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A Captivating Tour Behind the Camera on Some of Hollywood's Most Beloved FilmsTales from the Pumpkin King's Cameraman is a thrilling and entertaining memoir that relates the behind-the-scenes on some of the most renowned cult classic films ever produced including The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, and Star Wars. Author and long-time cinematographer, Pete Kozachik writes about his personal experience working as a cameraman alongside some of the most acclaimed directors and producers including Tim Burton and Henry Selick. Exclusive Look. With a career spanning nearly four decades as director of photography specializing in stop-motion and filming model trick recordings, Kozachik compellingly combines his extensive expertise with his funny and colloquial prose to enchant readers in this inside look into the film industry. With insightful and technical details juxtaposed with the author's personal interludes about filmmaking, the memoir also includes a collection of rare photographs, both in front and behind the camera on sets including: ¿ The Nightmare Before Christmas¿ Corpse Bride¿ James and the Giant Peach¿ Coraline¿ The Matrix Reloaded Lights, camera, action. Kozachik's autobiography is filled with personal observations and unique anecdotes sure to inspire and educate. With great intimacy, Kozachik offers a divulging tour off camera for the very first time.

A loud blast in the early morning shakes a neighborhood and alarms a community. An unthinkable tragedy has occurred: an explosion at a chemical plant has left workers dead and the son of a state senator missing. Plant management, emboldened by powerful political allies, scrambles to hide the real cause. It's up to Jon Barrett, a new investigator for the government, to discover the truth. Haunted by his role in an earlier fatal accident, he struggles to find the courage to fight for answers.Along the way, he meets beleaguered plant employees desperate to toe the company line, an eccentric environmentalist with secrets of her own, a television news crew itching for something bigger, and a victim's family painstakingly reconstructing their lives. As Jon weaves together the evidence, he learns that the flaw that led to this tragedy is in plants throughout the country, and if he can't fix it in time, more people will die. But as he closes in on the facts, tries to save workers, and attempts to get justice for those who died, he also learns just how far the company will go to destroy him and stop his incriminating investigation.

Wealthy fourth-year medical student Jack is miserable and mean. An elderly patient, seeking her long-lost lover, is about to send him on the journey that will change his life.Aimless Jack Maizel is a slovenly medical student who is unlikeable, arrogant, and slightly manic. Persuaded by his influential parents to pursue a medical career, he cannot hide his contempt for the profession and even for some of his neediest patients. His classmate, Ahgri, a well-mannered and gentlemanly former Tanzanian mountain guide and coffee plantation worker, is an unlikely best friend.When Maizel begins a month-long clinical rotation on the first day of September in 1982 with a hospital admission work-up for elderly and soft-spoken Mildred Dixon, he has no intention of doing any more than he has to. As the month goes by, she recounts a tender and passionate romance with a young U.S. Army Air Force lieutenant headed off to bombing runs over Germany. She appeals to Jack for help in her last wish of finding the love of her life again.As the days run out on September, Mildred and Ahgri's collective wit and Mildred's touching plea eventually lead Maizel to a life-altering experience. The astonishing twist that ignites a path for Maizel's future will leave readers with a poignant lesson on how we learn to live and love. Dwinnells's memorable characters and his message of hope, kindness, forgiveness, and redemption will appeal to readers across genres.Ronald Dwinnells is the author of the Axiom Gold Medal-winning leadership book, Don't Pick Up All the Dog Hairs.

Discover the model that helps you become an effective leader and grow leadership skills in others.Leadership doesn't happen in a vacuum. It arises to fill a need of the leader's constituents. So often people feel they are missing the keys to effective leadership. And that can be because they lack clarity about what motivates and inspires people into action.In Growing Confident Leaders, AJ Josefowitz distills his leadership expertise into a simple, yet powerful model that anyone can use to improve their leadership skills or develop future leaders. Centered on the relationship between leaders and their constituents, the model shows how leaders can tap into the core motivators of meaning, hope, and trust to meet goals, generate creativity, and enhance accountability.AJ Josefowitz is a leadership development consultant, coach, and trainer with a PhD in educational psychology. After decades developing leaders in the corporate arena, AJ now dedicates his time to teaching and consulting the next generation of leaders.

