Blog Archives
What’s Normal Is When the Emotion Matches the Circumstance
William W. Hedrick, MD, author of What’s Normal Is When the Emotion Matches the Circumstance, has spent his medical career wrestling with one stubborn question. What is a normal emotion, and when does it become an illness? He walks through his early training, his unease with the DSM checklist style of diagnosis, and his doubts about simple “chemical imbalance” stories. He then builds his own model of six primary emotions, tied to brain centers and neurotransmitters, and he defines “normal” as when the type and level of emotion match the actual situation on a simple one-to-ten scale. Along the way, he folds in cognitive therapy ideas, brain chemistry, addiction to our own internal chemicals, and many case examples to show how his framework might work in real clinics.
I was genuinely pulled in by his main idea that context and proportion matter more than labels. The notion that anxiety in a grocery store and anxiety on the edge of a cliff are not the same thing, even if the body feels similar, clicked for me right away. His definition of normal emotion as “the emotion that fits the circumstance” feels both humane and practical, and I could picture real patients using that one-to-ten scale to check their own reactions. I appreciated the boldness of some of his stronger claims. For example, he treats major depression as almost entirely a rogue “depression center” that drugs must calm, and he is clear about his doubts that talk therapy alone can fully reach it. I understood the logic, and I saw real compassion in his effort to remove blame from people who are suffering, and his stance pushed me to think harder about biology, medication, and responsibility.
Hedrick’s tone stays calm and professional, and he explains brain chemistry and therapy ideas in plain language, with stories, history notes, and even word origins that give the book an old-school charm. Some chapters slow down to take longer side trips into the DSM or historical theories, which helped me see how deeply his ideas are rooted in the broader story of psychiatry. I appreciated how often he brought things back to real people in real rooms.
I came away feeling this book would suit thoughtful readers who like to sit with ideas and do not mind a slower, reflective pace. Primary care clinicians, therapists in training, and medically curious readers who have lived with anxiety or depression themselves would probably get the most from it. If you want to see how one experienced doctor tries to rebuild our understanding of emotion from the ground up, this is a smart and often moving read.
Pages: 128 | ASIN : B0B193TDVK
Truth Is a Harmony
Authenticity: The Art & Science of Being Your True Self is a guide to personal transformation that blends psychology and spirituality, showing how to identify hidden patterns, realign with truth, and cultivate authenticity as a daily practice rather than an abstract ideal. How much of this book grew out of your own turning points?
I’ve always been driven by curiosity and wanting to know how things worked. If I ever came across a problem in life, I’d face the problem head-on and continue working until I had found a solution. This book was born out of one of the biggest problems I’d ever faced, the quest to figure out who I was as well as what the purpose of life was. Those two questions, Who am I? And what is the purpose of life?, rocked my world right down into the core. I didn’t want to simply read someone else’s answers; I wanted to research all perspectives, but then also test them out to see which ones held validity. That caused an existential identity crisis within me — which completely tore down the life I had built; however, it opened my mind to a whole new level of understanding, which I wanted to document for myself and others. What I documented and systemised became the foundation of the book.
You argue that authenticity is alignment with truth. How do you define “truth” in this context?
I define authenticity as: “to live in alignment with the truth,” and then I go on to say that authenticity is an experience, it can’t really be defined, and nobody can tell you what the truth is, and that you must discover the truth within yourself, for yourself. However, with that said, the truth is a harmony between opposing forces, call it Yin and Yang if you will. When we find our own personal centre point, by creating a balance of opposing forces within our psychology (mind and emotions), then we will know the truth within ourselves. We will no longer be chasing gratification through excitement, or avoiding discomfort through fear, and we’ll no longer be acting in order to get approval or feel worthy. We will act based on what is intrinsically inspiring to ourselves, and that pathway — sometimes referred to as the dharmic path or our “purpose” — is the path of truth, the path of meaning, the path of destiny.
Can you walk us through the Pattern Model in simple terms?
Absolutely. The Pattern Model consists of four aspects: Thoughts, Feelings, Actions, and Outcomes, and these four aspects operate like a chain of dominoes where our thoughts — through a sequence of cause and effect — become the ultimate creators of our reality. Said differently, the outcomes we experience within our lives can be traced back to a thought within our mind, and that is why Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The ancestor of every action is a thought.” Our thoughts affect our feelings, our feelings affect our actions, and our actions drive us towards the actions we experience. The Pattern Model is an overview of all human behaviour, and when we understand the mechanics of our behaviour — our patterns — we enable ourselves to begin mastering the way we think, feel, and ultimately what we get to experience.
How do relationships shift when someone becomes more authentic, and what advice do you have for readers when this happens?
