Courage Is Contagious

A collection of essays celebrating the influential former first lady, by an array of acclaimed contributors and with a foreword by Lena Dunham. Michelle Obama’s legacy transcends categorization. Mrs. Obama was not only our first black first lady; she was President Obama’s equal partner in marriage and parenthood and a tireless advocate for women’s rights, education, healthy eating, and exercise. Her genre-busting personal style encouraged others to speak, to engage, even to dress as they wished. In an extension of his popular T, The New York Times Style Magazine feature, Nick Haramis has assembled nineteen essays from prizewinning writers, Hollywood stars, and political leaders—all of whom have been moved and influenced by Mrs. Obama’s extraordinary example of grace in power. Here are original testimonials from Gloria Steinem, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Alice Waters, and Charlamagne tha God, among others. Presidential biographer Jon Meacham supplies historical perspective. Actress Tracee Ellis Ross suggests that Mrs. Obama “provided an antidote to all the false representations of black women that have inundated us for centuries.” Anna Wintour and designer Jason Wu celebrate the former first lady’s impact as an international fashion icon. Two ninth-grade girls—one in training to be a boxer—talk about how Mrs. Obama has emboldened them to be themselves. Here are some of the many facets of Michelle Obama as she continues to inspire us, a stirring reminder that the best of America once lived in the White House, embodied in one authentic, inclusive, and courageous woman. Advance praise for Courage Is Contagious “Courage Is Contagious reminds us of the fortitude, brilliance, grace, humility, compassion, and humor of a woman we were so crazy lucky to have serve as first lady. This is an exceptional celebration of a most exceptional American.”—J.J. Abrams “The first lady planted a powerful new knowledge inside of each of us. When you read this book you realize it’s still in there and always will be.”—Miranda July, author of The First Bad Man and No One Belongs Here More Than You “The diversity of the voices in Courage Is Contagious captures perfectly why Michelle Obama is so remarkable. If we can all see our best selves in her so vividly, how can we really be that different from each other? This glorious little book will give you goosebumps as it takes you on a journey celebrating one of the most important people alive.”—iO Tillett Wright, author of Darling Days

A modern-day Profiles in Courage about twenty people who are doing heroic things to improve the lives of their fellow Americans. Now available in trade paperback, Courage Is Contagious is a remarkable document about everyday people helping to reshape America. Written by Congressman John Kasich, the book profiles twenty men and women from across the country who have, through their own courage, determination, and generous hearts, attempted to improve the lot of their fellow citizens. The values they exhibit, Congressman Kasich argues, are the very values we as a society need to encourage and support if we are to end our nation's divisiveness and fulfill its glorious promise. Among the people Kasich writes about are Cheryl Krueger, who started a successful cookie business that puts people ahead of profits by employing women who often wouldn't be given a chance by other companies; and Dr. Jack McConnell, who, shocked by the poverty outside his neighborhood, organized over one hundred retired doctors, nurses, and dentists to create a free medical clinic that now serves over ten thousand people in the Hilton Head area of South Carolina and has inspired similar volunteer programs nationwide. A heartfelt and optomistic message in a world grown increasingly distrustful, Courage Is Contagious offers hope and inspiration to all who read it.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Brené Brown has taught us what it means to dare greatly, rise strong, and brave the wilderness. Now, based on new research conducted with leaders, change makers, and culture shifters, she’s showing us how to put those ideas into practice so we can step up and lead. Don’t miss the five-part HBO Max docuseries Brené Brown: Atlas of the Heart! NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY BLOOMBERG Leadership is not about titles, status, and wielding power. A leader is anyone who takes responsibility for recognizing the potential in people and ideas, and has the courage to develop that potential. When we dare to lead, we don’t pretend to have the right answers; we stay curious and ask the right questions. We don’t see power as finite and hoard it; we know that power becomes infinite when we share it with others. We don’t avoid difficult conversations and situations; we lean into vulnerability when it’s necessary to do good work. But daring leadership in a culture defined by scarcity, fear, and uncertainty requires skill-building around traits that are deeply and uniquely human. The irony is that we’re choosing not to invest in developing the hearts and minds of leaders at the exact same time as we’re scrambling to figure out what we have to offer that machines and AI can’t do better and faster. What can we do better? Empathy, connection, and courage, to start. Four-time #1 New York Times bestselling author Brené Brown has spent the past two decades studying the emotions and experiences that give meaning to our lives, and the past seven years working with transformative leaders and teams spanning the globe. She found that leaders in organizations ranging from small entrepreneurial startups and family-owned businesses to nonprofits, civic organizations, and Fortune 50 companies all ask the same question: How do you cultivate braver, more daring leaders, and how do you embed the value of courage in your culture? In this new book, Brown uses research, stories, and examples to answer these questions in the no-BS style that millions of readers have come to expect and love. Brown writes, “One of the most important findings of my career is that daring leadership is a collection of four skill sets that are 100 percent teachable, observable, and measurable. It’s learning and unlearning that requires brave work, tough conversations, and showing up with your whole heart. Easy? No. Because choosing courage over comfort is not always our default. Worth it? Always. We want to be brave with our lives and our work. It’s why we’re here.” Whether you’ve read Daring Greatly and Rising Strong or you’re new to Brené Brown’s work, this book is for anyone who wants to step up and into brave leadership.

