Check Out Paige Wilhide’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Paige Wilhide.

Hi Paige, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After a string of back-to-back breakups with unavailable men, I knew I needed to do something differently. So, in my mid-30s, when all my friends were entering relationships, moving in with their partners, having children, I made a bold choice– I went the opposite direction. I decided, for the first time in my life, to be consciously single…to commit to ME.

I started working a 12-step program for love addiction, and through that program, I got to see my patterns so clearly. I got to see where I loved to play the victim and wanted to be rescued by my partners, I saw where I took on trying to “fix” people, I saw where I created drama because that’s how I thought love should feel. And I saw how all of these patterns were born out of my unhealed trauma. Talk about a sobering process!

In my withdrawal from the “hits” of validation, attention, and fantasy, I came to realize that I had built my entire identity on whether someone else loved me; I had no sense of my own self-worth or inherent value.

The ego death that followed was pretty painful. I went into a period of isolation so I wouldn’t have to interact with the outside world. And in my isolation, to keep myself sane, I started writing down my stories. I wrote about my exes, I wrote about my breakups, I wrote about my pain and my trauma.

Those snippets became the seeds that would blossom into my one-woman show “Breakup Addict”, an empowering and deeply personal journey that explores the raw emotions and transformative power of recovery from love addiction. In this show, I play over 20 different characters, showcasing my own triumph over heartbreak while offering a relatable and inspiring narrative that has the potential to resonate with a global audience.

I premiered Breakup Addict at the end of 2022, and I will be performing three upcoming shows in Hollywood Fringe in June. After that, we’re going international! I’ll be performing the show throughout the month of August as part of The Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Aside from the painful heartbreaks and multiple identity deaths that led to the creation of the show, the journey to bring Breakup Addict to the stage has been full of its own challenges. While I feel quite comfortable on stage as a performer, I didn’t know the first thing about being a playwright or a theatre producer.

That’s where I needed help. As a coach myself, I know the value of enlisting a support team for big projects, especially a project with such a huge vision behind it. I started working with an amazing solo show coach who eventually became my director. I got support from my friends and my community to keep me sane and help me promote my work. I worked with a life coach who kept me accountable and connected to my vision.

As with anything that expands what’s possible for us, I’ve had to work through a lot of fear and self-doubt during this process. I had thoughts of “Why would anybody want to see this?” and “Is it even good?” and “Other people’s stories are more important than mine” come up time and time again. Luckily, I have lots of tools to help me work through those limiting thoughts and stay on my path.

The most challenging part now is finding a balance between all the hats I’m wearing as a solo performer– I am an actor, playwright, and producer. Some days, I’m focusing on selling tickets and making content about love addiction. Other days, I’m rearranging my living room furniture to create a rehearsal space. It’s a constant practice in balance!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I became a coach in 2018, but it wasn’t until a devastating breakup the following year that I really started ramping up my coaching business. I worked mostly one-on-one with clients, supporting them in living their best lives after heartbreak– through mind, body, and soul alignment.

As my personal relationships evolved, so did my business. While I was very good at breakups and how to navigate the aftermath of separation, I was not so good at the relationship part. A healthy, committed relationship was something I so deeply desired.

That’s when my journey landed me in a recovery meeting for love addiction. It was here that I got really up close and personal with my own unhealthy relationship patterns, coming to realize that I was the common denominator in all of my failed relationships.

This revelation became the premise for Breakup Addict.

At the moment, I am focused on growing Breakup Addict into a brand, sharing it everywhere, and performing as many times as I can until I pass out. I want people to know that they are not alone in their feelings of obsession, fantasy, unworthiness, insecurity, loneliness, and shame.

In addition to performing the show in the Hollywood Fringe Festival this June, I will also be taking the show to Edinburgh Fringe in August.

And my coaching business has evolved too. I now get to serve my clients as an empowerment coach, supporting them in their own self-love journeys and guiding them to create magical lives. I host workshops that dive into conscious dating, self-love, and love addiction recovery.

I sometimes have to pinch myself because I really feel like I’m living my dream life.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
I spent so much of my life denying my artistry. Since I was a little girl, I heard the whispers of my inner artist calling me to create. And so many times, I ignored her.

At pivotal intervals throughout my life, I traded the artist path for the more practical path, the one that would be more “acceptable” to my family or friends, the one that has been proven to bring success. What I found at the end of those paths was a vast emptiness. It wasn’t fulfilling.

My advice is to listen to the whispers of your inner artist as soon as you can. She will only get louder and, depending on your life circumstances, it will become harder and harder to say yes to her.

And get support. Ask for help from people who are better than you or farther along than you. And allow yourself to receive it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.breakupaddict.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paigewilhide/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paige.wilhide
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paigewilhide/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/paigetostage