When someone is being authentic, everything, including relationships, begins to come into alignment. That means certain people will be repelled, and others will be attracted. It means that if a relationship is due to end, it will end. It means that if a new relationship is ready to begin, it will begin. Authenticity removes dogma and rules, including moral and ethical judgements, to make way for something greater — the truth. The truth cannot be boxed into a belief system, grace cannot occur through a rule book, and authenticity is the state that enables the wisest decisions and the truth to be revealed.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Blending practical psychology, timeless philosophy, and spiritual wisdom, Templeton shares a fresh perspective for anyone looking to transcend their limitations and create a life of meaning.
The book offers innovative frameworks like the Vectors of Perception and the Map of Emotion which reveal unique insights into how our thoughts and feelings are the ultimate creators of our reality, and how we can, by mastering our psychology, transform the outcomes we’re experiencing within any area of our life.
John also presents powerful tools including various meditation and contemplation techniques that allow us to overcome our past, dissolve disempowering habits, and align our mind with a higher purpose — empowering us to eloquently build the life we envision.
The Turning Point
Too Strong For Your Own Good is an intimate blend of memoir and guidance that invites readers to explore the hidden cost of chronic strength and to show exhausted high achievers how to reclaim health, joy, and self-leadership by listening to their bodies. Why was this an important book for you to write?
This book wasn’t something I decided to write—it was something that asked to be written through me.
For decades, I lived the life of the “strong one.” The high achiever. The helper. The woman who could handle anything—until my body finally said no. After surviving multiple cancer diagnoses, chronic illness, and profound burnout, I realized that the very strength I had been praised for was slowly costing me my health, my joy, and my sense of self.
As I healed, I began to recognize this same pattern everywhere. In my years of coaching leaders and high performers, I watched capable, compassionate people quietly disconnect from themselves in the name of responsibility, success, and survival. The strongest people were often the most exhausted and the least supported.
I wrote Too Strong For Your Own Good so others don’t have to spend decades learning what nearly cost me my life—that real strength includes the wisdom to rest, the courage to feel, and the trust to finally come home to yourself. This book is both a truth-telling and an invitation to evolve from survival-based strength into a more soul-aligned way of living and leading. It’s the book I wish someone had handed me years earlier.
When did you first realize that being “strong” had become harmful rather than helpful?
I realized it when my body stopped responding to willpower. I could no longer push through symptoms, override exhaustion, or “mindset” my way forward. What once felt empowering began to feel like self-erasure.
As I slowed down enough to listen, I saw something more clearly: the strength I had relied on wasn’t a conscious choice-it was a survival strategy I had developed very early in life. Proving my worth through constant doing had once helped me feel safe, capable, and in control. But over time, it came at a cost.
Being strong became harmful the moment it required me to abandon myself. When saying yes to everyone else meant saying no to my own body, my own needs, and my own truth, I knew something had to change.
That realization was humbling and clarifying. I understood that my body wasn’t betraying me-it was protecting me. It was asking me to stop living from adrenaline and proving, and to begin listening. That moment became the turning point not only in my healing but in how I now guide others.
How does burnout in leaders quietly ripple into families, teams, and organizations?
Burnout doesn’t stay contained. Even when leaders are highly competent, their nervous systems set the tone. Chronic stress shows up as urgency, control, emotional distance, and reactivity- often without anyone naming it.
Families feel it as an absence. Teams feel it as pressure. Organizations feel it as disengagement and quiet erosion of trust. When leaders are operating from survival, they unintentionally teach others to do the same, moving faster, bracing tighter, and normalizing constant pressure.
Sustainable leadership isn’t just about resilience or performance. It requires regulation, presence, and self-trust. When leaders feel safe in their own bodies, they create environments where others can do their best work without burning out.
What does sustainable healing actually look like day to day?
Sustainable healing is quiet and relational. It looks like pausing instead of pushing. Listening instead of overriding. Setting boundaries that honor the body. Making decisions that feel congruent rather than impressive.
Day to day, it’s less about adding more practices and more about removing what no longer fits. It’s learning to notice when we’re slipping back into survival and choosing to respond with honesty and care instead.
Healing becomes lasting when strength is redefined – not by how much we can carry, but by how well we stay connected to ourselves.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Anette Demattio | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Website | Amazon
Too Strong For Your Own Good reveals the hidden cost of pushing through, pleasing, and holding it all together—while your body quietly pays the price.
After surviving six cancer diagnoses, Anette DeMattio realized her body wasn’t broken—it was speaking. Now, with over 25 years of experience in transformational coaching, she helps high achievers and caregivers turn survival patterns into embodied self-leadership.
In this book, you’ll learn how to:
• Understand your symptoms as signals—not setbacks
• Break patterns that silently drain your energy
• Rest in a way that feels safe—not scary
• Lead and live from calm, clarity, and soul
This isn’t just a book about healing. It’s a powerful invitation to return to your truest self—strong, soft, and fully alive.
