Non-Fiction

Book Review & Giveaway: MeaningFULL by Alli Spotts-De Lazzer

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MeaningFULL: 23 Life-Changing Stories of Conquering Dieting, Weight, & Body Image Issues by Alli Spotts-De Lazzer

Publisher:  Unsolicited Press (January 26, 2021)
Category: Self-help, Non-Fiction, psychology, memoir, health/wellness, inspirational, eating disorder recovery, weight loss, & body positivity
Available in Print and ebook, 282 pages

“MeaningFULL: 23 Life-Changing Stories of Conquering Dieting, Weight, & Body Image Issues” is a blend of motivational self-help, memoir, psychology, and health and wellness. Alli Spotts-De Lazzer is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, an expert in eating and body image issues, and a woman on the other side of her own decades-long struggle with food and body.

A $702 billion global diet/nutrition and weight loss industry shows that people worldwide are devoted to achieving maximum health and their desired bodies. Yet mainstream approaches are failing these individuals, and sadly, science proves this. Intent on gaining the “health” and “happiness” that diets promise, consumers keep trying. They become sad and frustrated, believing they’re failing when they’re not. They simply need a legitimate, alternative path, which “MeaningFULL” offers. Through the contributors’ diverse, real-life mini-memoirs followed by Spotts-De Lazzer’s commentaries, readers will learn about themselves and discover their unique, unconventional formulas for conquering their issues. Along the way, “MeaningFULL” will also guide them towards more self-appreciation, wellness, and fulfillment.

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Guest Review by Sage Nor

“Knowing your values helps you to make empowering decisions, including those related to conquering food, weight, and body image issues.”

What a different and sorely needed take on self-help this book was! I assumed that this would be just like every other diet and weight loss book out there but boy was I ever glad to be wrong! Contained in the pages of this book are 23 stories from different people from all different walks of life, all of whom have struggled with their weight, eating disorders and body image issues.

Every single one of these stories is gripping, many are heartbreaking but most end joyfully with the person talking about the path that they were able to take to reclaim who they truly are outside of being obsessed with their weight.  Can diets be helpful to some people? Of course, but this book is an excellent look at how diets and the culture surrounding them can often go too far and how people can begin to feel that their weight is all that they are.

Alli Spotts De-Lazzer provides the gentle, intelligent commentary of a trained therapist throughout the book and, especially, at the end of every chapter. Her summation of the stories is so helpful and affirming that I found myself tearing up at times while reading it. In some chapters she provides exercises that are helpful for looking at your own situation if you suffer from an eating disorder or body image issues. Spotts-De Lazzer is not only an eating disorder specialist but also a family and marriage therapist and I think this shows in her gentle encouragement style of writing.

There was one lesson from Spotts- De Lazzer in particular about figuring out what your core values are that really resonated with me. It makes so much sense to me that, that can help with your body image issue. This is a must read for anyone who is or has struggled with body image issues and if you know someone in the struggle!

About the Author

Alli Spotts-De Lazzer is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, and a “CEDS” Certified Eating Disorders Specialist, and a person on the other side of her own decades-long struggle with food battles and body dislike. She has presented educational workshops at international conferences, hospitals, and graduate schools and has published articles in trade magazines, academic journals, and online information hubs.

A believer in service and advocacy, Alli serves on multiple committees and created #ShakeIt for Self-Acceptance!—a movement embodying its message.

Website: https://www.meaningfullread.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MeaningFULLread/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/meaningFULLread
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meaningfullread/

Giveaway

This giveaway is for one print copy with 2 winners. It is open to the U.S. only and ends on March 31, 2021,midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Mar 3 Kickoff & Interview

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Dianne Hot Mess Princess Mar 5 Review & Excerpt

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What Emma Did Next Mar 10 Review (postponed)

Laura Lee Celtic Lady’s Reviews Mar 11 Guest Review & Excerpt

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Karen T Amazon Mar 29 Review

Betty Toots Book Reviews Mar 30 Review

Miller Amazon Mar 31 Review

Praise for MeaningFULL

“First, let me tell you….YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK! Why? Because it will resonate with you at some level. Whether you’re the person that has had a moment of, “I can’t wear that” or “I don’t like the way my (insert body part here) looks in that shirt” or “That food is bad/good for me”. I promise something in this book will touch you. For me, there were many “A-HA” moments that made me tear up a bit reading them knowing that I was not alone. Alli does a fantastic job of letting these stories unfold, letting the writer tell their truth and where they’re coming from, and where they are going. You will laugh, you might cry, but you will definitely be better for reading this! Highly recommend. 5 SHINING STAR STICKERS!!”-cedarparkmom

