This cultural history and memoir of stage fright will resonate with anyone terrified of speaking or performing in public.Stage fright is one of the human psyche's deepest fears, challenging actors, musicians, professional athletes, and people from all walks of life. Surveys in the United States repeatedly rank public speaking as one of the top fears, affecting up to 74 percent of people. Sara Solovitch studied piano as a young child and fell in love with music. At ten, she played Bach and Mozart in her hometown's annual music festival, but was overwhelmed by fear. As a teen, she attended Eastman School of Music, where stage fright led her to give up aspirations of becoming a professional pianist. In her late fifties, Sara gave herself a one-year deadline to tame performance anxiety and play before an audience. She resumed music lessons, while exploring meditation, exposure therapy, cognitive therapy, biofeedback, beta blockers, and other remedies. She performed in airports, hospitals, and retirement homes before renting a public hall and performing for fifty guests on her sixtieth birthday. Using her own journey as inspiration, Solovitch has written a thoughtful and insightful examination of the myriad causes of stage fright and the equally diverse ways to overcome it, and a tribute to pursuing personal growth at any age.

"In Living on Purpose, Brandon Steiner explores the three foundational pillars of a satisfying, successful, fulfilling existence: Faith (in yourself and others), Fortune (dreaming BIG and following it through), and Fitness (making positive lifestyle changes). Drawing valuable lessons and strategies from the experiences of famous athletes and coaches, this enlightening guide will help you conquer your fear and get back into the game"--Www.brandonsteiner.com.

Stage fright is one of the human psyche's deepest fears. Over half of British adults name public speaking as their greatest fear, even greater than heights and snakes. Laurence Olivier learned to adapt to it, as have actors Salma Hayek and Hugh Grant. Musicians such as Paul McCartney and Adele have battled it and learned to cope. Playing Scared is Sara Solovitch's journey into the myriad causes of stage fright and the equally diverse ways we can overcome it. As a young child, Sara studied piano and fell in love with music. As a teen, she played Bach and Mozart at her hometown's annual music festival, but was overwhelmed by stage fright, which led her to give up aspirations of becoming a professional pianist. In her late fifties, Sara gave herself a one-year deadline to tame performance anxiety and play before an audience. She resumed music lessons, while exploring meditation, exposure therapy, cognitive therapy, biofeedback and beta blockers, among many other remedies. She practiced performing in airports, hospitals and retirement homes. Finally, the day before her sixtieth birthday, she gave a formal recital for an audience of fifty. Using her own journey as inspiration, Sara has written a thoughtful and insightful cultural history of performance anxiety and a tribute to pursuing personal growth at any age.

A little squirrel announces that he was once very, very, scared and finds out that he is not alone. Lots of little animals went through scary experiences, but they react in different ways. Turtle hides and gets a tummy ache, monkey clings, dog barks, and elephant doesn't like to talk about it. They need help, and they get help from grown-ups who help them feel safe and learn ways to cope with difficult feelings. This story was written to help children and grown-ups understand how stress can affect children and ways to help them.

Uses a story format to introduce young children to the concept of feeling scared. Includes suggestions for activites and notes for parents and teachers. Suggested level: junior.

"At last. At last this very important book has been written... It will empower legions of women to step into their greatness.' ELIZABETH GILBERT, author of EAT, PRAY, LOVE 'One of the most important books in my life. If you want to achieve anything, or simply be less stressed, this book will help you do it. In it you will find your voice, your ability, your self-confidence and perhaps even your mission in life. Buy it. Pass it on.' SHIRLEY CONRAN The groundbreaking book that gives every woman the practical skills they need to begin PLAYING BIG. Five years ago, Tara Mohr began to see a pattern in her work as an expert in leadership: women with tremendous talent, ideas and aspiration were not recognising their own brilliance. They felt that they were playing small' in their lives and careers and wanted to play bigger', but didn't know how. And so Tara devised a step-by-step programme for playing big from the inside out: this book is the result. Many women are aware of the changes they need to make to be more successful, but they don't know how to become that more confident woman they'd like to be. Playing Big provides real, practical to

It's story time, but this book has bad news - as soon as it realises there are monsters in it, it's too scared to tell you the rest of the story! Can you help it feel better? It needs you to rub away its goosebumps, blow away the giant butterflies in its tummy, and fan away the yucky smell the monsters have left behind. A fun and quirky interactive story, with distinctive and stylish illustrations from an innovative young illustrator and muralist. A CBCA Notable book.