If your body is whispering for relief…
If you’re tired of pretending you’re fine…
If you want peace without burnout and strength without suffering…
Let this book show you how to stop surviving—and start living, vibrantly and freely as the real you.
The ADHD Awakening: A Woman’s Guide to Thriving After Diagnosis
The ADHD Awakening tells the story of a woman piecing together a lifetime of confusion, emotional intensity, and masked struggle into a clearer picture shaped by a late ADHD diagnosis. The book moves from her childhood experiences of impulsivity, shame, and missed signs into the chaos of undiagnosed adulthood, where relationships, parenting, and self-worth tangled together. It blends research with lived stories from many women, creating a guide that feels both personal and universal. The arc of the book shifts from raw memoir to a practical roadmap for self-understanding. It shows how ADHD weaves itself into every corner of life and how clarity can open the door to self-compassion.
The writing lands with this honest, almost disarming warmth, and I kept feeling like I was eavesdropping on someone telling the truth they never had the chance to say aloud. I liked that the author didn’t try to polish her past into something neat. The stories of hiding in plain sight, of dealing with rejection, of feeling intense emotions that others shrugged off hit with real weight. Some chapters made me stop and think for a moment. The moments about growing up in instability and learning to mask emotions resonated with me. They showed how misunderstood ADHD in girls can be and how easily the real story gets buried under labels like “dramatic” or “too sensitive.”
I also appreciated how the book layered science into the narrative without slipping into cold textbook talk. The explanations of executive dysfunction, emotional flooding, time blindness, and dopamine seeking were human and straightforward and strangely comforting. Sometimes I wished the pacing slowed down so that specific ideas could be explored more deeply, but the emotional honesty kept me hooked. There’s a tenderness in the way the author speaks to her younger self and to the reader. It made the book feel less like advice and more like an invitation to stop fighting your own brain.
I’d recommend this book to women who suspect they might have ADHD or who were diagnosed later in life and are now trying to make sense of the past. It’s also a great read for partners, friends, or anyone who wants to understand the emotional world behind the symptoms. If you like books that explain things with real stories instead of stiff jargon, this one will feel like a warm hand on your shoulder. It’s heartfelt, accessible, and practical, and it gives anyone navigating ADHD a sense that they’re not alone.
Pages: 319 | ASIN : B0G4SP8L38
Confidence Transformation
Girl Game: Balls Out is a blend of memoir, psychology, and empowerment, and is a call for women to reclaim their power, stop people-pleasing, and rise unapologetically into their full selves. Why was this an important book for you to write?
In love, I was always had an anxious attachment style, and I genuinely felt like something was medically wrong with me. My insecurities always got the best of me, and I grew up without any confidence or self-esteem. Rejection was my middle name. I was unlucky in love. I had to get to the bottom of this, so I spent 5 years intensively studying attachment theory and childhood emotional neglect, and boy, did my findings revolutionize my life as I know it. That research and my own confidence transformation were the catalyst and backbone of this work.
In Chapter Six, “The Fight of Your Life,” you write about internal battles. How do you personally recognize when you’re in one?
By how I am feeling. All internal states are attached to a feeling, and all feelings are trying to tell us something vital about ourselves.
What do you hope women take away from your message when they’re standing at their own
breaking point?
That they heal “balls out” style. Many people sit in a therapist’s office for years and take medication for decades hoping to numb the pain, but they never really heal HEAD ON. I encourage radical healing through awareness and consciousness, and that requires a full-blown, balls-out exploration of the shadow, or what I call an emotional exorcism, in this book.
You mix faith, psychology, and empowerment in a unique way. How do those three forces coexist in your own healing process?
I am a spiritual person. I do blend faith, spirituality, psychology, and empowerment because of my background in all 3. I refuse to take pills. I don’t go to therapy (but I am a huge fan of it) – I champion healing by facing problems head-on and feeling them fully until healed.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
With over 100 years of research behind it in human psychology, emotion, healing, attachment and relationships, self-worth and identity, this book provides profound insights concerning the realities that shape our existence when we struggle with low self-esteem. Since our subconscious accepts all suggestions as facts, we are met with demons we didn’t create who plague us as mirrors impacting our closest relationships while making rejection become the norm. This happens because of generational trauma passed down from ancestors and the general negativity felt and experienced in the external world. By embracing self-worth from within, the book emphasizes the transformative power it holds in reshaping personal connections and attracting genuine affection. The text prompts introspection on questions of rejection, societal constraints, and the impact of insecurity on personal growth and fulfillment. Encouraging a shift from seeking external validation to embracing inner worth, GIRL GAME: BALLS OUT advocates for empowerment and taking control of one’s narrative. By fostering self-belief and authenticity, individuals can transcend self-doubt, radiate confidence, and magnetize positive interactions.
