Book Review - Stop Trying!: The Life-Transforming Power of Trying Less and Doing More

About the Book
If you’re struggling to get things done or meet your goals, the problem isn’t that you’re not trying hard enough, it’s that you’re trying in the first place.

When it comes to getting stuff done, we fall short more often than we like to admit. This can leave us feeling frustrated and ashamed, because despite trying our very best we can’t seem to meet our goals. Why? The surprising answer is ingeniously outlined in Stop Trying!: The Life-Transforming Power of Trying Less and Doing More—an evolutionary guide that evokes the revelatory force of The Five-Second Rule and the sublime practicality of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Put simply, it turns out that trying is just an illusion for doing.

Stop Trying! illuminates the deception in a mindset built on trying, which can lead to anxiety, procrastination, perceived loss of control, fatigue, fear of failure, lack of follow-through, and overall life dissatisfaction. Importantly, this book offers a way out of the rut and into practical, progressive action. Stop Trying! reveals the compelling science behind our brain, behaviors, and beliefs when it comes to the notion of trying. Pulling from positive psychology, the science of habit formation, clinical studies, and more, motivational speaker Carla Ondrasik guides us to proven-effective strategies for better doing—and ultimately to goal achievement and a more fulfilling life.

Readers will learn techniques and tips, build skills through interactive activities, and hear sincere stories from everyday people who’ve made the transformative switch from trying to doing. Achievement is just one “do or do not” decision away, and it starts with eliminating “try” from our vocabulary. Stop Trying! shows us how to do that.


My Take on the Book

As a dad, I often catch myself telling my kids to “try harder” when they get stuck—whether it’s homework, sports, or even chores. Reading Stop Trying! made me rethink that completely. Carla Ondrasik lays out a simple but powerful truth: effort without action is just spinning your wheels. What really matters is doing. That hit home for me because I realized how often I fall into the same trap—overthinking, planning, and telling myself I’ll “try” tomorrow.

This book doesn’t just inspire, it gives you practical ways to shift from hesitation to forward movement. The blend of science, real stories, and easy-to-follow activities made it feel less like a lecture and more like a guide I could put into practice immediately. I’ve already started using the lessons with my kids, and honestly, with myself too. If you’re ready to stop circling and actually move forward, this is a must-read.

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Book Review - The Oneness Guide for Today: The Oneness Guide for Today: A Book of Insight for Young Women

About the Book
Discover Your Connection to the World from Within...

There are countless paths that a young person can take to adulthood. Between family, friends, and school, there are many influences affecting every step of that path. Yet, the teenage and young adult years are when one’s independent voice blossoms alongside feelings of doubt and disconnection. It may help to know that others have painfully wandered through adolescence searching for happiness, only to find that their inherent beauty and peace was inside their own heart all along. Perhaps the words of Rumi speak clearest in today’s world:

“There is a life force within your soul, seek that life.
There is a gem in the mountain of your body, seek that mine.
O traveler, if you are in search of That
Don’t look outside, look inside yourself and seek That.”

How can this message be heard and understood in a world of social media and cell phones, common tools meant to enhance communication that instead have become ways to critique, discredit, and even hurt others? Especially during the teenage years?

The Oneness Guide for Today now provides a down-to-earth roadmap that offers compassionate guidance and self-empowerment tools in straightforward language without preaching. This is where Faith Spencer, an expert who teaches young women how to embrace and accept themselves, has developed effective ways for girls to identify, express, and respect their true selves despite the ups and downs of peer pressure and negative energy from others. Throughout the book, Spencer points readers toward a source of comfort and guidance that is always available to them, which is an inner connection with a greater source of life.

The journey of adolescence is challenging, filled with unnecessary pressures at this critical and formative age. The Oneness Guide for Today offers guidance to help young women connect to an inner sense of peace and harmony and learn to navigate life on their own terms.


My Take on the Book
As a dad raising daughters in today’s complicated world, I found The Oneness Guide for Today to be both grounding and hopeful. Faith Spencer’s words reminded me of how important it is to help my girls see beyond the noise of social media and peer pressure, and instead tune into their own inner strength and self-worth. What struck me most was how the book balances gentle wisdom with practical exercises, making it feel approachable without losing depth. The themes of self-acceptance, forgiveness, and trusting your intuition aren’t just good lessons for young women—they’re reminders we could all use. I especially appreciated how the author frames oneness in a way that’s both spiritual and practical, offering young readers a lens through which to see themselves with more compassion and confidence. As a father, this is exactly the kind of resource I want to share with my daughters.

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Book Review - Make Your Destiny Happen

About the Book
Take control of your future—don’t leave your destiny to chance.

