The truth can be a hard pill to swallow. How do you share it without offending or hurting anyone? And are you ready to admit the truth? Listen to Blake and Aiden speak of what many are too afraid to say.

Love is a never ending curse...

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • When we deny our stories, they define us. When we own our stories, we get to write the ending. Don’t miss the five-part HBO Max docuseries Brené Brown: Atlas of the Heart! Social scientist Brené Brown has ignited a global conversation on courage, vulnerability, shame, and worthiness. Her pioneering work uncovered a profound truth: Vulnerability—the willingness to show up and be seen with no guarantee of outcome—is the only path to more love, belonging, creativity, and joy. But living a brave life is not always easy: We are, inevitably, going to stumble and fall. It is the rise from falling that Brown takes as her subject in Rising Strong. As a grounded theory researcher, Brown has listened as a range of people—from leaders in Fortune 500 companies and the military to artists, couples in long-term relationships, teachers, and parents—shared their stories of being brave, falling, and getting back up. She asked herself, What do these people with strong and loving relationships, leaders nurturing creativity, artists pushing innovation, and clergy walking with people through faith and mystery have in common? The answer was clear: They recognize the power of emotion and they’re not afraid to lean in to discomfort. Walking into our stories of hurt can feel dangerous. But the process of regaining our footing in the midst of struggle is where our courage is tested and our values are forged. Our stories of struggle can be big ones, like the loss of a job or the end of a relationship, or smaller ones, like a conflict with a friend or colleague. Regardless of magnitude or circumstance, the rising strong process is the same: We reckon with our emotions and get curious about what we’re feeling; we rumble with our stories until we get to a place of truth; and we live this process, every day, until it becomes a practice and creates nothing short of a revolution in our lives. Rising strong after a fall is how we cultivate wholeheartedness. It’s the process, Brown writes, that teaches us the most about who we are. ONE OF GREATER GOOD’S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR “[Brené Brown’s] research and work have given us a new vocabulary, a way to talk with each other about the ideas and feelings and fears we’ve all had but haven’t quite known how to articulate. . . . Brené empowers us each to be a little more courageous.”—The Huffington Post

Settle in and buckle up for unveiling to you an enlightening and captivating narrative about the trials and tribulations of cohabitation, or, as the Germans call it, Wohngemeinschaft. Not only a guide to survive in a communal living situation, but also a delightful companion for those new to this concept or who want to take a delightful plunge into the past. I explored all the variations during my WG-Odysee or call it an unintentional sociological study over 14 years: 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, and even 20-person Wohngemeinschaften in Zurich, Nizza, Ajaccio, Hamburg, Munich, Montpellier, Orléans, Alicante, Porto, Barcelona, Lund, and Basel. I was extremely privileged to reside within a dynamic community that consisted of a diverse array of individuals, including educators, culinary experts, medical professionals, scientific scholars, dreamers, biologists, as well as hotel managers. Truthfully thankful for these wonderful individuals who have enriched my life and inspired me to write this story.

Tragedy, hope, and annihilation meet in this compilation of short stories from the perspective of an outsider looking in.

Everything has a color. Everything has a presence to it, a shape that is precise. There is an eternal potential for exploration, for the understanding of those very forms and structures. The possibility to evolve ones sensitivity to discover deeply hidden treasures. There is a movement I try to feel. A truth I want to uncover. There is a whole world that I didnt see. The whole self that I need to be. There is a longing within me for my thoughts and my attention to become one with the world. And so I find myself within the process of creation, as it presents the opportunity to experience my being. To craft a study of my soul. To explore all that is inside of me, aching to be. I want to fall into it all