From domestic duplicity to diplomatic double-crosses, the nanny spies of Norwood have their hands fullIn this thrilling and twisty follow-up to author Monica McGurk's critically acclaimed The Agency, protagonist Bree and her fellow nanny spies from the Norwood Agency --an independent global spy ring fronting as a British college for aspiring nannies to the elite -- race against the clock to locate the children kidnapped under her watch during their first inauspicious mission in Turkey. Distrusting each other and facing betrayal at every turn, the trio's search leads them to the shocking truth about orphaned Bree's dead parents and the mission that got them killed when she was still a baby.Taut and thrilling, The Handler shows what happens when the young women of Norwood Agency exploit stereotypes and weaponize domesticity to influence international events. In doing so, it plumbs motherhood, intergenerational family drama, and the difficult choices facing modern women against a backdrop of some of the greatest diplomatic events of recent history. A portrait of loss and regret wrapped up as a feminist twist on the spy genre, The Handler will leave readers asking themselves, like Bree: just what are they prepared to do in the pursuit of truth?

Explore the enormous opportunities and benefits of multigenerational living in this essential guide to the modern American family.This inventive guide to multigenerational living arrives at a crucial time, as families cope with the stresses of a changing society and the tidal wave of baby boomer retirement. This book about the American family of today offers solutions, guidance, and assistance from three authors who bring their different experiences and expertise to this presentation of the challenges, realities, and benefits of multigenerational living. Under One Roof explores the current state of the American family, including fast-rising life expectancies, the growing costs of elder care, the increasing need for childcare, the frustrating lack of affordable housing, and the new familial disconnectedness. In response, this timely book also examines: ¿ designing communities and homes to accommodate a fast-graying America, ¿ the positives of elders providing childcare, ¿ handling relationships with aging parents, ¿ privacy, space, and communication issues within multigenerational living situations, ¿ the evolution of the American healthcare system, hiring home caregivers, increasing the ability to comfort in hospice, and ¿ dealing with the death of a loved one. Under One Roof will bring you inspiration and exciting opportunities for invention as you and your modern American family tackle the challenges of the twenty-first century.

Sometimes it's good to have your head in the stars.Quinn Knight, a new sixth-grader at Hill Springs Middle School in Central Texas, has always been a little different. Not only is she an astrophotographer who battles chronic migraine headaches, she's recently discovered that the stars-the Pleiades constellation, to be exact-are trying to tell her something. Someone is threatening Quinn's older sister, eighth-grade social butterfly Vivica, and Quinn realizes the clever constellation is revealing the clues she needs to save her sister! But she can't let anyone know she's having cosmic conversations-making it in middle school is hard enough as it is-so Quinn keeps the secret message-sending stars under wraps. Soon, Quinn and her new friends, Tiya and Xavier, are hot on the trail of Vivica's mysterious tormentor. But sometimes, there are more questions than answers written in the stars. Will Quinn's "artistic scientist" powers of observation and creative thinking be enough to solve the case, or will Vivica's nemesis knock her off her social throne in epic fashion? Join Quinn and her quirky family and friends to find out if the stars will align in this exhilarating mystery of cosmic proportions.

