Self Memoir

“All my blessings are the blessings of community.” —Octavia Spencer Octavia drove to Los Angeles at twenty-six in search of a career in film. What she found was her chosen family. In this captivating memoir, the Oscar-winning actor and producer recounts the seeds of the relationships that...

In this must-listen book for any practitioner, carer or patient, Eleanor Oyston shares her story of bringing oncology massage to Australia. After many years as a scientist, Eleanor went from diagnosing cancer in a lab to massaging clients with a variety of medical conditions. Very quickly, she witnessed the amazing benefits and knew she wanted to spread the word.

A chance meeting between Cameron, a successful, divorced businessman and Shaina, an upbeat young waitress sparks love at first sight. As their lives become entwined, their relationship becomes a complex and passionate roller coaster of raw emotions and blissful pleasure. But, one night, after hosting a party with friends, Shaina changes everything in an instant, a final act of self-harm, leaving Cameron in a whirlwind of loss, isolation, and destruction.

Sensitive and cautious from an early age, Erin had always managed to mitigate the periodic upheavals in her life, but in a short 18 months, a whirlwind of events tip the balance that she had been able to maintain. The Great Recession, a second marriage, merging families, menopause, and undertaking an enormous role managing a chaotic assisted living facility all combine to create a perfect storm that threatens to break her. Unassisted is Erin’s story of finding herself and finding home.

For listeners navigating grief, spiritual seekers questioning the nature of love and the afterlife, or anyone who’s ever whispered I miss you into the void—this book will speak to you.

Joy Behar, comedian and cohost of ABC's The View, offers a follow-up to her Joy Schtick with this compilation written by 100 of her friends, associates, and role models, including Barbara Bush, Donald Trump, and James Earl Jones. Behar asked her celebrity friends to share whatever picks them up when they're down in the dumps, and as each celebrity offers his or her advice on how to cope with the blues, it soon becomes clear that most of us are driven to find solace in similar activities.

If there is one thing I’ve learned over the years of my life, it is this: No secret sauce exists for creating the perfect life. Despite the hope that one day, a formula will be available that entails every bit of what is good in humanity, we have to make do with what we have. And what we have isn’t perfect. It has taken me many years to grasp this. There are things I know now that I didn’t when I was younger - things I wish I could share with my past self - so I’ll settle for doing it now.

Risk and Return is the story of one man’s return to Africa - a journey that begins with a search for self-fulfillment, which then evolves into an entrepreneurial adventure filled with tribulations, triumphs, and many life lessons that will keep listeners engaged from start to finish. In a casual conversational voice, the author, Yomi Jemibewon, gives an honest, often hilarious and sometimes sobering account of what it feels like to chase a dream under highly uncertain circumstances.

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Surfacing, Siri Lindley opens up about her unique celebrity-dappled early life. When an NFL superstar notices her beautiful mother, her idyllic childhood is upended. Glitzy dinner parties and world travel pull her mother away, and Lindley grows up feeling alone and out of place. As her intense loneliness grows into anger, she lashes out against her New England life of privilege.

On the first day of high school, Kristina Ellis' mom - a single, working mother who lost her husband to cancer - informed her that she could not financially support her after graduation. Kristina would need to find her own way to pay for college. As an average student with less-than-impressive test scores, Kristina realized she would have to sell herself to scholarship committees if she wanted to stand out. That's when she devised the plan that led to her receiving over $500,000 in scholarships.

Gary Player's Black Book contains 50 questions and detailed responses from 18-time major winner Gary Player. The book, divided into three parts, focuses on specific scenarios and problems that arise in golf, life, and business.

What if your greatest gift feels like your greatest curse? Recently divorced and a newly single mother of three, Suzanne Leydecker had just begun to create a new life for herself and her children in Aspen, Colorado. Suddenly, after the death of both her parents, Suzanne inherited more money than she had ever imagined at the age of 47. All her problems were solved, right? Wrong. It was like winning the lottery. In some ways, life did get easier. But she didn’t anticipate how it would make her relationships with men a lot harder.

“I never wanted to be hearing. I said this out loud in my TED talk, and the audience went bug-eyed, struggling to process this heresy. How could anyone not want to be hearing? I wasn’t anti-hearing. I just felt my life would be simpler if everyone else were deaf.” So begins the compelling story of acclaimed TED speaker Rebecca Knill as she guides us through a life shaped by hearing loss. Throughout, Knill offers eye-opening insights into disability and celebrates the power of technology to level the playing field.

Richard Branson, one of the world's most famous and admired business leaders, argues that it's time to turn capitalism upside down - to shift our values from an exclusive focus on profit to also caring for people, communities, and the planet as he writes: "People often associate me with challenges, with trying to break records while sailing the Atlantic or flying in a jet stream in a balloon or going into space with Virgin Galactic. But this audiobook isn't just about fun and adventure and exceeding one's wildest dreams."

Infertility is a battle that women have been fighting for centuries, but the seemingly taboo subject is rarely discussed openly. Here, Bailey Henry describes her journey with infertility, including four miscarriages, marriage, grief, love, and the chance she was never properly potty-trained. With raw honesty, heartbreak, and a bit of humor, Bailey discusses the trials of being pregnant but never having a baby. If you've known the devastating loss of a child, or if your life simply hasn't turned out the way you thought it would, this one is for you.

Life After Losses is a memoir with a message. Author James LaVeck offers help for grieving while taking listeners on an intimate journey of love, loss, healing, recovery, and discovery.

Brian Craig takes you on his journey with him around the world, ending up back in the Northwest where he started his life as a creative entrepreneur, husband, and a local musician. Funny, honest, and surprising, Craig's memoir will bring listeners inside both his life and his local musical journey, sharing his story, voice, and perspective.

Journey to Safe Harbor covers three generations of a family where the personal and emotional sacrifices made in the name of mission, commitment and duty, aiming "to do good in the world", ended with unintended tragic consequences for their children. It is about a professional family, educated, religious and idealistic, but did they understand love?

“Note to Self” explores the journey of a young individual, Dr. Rodney Macon, as he navigates life from a humble beginning in a small town to experiencing pivotal moments that lead to transformative change. The story delves into his early years in Benson, Louisiana, and his perception of success despite living below the poverty line. Facing challenges such as a broken family structure and a learning disability, Rodney struggles to find his path.

Kendal Netmaker's life proves that this is not only possible, but attainable no matter what your upbringing may have been like. At the age of five, Kendal and his mother were left homeless, bouncing from shelter to shelter in search of reprieve. His mother modeled sacrifice for him, doing everything she could to provide a life for her family. Now, Netmaker uses those same principles to drive businesses forward.