DIVShows how narratives of contagion structure communities of belonging and how the lessons of these narratives are incorporated into sociological theories of cultural transmission and community formation./div

David Mezzapelle was inspired to write this uplifting book based on his life's experiences and his own contagious optimism. He has influenced many people with his outlook and this book offers optimism to others around the globe. Contagious Optimism includes stories and parables of amazing life turnarounds from real people world-wide. A compendium of encouragement, Contagious Optimism also includes advice and guidance from business leaders, visionaries and professionals. Nowadays, many people have lost confidence in themselves and the world around them due to personal hardship along with economic and political uncertainty worldwide. Contagious Optimism shows readers that it’s possible to FIND the silver lining in every cloud. Developed by the team that brought you Random Acts of Kindness, this book is like Chicken Soup for the Soul meets Pay It Forward, on steroids! Contagious Optimism is pure inspiration that will lift hearts, open minds, and create a movement of pass-it-on hope and happiness. Featured stories and endorsements from "contagious optimists" such as: Michael Beckwith - Founder of the single largest interfaith church in America: LA's Agape. Nancy Ferrari - The "Oprah of AM Radio" Daniel Tully - Chairman Emeritus of Merrill Lynch and one of the top executives to ever grace Wall Street.

Turbulence doesn't make it easy to get your voice heard, advance your career or make a difference. But it doesn't have to be fatal. If you Make Courage Contagious and PowerUP your brilliance and the brilliance of the people around you, you can turn turbulence into an adventure and profit through turbulence. Klein and Klein are business psychologists with 20+ years of experience building courage in innovation leaders and teams that lead transformation, that fund and scale entrepreneurial ventures, that accelerate post-M+A integrations, that prepare high-potential leaders for bigger and broader enterprise assignments. Klein and Klein reduce Courage to a 5-part formula - the EnCourage Quotient (EnQ)? - that the most successful business leaders learn to lift themselves and others out of victim thinking and 11 other risk-averse traps. They show how courage can be cultivated and developed, and encoded into your instincts. They show how you can take people who rub you the wrong way or who come from diverse backgrounds and profit from the tension and abrasion they bring to your team, to sharpen up your thinking. When leaders PowerUP Brilliance, instead of getting stuck, they find opportunities that go beyond their first idea and they mitigate threats that seemed daunting. Churchill said, "Success is never final and failure is never fatal. It's Courage that counts." This book shows you how to put that to work - and make it contagious.

This is a powerful story of one woman's journey through deep emotional, physical, and spiritual pain - one of inspiration and courage. Transverse myelitis almost took her life, her marriage and her faith in God, but get ready to experience the power and love of God, that turns a litany of tragedies into miraculous triumph! You will laugh, cry, hope, and pray with Vahen as she meticulously weaves the story of God's love and grace into the fabric of her life. This is a story of courage and devotion that will inspire and challenge you to go farther.