Blog Archives
Pause, Reflect, and Reconnect
In Weeds to Wishes, you share your own journey as an educator and the valuable lessons you learned through listening, encouraging others, and even hardships. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Weeds to Wishes was an important book for me to write because it grew out of a deep desire to help others through the lessons I’ve learned along my own journey. There were times in my life when everything felt very heavy.
I felt like I had accumulated so many “weeds” throughout life… the expectations, noise, pressure, and self-doubt, that I had lost touch with who I truly was. I wasn’t allowing myself the quiet moments I needed to pause, reflect, and reconnect with myself. Writing became therapeutic for me, allowing me to release what no longer served me. It allowed me time to shut out the noise, sit with my thoughts, and dig deep within my soul.
Through writing, I learned that I needed to release the “junk” that was weighing me down in order to make room for the treasures and a new beginning. Weeds to Wishes became a way for me to shed, heal, and trust God’s plan and purpose for my life. My hope is to share this with others who may feel the need to do the same.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you share your story. What was the most difficult thing for you to write about?
Thank you. The most difficult thing for me to write about was losing my father and how his death changed my life in so many ways I never expected. I wasn’t ready, but truthfully, I don’t think anyone ever is. He was the glue that held our family together and the strong presence in my life that I leaned on.
Writing about his loss required me to sit with grief that I had often pushed aside in order to keep moving forward, especially since I didn’t know how to deal with it for many years. It forced me to acknowledge how his absence shaped the way I lead, treat others, love, and carry responsibility. Including that part of my story felt vulnerable, but it was necessary for me to move on and become the woman my father would be so proud of. Sharing it was both painful and healing, and it reminded me that some of our greatest growth comes from our hardest moments… our weeds.
Did you learn anything about yourself while writing Weeds to Wishes?
While writing Weeds To Wishes, I learned that I can do anything I set my mind to, even during the tough times. I learned that I needed the tough times (the weeds) to help strengthen me and create the person I was always intended to be. Without the “tough stuff,” I couldn’t have written the book and, in turn, couldn’t help others along the way.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your experiences?
I hope readers take away that showing up and truly listening matter more than having all the answers. Some of the most meaningful growth in my life came from the hardest moments, the ones I never would have chosen, but that shaped me and strengthened me. I want readers to see that even in the tough times, something good can come from it (a blessing in disguise) when we stay open, present, and willing to learn. In the end, it really does come down to mindset and choosing to see challenges not as endings, but as opportunities for growth and purpose.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
Have you ever felt that quiet tug — the one that whispers, “You’re meant for more” — yet doubt and fear keep you from stepping forward?
Leadership can feel exhilarating… and absolutely terrifying all at once.
Maybe you’re stepping into leadership for the first time and wondering if you’re really ready.
Maybe you’ve been leading for years but feel tired, unseen, or unsure if you can keep going.
Maybe you’re asking yourself, “Can I really make a difference?”
You’re not alone.
In Weeds to Wishes, author and educator Sheryl Brown opens her heart and her 34-year leadership journey — sharing raw, honest stories of courage, missteps, and growth. Through laughter, tears, and lessons learned, she shows you how to turn life’s weeds — the struggles, doubts, and hard seasons — into wishes that bloom into strength, confidence, and purpose.
Part memoir, part how-to guide, this book offers eight keys to becoming the leader you were meant to be, paired with reflective activities and quick reference points to guide you through your own leadership journey.
You’ll discover:
How to rise from burnout with renewed purpose
How to find your voice, even when it trembles
How to transform obstacles into opportunities
And how to lead with heart, courage, and resilience
Because your challenges become your victories.
Your lessons become your strength.
And your courage? It’s just fear with the bravery to keep going.
It’s time to take the leap — to stand tall, rooted and radiant — and finally become the leader you were always meant to be.
Buy the book now!
Weeds To Wishes: Blossoming into the Leader You Are Meant to Be
Weeds to Wishes follows Sheryl Brown’s journey as a teacher and principal who learns to lead through listening, healing, encouraging others, and growing through hardship. The book moves through eight “keys” to leadership that blend personal stories, school memories, emotional turning points, and practical activities that teams can use to connect and communicate. The mix of stories and reflections creates a guide that shows how leadership rises from real life and not from titles or rules.
While reading this book, I felt pulled in by the author’s warmth and honesty. The stories hit hard because they feel like moments pulled straight from a life lived fully in service to others. I kept thinking about the scene with the bomb threat evacuation and how she steadied herself in chaos. I could almost feel the cold air and the fear and the fierce need to protect people. Her writing style is simple and easy to fall into. There were times I stopped and thought, wow, she really went through that, yet she still chooses hope. I liked that. Her voice feels like someone sitting with you at a table, talking softly, telling you the truth. It got to me more than I expected.
