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To Break or Bounce: Finding Balance, Stability, and Resilience in Our Lives

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We can either break under the weight of life’s challenges—or we can bounce back and thrive!

The action in Shelley Plumb’s powerful story of rediscovery and emotional healing takes place over the course of a single day—the day of her grandmother's funeral. As she wanders her grandmother's property, a place where she spent much of her childhood, the author is inundated with vivid memories. Reflecting back on the major events of her life, Plumb comes to terms with a painful truth: Her responses to those events, combined with a relentless drive to push herself harder and harder, have left her feeling totally lost, unmoored, and without a clear vision of who she is.

We follow her as she relives real-life events from the past—from her mother's shocking and sudden death when Plumb was a child to divorce, sexual harassment, her grandmother's death, and the delicate balance between being a professional woman and a wife and mother. Her reflections also bring forth important realizations about the foundations we build our lives on. If they are not solid, says Plumb, we won’t be able to handle stresses when they come our way.

By the end of the day, Plumb makes sense of past memories and offers anyone of us who has ever felt lost in our own lives a way to find the stability, balance, and resilience we need to bounce back and take control of our futures. Readers will thank Plumb for a beautiful story and her generous and honest insights about relationships, how important it is to set boundaries, heal past wounds, and to let those we love and trust come close to us once again.


Dr. Shelley Plumb is a podiatric physician, video coach, prominent speaker, and Executive Producer at PlumbTalk Productions.

200 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 2020

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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Profile Image for Cristie Underwood.
2,270 reviews66 followers
April 11, 2020
The author's emotional journey takes place on the day of her grandmother's funeral, as she is inundated with memories of the major events of her life while on her property. Her feeling of being lost and unsettled are relatable and the author does a great job of conveying the way that she was able to make sense and find peace with her memories and heal.
Profile Image for David.
Author 96 books682 followers
August 15, 2020
Engaging, insightful and authentic. Shelley has come through the darkest experiences, but instead of becoming crushed and embittered, she has used these to bounce back. As anyone who knows Shelley will attest, she is one of the most vibrant and generous individuals, using her unique talents to share love and compassion in the most practical of ways. Inspiring and highly recommended!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews

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