Are you anticipating midlife with excitement? Are you also wondering "What's Next?"Midlife is a time for adventures and great, new opportunities, but it can also present uncertainty and challenges. Do you have questions about what lies ahead and about how to make the most of the good things to come and meet the difficult ones head on? You're not alone. Eileen Caroscio, Sandy Demarest, and Paul Ward-three well-known thought leaders in the field of second half of life navigation and positive living-have answers in Midlife, New Life: Living Consciously in Midlife and Beyond.If we adopt a living consciously approach to the future, decisions about major life and work transitions can be made with confidence. The Midlife, New Life team brings their expertise, experiences, research findings, and wisdom to bear in this engaging, friendly, and comprehensive guide. They share life lessons and insights and provide practical tools and resources to help you plan and prepare for your journey. Their guidance will help you find meaning and purpose, stay engaged and healthy, support your cognitive functioning, enhance your support network, work for a living and for fulfillment, savor the world, and give back.This transformative book will-¿encourage you to reflect on what tips and resources (not just financial ones) resonate with you and which ones you want to try¿inspire, educate, and encourage you about what to expect and how to optimally approach midlife for a fulfilling life journey¿provide strategies and purposeful practices to support life and work transitions¿share wisdom from those who have walked the road aheadMidlife, New Life showcases what can happen when we talk to each other and have purposeful conversations that matter. Coming together, sharing conversation, sharing wisdom is part of this valuable book's process. The authors of Midlife, New Life share their philosophy: "The power of conversation, curiosity, connection, and common goals of helping others navigate the second half of life brought us into collaborative relationship in writing a book and pulling all of our expertise together in a creative, fun project for the common good."Chapters and Themes1. Exploring Purposefully (finding meaning and purpose in how you live your life)2. Living Well (how to support all your key well-being factors) 3. Appreciating Money4. Working for a Living5. Working for Fulfillment6. Savoring the World7. Living Life Creatively8. Minding Relationships9. Helping Humanity (giving back in diverse ways that match your interests and concerns)10. Living with Technology (how you can use technology to help you live optimally)11. Bouncing Forward (the art of building up your resilience for bumps in the road)

Are you living your dream?The clock is ticking. With each passing minute, a lifelong goal remains buried, an aspiration evaporates. Years pass. And you are not living the dream. You're living an accidental life.This book is the secret to activating your goals and changing your life. Using the science of neuroplasticity, inspiring personal stories, and a host of proven tools and resources, author and life coach Bryce Chapman lays out the transformational power of waking each morning at 5 am and deciding to take charge of your life.A husband, father of four, and owner of several businesses at age thirty-nine, Bryce realized that his world was imploding from stress and that he had ignored his dreams for way too long. He decided to rebuild his life, but the process was not straightforward. It was a challenge that would see him experiment for more than a decade and a half until the formula was perfected. Now he shares with you his practical, actionable process to design your world, including your health and fitness, business, wealth, and dreams, to live a life of purpose.

A Multilayered Story of the Tragedy, Triumph, and Peculiarity of New OrleansAmid the infection of urban decay and fatuous political causes, mischief looms in the New Orleans neighborhood of Gentilly Terrace. A newly elected tax assessor, Jerry Sonthonax, is burdened with gambling debts and childcare payments and in desperate need of cash. After receiving a tip that a family-owned Vietnamese grocery store in his district is running an illegal lottery, Jerry sees an opportunity for financial salvation and enlists the services of an opportunistic political insider to teach him the gentle art of extortion.Meanwhile, FBI Agent Margot Hoang finds herself increasingly smitten with a local police officer even as she is assigned to surveil the same lottery-running grocery store that is thriving in her childhood neighborhood.And Lecky Calloway, a henpecked middle-aged lawyer married to the wealthy scion of an old New Orleans family, determines that he's ready to experiment with his suppressed sexuality while trying to support his daughter as she undergoes addiction recovery.The paths of these characters intersect when a tragic crime at the grocery store irrevocably alters their lives. Weaving a fascinating, complex political crime story full of keen satire, petty struggles, and crooked public servants, The Prophets of Gentilly Terrace depicts life on the gritty streets of a once-grandiose city.

