Success Memoirs

In 2014, after being forced to quit her professional recruiting career due to excessive hospitalizations from complications of cystic fibrosis, Klyn Elsbury was confined to a wheelchair with her lung function plummeting below 40 percent. It was after a two-week hospital stay (just one of five that year) she set off on a six-week road trip across the United States to visit friends and family she wasn't sure she would live to see again. I Am ____: The Untold Story of Success is a blend of raw emotion and inspiring wisdom.

Given her incredible tenure as a Supreme Court justice as well as her monumental impact on the modern women’s rights movement, Ruth Bader Ginsburg has become one of the most prominent political leaders of today. To complement her judicial significance, she has also become one of the most culturally popular political figures in US history. Not only has her workout routine gone viral (and been detailed in a book by her trainer), but RBG’s story has been featured in multiple critically acclaimed films.

Apollo Ellis's journey from the streets of the 1990s San Francisco Bay Area to the heights of Silicon Valley is a tale of extraordinary resilience. Growing up in a world dominated by hip-hop and street culture, he faced daunting circumstances. Narrow escapes from the drug game and gang violence left their marks in the form of PTSD and addiction. Homeless at the age of twenty, Apollo made the pivotal decision to return to school. Choosing education as his lifeline, he began to reconstruct himself.

This cultural history and memoir of stage fright will resonate with anyone terrified of speaking or performing in public. Stage fright is one of the human psyche's deepest fears, challenging actors, musicians, professional athletes, and people from all walks of life. Surveys in the United States repeatedly rank public speaking as one of the top fears, affecting up to 74 percent of people.

Donald Thornton was a ditchdigger who wanted more for his six daughters. "I love you better than I love life," he assured his children. "But I'm not always gonna be around to look after you, and no man's gonna come along and offer to take care of you, because you ain't light-skinned. That's why you gotta be able to look after yourselves. And for that you gotta be smart."

The Leadership Alchemist is your ultimate guide to mastering emotional intelligence (EQ) and turning uncertainty into opportunity. Whether you’re navigating workplace challenges, leading diverse teams, or striving for personal growth, this book equips you with the tools to thrive in today’s dynamic world.

Climbing his way out of the foster care system and into the Marine Corps, Sean P. Jensen rebuilt his life to include a loving wife, family, and the rediscovery of a Hawaiian heritage that illuminated his past, his character, and his way forward. Part of that way forward was founding Polu Kai Services, LLC, in 2002, a construction and environmental services company that he grew from an initial investment of $1,600 to an Inc. 5000 competitor that handles million-dollar government contracts.

Shabnam Aggarwal always dreamt of success. Raised in an immigrant Indian family in the start-up hub of Silicon Valley, she believed that every entrepreneur could be successful. So she left her cushy job at Merrill Lynch to take a risk, find her passion, and make a change in the world. She moved to India to start a company. In Freedom to Fail, Shabnam tells the story of her brush with "success": raising her first round of venture capital; hiring a hardworking team of millennials; growing her start-up to multiple cities...and then finding it all come to a bitter end.

Through hard work and entrepreneurial swagger, Bryce transformed himself. By age 23, he brought his net wealth from -$200k (yes, that is a minus sign) to $0. By 25, Bryce had removed all recreational drugs from his life. By age 27 Bryce was a multimillionaire, and by age 30 he had amassed enough wealth to enjoy a luxurious lifestyle in perpetuity. Since then, Bryce has become an advisor and mentor to thousands wishing to escape the horrible fate of society's mediocrity and embrace true richness.

Raise the Bar, Change the Game is the beautifully written autobiography of an entrepreneur. Rarely do you have a biography where personal humanity is intricately interwoven with the business successes and failures that occur when someone takes a road never before traveled; in this case, through the newly-fallen Soviet Union.

Pulse of Perseverance is the honest, deeply personal tale of three young Black men's refusal to succumb to failure and how, together, they overcame daunting odds to take their place among the just five percent of US doctors who are Black. Through writing as passionate as it is relatable, the authors provide an unflinching look at the barriers Black Americans face as they try to move out of the place society has designated for them.

Eye-popping true crime meets an enlightened spiritual awakening. Having the right mix of both encouragement and entertainment, Corbin Bosiljevac's memoir gets to the heart of an extraordinary story told by an ordinary man. When questionable choices, addiction, and mental health consume his existence, the yearning for something larger becomes imperative. This is a true story about a man's struggles through a time in his life when choices led him astray. From college graduate and Fortune 1000 salesman, to black-market drug dealing, crime emerged as an every day event.

Emilio Estefan llegó a los Estados Unidos como refugiado cubano y se convirtió en uno de los productores más exitosos en la historia de la música. Él tiene un sentido tan profundo de orgullo y herencia, que emana de cada cosa que toca. Para Emilio es importante la motivación. Para el, la motivación es mucho más apremiante y urgente que la inspiración: Si no estas motivado, jamás estarás en condiciones de sentirte inspirado.

The inspiring story of a pioneering program that is redefining urban young adults as economic assets, not deficits. During Gerald Chertavian’s many years as a Big Brother, the former technology entrepreneur realized that our nation’s "Opportunity Divide" strands millions of young, disadvantaged, yet motivated workers at the bottom of the job ladder. In 2000 Chertavian dedicated his life to closing that divide, and Year Up was born.

World War I is difficult to grasp for many Americans. Most WWI soldiers didn't keep a diary, and few spoke of what they saw and experienced. Through Courage, listeners will understand what pulled the world into this devastating conflict, see why the United States came out of isolation to side with the Allies, and gain a personal look into the lives of WWI fighters. Through the eyes of Roy Blanchard, listeners will see, hear, and feel what it was like to bravely face the terror of the First World War.

After three years as a killing-field slave, seventeen-year-old Bun Yom escaped from the Khmer Rouge and became a freedom fighter. Using his wisdom, courage, and infinite compassion, Bun rescued thousands of Cambodian people and soon became the Cambodian Freedom Fighters’ greatest soldier. Tomorrow I’m Dead is the only known first-person account of the freedom fighter’s heroic liberation of slaves from the Khmer Rouge killing fields.

Mike had managed to achieve his childhood dream of becoming a stand-up comedian in the San Francisco comedy scene of the 1980s. He was appearing on television and rubbing shoulders with the big stars of the day. His future was bright and the last thing he needed was a woman to come along who would shake his ideas of what true happiness was. But, come along she did, daring him to achieve something even greater than fame and fortune.

Authored with raw honesty and unwavering conviction, this book serves as a wake-up call, urging listeners to confront the realities of our current trajectory while celebrating the resilience of the American spirit. Whether you're a seasoned political enthusiast or simply seeking inspiration, "The American Dream In Peril" promises to captivate, educate, and empower.

From Foster Care to Millionaire offers all the components you’d expect from the success story of a young entrepreneur with Asperger's - motivation, drive, perseverance, focus, and passion. You might call it a rags-to-riches tale, and you wouldn’t be wrong. But that here-to-there narrative is only the top layer. Cody’s story unfolds to reveal a narrative that is more complicated yet simpler and more central to the human experience.

In April 2017, Prashant Desai founded a venture to build the first truly Indian sports brand - D:FY. In six months, Rajiv Mehta, who started Puma India and led it for seven years, joined him as a partner. They opened 17 stores in seven cities, riding on great aspirations and confidence. The business lost Rs 30 crore in 30 months, virtually wiping out all that Prashant had earned for nearly 30 years. The venture failed not because Prashant did not possess the necessary vision, determination, and courage.