Biographies Power

The Underdogs tells the story of Karen Shirk, felled at age 24 by a neuromuscular disease and facing life as a ventilator-dependent, immobile patient, who was turned down by every service dog agency in the country because she was "too disabled". Her nurse encouraged her to tone down the suicidal thoughts, find a puppy, and raise her own service dog. Karen did this, and Ben, a German shepherd, dragged her back into life.

Few people have sat across from the Iranians and the North Koreans at the negotiating table. Wendy Sherman has done both. During her time as the lead US negotiator of the historic Iran nuclear deal and throughout her distinguished career, Wendy Sherman has amassed tremendous expertise in the most pressing foreign policy issues of our time. Throughout her life - from growing up in civil-rights-era Baltimore to stints as a social worker, campaign manager, and business owner to advising multiple presidents - she has relied on values that have shaped her approach to work and leadership.

For years, hedge-fund tycoon George Soros has been demonized by GOP politicians, fringe outlets, and right-wing media personalities, who claim Soros often manipulates the global economy and masterminds the radical left. He has been accused of using his billions to foment violence, support “white genocide”, and pay migrants to seek asylum in the United States. Right-wing media personalities have described him as working to hijack our democracy and undermining sovereignty.

When Alex Stone was five years old, his father bought him a magic kit - a gift that would spark a lifelong love. Years later, while living in New York City, he discovered a vibrant underground magic scene exploding with creativity and innovation and populated by a fascinating cast of characters: from his gruff mentor, who holds court in the back of a rundown pizza shop, to one of the world's greatest card cheats, who also happens to be blind. Captivated, he plunged headlong into this mysterious world.

A board of directors should hold wrongdoers accountable, but sometimes that responsibility falls to righteous employees. A riveting and relevant memoir, The Intrepid Brotherhood details a classic story of enlightened leaders’ war against oppressive management when private misconduct evokes public resistance.

Meggie was a weird teenager. We’re talkin’ so weird that her parents worried about her being too religious. After a divine nudge to preach at the age of 13, she answered the call to full-time ministry as a 16-year-old. She became a paid church staff member a year later, and from 18 to 32, served in the same church. While creating sacred space for others, Meggie forgot to nurture her own. In the rush of ministerial leadership, she allowed many limiting beliefs to hold her back. She searched for validation from others but failed to look within and find that she was already enough.

In 1991, at the height of the Somali civil war, 12-year-old Abdi Warsame ran for his life through the streets of Mogadishu. In a flash, his legs were paralyzed and his cousin killed. With his country literally falling apart around him, Abdi had little hope for recovery. But, with his faith, his family, and his indomitable spirit, Abdi pursued every available route for a better life.

In 1940, the 4th most popular star in the US was a foreign actor from Australia, and unlike other movie stars, he was more notorious for his pursuits off the screen than on it. In an era long before social media, Errol Flynn represented the epitome of a swashbuckling playboy, with enough mystery and intrigue surrounding him and his background to fascinate even those who didn’t see his movies.

In her book, Gina Gerson, Success through Inner Power and Sexuality, Valentina tells her life story. But more than just recounting her biography, she shares, for the first time, the secrets of her success. She reveals to the listener how to harness your inner power, maintain the necessary discipline, and take the steps needed to realize your dreams for a successful and happy life. For Valentina, sexuality is the most powerful force in the world, and she shows how, by tapping into that energy and realizing its potential, incredible results can be achieved by anyone in any area of life.

In most lives, there is a moment when we need to rise through our pain, self-doubt, fear, and mistrust and reconnect with who we are meant to be. Fight Song recounts one acclaimed educator’s journey through chaos into meaning and shows listeners how to reawaken connection with themselves and humanity. Kim Bearden is an award-winning educator whose career has spanned three decades.

In this beautifully crafted memoir, best-selling author and business leader Joe Sweeney weaves a remarkable tale of friendship, spirituality, and even some of the mischief that characterizes the unlikely 32-year relationship he enjoyed with a modern-day saint. She had a way about her, he said, and it was unlike anything he had encountered as a lifelong Catholic with honest questions about his faith, spirituality, and the meaning of life. A Light Shines Through Us guides listeners of all faiths, and those claiming no faith, on a journey of spiritual exploration and discovery.

Fr Tony Coote was just 53 years old in February 2018 when he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. Just a few short months later, he found himself confined to a wheelchair. But rather than succumbing to the darkness that threatened to overwhelm him in the days after his diagnosis, he drew on his powerful faith and unwavering belief in life and found a way to light, hope and acceptance.

Harry Sydney III is known for his Straight Talk-Sound Direction. The story of Sydney’s path from North Carolina to three Super Bowls and on to the founding of My Brother's Keeper, will inspire and challenge you to overcome the odds standing between you and your destiny. Told in Harry's unique voice, Win from Within takes listeners on a journey across the U.S. and Canada, from an abusive and alcoholic home to locker rooms filled with world champions; chasing his dream, developing his story, defying all odds, and overcoming disappointments.

As the Confederacy felt itself slipping beneath the Union juggernaut in late 1864, the South launched a desperate counteroffensive to force a standoff. Its secret weapon? A state-of-the-art raiding ship whose mission was to sink the U.S. merchant fleet. The raider's name was Shenandoah, and her executive officer was Conway Whittle, a 24-year-old warrior.

Al Kelln's 27 miracles will inspire the listener. The son of German-speaking immigrants left the aftermath of the Depression in Oklahoma to become a Naval officer and nuclear propulsion engineer. His years at the US Naval Academy (class of 1952) prepared him for destroyer and diesel submarine deployments to the Korean War. Surviving several close calls, the author trained in Admiral Rickover's Nuclear Power School.

In October 1975, an assassin tried to murder Norman Scott on Exmoor, but the trigger failed and he only succeeded in shooting Scott's beloved dog, Rinka. Scott subsequently found himself at the centre of a major political scandal and became an unlikely queer icon. But this was never his intention.

When Gretchen Carlson made the decision to "walk off the set" and speak up about sexual harassment in the workplace, she jumped off a cliff by herself, but it led to a new calling: empowering women to reclaim their power against any injustice. After the former Miss America, mother of two, and star news anchor stood up and spoke out, women all over the world joined the movement and began to take back their lives, careers, and dignity. Gretchen became the voice for the voiceless.

Lucetta Zaytoun's ability to bounce back from tragedy time and time again is uncanny. After raising six kids, yet another life earthquake hit. This one led her to put everything she owned in storage, sell her car, shut down her phone and travel in developing countries by herself for one year. Lucetta's precarious, intrepid and fascinating runaway journey took her to places she never imagined.

At first glance, Josh Hanagarne seems an improbable librarian. He stands 6'7", competes in strongman contests, and was diagnosed in high school with Tourette's syndrome. But books are his first love - Josh's earliest memories involve fantastic adventures between the pages of Gulliver’s Travels and a passionate infatuation with Fern from Charlotte’s Web. Everything in Josh’s life - from his Mormon upbringing, to finally finding love, to learning to control his tics through lifting - circles back to a close connection with books.

On July 23, 2007, Dr. William Petit suffered an unimaginable horror: Armed strangers broke into his suburban Connecticut home in the middle of the night, bludgeoned him nearly to death, tortured and killed his wife and two daughters, and set their house on fire. He miraculously survived, and yet living through those horrific hours was only the beginning of his ordeal. Broken and defeated, Bill was forced to confront a question of ultimate consequence: How does a person find the strength to start over and live again after confronting the darkest of nightmares?