Technology-driven change is accelerating at an exponential rate, but moving fast in the wrong direction will only get you into trouble faster! Reacting to problems and digital disruptions, no matter how agile you and your organization are, is no longer good enough.The Anticipatory Organization teaches you how to separate the Hard Trends that will happen, from the Soft Trends that might happen, allowing you to jump ahead with low risk and the confidence certainty can provide. Accelerate innovation and actively shape the future-before someone else does it for you!Digital transformation has divided us all into two camps: the disruptor and the disrupted. The Anticipatory Organization gives you the tools you need to see disruption before it happens, allowing you to turn change into advantage. In The Anticipatory Organization, Burrus shows us that the future is far more certain than we realize, and finding certainty in an uncertain world provides a big advantage for those who know how and where to look for it.Inspired by the dramatic results that organizations are experiencing from his award-winning learning system, The Anticipatory Organization offers a comprehensive way to identify game-changing opportunities. Using the principles of this proven model, you will learn how to elevate planning, accelerate innovation, and transform results by pinpointing and acting upon enormous opportunities waiting to be discovered.Readers will learn how to:¿Separate the Hard Trends that will happen from the Soft Trends that might happen¿Anticipate disruptions, problems, and game-changing opportunities¿Identify and pre-solve predictable problems ¿Accelerate innovation (both everyday innovation and exponential innovation) ¿Pinpoint and act upon enormous untapped opportunities ¿Skip problems and barriers to succeed faster

Reclaim your relationship with painThis may look like a book on the surface, but it's more of an experiential journey filled with relatable stories, original music, coloring book pages, irreverent humor, lessons for healing, and most of all, hope. With this book as your guide, you are invited to show up as the brave, badass woman you already are and challenge your past, current, and future experiences with brokenness. Through the lens of Lindsey, you will experience a paradigm shift as you learn how to grapple with all that life throws at you. If you're a pain magnet buried in overwhelm and exhaustion, suffocated by shame, stress, and guilt, this book is for you. Not Another Self-Help Book is for imperfect women who desperately want to reimagine their relationship with pain in all its forms. Flipping the script on the unhelpful notion that everything happens for a reason, Lindsey's words will revolutionize the way you see heartbreak, trauma, conflict, rejection, and humiliation. Gaining awareness that pain is the greatest teacher, you will learn how life isn't happening to you, it's happening for you. It's about damn time to ramp up your search for relief, start making sense of what you've seen, and dig out of the hole you can't seem to get out of, no matter what you try.Lindsey Kane Leaverton has authored over 100 original songs, traveled the world sharing unforgettable stories, and out of sheer desperation during Covid found a way to completely reframe the way she interacts with life's shit. Reading this book will feel a lot like having cocktails with an old friend who makes you belly laugh. You may have tried everything under the sun, read all the self-help books on the planet, and given into the notion that maybe life will always be this hard. Don't give up before the miracle. This is not just another self-help book. You'll see . . .

A must-read for all middle market company leadersIn Completing the Deal, investment banker, founder, and author Matt Andersen brings us a must-read for all middle market company leaders. The wisdom found in this book comes from decades of experience, accomplishments, and the lessons Matt has learned along the way, and it is built on foundational principles of capital raising and M&A transactions. In this valuable book, Mr. Andersen shares the wealth of knowledge he's gleaned from operating with middle market businesses and their unique challenges and opportunities in the capital markets.

The greatest battles we face are with ourselvesIn You vs You, author Todd Cahill starts with a simple premise: As people strive for any improvement in their lives-whether it's more income, a better relationship, a promotion, a bigger business, or a better body-the most important battles they will face are against themselves. People invite problems into their lives through poor choices, apathy, indecision, arrogance, anxiety, selfishness, and other traits they would rather not discuss but must be addressed.In this valuable book, Cahill shares what he has learned about these battles that either keep people from success and significance or usher them to victory. As a life coach and leadership trainer, he has taught thousands of people these lessons, and many of them are now experiencing a level of personal achievement, relational abundance, and financial freedom they never thought possible. People often self-sabotage if they're not mindful, wise, and willing. Cahill reinforces the idea that readers can choose today to fight against who they once were (or are) and become who they are made to be. You vs You is about that choice and the challenging, rewarding quest that ensues.