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Book Review & Giveaway: The Desire Factor by Christy Whitman

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The Desire Factor: How to Embrace Your Materialistic Nature to Reclaim Your Full Spiritual Power by Christy Whitman

Publisher:  Beyond Words Publishing (April 21, 2021)
Category: Self-help, Motivational, Creativity, Inspirational, Non-Fiction
Available in Print and ebook, 208 pages

Description

There is no limit to the amount of happiness that we, as human beings, can experience. There is no limit to how much love, laughter, excitement, or satisfaction we can feel. This universe is unendingly abundant, which means that it has the ability to yield to us whatever experiences we desire. Why, then, do some people manifest their desires so fluidly and naturally, while others are living lives of struggle, mediocrity, or quiet desperation?

Hard work alone does not guarantee a positive result.  In fact, pushing forward with determination and effort when things are not going as planned usually only makes a bad situation worse.  Energy – not action – is the source of all manifested things, and The Desire Factor is the definitive guide to achieving energy mastery.

The Desire Factor provides one of the most current, comprehensive, and easy to apply explorations into the realm of energy, and shows readers how – by purposefully calibrating the energetic frequency of their dominant thoughts, moods and expectations – they can bring any desire into physical form.

The book is built around 7 universal principles, each of which assists readers in connecting with and deliberately harnessing the divine energy stream that sources all things. These are:

  • The Principle of Alignment
  • The Principle of Focus
  • The Principle of Joyful Expectancy
  • The Principle of Having
  • The Principle of Loving
  • The Principle of Surrender
  • The Principle of Action

Each principle builds upon the last one, and together, they provide a clear path – not just toward the manifestation of objects, experiences and conditions you desire to create in each important area of your life – but toward the personal evolution your desires are guiding you to embrace.

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Guest Review by Sage Nor

An interesting and unique take on the modern self-help book, ‘The Desire Factor: How to Embrace Your Materialistic Nature to Reclaim Your Full Spiritual Power” by Christy Whitman is a book about embracing your wants through the power of positive thinking.

In the beginning of the book, Whitman states that “Desire is intended to feed you, to thrill and refresh you, and every desire, big or small, summons life-force itself through you.’ This is an excellent introduction into the belief that provides the heart of this book: that desire is a living thing that helps us when we need it to.

Whitman believes that the desire for something—anything, be it as small as a designer handbag or as big as world peace—creates a spark within us that is capable of showing us the greater purpose within ourselves and the better person that we can become. She believes that desire is the first step in all creation and that if you want something—provided that it is not hurtful to you or another person—it is a message from your Divine Self.

Throughout the book, Whitman discusses several principals of her belief in using desire for personal betterment, including the Principal of Alignment, The Principal of Loving, The Principal of Joyful Expectancy, and many others. Each idea is well outlined and thought out. Whitman has a way with words that brings the book an air of spirituality that I appreciated.

I recommend picking up a copy of this book even if the idea behind it makes you feel skeptical. It really has to be read to be fully understood and soaked in.  There is no better teacher than our own human minds and Whitman brings that across beautifully in this book. If we listen to our own desires, we might find some unexpected ideas within ourselves.

About the Author

Christy Whitman is a Transformational Leader, Celebrity Coach and Law of Attraction expert, as well as the two-time New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Having It All and Taming Your Alpha Bitch. She is also the author of the international bestseller Quantum Success. Her forthcoming book The Desire Factor will be released April 21, 2021.

Christy has appeared on the news, The Today Show, The Morning Show, Ted X, and The Hallmark Channel and her work has been featured in the media in various publications. She’s been featured in Goalcast, People Magazine, Seventeen, Woman’s Day, Hollywood Life, and Teen Vogue, to name a few.

Christy is the CEO and founder of the Quantum Success Learning Academy & Quantum Success Coaching Academy, a 10-month Law of Attraction coaching certification program. Christy has helped certify over 3,000 life coaches and has helped countless others to unlock their power to manifest. She lives in Scottsdale with her husband Frederic and her two boys Alex and Maxim.

