Originally published on 10/7/25

Long before she graced the screen on Hulu’s hit reality show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, 30-year-old Mayci Neeley was just a young mom posting her story on TikTok, hoping to connect with other women. From surviving an abusive relationship to facing an unexpected pregnancy—and then tragically losing her boyfriend in a car accident—Mayci’s difficult journey has made her a powerful voice for resilience. And now, she’s ready to inspire again—this time not through social media, but through her candid new memoir, Told You So—out now. Woman’s World recently caught up with Mayci to discuss her book, what it was really like filming a wildly popular reality show and what she hopes readers take away from her memoir. Read on for more. 

Mayci Neeley opens up about her book 

Mayci’s memoir opens with her detailing experiences like her first kiss, her first date and choosing where to go to college. But it quickly turns dark as she begins to detail her life with her abusive ex-boyfriend (whom she refers to as Dick). From there, Mayci details how even though part of her knew it wasn’t right, she was afraid to say anything about it because of Brigham Young University (BYU)’s strict honor code—which states that if they break any of the rules—like drinking and premarital sex—they are subject to being kicked out of school. 

“Writing and then reading about my abuse was hard. That section of the book makes me so angry,” Mayci said. “It makes my body feel heated.” 

From there, Mayci shares how she met and fell in love with a man named Arik. However, their bliss was short-lived, in that as soon as she became pregnant, Mayci’s family moved her from Utah back to California without Arik. While at home, she learned that Arik had cheated on her and began texting him about it. He responded while driving and ended up dying in a car accident, leaving Mayci pregnant and alone at just 19 years old. 

“One of the hardest things for me to write about, and think about, is his death,” Mayci said. “When I talk about it,  I think about seeing his body on TV. They were reporting on the crash and just seeing the blue tarp over his body… I can see that in my head when I talk about it every single time, and it crushes my soul.” 

Despite all of those emotions, Mayci persisted and gave birth to her son, Hudson, and returned to BYU. While there, she met her now husband, Jacob, with whom she and her son bonded instantly. The couple then got engaged while she was still in school and quickly became a family. Mayci and Jacob currently live in Utah and have since welcomed two daughters—Harlow and Lottie—via In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). 

“My husband, when I was writing the book, was, like, ‘Hey, you probably should go back to therapy when you’re writing it.’ And I was, like, ‘Nah, I don’t have time for that.’ But I do feel like I’m at the point where I probably should,” Mayci shared. “A lot of this is traumatic, and I haven’t worked through a ton of it. I’ve worked through the big things, but not all the other little things, so I feel like it definitely brought up emotions. But in my head, I’m doing it to help inspire other women who can relate to or feel the same way as I do. That is the goal and that’s why I even started social media to begin with.” 

“In my head, there’s always a greater purpose. And when I think about my career, it’s great and everything, but helping has always been my purpose,” she continued. “It’s just such a passion project of mine. Honestly, it feels good overall.” 

Why Reality TV is only one part of her story

The book itself does end with Mayci beginning to film her Emmy-nominated reality show, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, and while that is an important part of her life, that’s not necessarily how she wants people to remember the story. 

“I want people to be able to read it and relate to some aspect of me in their lives. And I think that’s probably why some people will read it, because even if they haven’t gone through what I’ve been through, there are certain aspects throughout the book and themes that I think any woman would be able to relate to, and it just makes me feel more human and more seen,” Mayci said. 

“I want people to leave feeling inspired. I know there are a lot of heavy topics, but obviously, at the end, there’s a happy arc. And so I hope people leave feeling like, ‘Whoa, that was crazy. But now I feel good inside.’ I hope they just feel inspired and realize that no matter what they’ve been through, you can always come out on top as long as you believe it.” 

Mayci on helping new moms feel better

In addition to her memoir, Mayci also helps women with her vitamin brand Baby Mamma, which she launched back in 2024. It currently consists of three products—a prenatal, a postnatal and an everyday gummy—and is centered around helping every type of mamma feel her best. 

“I feel like sometimes I don’t even think about the fact that my product is on people’s shelves because it’s just part of my everyday life, because I take them every day, too—so that’s super cool,” she shared. “Being a CEO of a company is a lot of work. My co-founder and  I are self-funded, so we have no employees. It’s just me and him and it’s crazy how many hurdles you hit and things that you learn running your own business, that’s not just digital. Having a physical product is a whole new ball game, and I’m definitely learning a lot and learning through my mistakes. But all I can say is our product is amazing, and I’m just trying to figure out how to market it and get it out there with the little amount of time that I have. It’s quite a challenge, but it’s super fun.” 

Neeley teases ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Season 3

Between her book, her brand, her massive TikTok following and the success of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Maycie is definitely busy. The viral hit reality show currently has two seasons, available to stream on Hulu, and the third is expected to premiere in November of this year.

“When you read the book, you’re gonna be, like, ‘Oh, that’s why she likes to ride the fence,’” she said. “The reason why I’m probably in the middle is because I do have so much trauma from losing Arik. Life is so short and I realize that. Once you go through things that are so difficult, little, petty drama doesn’t really matter to me. I’m not going to take sides, and it’s not because I don’t want to; it stems from the past. When people read the book and they understand what I’ve been through, they can understand more of why I am the way I am and why people always call me level-headed. It’s because my life was in shambles for so long.” 

“If you were to have filmed my life for a reality show 10 years ago, I would probably be similar to, like, Taylor [Frankie Paul] in the group,” she continued. “Where it’s, like, things are kind of crazy and she doesn’t really know what she’s doing right now. That’s kind of how I was, and so it took going through those things to kind of get to the place I am today.”

Speaking of Frankie Paul, she was just named the newest Bachelorette, which Mayci said she’s super excited for. ‘

“I cannot wait for multiple reasons,” she said. “I can’t wait to see her date, like, 25 men at one time. This is going to be the best season yet, and I think it’s going to completely revamp the whole Bachelor franchise.” 

Told You So is available now wherever books are sold. 

Link to original: https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/books/told-you-so-new-memoir-sees-mayci-neeley-turn-traumap-into-triumph