The ideas in the book made me think about leadership in a more human way. She focuses on trust, grace, listening, and being present. Those are not flashy things. They are small habits that change everything over time. I caught myself reflecting on my own tendencies to jump to solutions instead of hearing what people are really saying. Her chapter on “Whispering” resonated with me because it showed how leadership grows in quiet rooms, on long car rides, and in moments when your heart is breaking but you still choose to show up. I loved the activities she built into each chapter. They felt practical and playful, which made the leadership lessons feel less heavy and more doable.
I would recommend Weeds to Wishes to new leaders, veteran educators, and anyone who wants to lead with more heart and less noise. The book is especially good for people who are burned out or doubting their path. It feels like a gentle hand on your shoulder, reminding you that you are allowed to grow, stumble, try again, and still make a difference.
Pages: 203 | ASIN : B0G1CSM2GG
First-Hand Knowledge
Reach Out with Acts of Kindness is a heartfelt and practical guide offering compassionate, straightforward advice on how to support people facing illness, grief, or crisis. Why was this an important book for you to write?
After going through a traumatic time, I felt called to write this book. I could not not write this resource in which I share my passion for reaching out to others in hardship. We will all face obstacles and hurdles throughout life, and support from family, friends, acquaintances, coworkers, etc., is vital for those hurting attempting to move forward.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
I am a private person, so sharing my feelings with readers was the hardest part of writing the book. Those who are deeply entrenched in a troubling period or have gone through a tumultuous time can relate to the many mixed emotions I express in the book and that anyone in crisis may experience. There were many dark, unsettling instances too personal to include that were left out, in respect for my family.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
I share first-hand knowledge of what may help and what may not help those struggling, and also include examples from others who endured trauma, regardless of the circumstance or predicament. Specific ideas and suggestions to lend support are featured. I’m a firm believer that everyone has a gift, whether it’s picking up the phone to touch base, sending a thinking-of-you card, delivering a meal, completing an errand, mowing the grass, etc. I emphasize lending support in an area that is most comfortable and easy for the giver. Readers are invited to consider what their gift may be.
Could you tell me what one thing you hope readers take away from Reach Out with Kindness?
The goal of Reach Out is for readers to understand the importance of reaching out and connecting with anyone struggling with simple acts of kindness.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Instagram | Amazon
At some point in life, everyone will face a roadblock, obstacle, or will be touched by someone experiencing a challenging, tumultuous period. No one is immune to struggles, but outsiders are often unsure how to best offer comfort and support.
Reach Out is a call to action for creating a culture of compassion and empathy by illuminating how to be there for others when they need it the most. This relatable resource highlights specific ways to help others in crisis as well as the aftermath. Everyone has a gift to offer, whether it is just picking up the phone to touch base, sending a card of concern, delivering a meal, mowing the grass, or other helpful acts. What is your gift?
Abundance of Wisdom
Heart Horse is a moving anthology that weaves together twenty deeply personal stories about the bond between humans and horses from all walks of life who have found meaning, recovery, or transformation through their connection with these gentle, powerful beings. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Although I am not a typical “horse person,” horses had been attempting to get my attention over the past few years. These “pings” came in a variety of ways. For example, in 2021, my husband and I purchased a piece of land in the Virginia mountains that, unbeknownst to us, happened to be in the middle of horse country, with horse trails running up and down the mountain. This automatically opened up our social network to these beautiful animals and their people. In our metaphysical practice, we found ourselves working with a plethora of clients seeking to connect more deeply with their horses. It was during those conversations—between the equine and their human—that we realized these majestic beings held an abundance of wisdom for humanity. I knew that their stories needed to be told.
Do you have a favorite story in the book, and if so, why does it hold special meaning for you?
Each story is meaningful in its own right, and it would be impossible to select a favorite. What I will say, however, is that I didn’t expect to be brought to tears over and over again, as I worked with the stories during the editing process. Even during a second or third pass, I found myself tearing up. Our authors wrote with such heartfelt authenticity that their words convey not only a literal account but an energetic message, as well. So, while the reader’s mind processes the words, the soul resonates with the deeper wisdom.
What was the biggest challenge you faced in putting together this collection?
