While hiking in 2010, an ill-advised, off-trail climb left debut author K. Bradley Watson dangling precariously over the edge of a cliff. Narrowly escaping disaster, Watson then found himself lost in the woods, bushwhacking for hours before he found his way out of a dense canyon forest. The haphazard hiking moment became an epiphany for him, underscoring the importance of following trails. As in hiking, so it is in life and faith: to find our way, we need the direction of a path to guide us. In A Path Called Compelling, Watson reimagines the Christian faith as the Jesus Path, where three key events from Jesus's life (birth, baptism, temptations) are revealed to be more than events to believe in, but a path meant to be entered, travelled, and lived. Acting as an expedition guide, raconteur, and pastor, Watson weaves masterful storytelling with thoughtful reflections on Scripture that will have readers chuckling to themselves in one moment while readying themselves to travel the Jesus Path in the next. Fresh and urgent, the book invites readers to rediscover faith as they walk and explore A Path Called Compelling.

Required reading at Harvard Business School and Columbia Business School. Everyone wants to be more appealing and effective, but few believe we can manage the personal magnetism of a Bill Clinton or an Oprah Winfrey. John Neffinger and Matthew Kohut trace the path to influence through a balance of strength (the root of respect) and warmth (the root of affection). Each seems simple, but only a few of us figure out the tricky task of projecting both at once. Drawing on cutting-edge social science research as well as their own work with Fortune 500 executives, members of Congress, TED speakers, and Nobel Prize winners, Neffinger and Kohut reveal how we size each other up—and how we can learn to win the admiration, respect, and affection we desire.

"Caitlin Walker has spent 15 years working with diverse groups from disaffected teenagers to senior leaders in business and education. Along the way she developed Systemic Modelling, a methodology for encouraging groups to move away from drama and towards collective trust. This book tells of her journey through a series of authentic and ground-breaking case-studies. In it you'll learn how she creates the contexts for groups to make the most of one another's expertise and experience and to begin to collaborate in new and emergent ways."

An exploration of how altruism affects us, what are the markers for success, and how to avoid the pitfalls—with scrupulous research and on-the-ground reporting from the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalists and bestselling authors of Half a Sky and Tightrope Kristof and WuDunn will inspire you to "change lives for the better, including your own (The New York Times Book Review). In their recounting of astonishing stories from the front lines of social progress, we see the compelling, inspiring truth of how real people have changed the world, underscoring that one person can make a difference. A Path Appears offers practical, results-driven advice on how best each of us can give and reveals the lasting benefits we gain in return. Kristof and WuDunn know better than most how many urgent challenges communities around the world face to­day. Here they offer a timely beacon of hope for our collective future.

By age 25, Heather Anderson had hiked what is known as the "Triple Crown" of backpacking: the Appalachian Trail (AT), Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), and Continental Divide Trail (CDT)—a combined distance of 7,900 miles with a vertical gain of more than one million feet. A few years later, she left her job, her marriage, and a dissatisfied life and walked back into those mountains. In her new memoir, Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home, Heather, whose trail name is "Anish," conveys not only her athleticism and wilderness adventures, but also shares her distinct message of courage--her willingness to turn away from the predictability of a more traditional life in an effort to seek out what most fulfills her. Amid the rigors of the trail--pain, fear, loneliness, and dangers--she discovers the greater rewards of community and of self, conquering her doubts and building confidence. Ultimately, she realizes that records are merely a catalyst, giving her purpose, focus, and a goal to strive toward. Heather is the second woman to complete the “Double Triple Crown of Backpacking,” completing the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide National Scenic Trails twice each. She holds overall self-supported Fastest Known Times (FKTs) on the Pacific Crest Trail (2013)—hiking it in 60 days, 17 hours, 12 minutes, breaking the previous men’s record by four days and becoming the first women to hold the overall record—and the Arizona Trail (2016), which she completed in 19 days, 17 hours, 9 minutes. She also holds the women’s self-supported FKT on the Appalachian Trail (2015) with a time of 54 days, 7 hours, 48 minutes. Heather has hiked more than twenty thousand miles since 2003, including ten thru-hikes. An ultramarathon runner, she has completed six 100-mile races since August 2011 as well as dozens of 50 km and 50-mile events. She has attempted the infamous Barkley Marathons four times, starting a third loop once. Heather is also an avid mountaineer working on several ascent lists in the US and abroad.

You attend numerous presentations and meetings a year--filled with the typical dense and disorganized PowerPoint decks--and leave most of them thinking, "Well, that's an hour of my life I'll never get back." But out of this sea of mediocrity, a rare few rise up, captivating you and driving you to action. What makes these few so special? Despite what most people think, it's not because they were delivered well. It's because they were crafted in a way that deeply aligned with how your brain wants to consume information. The presentations that failed did so precisely because they violated the largely unknown "natural laws" that govern how people actually learn. In The Compelling Communicator, you will learn a proven process for designing presentations that touch your audience in a highly impactful way, motivating them to take your desired action by: Building around a small number of powerful ideas Keeping content within the audience's "brain bandwidth" Developing logical narrative structure Anchoring communication in the listener's priorities Creating "mind-sticky" storytelling and visuals Crafting handouts that allow your presentation to live on after the handshakes Filled with examples of exceptional--and not so exceptional--presentations, along with clear explanations of why they do and don't work, this comprehensive guidebook provides every tool you need to become a standout presenter whose message is certain to leave a powerful, lasting impression.

Why is it so hard to make lasting changes in our companies, in our communities, and in our own lives? The primary obstacle is a conflict that's built into our brains, say Chip and Dan Heath, authors of the critically acclaimed bestseller Made to Stick. Psychologists have discovered that our minds are ruled by two different systems - the rational mind and the emotional mind—that compete for control. The rational mind wants a great beach body; the emotional mind wants that Oreo cookie. The rational mind wants to change something at work; the emotional mind loves the comfort of the existing routine. This tension can doom a change effort - but if it is overcome, change can come quickly. In Switch, the Heaths show how everyday people - employees and managers, parents and nurses - have united both minds and, as a result, achieved dramatic results: • The lowly medical interns who managed to defeat an entrenched, decades-old medical practice that was endangering patients • The home-organizing guru who developed a simple technique for overcoming the dread of housekeeping • The manager who transformed a lackadaisical customer-support team into service zealots by removing a standard tool of customer service In a compelling, story-driven narrative, the Heaths bring together decades of counterintuitive research in psychology, sociology, and other fields to shed new light on how we can effect transformative change. Switch shows that successful changes follow a pattern, a pattern you can use to make the changes that matter to you, whether your interest is in changing the world or changing your waistline.