Transforming the Understanding of CancerAccording to the critiques, this book will fundamentally change how you see cancer-and perhaps even life itself. Dr. Jarle Breivik (MD, PhD, EdD) is internationally recognized for his evolutionary approach to cancer. His thought-provoking articles in the New York Times, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, and EMBO Reports have stimulated profound debates about cancer research, health policies, and science communication. His ideas on cancer have been featured in Wired Magazine, Science Daily, and twice in Scientific American. The arguments are always firmly rooted in science, presented in clear language, and accessible to all.Cancer is often associated with death. But it is also very much about life. It is about the basic principles of biology, the intricate dynamics of living organisms, body and soul, tears and love, culture, politics, and money. Making Sense of Cancer takes you on a journey that explores cancer in the light of evolution-but not just in the traditional sense. Evolution occurs within our bodies, in our brains, and in society, and Dr. Breivik presents an integrated understanding that draws lines from molecular genetics to existential questions about longevity and the future of our civilization.We are in the midst of an extraordinary technological revolution. The merger of biotechnology and artificial intelligence poses an existential challenge, and the solution to cancer may not be the cure most people envision. Can we eliminate the disease and still be human?

You're going to get knocked down. Getting back up is what counts.Meet Tom O'Brien-disciplined, motivated, the star of his 1965 high school football team, and about to be recruited by Ohio State. But when Tom gets injured and is unable to play, he finds himself at a crossroads during a turbulent time in American history. With increasing self-doubt and uncertainty, he tries to reconcile the loss of a dream with the search for a new purpose.Tom journeys through a sharply divided country, from suburban Ohio and Kent State to Hawaii, Los Angeles, and beyond. He protests the Vietnam War, engages in intellectual debates, and experiments with different ways of life, reinventing not only his identity but also the values that shape his existence.Robert Johns's debut novel follows one young man's search for meaning, delving deep into the burgeoning counterculture, political upheaval, and generational divides that mark the late '60s and early '70s. O'Brien's Broken Play is an intensely human story of reframing the All-American dream and embracing an alternative fate.

Almost no one goes into a marriage expecting to get divorced. But if you find yourself on the brink of parting ways with your spouse, it's best to be prepared. Long-time family law attorney Paul Nelson has seen (in his clients) and felt (personally) the pain of divorce and, with this book, seeks to help you prepare for and navigate the legal landscape of splitting up.Filled with practical advice, history, interesting facts, real-world stories, and even viewpoints from other experts, The Dissolution Solution is an informative guidebook for anyone going through one of the most difficult processes couples can face. Topics include, among many others:¿ How smart planning can help you avoid going to trial¿ How to choose the best attorney for your situation¿ How to navigate property and child custody laws¿ How to best present your case and yourself to win in court¿ How to protect and support your kids through the divorce process¿ What happens after your divorceIf you've found yourself in the tough situation of having to dissolve your marriage, this book is an indispensable guide to helping you come through with the best possible outcome.

A story of survival and hope in the face of a debilitating illnessWhen thirteen-year-old Rachel Leland fell in a soccer game, she had no idea that her life was about to change forever. A seemingly simple injury to her wrist led to an outbreak of inexplicable, debilitating pain throughout her body, leaving her bedridden and needing a wheelchair. This set Rachel and her mother, Dorothy, on a quest to find relief from her agonizing symptoms. Refusing to accept the opinions of doctors who either claimed that she was "faking it" or that nothing could be done, Rachel at last found a diagnosis: chronic Lyme disease.Rachel and her family were forced into a wildly different reality of long-distance doctor appointments, battles with unsupportive school and health-care systems, and daily doses of IV medications. Throughout the ordeal, Rachel's mental health deteriorated as well, landing the teenager in a psychiatric hospital.Based on the journal Rachel kept during her years battling Lyme and depression, this raw memoir chronicles Rachel's journey to becoming the strong, healthy woman she is today. Interspersed with Dorothy's insights, Finding Resilience is an unflinchingly honest and inspiring account of the struggles and triumphs they experienced together.

Barbara Walker's world was turned upside down by her son Jim's birth defect.Left to her own devices in the early years, Barbara struggles with grief from the loss of the expected "normal child" and battles self-defeating thoughts. Demoralizing encounters with medical professionals and insensitive remarks about Jim's face leave mother and child feeling vulnerable. They struggle with self-blame and fight against dark thoughts.Over time they encounter and endure new doctors, multiple surgeries with disappointing results, and peers who taunt and bully. Gradually, Jim and Barbara empower themselves in their own ways, protest dismissive treatment, and become strong advocates for themselves. Jim proves to himself he can handle the world on his own after a successful 400-mile solo bike trip. As he ages into a young adult, Barbara frees herself from her own worries and drawing on her experiences, shapes a career as a counseling psychologist so that she can address the needs of parents of children with birth defects and disabilities. Jim also develops a successful career, a loving partnership, and a settled relationship with his cleft palate.Then, prompted by an invitation from her 45-year-old son to "share our story," mother and son embark on an unflinching account of their personal and shared experiences, their often-differing memories, and how they dealt with and learned from his cleft lip and palate birth defect.Entwined with Barbara's narrative of her mothering experience, Jim's poems shine a light on a teenager's struggle, and both discover that this candid sharing of private challenges has taken them to a deeper parent-child relationship.For children with birth defects, the message of this powerful, tender, and truthful book is "You are not alone; hardship is not ruinous; a full life is yours even if your hopes are not completely realized."

The continued quest for financial balanceThe one factor that weighs most on investor peace of mind is balance. It seems like such a simple premise-just a comfortable, equitable relationship between elements. We seek it in every area of our lives-between work and rest, between health and indulgence, between being aggressive and being passive. But balance isn't always easy to find or choose-especially when it comes to money. Somehow a lot of people have a much harder time saying no to risky investments than they do to an extra slice of cake or one too many cocktails-even though the fallout of one terrible investment mistake can last a lifetime.Here's the bare-bones truth: If you are an investor, somewhere along the line you need to get settled with the way you manage your assets, finding the balance that allows you to both achieve gains and be at ease with your strategy. If you don't, you'll end up an emotional mess-always looking back, wondering what if, bogged down with regret. You could spend years chasing and losing. That's not just a worst-case scenario-it's a reality I see investors living every day.In Stay Rich with a Balanced Portfolio, Ted Oakley explores the concepts and strategies every investor should consider in the continuous quest for financial balance and the confidence that comes with it.

