Career Memoirs

Broken Child Mended Man is a remarkably compelling memoir touching on childhood neglect, years in foster care, and overcoming the odds to graduate college. Highlighting the emotional and psychological ups and downs during his formative years, Adam Starks manages to reveal human resilience in its most authentic form. Through a life of trial and error, the author displays bountiful courage by achieving life's milestones without a role model.

From bellbottoms and Bible camp to a career center stage, this beautifully written, heartfelt memoir, written in the style of Mark Twain, is both a coming of age and American success story. The first person in his family ever to graduate high school, Elrod made the unprecedented decision to leave his redneck region behind-the coalmines and poverty of Appalachia-and seek, instead, something more from life.

Whether you are building a small business from the ground up or managing a multinational company, you can learn the seven key traits for leadership success from one of the greatest business innovators and creative thinkers of the 20th century: Walt Disney. Whether you know him as the first to produce cartoons in Technicolor, the mastermind behind the theme park Disneyland, or the founder of the largest entertainment conglomerate, Walt's story of creativity, perseverance in spite of obstacles, and achieving goals resonates and inspires as much today as it ever has.

Shareholder activist Wilma Soss rocketed to fame in the 1950s fighting for the rights of the individual investor. But over the years, her legacy was almost forgotten. Based on archival documents, this is the true story of how a disparate group of activist investors—from a PR star to a Holocaust survivor--found each other and became the advocates Fortune 500 management loved to hate.

One woman's quest to conquer her fears and embrace life - and to inspire others to do the same. Patty Chang Anker grew up eager to please and afraid to fail. But after thirty-nine years, she decided it was time to stop being a chicken. Motivated initially to become a better role model for her two young daughters, she vowed to face the fears that had taken root like weeds, choking the fun and spontaneity out of her life. She learned to dive into a swimming pool, ride a bike, do a handstand, and surf.

Through heartfelt storytelling, Alex shares how he transformed childhood adversity into a successful career as a Paramedic. This audiobook provides an unfiltered glimpse into his life, blending personal reflections with professional experiences that have shaped his resilience and determination.

Stacie Broek was living the expat dream—three children in a central Tokyo private school, house and travel back home all paid for—until the morning when her carotid artery spontaneously ripped, causing blood to pool in her artery wall. Upon waking from a 10-hour surgery, Stacie couldn’t walk, talk, or feed herself. She couldn't remember her name, her children's names, or her own address. The new ignorance was menacing and dangerous. This once independent, full-of-moxie woman was reduced to a needy lump.

Looking back, before I knew better, I wasn’t someone I admired. I wasn’t someone I was proud of. I was disconnected, off-course, unexpressive, and depressed. Disempowered and stagnant. However, through the grace of God, here I am now on a strong foundation of rock, proud and confident; about to remind you things you already know, reaffirming their power, or open your eyes to powerful, life-changing concepts. And as the wise Otto von Bismark once said, “Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.”

In 1835, at the age of 13, a young boy walked nearly 300 miles to Paris; he worked odd jobs, and did whatever it took to survive. He eventually learned a craft: box making. Before long, the young boy had earned enough to open his own box-making store.

New York Times bestselling author, humorist, and speaker Michael Perry delivers real-world lessons on leadership, creativity, resilience, and entrepreneurship. Entertaining and fundamentally useful no matter the form of art or business you pursue, Improbable Mentors & Happy Tangents is a masterclass in identifying unexpected opportunities and concludes with a chapter titled, “The Most Improbable Mentor Move of All.” This witty and insightful book details how unlikely encounters shape creativity, business, and life.

This inspiring memoir dives into ordinary Andrea Olatunji's story. Her story telling will ignite listeners to find something extraordinary in their own story, and encourage them to leap into an amazing future. She shows how in-depth observations of one's history, family traditions, and personal patterns can be used as a catalyst to adopt new habits, and to make better life choices, transitions, and decisions in the future.

Through The Wonderchild Within Us Kamraj Sundram brings a very humane approach to face situations in our lives. In this book, the author communicates to the listener through various events in families situated across the globe. These families, despite the distance, are still connected through deep friendships with each other.

In a world so often filled with distressing news and bewildering violence, being “human” often gets a bad rap. Rejoice in everyday reasons to smile, think positively, and enjoy the gift of life. In Glad to Be Human: Adventures in Optimism, award-winning writer Irene O’Garden reminds us of the radiance of human existence. From kitchens to gardens to busy city streets, all around, in your everyday life, you can find plenty of reasons to feel gratitude and hope, peace and joy.

This Indo-Fijian author's memoir is a story of risk, courage, and determination. Ultimately it's a story of the human spirit's triumph over fear.

How to wipe out self-doubt and step out with confidence. Jessica Bettencourt knows what it’s like to face rejection, feel like she doesn’t belong, and second-guess big decisions. But she also knows that we have to face fear and risk failure to live out our calling. In I Almost Cancelled, Jessica shares how one scary decision after another led to a life she couldn't even imagine.

An entertaining, thought-provoking blend of memoir, old-time storytelling, homespun philosophy, and the occasional errant thought, all delivered with Southern style and a distinctive country flavor. These treasures are the result of matriculation in The Advanced School of Hard Knocks (from which I graduated summa cum laude), and I felt it was only right to share them. Perhaps, one or two will bring a smile to your face and a lift to your spirit.

A Hero's Heart is a true story of victory, captivatingly told for the first time, from the survivor herself. It is a story of brutality, cruelty, and loss. It is a story of demons, heartache, and agony. It is a story of love, joy, and abundance. And lastly, it is a memoir told with fervor and elation. The writer shares her emotions in intimate detail as she conveys her journey from abuse, to illness, to deaths, and ultimately to ascendancy.

Remembering the truth of what it's like to be a kid is vital because most of us are stuck in some phase of arrested development, thanks to something traumatic that happened to us during our youth. Do you know what that trauma was and how it has affected who you are today? Understanding where you got stuck can free you to be the parent and adult you were meant to be.

This is an inspirational memoir and self-development book of a man who not only recovered from his Vietnam War wounds that blinded him but also from the force of darkness of self-pity, frustration, and despair.

Lucinda White is a happy-go-lucky nature child raised by a young single mother in the 1960s. In a dramatic turn of events, her wild nature is broken. She is shaped into a yuppie and becomes the wife of a prominent Silicon Valley CEO and a glamorous socialite. Successful by all accounts of external measure, she feels trapped by the shallow values of a dominant culture and ever more alienated from her true nature. Something primal awakens in Lucinda when she unearths and touches an ancient buffalo bone.