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Speaking Your Truth: Courageous Stories from Inspiring Women
What's Your Truth? Self-Discovery, FamilyMatters, Health and Healing, Love andAbuse, Finding Your Path, or Faith and Spirituality?Whatever you have experienced or wherever your path has taken you - youcan create the life that you truly desire. That's the message of these courageousstories from inspiring women. Many of them are much like you, who have stoodin their personal power, overcome challenges, setbacks, and heartache to findthemselves stepping into their path of love, healing, and purpose.Their stories provide inspiration and heartfelt truths, some of which have neverbeen told before, to empower other women to step into their greatness and live alife with grace, purpose, and joy.In this book you will gain valuable insights How speaking your own truth will set you free* The transformation journey into self-love and self-healing* Why your past doesn't have to be your future* Understanding the choices you make and where they'll take you* And Much More!Can you Speak Your Truth? Absolutely.This book will show you how!
- GenresNonfiction
248 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2010
About the author
Lisa J. Shultz
15 books94 followersWrites to connect, inspire and empower. Addicted to reading! Loves to share authentic life experience in her books.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 31, 2011
This motivational women’s anthology holds 49 heartfelt stories told by 49 courageous women. The topics include healing, love, family matters, faith, spirituality, self-discovery and creativity. Each story contains a message meant to empower and encourage other woman to reach out and speak their truths.
I am one of the 49 contributors! My essay titled, CREATIVE AWAKENING, is about my evolution as a writer and how I learned to honor my creativity through life's ups and downs as a young woman, wife and mother. Here is an excerpt from my story:
“…I had a sense my writing was getting better. It took me a while to realize, but as I revisited my old stories I noticed vast improvement. As a result of my willingness to open up and share my work, I had changed and grown. I realized as a self-taught writer I needed the guidance, wisdom and viewpoints of other people. Advice, suggestion and constructive criticism were my instruments for learning.”
Creator Lisa Shultz and co-creator Andrea Costantine were the visionaries for this project. They are currently working on a second edition of Speaking Your Truth, scheduled for release summer 2011!
I am one of the 49 contributors! My essay titled, CREATIVE AWAKENING, is about my evolution as a writer and how I learned to honor my creativity through life's ups and downs as a young woman, wife and mother. Here is an excerpt from my story:
“…I had a sense my writing was getting better. It took me a while to realize, but as I revisited my old stories I noticed vast improvement. As a result of my willingness to open up and share my work, I had changed and grown. I realized as a self-taught writer I needed the guidance, wisdom and viewpoints of other people. Advice, suggestion and constructive criticism were my instruments for learning.”
Creator Lisa Shultz and co-creator Andrea Costantine were the visionaries for this project. They are currently working on a second edition of Speaking Your Truth, scheduled for release summer 2011!
October 1, 2010
Reviewed by Jane K. Andrews
Speaking Your Truth, subtitled Courageous Stories from Inspiring Women, compiled by Lisa Schultz and Andrea Constantine, and illustrated by Janice Earhart, is the kind of collection I could give as a gift to several female friends. They would appreciate the first person accounts of other women who have overcome economic and educational deprivation, as well as substance abuse, spousal abuse, and what seems to be an epidemic of dissatisfaction with well-paying, but soulless positions in corporate America. Most of the women contributing to this book are listed at the end of their offerings as healers, coaches, spiritual directors, or artists of some stripe. Just the kind of people you might guess would take the road less traveled and then establish themselves as landmarks in the MapQuest search for fulfillment and self-actualization. Janice Earhart’s drawings at the beginning of each chapter are jaunty and engaging.
Our resident author Ginny Martin Fleming, who lives in Wake Forest wrote, “Royal Warrior Goddess.” This piece is about the author creating an inspiring image of a princess warrior goddess on a white plastic mask while she attended a women’s retreat. This mask symbolizes clarity, truth and compassion. We learn later on that Ginny suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia as a young mother. These diseases take their toll on their victims not only through insomnia, physical and mental pain, but also through social apathy. Usually the sufferer doesn’t look like she’s suffering, so many times, family and acquaintances might judge that the victim’s disease is “all in her head.” This only adds to the victim’s emotional pain. But through yoga, meditation, journaling and other healing practices Ginny was able to manage her condition. Ginny’s story is very personal yet universal. Through the details she recounts about her warrior goddess and the other trinkets, she reminded me of the many icons and do-dads I keep on my desk to help me create and write.