The biggest challenge for an anthology editor, in my experience, is working with multiple authors—specifically, compiling a wide range of writing styles and voices into a cohesive project. As with any collaborative effort, the diversity of participants is its strength. But at the same time, it requires an editor to navigate with sensitivity, respect, and aplomb.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be published?
I currently have three books in the works: an investigative project about Mars, another that presents a unique perspective on angels, and a third that will dive into a new approach to Astrology. In each of these, I am taking off my editor’s hat and co-authoring the books with three other subject-matter experts. Palm and Lotus Publishing, the company I founded with my husband, Will, is the publisher for each of these exciting new projects! Look for the first to debut in mid-2026.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Always Swing
In Open Water, you share the details of your difficult upbringing, your struggles with mental health, and the mysterious medical condition that ultimately changed your life. What inspired you to share your story with readers?
The goal in writing this book was and is still to help others in any way possible. That could mean just being able to spread awareness of this condition in hopes of eventually finding a cure for people, or also hopefully preventing others from having to go down the dark road that I did in order to find an answer. I am also hopeful that this could reach people or their families with this specific disorder or any other similar diagnosis and make them feel less alone and let them know that there is always hope.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
I think that while it was honestly quite difficult and emotional to revisit some of those darker places and times, like my stay in Haliston Hospital, the hardest thing about writing all of this was honestly emotionally reconciling all of the difficult family aspects of this and coming to terms with the best way to tell the story 100% truthfully while telling of some of the more difficult moments with family and people that I will always love dearly!
How important was it for you to convey a sense of hope to your readers?
That sense of hope is absolutely critical. Getting through my own struggle or any even remotely similar, requires understanding that there is always hope and you can always persevere no matter what. I can’t think of a more important message to get across and I very much aim for that sense of hope to be something that readers definitely take with them.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your experiences?
As all of these answers hopefully suggest, raising awareness for this disorder, as well as being able to help others in anyway possible are certainly the main goals. As far as a take away that I would love to be able to relay? Always persevere, always try to press on no matter what, and using the metaphor in the book, always swing, knowing that there is always hope.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Amazon
Open Water details that journey and communicates many of the lessons that he learned from it and hopes others can benefit from as well. The goal is to ensure that those who might be dealing with similar conditions never have to feel as darkly alone as he did at times, going through his own many-years-long search for a diagnosis and learning to live with a disability. Alex stresses that if reading this can help just one person going through anything even remotely similar to what he went through to feel less alone or desperate or afraid, it will all be worth it to him. He hopes that any such individual’s family or close friends are able to process and understand better what is happening as they move forward as well.
The title, Open Water, is a visual comparison carried throughout the story. Like open water, life can be absolutely beautiful and sometimes terrifyingly stormy as well, with moments when the only choice is just trying to swim and stay above the surface. Times of relative serenity still bring with them the fear of the unknown, not knowing what lies below the murkiness around us. The only thing to do is keep pressing on in hopes of eventually finding clarity.
Open Water
Open Water is a heartfelt, raw, and deeply personal memoir by Alex Dean that chronicles his upbringing in a fractured family, his early love for academics, and the onset of a mysterious medical condition that would alter the course of his life. The story begins in a psychiatric hospital and then rewinds to Alex’s childhood in Kansas, toggling between two very different homes, one calm and loving, the other chaotic and emotionally volatile. With a voice that’s at once humorous, honest, and emotionally naked, Dean invites readers to walk through his struggles with mental health, physical illness, family conflict, identity, and perseverance.
Dean’s writing is beautifully conversational. It flows like a journal. The honesty is almost jarring at times, but that’s what makes it so powerful. He doesn’t over-polish his memories or wrap everything up in neat little lessons. His childhood was messy, his thoughts often contradictory, and his pain palpable, but he tells his story with such clarity that you trust every word. And somehow, despite the darkness he describes, he never lets the book become bleak. There’s this through-line of hope, humor, and love, especially for his family, that never goes away, even when things get really hard.
What struck me most was how relatable this story is. I wasn’t reading about someone extraordinary doing superhero things. I was reading about a smart, anxious, lovable kid doing his best to navigate a really confusing life. The family dynamics alone are enough to break your heart. The way Dean talks about his parents, especially his deep bond with his dad, and his complicated, painful relationship with his mom, felt so familiar and real. And then there’s the body that keeps failing him and the mind that won’t stop fighting him. He never pretends to have all the answers. He just keeps swinging, his favorite metaphor, and you end up rooting for him with everything you’ve got.