In Make Your Destiny Happen, global business leader and transformational coach Donzel A. Leggett delivers a proven, experience-driven roadmap to personal transformation. Grounded in the innovative Destiny Development Delta™ Model, this book shows you how to rise above life’s chaos, confront self-doubt, and take intentional control of your future, charting a course toward the life—and legacy—you truly want.

Drawing from decades of leadership experience and personal triumph over adversity, Leggett equips you with the mindset, models, and methods to:

• Break free from the “cycle of no destiny control” that traps so many in frustration and stagnation
• Discover the A-Attitudes of Leadership™—a powerful, values-based framework to build confident and authentic leadership while maintaining holistic balance and personal well-being
• Master the iLEAD Change™ model, a practical, step-by-step process for designing and activating a personalized life plan

Transform your life—personally, professionally, and spiritually—on your own terms

Make Your Destiny Happen is more than a motivational read. It’s a comprehensive coaching experience packed with personal stories, reflection exercises, and powerful calls to action.

My Take on the Book
Reading Make Your Destiny Happen felt like sitting down with a mentor who genuinely wants you to succeed. From the start, Donzel Leggett’s story pulled me in because it’s not theory—it’s lived experience combined with practical guidance. The Destiny Development Delta Model gave me language for something I’d struggled with for years: feeling stuck in a cycle without clear direction. What I appreciated most was how the book blended professional strategies with personal reflection, showing that leadership and life planning go hand in hand. The exercises pushed me to look honestly at my own habits and start mapping a path forward that actually feels doable. I also found the personal stories inspiring—they made the concepts relatable and reminded me that setbacks don’t define us, but what we do next does. This isn’t just a motivational read; it’s a playbook I know I’ll revisit often.
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Book Review - The Bad Girls Club: Promises of a Spirituality-Based Recovery

About the Book
There's a seismic shift happening worldwide, as individuals from every social class question their relationship with alcohol and drugs. While marijuana gains mainstream acceptance, a profound inquiry persists: Is this okay? Am I drinking too much? Is this normal? These questions resonate deeply, particularly among professional women who are drinking at higher rates than anyone else, and White women are drinking themselves to death. Beyond the health risks, high alcohol consumption affects women's personal and professional relationships and ability to successfully function and lead in their professional roles.

The Bad Girls Club: Promises of a Spiritually-Based Recovery encapsulates Ms. Marginot's journey through addiction to redemption. Delving into Karen's tumultuous past, she narrates how she found healing and renewal through spiritual tools, transcending addiction to create a fulfilling career in tech and leadership coaching.

This isn't merely a narrative on redemption; it shines a light to a way out for those grappling with the devastation of alcoholism and addiction. The Bad Girls Club doesn't preach; it shares a deeply personal odyssey from self-destruction to empowerment.


My Take on the Book

Reading The Bad Girls Club: Promises of a Spirituality-Based Recovery was both heartbreaking and uplifting for me. Karen Marginot doesn’t hold back as she shares the raw truth of her descent into addiction and the long climb back to wholeness. What struck me most was her honesty—she writes without sugarcoating the dark moments, yet somehow infuses her story with hope and courage. I found myself reflecting on my own patterns, even outside of substance use, because the deeper themes of self-worth, resilience, and spiritual connection are so universal. Her voice feels like both a friend confiding in you and a guide pointing toward a healthier path. By the end, I wasn’t just reading her recovery story—I was reminded that change is always possible, no matter how far we’ve fallen. This book is more than a memoir; it’s a beacon for anyone searching for renewal and authentic empowerment.
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Book Review - Impact: How to Inspire, Align, and Amplify Innovative Teams

About the Book
Impact explores the people and culture teams need for sustained innovation and problem-solving.

This transformative guide is aimed at leaders who have earned their roles through subject matter expertise, a capacity for impact, and innate leadership skills, and who now face the challenge of building innovative teams. This is the high-impact engineer turned manager, or the rising scientist turned lab director, or the founding startup executive. Subject matter proficiency and leadership intuition can initially take leaders far, but team performance ultimately hits a wall when leaders lack team-building expertise.

Impact guides individuals across the leadership spectrum, from the new player/coach to the seasoned team builder, helping them sidestep common scaling pitfalls such as diminished team impact, lower productivity, culture dilution, disempowerment, and loss of focus. It presents a two-tiered framework that examines culture as a system and leadership as a discipline. The first tier offers team-wide practices to drive focus, cultivate alignment, and unlock collective brainpower and horsepower. The second tier provides individual-centered practices to ensure the team hires, promotes, and retains those most likely to contribute to the mission.

Drawing from Keith V. Lucas’s direct experience in building teams and advising startups, Impacts offers practical insights for effective team building and leadership.