Despite the title, “The Power of Positive Thinking”, I found the content of Ginny Brannon's story very inspiring. She reports life with her schizophrenic mother, being sexually molested, and the positive influence of her grandmother with a matter of fact understatement. She credits Norman Vincent Peale with her ability to look on the bright side and wring the best out of any situation, no matter how difficult. It seems to have worked well for her, and her experience resonates more effectively with a modern audience than anything by Dr. Peale. Ms. Brannon is a natural resources lawyer.
The other account I found especially affecting was “Knowing My Roots and Planting My Trees.” Kelly M. Calton's meditation on how her small town, mid-western values inform her perception and practice in accounting, bookkeeping, and human resources seem genuine. She expresses a deep understanding of the trust and intimacy involved in dealing with other people's finances.
Back to my female friends who might receive Speaking Your Truth from me for Christmas. For them, the example of women who can publicly own their recovery from various traumas, could provide just the nudge my friends have been waiting for. Somewhere in the six sections, ranging from “Self-Discovery” to “Faith and Spirituality”, to “Finding Your Own Path”, they will discover a familiar story with an empowered outcome. That story, I hope, and the authors and editors hope, will give the recipients the impetus to re-write their own stories with a happy ending.
Speaking Your Truth, subtitled Courageous Stories from Inspiring Women, compiled by Lisa Schultz and Andrea Constantine, and illustrated by Janice Earhart, is the kind of collection I could give as a gift to several female friends. They would appreciate the first person accounts of other women who have overcome economic and educational deprivation, as well as substance abuse, spousal abuse, and what seems to be an epidemic of dissatisfaction with well-paying, but soulless positions in corporate America. Most of the women contributing to this book are listed at the end of their offerings as healers, coaches, spiritual directors, or artists of some stripe. Just the kind of people you might guess would take the road less traveled and then establish themselves as landmarks in the MapQuest search for fulfillment and self-actualization. Janice Earhart’s drawings at the beginning of each chapter are jaunty and engaging.
Our resident author Ginny Martin Fleming, who lives in Wake Forest wrote, “Royal Warrior Goddess.” This piece is about the author creating an inspiring image of a princess warrior goddess on a white plastic mask while she attended a women’s retreat. This mask symbolizes clarity, truth and compassion. We learn later on that Ginny suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia as a young mother. These diseases take their toll on their victims not only through insomnia, physical and mental pain, but also through social apathy. Usually the sufferer doesn’t look like she’s suffering, so many times, family and acquaintances might judge that the victim’s disease is “all in her head.” This only adds to the victim’s emotional pain. But through yoga, meditation, journaling and other healing practices Ginny was able to manage her condition. Ginny’s story is very personal yet universal. Through the details she recounts about her warrior goddess and the other trinkets, she reminded me of the many icons and do-dads I keep on my desk to help me create and write.
Despite the title, “The Power of Positive Thinking”, I found the content of Ginny Brannon's story very inspiring. She reports life with her schizophrenic mother, being sexually molested, and the positive influence of her grandmother with a matter of fact understatement. She credits Norman Vincent Peale with her ability to look on the bright side and wring the best out of any situation, no matter how difficult. It seems to have worked well for her, and her experience resonates more effectively with a modern audience than anything by Dr. Peale. Ms. Brannon is a natural resources lawyer.
The other account I found especially affecting was “Knowing My Roots and Planting My Trees.” Kelly M. Calton's meditation on how her small town, mid-western values inform her perception and practice in accounting, bookkeeping, and human resources seem genuine. She expresses a deep understanding of the trust and intimacy involved in dealing with other people's finances.
Back to my female friends who might receive Speaking Your Truth from me for Christmas. For them, the example of women who can publicly own their recovery from various traumas, could provide just the nudge my friends have been waiting for. Somewhere in the six sections, ranging from “Self-Discovery” to “Faith and Spirituality”, to “Finding Your Own Path”, they will discover a familiar story with an empowered outcome. That story, I hope, and the authors and editors hope, will give the recipients the impetus to re-write their own stories with a happy ending.
November 22, 2014
Wow, if you are looking for inspiring stories by women for women, this book is a great read!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews