Dare To Be Yourself

Discipline is something most people naturally tend to resist. In this book, the author shows how to overcome this resistance and attain the very best you can through learning self-control.

A short manual to help you start the road to self discovery and independent thinking.

Born in the Bible Belt of the American South, Betty Brogaard, even as a child, had questions regarding God and the Bible, which adults in her life couldn't answer. At age 20, she allowed herself to be snagged by a male-dominated cultic religion. They seemed to have all the answers. There, she met and married a young man who became a minister in the cult. Primarily because of growing doubts about the organization's teachings and secondarily because of the decadent lifestyle of some in leadership, the couple eventually left amidst threats of eternal judgment and punishment. Betty continued to study various religions and eventually joined, with her husband, an orthodox church. She remained a member there for fifteen years when she could no longer convince herself that religion holds the truth about things that matter. Years of continuous research have taken Betty from faith as a dedicated Christian to reason and a satisfying but nonreligious way of life. Without malice, her Dare to Think for Yourself challenges readers to analyze why they believe what they believe.

#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.

Governments pay her. Criminals fear her. Nobody sees her coming. Vanessa “Michael” Munroe deals in information—expensive information—working for corporations, heads of state, private clients, and anyone else who can pay for her unique brand of expertise. Born to missionary parents in lawless central Africa, Munroe took up with an infamous gunrunner and his mercenary crew when she was just fourteen. As his protégé, she earned the respect of the jungle's most dangerous men, cultivating her own reputation for years until something sent her running. After almost a decade building a new life and lucrative career from her home base in Dallas, she's never looked back. Until now. A Texas oil billionaire has hired her to find his daughter who vanished in Africa four years ago. It’s not her usual line of work, but she can’t resist the challenge. Pulled deep into the mystery of the missing girl, Munroe finds herself back in the lands of her childhood, betrayed, cut off from civilization, and left for dead. If she has any hope of escaping the jungle and the demons that drive her, she must come face-to-face with the past that she’s tried for so long to forget. The first book in the Vanessa Michael Munroe series, gripping, ingenious, and impeccably paced, The Informationist marks the arrival or a thrilling new talent. “Stevens’s blazingly brilliant debut introduces a great new action heroine, Vanessa Michael Munroe, who doesn’t have to kick over a hornet’s nest to get attention, though her feral, take-no-prisoners attitude reflects the fire of Stieg Larsson’s Lisbeth Salander….Thriller fans will eagerly await the sequel to this high-octane page-turner.” —Publishers Weekly, starred, boxed review

Feeling stuck? Veteran journalist and cancer survivor Lu Ann Cahn was feeling angry and frustrated. The economy was tanking. Her job was changing. In a word, she felt “stuck.” Something had to change. Her daughter helped convince her to start a “Year of Firsts.” For the next 365 days, Cahn made a point of doing something she had never done before, every day. Before she knew it, her whole perspective on life had changed. In this inspiring book, Lu Ann recounts how a new “first” everyday brought excitement and wonder back into her world. And more than that, she helps readers see how they can do it too. • Participate in a Polar Bear Plunge • Speak to a complete stranger on the street • Zip-line across a crocodile-infested Mexican lake • Spend a day in a wheelchair • Learn to Hula Hoop

A collection of eye-opening and inspirational wisdom for girls from some of today’s most influential women, offering insights on being true to yourself, finding your voice, overcoming obstacles, and making a difference in the world. Today, it is more important than ever that girls have the courage to be themselves. But societal pressures continue to push girls to conform—to look, think, and act a certain way despite their individuality. From her most thought-provoking interviews with such influential role models as Gloria Steinem, Maya Angelou, Amy Poehler, Kerry Washington, Sheryl Sandberg, Luvvie Ajayi, Arianna Huffington, Brittany Packnett, Natalie Portman, Stacey Abrams, and more, award-winning journalist Marianne Schnall brings together the most inspiring, captivating, and rousing quotes to shed light on the many ways girls can empower themselves. Representing a diverse group of women’s voices—from actresses, comedians, and musicians, to business leaders, elected officials, activists, and Nobel laureates—these words speak to a wide array of issues that young women are facing every day. Dare to Be You is both rallying and uplifting, and is a valuable resource that conveys a timely and important message: When girls dare to be themselves—when they are fearless leaders, speak their truth, and believe in their dreams—they can truly change the world.