There were always two options: the closet or under the bed.In the 1960s, young Jenkins and his sister, Jill are trying to grow up in a dusty, hardscrabble area a few miles out from a one-stoplight town in the American southwest. It's a long bus ride through farmland to school where both children put on brave faces to cover up for the nights they suffer at the hands of their violent, alcoholic father, to whom they refer as the Devil. In his drunken rampages, he regularly beats Jenkins, Jill, and their mother, smashes up the shabby dwelling that serves as their home, and then retreats to his bedroom, his chamber of horrors. As they grow into adolescence, Jill copes by focusing on doing well in school so that she can get out as soon as she can, as Jenkins is sucked into a life of truancy and increasing violence. While contemplating eventual revenge on his father, Jenkins must decide how to handle people and situations whose evil and cruelty will test ordinary readers' imaginations. The realities of the lives of Jenkins and Jill are not unfamiliar to author Justin Jones, who has firsthand experience in the juvenile and adult justice systems. The Devil's Smokehouse is an unvarnished story of the ravages of rural poverty and an unsparing look at one boy managing to triumph against crushing odds."A work of fiction inspired by the author's childhood, The Devil's Smokehouse is the inspiring, painful, exhilarating, disturbing, and at times hilarious journey of a child survivor. One who must cross a line in order to keep surviving. Jones weaves plot twists that are fantastical but believable, as only a survivor could."-Fury Young, founder of Die Jim Crow Records"It's a struggle to survive childhood, and that's the conundrum faced by Jenkins, the narrator of Justin Jones's coming-of-age mystery novel, The Devil's Smokehouse. Jenkins underrates the prevalence of evil in his hometown, an impoverished rural community in the middle of the country. Everyone knows everyone in this hamlet where even the local pervert's identity is an open secret. As he matures, Jenkins uncovers more dark secrets, learning that the twisting threads of big-city drug culture have a stranglehold on some local powerbrokers. Even his own road to nowhere takes an unexpected turn. The Devil's Smokehouse is a page-turner that is hard to put down."-Sue Hinton, retired English professor, Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC)"Justin Jones captures the raw essence of humanity in all its beauty and grit. Characters leap from the page with intensity, as they grapple with love, violence, loss, and redemption. Instantly compelling, Jones's writing is full of wisdom and depth as it goes to people's darkest struggles, and also their most glorious moments of triumph."-Royal Young, author of Fame Shark

"Folks say evil can't cross water," she told the boy, "which is why islands is ripe with all kinds'a inbred nastiness."Sweetpatch Island, South Carolina, 1971. For young Boo Taylor it's a land of lush salt marshes and sun-soaked beaches, rich in history and folklore-yet steeped in superstition and hiding a terrifying secret.After twenty years of self-imposed exile, Boo is summoned home to Sweetpatch upon news of his father's strange death to face the friends and enemies of his youth, including his long-forsaken love. It seems everything he ran away from-the bigotry, the violence, the betrayal-has been buried under a modern landscape of golf courses and luxury hotels. Yet his homecoming reawakens the ancient forces that haunt the island and seek to right a centuries-old crime.Scott Fad's Southern Gothic masterwork, King of Nod, layers time and secrets in an intricate pattern of half-truths and glimpses of redemption to unravel the island's great mystery-and its inexorable connection to Boo's own fate.

A cosmic tripMeet Stella, a widowed English teacher who's still grappling with the loss of her husband. And then there's Andrew, a disillusioned New York City executive who's ready for a change, a more soul-satisfying life. When a mysterious childhood friend reaches out for help, Stella and Andrew must explore new depths within the universe and within themselves to come to her aid.What begins as a quest to save an alien species that has been hiding on Earth for decades becomes a mission to save humanity from its ignorance-a mutual exchange of resources, technology, and cosmic consciousness. But how can two such vastly different species communicate? The answer lies in the mind-expanding power of mushrooms. With the help of psilocybin, Stella discovers the universe within-the profound connections that can be made when she opens her mind to the vast possibilities of the universe.As Stella and Andrew help the aliens return home, they must also confront their own fears and find the courage to forge a new path forward, together-a path that leads to unrivaled love and rebellious adventure.

Escapa al estilo Matrix del endeudamiento estudiantilEn su nuevo libro, Dave Shutler analiza doce supuestos erróneos sobre la obtención de una educación superior y muestra cómo pueden conducir a una deuda universitaria debilitante. Haciendo una analogía con las dos realidades de las películas de Matrix, revela hechos subyacentes sobre las suposiciones de los estudiantes de bachillerato y sus padres.En este valioso libro, Shutler muestra que, mediante la planificación, los estudiantes pueden tomar las riendas de su educación y escapar de la matriz de costos universitarios en constante aumento.