Websites: www.thedesirefactor.com and www.christywhitman.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christywhitmaninternational/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christywhitman1/
Linkkle: https://linkkle.com/christywhitman
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christywhitman1/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristyWhitman
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ChristyWhitmanVideos

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Book Review & Giveaway: Artt of the Black Card by Anthony Ryan Sadana

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Artt of the Black Card: No Bullsh*t Guide to Business by Anthony Ryan Sadana

Publisher:  Artt Press (January,  2020)
Category: Self-help, Motivational, Entrepreneurship, LBGTQ, Business, Memoir, & Non-Fiction

ISBN: 978-1734311006
Available in Print and ebook, 140 pages

“The Artt of the Black Card” is a fresh, concise, irreverent instruction manual on how to succeed as an entrepreneur based on the author’s own original insights and his risk-taking record as a businessman and innovator. This is not a cookie-cutter business book filled with tired advice and worn-out clichés. “The Artt of the Black Card” is a contrarian guidebook for a new generation of business owners and leaders — anyone with the smarts, guts and passion for making money. You don’t need an MBA to get rich, and “The Artt of the Black Card” proves it.

Employing nine vital work/life lessons using the exclusive and legendary American Express Black Card, aka the Centurion Card as a framework, author and serial entrepreneur Anthony Ryan Sadana explains how to make money while the world around you is going to hell  and emerge stronger than ever. It’s the perfect antidote to today’s extraordinary challenges.

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Guest Review by Sage Nor

‘The Artt of the Black Card: No Bullsh*t Guide to Business’ by Anthony Ryan Sadana is a financial guidebook like no other. Sadana’s straightforward talk and decisive writing style taught me more about business in the span of a couple of chapters than similar books that I have read managed to do overall.

Sadana is an entrepreneur who talks about getting his start in the business world by selling microwave dinners to his friends in boarding school as a kid. With such business savvy at such a young age, it’s no wonder that Sadana would later go on to experience the success that he has in life.

One of my favorite messages in the book comes pretty early on, in the first chapter when he talks about never brushing off anyone that you meet. Never assuming that someone is worthless to you as a contact just because they don’t seem to be connected on their own. There is a lot of great advice in this book and I really appreciated how Sadana made it relevant to today’s market. He gives advice about using things like Craigslist and Facebook in a way that a lot of older financial advice books obviously don’t.

Of course, like anyone, Sadana has made his fair share of bad deals and he devotes time in this book to talking about them, and what he learned from them in a candid way. He claims that he has learned more from losing money than by making money, a feeling I’m sure most of us can identify with.

Overall, this book was informative, witty and easy to understand. I read through it quickly and was left with a sense that I had really learned something from it, which I can always appreciate from a self-help book. Definitely not one to miss! I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

I received the e-book for my honest opinion.

Other Praise for the book

“Irreverent, honest, and right on the money. Powerful business insights from a man who’s seen itall. If you want to make a lot of money on your own terms, this is the book for you.”– Robert F. Burris, Film/TV Producer

“Incredible book; every person looking to be successful in business needs to read this book. The story is engaging and educational. Not a long read, perfect for reading on a plane or train ride. You will ask yourself why you have not followed this advice before. Cannot say enough about this book; read it as soon as you can.”– Julio Garcia, MD

“Anthony Ryan Sadana has no difficulty speaking his mind in The Art of the Black Card. And he has no filter on his voice or words, which perhaps describes “the no-BS guide to business” that serves as subtitle.
His message is positive. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and fail. It happens to the best of us. When hardships occur, as they inevitably will, be prepared to lift yourself off the ground and get back in the game. No excuses allowed. Learn from the experience and work harder (and smarter) next time.
Sadana’s experiences bring to mind a couple of lines from the Van Halen song, Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love – “I been to the edge, an’ there I stood an’ looked down, you know I lost a lot of friends there, baby, I got no time to mess around.”
The author’s answer to everything is to outwork the competition, to pivot when necessary to find new sources of income. There is a confidence to his voice that some may mistake for arrogance. Whatever you call it, he has discovered ways to channel that trait and his own savvy to become a successful entrepreneur who has overcome multiple setbacks, one of which left him flat broke and millions in debt. Several of his lessons, his roller-coaster life and his willingness to lay it all on the line make this a fascinating and worthwhile read.”-Brian Rouff, Imagine Communications and Author

“Authentic, to-the-point, easy to read because of its anecdotal style. Sometimes funny, sometimes controversial, sometimes preachy, sometimes arrogant. Not for the easily offended. Has some very honest truths and good points about how the business world really works.”-Christina, Amazon

About the Author

At the tender age of 23, Anthony Ryan Sadana received an exclusive invitation to apply for the fabled no-limit American Express Black Card, which represented, in his mind, “the pinnacle of my financial success and the ultimate recognition for measuring any sort of achievement against your peers.”

A scant two years later, he found himself flat broke and millions of dollars in debt. Today, this entrepreneur, innovator, author and influencer enjoys a multi-faceted, successful career on a global scale in a wide range of businesses. He’s run retail operations, consults for large and small companies, owns his own real estate investment organization, and is involved in a series of high-ly profitable online ventures.

