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Welcome to NABBW member, wife and mother of four, accomplished abstract painter and soon-to-be published author, Maurita Corcoran, who lives with her husband of 26 years near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
That Maurita and her husband have been married for 26 years is significant, considering that 14 years into it, Maurita discovered that her physician husband was a sex addict. To say she was shocked and her world turned upside down by his betrayal would be an understatement. Thankfully, however, she has since spent more than 13 years learning to recover her spirit and reclaim her voice. Thus what could have been a devastating story becomes one of hope and profound healing.
As a result of these life experiences, Maurita discovered a passion for encouraging other women to do the same. She has written a book about her experiences with sex addiction, “A House Interrupted: A Wife’s Story of Recovering From Her Husband’s Sex Addiction.” Reading it is a must for anyone affected by the devastating impact of sexual addiction.
Filled with actual journal entries, this first-hand account is a can’t-put-it-down page-turner. “A House Interrupted” is Ms. Corcoran’s honest, raw expression of the internal struggle she experienced during her early years of recovery. But it is more than that, as she ends the book with practical, realistic advice for all those seeking to make peace with themselves and their spouses. Which means it is also a book about forgiveness, resilience, and hope.
With the growing public awareness of how pervasive sex addiction has become in our culture, Maurita answers the questions that spouses must face in building lives of self-respect and dignity.
In addition to writing the book, Maurita has also been instrumental in establishing the first S-Anon group in the Myrtle Beach area and has co-chaired SOSA at Celebrate Recovery. She has led women through the Twelve Steps of S-Anon, and is the founder of the Women’s Life Recovery Network, a monthly group that allows women from across the Grand Strand the opportunity to hear one woman’s life story.
The concept of this group is something she would one day like to see in every community. You can learn more about Maurita and her mission on her website, and through her soon-to-be-published book.
Using one paragraph, tell us a bit about yourself?
I am a wife of 27 years, a mother to 4 young adults, 3 girls and a boy, ages 26-20. I am a daughter and a sister to 4 siblings. I love to paint, play sports, living near the beach, and I am in an amazing time of my life right now. My first book is being published this May, so I can now add author to my life experience.
Tell us about your family; married, divorced, children, grands, boomerangs or parents living with you, etc.
I have been married to the same man that I met in college, and against all odds, remain very happily married to him today. All of our children are in the beginning stages of plotting their career paths and chasing their dreams. My older sister and I just placed our 84 year old mother in an assisted living facility.
What is your favorite childhood memory that is reminiscent of growing up in the 50s, 60s or 70s?
At the age of 5 or 6, climbing the huge oak trees that dotted my neighborhood. I remember the anticipation and excitement I felt every time I would challenge myself to climb a little bit higher, or perhaps try a thinner, more dangerous limb. When I met those challenges, I felt on top of the world, and that I could probably accomplish anything!
What qualities do you have that speak of our generation of women?
Perseverance, courage, honesty, and hope.
What inspires you?
When I meet women who “have really been through it” and have come out of a serious life struggle better women for it. Women who have faced a terrible life challenge and have turned it into something positive.
What brings you the most pleasure in midlife?
Being able to live my life the way I am now. I have a new freedom that I haven’t experienced since I was a little girl. My new passion is my upcoming book and having the opportunity to share my message with other women.
Do you have any interesting hobbies?
I am so fortunate because I have an art studio on my property. I can spend my days painting and creating what ever I feel like doing. I have painted furniture, large, abstract canvases, and smaller accessories. I tried for years to make a living at it, alas, it was not meant to be. So, now I just have fun and sell pieces when I can.
Do you have a favorite book or movie? If so, tell us why it’s your favorite.
As of today, my 2 favorite movies are “The Hangover” and “It’s Complicated.”
I love The Hangover because of the absolute nutty comments and exaggerated, incredulous looks the characters give each other – it makes me laugh every time I see it.
I love the story of It’s Complicated. I love the actor’s in it, not to mention the set decoration.
Do you travel and if so, who are your favorite travel partners and where do you like to go?
I love the west. Arizona, Montana, and anyplace in California.
Do you practice preventive medicine? Please elaborate.
I do routine check-ups and screenings recommended for any 54 year old woman. I do try and get regular, consistent exercise 4 to 5 days a week.
What do you stress about?
I normally worry about one of my kids, or, my mother. My life is amazingly stress free right now. I know that is subject to change at any time.
Is it important for you to retain your youthful looks, and if so, to what degree are you willing to go?
My looks are important to me. I try and work with what I have been given. I have not done anything drastic, although I have thought about it from time to time. Especially when I hit 50.
Have you re-invented yourself, and if so, how?
I would rather use the word “re-claimed myself “ instead of re-invented. I spent my forties, particularly the first 6 years of my forties, recovering and healing from my husband’s sexual addiction. Now, I am getting ready to launch my book based on my experiences about what happened in my marriage.
Do you plan to retire?
Are you kidding?? I am just beginning!! I was a stay at home mom for 14 years until my husband’s addiction brought me to my knees. Now, I am getting ready to enter the wonderful, challenging world of being an author based on that life-changing time.
Are you doing anything to GO Green?
I re-cycle most glass, cans, paper, cardboard, and magazines. I certainly don’t do enough.
Can you pinpoint major turning points in your life that led to your life’s work/play at midlife?
This is an easy question for me. 14 years into my marriage, I found out that my physician husband was living a double life – and had been during almost our entire relationship.
He was a sex addict. The damage and destruction that revelation caused me, catapulted me into the worlds of recovery, therapy, and spirituality.
My book, A House Interrupted, is centered around the actual journal entries based on the early years of healing my broken heart and, and more importantly, recovering my spirit as a woman.
Do you still have unfulfilled dreams, and are you doing anything to accomplish them?
I would like to learn how to write a screenplay and write another book. I am in the very beginning stages of the world of screenplays and am looking into some classes.
How do you make a difference in the lives of others, your community, your world?
I think I make a difference in my community by being honest and telling the truth about what has happened to me in my marriage.
I have also founded a group, called the Women’s Life Recovery Network. We meet once a month at a wonderful restaurant in town and come together to hear one woman’s life story. We are now in our third year and have heard such diverse stories of how grief, loss, addiction, rape, abuse, cancer, and other health issues, impact a woman’s life.
Interestingly enough, one of our largest and growing groups of women that come to our meeting, and keep bringing along a new friend or two, are in their 60’s and 70’s – they come from the grief side of recovery and healing – they have lost children, husbands and siblings.
Who has had the biggest influence on your life and why?
I would have to say my father. My emotionally distant relationship with him helped shape all of the male relationships I eventually choose in my life, and certainly pointed me in the direction to the man I married.
If you were to have a personal mission statement, what would it be? Feel free to be as serious or fun as you choose.
“If HE is for me, then who can be against me?” I want to live the rest of my life without fear, fueled by passion and meaning, filled with laughter, and a life of being loved, and giving love back.
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