A blueprint for digital transformationEffective marketing is both art and science-a beautiful combination of data, intuition, and empathy. In Holistic Marketing, you will discover how to create a high-performing demand-generation engine that changes the conversation about marketing's contribution to organizational value in a gripping and comprehensive review.Today, "digital transformation" can mean any number of things, but there is a gap in the literature. There is no how-to book that takes on the task of clearly defining the process, the personnel, and the technology required to successfully transform an organization. In Holistic Marketing, Locher draws on his decades of experience as a marketing leader to provide an instruction manual for marketing professionals to transform their teams and transcend dated expectations as companies evolve from start-up to scale-up and beyond.Holistic Marketing represents a new era in marketing, an evolved state where data-driven decision-making supplants guesses to create a predictable, accountable, and transparent engine of growth that delivers maximum impact.

Burying the Pawn is the story of three unconventional people facing the challenges of learning disabilities and mental health issues in America. Zeb, Kiara, and Leo have all suffered in their own ways but are determined not to let their struggles define them. As they mature from lonely and confused children into headstrong adults, they still face obstacles but seek to make a difference in a society that often overlooks those who learn differently.Zeb, a floundering adventure tour operator, wants to live a big, consequential life but is held back by his ADHD. Kiara, a disbarred psychologist and former soccer star, yearns to be a better person but seemingly lacks empathy for others, despite her auditory processing disorder, scoliosis, and Trinidadian immigrant heritage. Leo, a Venezuelan-born investment banker who suffers from anxiety, wants to make his family proud and repay his adopted country, but his mistreatment of Zeb, Kiara, and others might tank his chances. Individually, they struggle to keep their lives from unraveling, but their paths converge in the university town of Chapel Hill as they confront one of America's most pressing social problems-a broken education system that leaves students with learning differences behind. With tenacity and passion, they work to change the system and give others like them a chance to succeed.At times joyful and other times heartbreaking, Burying the Pawn is a story about persistence, friendship, redemption, and taking control of your own destiny. Along the way, it offers a nuanced picture of the ways our education system fails students who learn differently and what can be done about it.Proceeds from the book will benefit the University of North Carolina Learning Center and Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities.

From a young age, Layla Salek has experienced some people as colors-her mother brown, her father green, her husband rainbow. As she notes, sometimes, when words fail, colors speak.Chaos in Color is the captivating story of Layla's journey from childhood to adulthood with a mother who suffered from untreated bipolar disorder. Each chapter paints a vivid, heartbreaking picture of the abuse, neglect, and trauma that she experienced as she grew up at the mercy of her mother's bipolar swings, an incompetent mental health system, and the strangers with whom she was often left. But dissipating those times of darkness were moments of love, joy, and happiness that she felt while being cared for by others in her life. These moments inspired her to start her own family, complete a doctorate in psychology, and work with children with mental illness and severe behavior disorders.Layla's story traces how personal and familial trauma is carried into adulthood and how it can be released through forgiveness. This honest, provocative memoir offers a relatable account for others who have experienced similar trauma, as well as hope for healing and a future full of light.

Transforming the unexpected into a legacy of loveWe all have a story, and underneath it lies a universal story. Donna Shin-Ward, licensed Clinical Pastoral Counselor and Holistic Wellness Coach, shares her life journey as a guide to moving through grief and trauma, especially related to narcissistic emotional abuse. Through vibrant storytelling and poignant reflections, Donna explores how she navigated the storms-from cancer as a teenager to the turmoil of love and divorce, twice. Through many awakenings, she relied on her relationship with Jesus, who called her to a spiritual path at age nineteen and opened her heart to many facets of Divine Love. She believes that this Love is deeply invested in every pain and challenge that leads us to our growth into wholeness. Without this suffering, we cannot transcend to our next level of growth. Donna's insights from both a personal and psychological perspective can help you flow through and with this suffering, whatever the cause, and move into a state of graceful healing.Donna's story is a mirror to the universal experience of many people today. She invites you to embrace vibrant health and wholeness by speaking your hard truth to yourself first and surrendering to the opportunities for growth that come. May the offerings from her life and those teachers' whose wisdom she shares bring you to your own mystical moments of emancipation and grace.