Sadana’s hard-won knowledge and insights, applied properly and with the right amount of motivation, will help budding entrepreneurs and seasoned business veterans alike create their own success stories.

Sadana currently lives in Las Vegas with his faithful sheltie, Lucky.

Website: https://www.arttonline.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arttonline
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Arttonline
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arttonline/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNrusVnZ10I1e-I7uZMK7CA?view_as=subscriber

Giveaway

This giveaway is for 1 print copy for 3 winners and is open to Canada and the U.S. only. This giveaway ends November 14, 2020,midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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Book Review & Giveaway: Girl from Spaceship Earth by Patricia Ravasio

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Girl From Spaceship Earth by Patricia Ravasio

Publisher:  Chapman Park (September 11, 2017)
Category: Memoir, Non-Fiction, Social Activism, Women Empowerment
Tour dates: Sept/Oct, 2018
ISBN: 978-0999046302
Available in Print and ebook, 299 pages

Goodreads

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The true story of a life intertwined with the utopian ideas of an American genius.

A mind-blowing two-day interview with iconic futurist Buckminster Fuller in 1982 Chicago leads an overeager advertising copywriter to promise she’ll share his urgent messages with the world. She has no idea what she is getting herself into, scarcely understanding what he is talking about.

When his dire predictions come true on America’s worst day (9/11) she must face up to her commitment, which morphs into a fiery obsession thanks to unsettling discoveries about Bucky’s archives further confirming the truth of his warnings. Her outsized passions threaten her relationships and her sanity as she grapples furiously to bring his ideas back into the world.

This heartrending karmic tell-all memoir is about climbing out of comfort zones to find your own voice and make a difference in the world. It also gives readers a charming introduction to the ideas of a long lost genius you’ve probably never heard of.

Praise Girl From Spaceship Earth by Patricia Ravasio

Named Adventure Book of the Month by Hipcamp, October, 2017

“This is a well written, easy to read, girl empowering non fiction story that engages young adult readers.”-ToadHallLibrarian (WorldCat)

“An amazing personal journey that will simultaneously break your heart and mend it.” – Contempobook

“This world changing book makes a great holiday gift.”-Life…Successfully

“This is a great book! Pat Fields is a fledgling journalist who gets the opportunity of a lifetime to interview Buckminster Fuller. He gives her more than just an interview, he gives her a mission to save the world. This book would make such a great movie. 5 stars!”-Crimson, Goodreads

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Guest Review by Katy

What a fantastic read! I read this in about a day because I just couldn’t put it down. I have to say, I was a little skeptical going into it. I don’t know anything about Buckminster Fuller and I’m not that interested in architecture, but this book was not just a dry non-fiction work that laid all the information out like clothes hanging out to dry.

I truly felt like this memoir brought me on an incredible journey. It read like a novel.  I learned a lot about Buckminster Fuller in an interesting, engaging way and it also had an excellent plot. It took me about halfway through the book before I realized that it really was a true story that had actually happened! It was so incredible I just assumed it was fiction.

The story revolves around a female copywriter named Pat Field who scores an interview with the famous architect in the early 1980’s. She expects it to be a normal interview; but of course, things don’t quite go as planned. Dr. Fuller turns out to be more of an eccentric–and more of a genius– than she anticipated. Rather than a straightforward interview, Fuller delights her with notions about man’s relationship with nature and then darkly predicts the downfall of America as we know it.

Pat promises to properly warn the country in her article but forgets to use the information that Fuller has given her. Later, as some of Fuller’s predictions come true in the form of the September 11th attacks, Pat remembers her promise to “Bucky” and vows to use his insights to help protect the earth. This book was fast-paced, exciting and well-written. The 1980’s setting in particular was spot on. I really felt like I was in that decade while I was reading it. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes a thriller with a bit of a historical bent or just an excellent plot.

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About the Author


Girl From Spaceship Earth by Patricia Ravasio

Patricia Ravasio has won awards for her radio journalism, advertising copywriting, real estate sales and community volunteerism. This is her first book, which she decided to publish on Election Night, 2016, when she realized how quickly time was running out on humanity’s clock. The Mother of three happy and ferocious grown Bucky girls, Patricia lives in Northern California with her husband of thirty years and two dogs.

Website: https://buckyworld.me/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/patravasio
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GirlFromSpaceshipEarth/

Buy Links

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Giveaway 

This giveaway is for the winner’s choice of one print or ebook copy of the book. Print is open to Canada and the U.S. only and ebook is available worldwide.This giveaway ends October 31, 2018, midnight pacific time.  Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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