Open Water is a lifeline for anyone who’s ever felt overwhelmed by their own mind, their body, or their family. I would absolutely recommend it to young adults, therapists, teachers, parents, and anyone trying to understand the messiness of growing up with both invisible and visible struggles. If you want real and moving and strangely funny in the most painful places, you’ll find something here that sticks with you.
Pages: 200 | ASIN : B0CS4SYP23
Resilient Activism: Igniting Wild Hope in Uncertain Times
After reading Resilient Activism: Igniting Wild Hope in Uncertain Times by Laurie Benson, I was left feeling both cracked open and pieced back together in unexpected ways. This book, short in length but vast in heart, is a blend of personal storytelling, spiritual reflection, and practical guidance. Benson begins by exploring “Wild Hope,” a force she defines as our inner call to healing and action, then moves into the concept of “Resilient Activism,” which is about how to stay grounded and embodied while doing the hard work of changing the world. Through raw stories from her time at the US-Mexico border, meditative practices drawn from nature, and gentle urgings to reconnect with what matters, Benson offers readers a deeply personal roadmap to meaningful, sustainable engagement with life and the world around us.
What struck me first was how emotional this book made me feel. Benson doesn’t just talk about injustice or activism in the abstract, she invites you into her own breaking points. I could see the tear-filled eyes of the girl being taken by border patrol as clearly as if I were there. And I felt that same heartbreak build up inside me. But what made it bearable was how she holds that pain with such love, such purpose. Her writing doesn’t just tell you to “have hope.” It shows you why hope is necessary, even when everything feels unbearable. The language is poetic at times, but never inaccessible. She writes with her whole heart, and it makes you want to meet her there with yours.
At the same time, I found myself challenged by the book. Benson pushes back against our culture of burnout and “doing everything” by reminding us that our part in the world’s healing isn’t meant to destroy us. She says over and over again that self-care isn’t selfish, it’s essential. That felt both like a relief and a wake-up call. I’ve long felt guilty for not doing more in moments of global crisis, and this book helped me reframe that. She talks about tending the garden, listening to the water, finding your own song. Those ideas might sound soft, but they carry so much weight. Her message is that healing the world starts with reconnecting to your own truth, your own rhythm. And that felt like something I needed to hear more than I realized.
In the end, I would absolutely recommend Resilient Activism to anyone who feels overwhelmed by the world and unsure how to help. It’s not a tactical how-to manual for organizing protests or writing policy (though it honors that kind of work too). It’s a guide for the heart, a map back to yourself and your place in the collective healing of this planet. It’s for teachers, artists, caregivers, nature lovers, and especially for people who feel too tender to keep going but too awake to look away. This book doesn’t just ask us to fight, it asks us to love, to remember, and to stay connected, even when it’s hard.
Pages: 104 | ASIN : B0FJ9SMTWP
Metabolic Reboot: From Crisis to Cure with The Power of Food
In Metabolic Reboot, James and Crystal Bass share an unflinchingly honest journey from the shock of a devastating diagnosis to a powerful transformation grounded in whole-food nutrition, faith, and intentional living. The book begins with Crystal’s painful diagnosis of Paget’s Disease—a chronic and degenerative bone condition—and blossoms into a practical and emotionally rich guide to reclaiming health through diet, low-impact exercise, fasting, and holistic supplements. With detailed explanations of bodily systems, a wealth of nutritional guidance, and heartfelt testimony, the Basses aim to educate, inspire, and offer a path forward for those battling chronic illness.
What struck me most was the raw sincerity of the storytelling. The opening chapters are heavy with emotion—there’s fear, grief, and a sense of helplessness that’s almost tangible. But woven through that vulnerability is this strong, unwavering love between James and Crystal. They don’t pretend to have all the answers, and that humility makes their advice land with more weight. When they talk about organic food, supplements, and lifestyle shifts, it doesn’t feel preachy—it feels like a hand extended to help you up.
It is worth noting that parts of the book felt a bit encyclopedic. The lists of nutrients and supplements were informative and broke up the emotional rhythm of the narrative. I appreciated the clarity and practicality. There’s no fluff. No empty promises. Just a real couple navigating pain, offering what worked for them. I found myself dog-earing pages and writing notes for my own pantry overhaul. It’s clear they’ve done their homework—and lived it.
Metabolic Reboot isn’t just a wellness book. It’s a love story. It’s a faith journey. It’s a wake-up call. If you’re someone who’s hit a wall with conventional treatments, or if you’re just looking to live with more intention, this book is worth your time. It’s especially helpful for those dealing with chronic illnesses or seeking gentle, sustainable health practices.
Pages: 96 | ISBN : 978-1963737936
LITERARY TITAN 