Big Love
In-depth with author Scott Stabile
When I stumbled across Scott Stabile, author of “Big Love”, I was blown away by the amount of positivity this guy has. His smile can light up a room, and his love would overfill it. I got to catch up with Scott and find out a little more about him and what’s happening in his life.
What is the thing you like the most about doing your empowerment workshops?
I love connecting with people, especially the open-hearted, courageous humans who show up for my workshops. The work of self-reflection and growth takes guts, and it’s perhaps my greatest joy right now to be able to facilitate this kind of healing work in my workshops. Plus, we laugh a lot, and that’s always a good thing, too.
How did you stumble upon writing “The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure?” Would you consider writing another children’s movie?
The producer of the Oogieloves is a friend of mine and asked me if I wanted to write the film. He pitched it as a Rocky Horror for kids, so of course, I said yes. The Oogieloves still holds the record for the lowest-grossing extra-wide release film in history. I literally wrote the biggest flop of all time. I can laugh about it now, but I felt devastated and humiliated at the time. Would I write another children’s movie? Of course! I already wrote an epic bomb. What would I have to lose?
I have read a lot of articles about you, tell us something that we might not know.
You might not know just how neurotic I can be about cleanliness, or how often I get lost in the downward spiral of comparison, or the many different ways in which I feel like a fraud for being some sort of “teacher” to many people, even though I struggle more often and more intensely than I care to admit.
What is your biggest fear?
This is a tough one because I’ve got plenty of fears. I think chronic pain would have to be one of the biggest. I’m not that afraid of death these days, but I fear suffering in pain.
Can you tell us how you and your partner met?
My partner Goran and I met online nearly eleven years ago, through the Craigslist personals. I was living in the Bay Area and visiting family in Michigan for Thanksgiving. Goran was living in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the time. I don’t remember who placed the ad and who responded, but we talked on the phone for a bit and then met in person at his place and had a pretty fantastic night together. I saw him at the airport two days later (he’s a pilot) and he asked me if I wanted to see his cockpit. For real. For the next year and a half, we worked out a long-distance relationship but never went more than two weeks without seeing each other. Since he’s a pilot, he could fly out to California for free, which helped make the long distance thing work much easier. I eventually moved to Ann Arbor to live with him, and then we moved to New York, then Panama and then back to Michigan, which is where we live now.
What is next on the horizon for Scott?
I have no idea. Well, that’s not entirely true. I’ve been writing a lot lately. Whether or not what I’m writing turns into a book, I have no idea, but it feels possible. I’ll keep doing workshops and speaking about the themes that matter most to me: compassion, empathy, vulnerability, facing fears, overcoming shame, forgiveness, authenticity and, of course, love love love. One thing of which I’m sure: as long as I’m alive, I’ll be making as much noise as possible for love.
Scott, thank you so much for chatting with me. If you want to keep up with Scott Stabile and his workshops, his website is ScottStabile.com. You can also find him on Instagram @Scottstabile and Facebook. The book Big Love: The Power of Living with a Wide Open Heart can be purchased at Amazon.com now.
