Gutsy: Learning to Live with Bold, Brave, and Boundless Courage by Natalie Franke Book Review

 

In Gutsy, Natalie Franke guides readers on how to live courageously and to have the drive to go after what you want. She begins her photography business at 18 years old. She also used it as a way to help her make money during college. After she graduated, instead of following in the degree she got she kept pursing her photography business. She explained how others viewed it is as simple hobby. She still chose to go after her business even when they judged her for doing so. She was riding high when the depression hit her. She shared how she dealt with the loneliness of entrepreneurship and she started to connect with others. They formed a community called Rising Tide Society. They would meet and connect and they grew to 75,000 members and help other businesses. She opened up about how she discovered the number one reasons business fail to begin is because of other people’s opinions. We all want to avoid criticism and the look of disapprove from others. This is meant to help readers to push past the fears of what others are thinking about us. She calls readers to become more gutsy and this means, “marked by courage, pluck, and determination”. This will provide us with the confidence to step out and become the person that we want to be. 

 

 

 

In the book, she also revealed her struggle with infertility and undergoing IVF. When trying for her second child, they tried three round and they all failed. She was tired of the disappointment they faced and all of the doctor visits and shots. She recalled how she asked herself if this failed would she still be able to live with that. It did end up working and she became pregnant. Throughout this process, she revealed how she had to learn how to be brave and handle all of the challenges. She provided some of the ways in which she learned to deal with the possible of failure. 

 

 

A powerful chapter she looked at was the thing about opinions. She used a fox story in her neighborhood to compare all of the posts her neighbors made on her community message group about the fox. Some thought it was dangerous and others not so much. She shared how popular the post was at first until it went into irrelevance. Everyone has opinions and they aren’t always facts. She used a helpful chart enclosed in the book to assist readers into writing down their inner circle. This is meant to help us understand why we care so much about what this person believes about us. She will help readers to discern what feedback we need to take inside our hearts and which to remove. Every year she encouraged readers to take an audit of the content around us. 

 

 

I would recommend this inspiring book to anyone is ready to live gutsy and be courageous to live their own lives. I really enjoyed the topic of center of attention and how people aren’t always thinking about us like we tend to believe that they are. It was interesting to read about the different studies regarding the spotlight effect. We think they are constantly thinking about our imperfections, mistakes, and flaws and judging. I enjoyed the study of Tom Gilovich and how one person wear an embarrassing shirt and how only 25% could even remember the shirt. I especially loved how she explained in detail about how she was embarrassed in school and looking back at it today. No one but her would remember it. Memories tend to fade. I also liked the discussion on easing the word, “just” and changing the way that we talk about ourselves. This book is an awesome resource to use to break free from seeking the approval of others and their validation. 

 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Hachette Book Group/Faithwords for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Gutsy-Learning-Brave-Boundless-Courage/dp/1546015469/

Brave: A Teen Girl’s Guide to Beating Worry and Anxiety by Sissy Goff Book Review

In Brave, Sissy Goff explored the topic of worrying and dealing with our anxious thoughts. This book is geared and written to young teenage aged girls. It is revealed that 1 in 3 girls struggled with worrying. She shared how we struggle with rejection thoughts, not fitting in, getting sick and possibly getting cancer, someone harming us, failure, and fears in general. Sissy explained that many teenaged girls believe that there is something wrong with them and how that they are alone in how they feel. She looked at fear and how it turns into worry, then turns into full blown anxiety. Sissy is a MeD, LPC-MHSP and she is the director of child and adolescent at Daystar Counseling Ministries. She also looked at how some of the fear was passed down from her mother. Her mother provided her with a 24-inch rusted metal spike to shatter her window in case she went off a bridge and she had to use it to swim out. Her and her sister also got pepper spray every year for Christmas just in case they needed to use it. She revealed some of her own personal anxious and worries she felt and how she is a perfectionist. She shared some studies about how anxious is increasing and how technology is being linked to it. In the book, she also explored what worrying does to our body, mind, and heart. Then in the last section of the book, she looked at the hope we can have and how we can use scriptures to assist us in overcoming the troubles of the world. 

 

 

 

I liked how the book was enclosed in a bright shinny blue book will lure young girls into reading the contents enclosed. I would recommend this life changing book to anyone teenaged girl who is battling anxiety and they have a number of worry whisperers. I immensely liked how open Sissy was in sharing how she dealt with her own worries and how her years of counseling girls has helped her to lead others down a path of freedom. I liked how she included discussion questions and a spot for readers to journal and dive deeper into their fears and worries. I liked how Sissy wrote in a way that will connect with teenaged girls and they will be able to easily relate to her. I also liked how she discussed some about the pandemic and how we can use some of the tools included to battle our own fears. I liked how she guided young girls into becoming brave and finding courage in Christ. 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/ Chosen for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy of Brave, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Brave-Girls-Guide-Beating-Anxiety/dp/0764238396