Researcher and thought leader Dr. Brené Brown offers a powerful new vision in Daring Greatly that encourages us to embrace vulnerability and imperfection, to live wholeheartedly and courageously. 'It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; . . . who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly' -Theodore Roosevelt Every time we are introduced to someone new, try to be creative, or start a difficult conversation, we take a risk. We feel uncertain and exposed. We feel vulnerable. Most of us try to fight those feelings - we strive to appear perfect. Challenging everything we think we know about vulnerability, Dr. Brené Brown dispels the widely accepted myth that it's a weakness. She argues that vulnerability is in fact a strength, and when we shut ourselves off from revealing our true selves we grow distanced from the things that bring purpose and meaning to our lives. Daring Greatly is the culmination of 12 years of groundbreaking social research, across the home, relationships, work, and parenting. It is an invitation to be courageous; to show up and let ourselves be seen, even when there are no guarantees. This is vulnerability. This is daring greatly. 'Brilliantly insightful. I can't stop thinking about this book' -Gretchen Rubin Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. Her groundbreaking work was featured on Oprah Winfrey's Super Soul Sunday, NPR, and CNN. Her TED talk is one of the most watched TED talks of all time. Brené is also the author of The Gifts of Imperfection and I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn't).

Beat burnout and bring joy back to teaching—and learning. Recharge the optimism that made you an educator in the first place! School is where students and staff should feel safe, engaged, and productive—and choosing optimism is the first step toward restoring healthy interactions necessary for enacting real change. In this book, learn to implement the Five Principles of Deliberate Optimism. Research-based strategies, practical examples, and thought-provoking scenarios help you Rediscover motivation Take a positive view of events beyond your control Build an optimistic classroom where students flourish Partner with other stakeholders to create an optimistic learning environment Take the road to new potential and positive outcomes! With a healthy dose of humor to make it fun, Deliberate Optimism shows you the actual differences a change in attitude can make. "This book provides a framework for taking responsibility in classrooms, choosing to see the positives, dealing with problems rather than dwelling on them, recognizing choices are always available, and building relationships with all in the school community." Charla Buford Bunker, Literacy Specialist Great Falls High School Sun River, MT "The authors have a realistic view of a teacher’s daily life and provide realistic solutions for teachers to embrace optimism and positivity in a myriad of situations." Kati Searcy, Teacher Mountain Park ES Roswell, GA "This book is a nice synthesis of current research and classic literature about climate, culture, and the environmental context of the classroom and the teachers’ lounge." Chris Hubbuch, Principal Excelsior Springs Middle School

What if what you know about God just ain't so? Portals can be rather inconspicuous and elusive, but when we find one of these obscure openings, we discover that it can be a divine door that ushers us out of darkness and despair into a whole new dimension of freedom. Unfortunately, because of negative encounters we may have had with churchy people or the guilt and condemnation we may have suffered under religious teaching, we end up being driven away, and rightly so, from any further involvement with religion. A portal (for the purpose of this book) symbolizes a gateway of knowledge and understanding into God’s grace and truth intended to bring to light the gospel of Jesus Christ to lead us out from behind the iron bars of false beliefs that may be enslaving us. This book was written to display God’s prismatic promises and the biblical wisdom God has provided for us as answers and antidotes to the various problems we may encounter in life.

New York Times bestselling author Jen Hatmaker believes that life can be fun, fulfilling, exciting, and beautiful. There's just one thing getting in the way: people. So many of our joys, struggles, thrills, and heartbreaks are connected to others, starting with ourselves and the people we came from. As we grow, our community does too. Before we know it, our lives are full of people: people we became friends with, married, birthed, live by, go to church with, don't like, don't understand, fear, and endlessly compare ourselves to. It's easy to lose our love for ourselves and for others, but what if we let people off the hook instead? What if we let go of the need to criticize ourselves and our neighbors? Jen shares the lessons she’s learned about how important it is to love people by teaching you how to: Break free of guilt and shame by dismantling the unattainable Pinterest life Learn to engage our culture's controversial issues with grace Release the burden of always being right and be liberated to love Identify the tools you already have, to develop real-life, all-in, know-my-junk-but-love-me-anyway friendships Escape our impossible standards for parenting and marriage by accepting the standard of "mostly good" Laugh until you cry In this raucous ride to freedom for modern women, Jen bares the refreshing wisdom, wry humor, no-nonsense faith, liberating insight, and fearless honesty that have made her beloved by women worldwide. Join Jen as she reminds you how amazing you are, how shockingly gracious God is, and how free we are to love others well and live the beautiful, wholehearted lives we were created to live.

Some of us are compelled to share our creative visions through the written word. If we want to stay true to our dreams of being writers, then we should embrace the writing life. Embracing the writing life means giving into the joys and the challenges of our chosen art form. Embracing the writing life means living fully, being present in the moment, and finding meaning in the smallest things. This is how we fill our creative well, after all--with life. Whether you are new to writing or have many years under your belt, embracing the writing life may be the best thing you can do for yourself as a creative person, and a human being.

When people die, are they ever truly gone? I had heard the saying “pennies from heaven” before, but my coins from heaven seemed to be dimes. Was my father actually sending me dimes to show me he wasn’t really gone? My mother seemed to be sending pennies all the time, but my dad was pretty clever. Everyone around me knew that I was sensitive, but it took me writing about a few special dimes to discover what it meant to be an empath. Along with the messages from Heaven, I share how I am listening to the positive voice inside my head. This book is about so much more than dimes, yet without them, I wouldn’t have written it.

Winner of a 2020 Catholic Press Association book award (third place, first-time author). Popular blogger Kathryn Whitaker is a Dr Pepper super fan, Aggie-loving, type A mom of six with a personality the size of her native Texas. The stressful premature birth of her fifth child threw her orderly world into chaos and ultimately led her to rethink her priorities. In Live Big, Love Bigger, Whitaker shares her journey and challenges readers to understand that they, too, can live a life of authenticity with joy-filled purpose, love, and faith. Along the way, she’ll help readers see that choosing to say no is the only way they’ll be able to say yes to what matters most—Jesus. It’s not every family who would plan a week-long Texas barbecue pilgrimage for a family of eight, much less expand the idea to a multi-month quest to experience the state, eat amazing food, and visit some awesome religious sites along the way. But Whitaker did it—when she decided imperfect family road trips trumped a vacation at a luxury resort. “Barbecue encouraged us to hit the road, while Jesus met us at every single stop along the way—proof that he loves brisket as much as we do, right?” Ditching the fancy vacation was one way Whitaker learned to give up control and say no to perfectionism and over-achievement in order to live a new, more intentional life and discover what God truly has in store for her family. Whitaker’s sassy authenticity will make readers laugh—and cry—while encouraging them to be honest about mistakes in every area of their life, embrace them, and find a way to let God redeem it all.