My Take on the Book
Reading Impact: How to Inspire, Align, and Amplify Innovative Teams felt like getting a personal coaching session on how to truly lead, not just manage. As someone who has seen how quickly talented individuals can lose focus without the right guidance, I found Keith Lucas’s approach both refreshing and practical. What struck me most was how he balances the need for structure with the freedom for creativity—showing that real innovation thrives when people are aligned on mission but empowered to think for themselves. The two-tiered framework gave me concrete tools I could immediately apply, from hiring with intentionality to creating systems that keep culture strong as teams grow. Some sections are dense, but that depth made me reflect more deeply on my own leadership habits. This book reminded me that building great teams isn’t about charisma—it’s about clarity, alignment, and disciplined practices that unlock lasting impact.

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Book Review - 7 Rules for a Calm Mind in a Chaotic World: How to Stay Calm in a World Designed to Make You Anxious

About the Book

How do you stay calm in a world that seems determined to keep you on edge?

How do you break free from the noise in your head?

How do you train your mind to stay resilient in the chaos that surrounds us?

7 Rules for a Calm Mind in a Chaotic World is both a philosophical and practical guide to managing the constant mental noise that weighs us down. It offers ways to quiet your mind without relying on anyone else, while also helping you navigate your relationship with the world around you.

In this book, you'll discover:Why a lack of clarity about who you truly are is the root of your restless mind

• How to express yourself fully and authentically
• What purpose your soul should serve-and why it's essential to define it clearly
• How to care for your mind and body
• A dead-simple but highly effective way to break free from overthinking
• How to escape your echo chamber and seek information wisely
• How to quickly interrupt negative thought cycles
• The right way to consume online content
• How to communicate with the world like a pro
• How to cultivate great taste-and why it matters

This book takes a holistic approach to training your mind. It considers both internal and external influences and offers timeless, grounded advice to help you deal with the anxiety of the present-and the uncertainty of the future.

My Take on the Book
Reading 7 Rules for a Calm Mind in a Chaotic World felt like having a thoughtful conversation with someone who’s been through the storm and is finally at peace with the weather. I picked it up hoping to find a few tips to help settle my ever-busy brain—and I got more than that. The book doesn’t rely on grand promises or trendy jargon. Instead, it offers honest, steady guidance on building clarity, setting boundaries, and staying present. I appreciated how each chapter tackled a different angle of internal and external calm, without ever sounding preachy. The personal stories helped connect the dots, and I found myself nodding often, especially during the chapters on mindful communication and consuming information with care. The reflections at the end of each chapter made it easy to revisit what mattered most. It's a book I’ll return to—not for answers, but for reminders I trust.

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Book Review - 100 Things to Do on Mackinac Island Before You Die

About the Book
100 Things to Do on Mackinac Island Before You Die
Take a ferry ride back in time to Michigan’s Mackinac Island, the car-free destination in the Straits of Mackinac where the Great Lakes Huron and Michigan meet. Here, the streets are lined with Victorian-era buildings, and getting around is by foot, horse-drawn carriage, or bicycle. Centuries ago, it was a gathering place to the Anishinaabek, a sacred place. By the late 1800s, the picturesque island had become a popular escape for city dwellers seeking fresh air, scenic beauty, recreation, and amusements, and that appeal continues today. Explore the island from the bustling shops and eateries of Main Street to the trails and natural wonders of the state park, like spectacular Arch Rock. Take a Mackinac Island Carriage Tour for an overview of the sights. Explore historic Fort Mackinac, and sit a spell on the world’s longest porch at Grand Hotel. Sample the fudge at the many candy shops, and be sure to take home a slab or two as a memento. In 100 Things to Do on Mackinac Island Before You Die, experienced travel writer and photographer Kath Usitalo helps you explore this historic island. This book will assist you to make the most of a day trip and introduce you to the many reasons you could easily spend a night or several at this captivating spot.
My Take on the Book
100 Things to Do on Mackinac Island Before You Die instantly transported me back to one of the most charming places in Michigan. I’ve visited the island before, but this book gave me a whole new appreciation for just how much more there is to discover. From trails I hadn’t explored to spots I walked past without realizing their significance, it’s full of fresh ideas and little-known gems. Kath Usitalo’s insights helped me imagine new ways to experience the island beyond the fudge shops and Fort Mackinac (though both are still favorites!). The mix of historical context, scenic suggestions, and unique activities makes this book more than a checklist—it’s like a friend sharing insider tips. I’m already planning to return with this book in hand, especially to try a few of the guided tours I’ve never taken. Whether it’s your first or tenth visit, this book will deepen your connection to the island.


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