything to her. Amy is married to the love of her life, Dan. Her strong faith has deepened over the years through trials and tribulations, and it is the backbone of her life. After overcoming problematic circumstances in her teen years, at thirty-nine years old, Amy’s world turned unexpectedly upside down. She decided to use her challenges and mistakes to connect with others and help people. She volunteers regularly and started a nonprofit called Hopeful Tuesdays to assist the homeless in her community. Her story is an example that faith and perseverance can lead to overcoming obstacles and that people can learn from their mistakes and use them to experience growth and self-improvement.