You can either overcome or come undone… the POWER is yours.
Are you hiding behind that pretty face…
The Art of an Enlightened Woman
Sarah Voldeng’s The Art of an Enlightened Woman: A Manifesto is both a guidebook and a mirror. It reflects back to the reader the quiet strength and potential buried beneath layers of fear, expectation, and self-doubt. Through chapters like The Art of Empowerment, The Art of Boundaries, and The Art of Independence, Voldeng weaves philosophy, psychology, and personal insight into a tapestry of wisdom designed to awaken self-awareness. The book reads like a conversation with a mentor who knows when to challenge and when to comfort. It’s about rediscovering the self, what it means to be whole, to live with purpose, and to carry both grace and grit into every part of life.
The writing feels personal, not preachy, as if Voldeng were speaking from her own experience rather than theory. She connects ideas from ancient philosophy to modern struggles with a rare clarity. I found myself pausing often, not because the prose was heavy but because the ideas were. Her blend of compassion and accountability resonated with me. When she writes about responsibility and choice, I felt a kind of uncomfortable recognition. She doesn’t let the reader hide behind excuses, yet she never shames. There’s an honesty that feels refreshing. The mantras at the end of each chapter linger in the mind like quiet prayers, simple but powerful reminders of who we want to become.
At times, the tone leans toward the instructional, but it’s balanced by warmth and sincerity. Voldeng’s background in holistic health and psychology shows in her structure; she builds each chapter like a progression, a series of practices for the soul. What moved me most was her insistence that enlightenment isn’t something you find in a temple or through perfection, it’s in how you live, how you treat yourself, how you take ownership of your choices. The mixture of ancient wisdom and modern sensibility feels grounding. I could sense her belief that empowerment isn’t loud; it’s steady.
The Art of an Enlightened Woman left me both calm and stirred up. It’s the kind of book you return to when you’ve lost your footing, or when you need to remember your worth without apology. I’d recommend it to anyone, especially women, who feel stuck between who they are and who they want to be. It’s not just for readers interested in self-help; it’s for anyone craving a deeper connection to themselves.
Pages: 149 | ASIN : B0F5RPXP59
The Savior/Shadow Principle: A Self-Help Technique and Philosophy Using Archetypes
The book is both a personal memoir and a guide to a self-help technique the author calls the Savior/Shadow Principle. It blends mythology, psychology, and spirituality, drawing especially from the figures of Hekate and Jesus. McAfee takes readers through her journey from traditional Christianity into ChristoPaganism, then back into a reimagined Christianity. Along the way, she shares how she developed a meditative practice that uses archetypes of light and shadow to encourage self-honesty, growth, and healing. The book weaves in Jungian psychology, mythological parallels, and personal reflection, while offering readers practical ways to explore their inner lives through story and symbol.
I didn’t expect the writing to be so approachable. The author’s voice is warm, even when she’s discussing heavy topics like shame, fear, or midlife crises. She doesn’t hide behind theory or pretend to be an expert. Instead, she writes like someone who’s been in the dark, stumbled around, and finally found a lantern worth sharing. That sincerity resonated with me. At times, the language wanders, especially in sections heavy with history or myth, but that wandering matches the subject. The whole book is about exploration, so the digressions feel more like trails branching off a main path rather than distractions.
I loved the emotional undercurrent. I could feel the author’s vulnerability, her wrestling with faith, and her refusal to gloss over contradictions. That gave the philosophy weight. When she described Hekate lighting the way through shadow, or Jesus pulling someone into the light, it didn’t read like fantasy; it read like a relatable metaphor.
This isn’t a book for someone who wants a neat formula or a rigid system. It’s for seekers. It’s for people who are tired of shallow answers and who want to dig into the messy mix of spirituality, psychology, and story. If you’ve ever felt caught between belief systems, or if you’re curious about how myth and archetype can help uncover truth about yourself, this book has something to offer. It’s personal, heartfelt, and comforting.
Pages: 174 | ASIN : B0F8PLQMJB
Unbroken: A Survivor’s Journey After Sexual Assault
Lesley Goth’s UNBROKEN is a raw, honest, and deeply personal guide for survivors of sexual assault, told through a blend of professional expertise and lived experience. Each chapter addresses tough, often unspoken questions survivors carry. Questions about guilt, bodily autonomy, trust, pleasure, and healing. Goth uses stories, affirmations, and exercises to help readers reconnect with themselves and shed the shame and self-blame they’ve carried. With her compassionate tone and direct guidance, she offers a clear path through the fog of trauma toward hope and recovery.
Goth doesn’t just write like a psychologist; she writes like someone shining a light for those climbing out of their emotional trenches. Her language is simple and heartfelt, never preachy or clinical, which makes it feel like sitting with a wise, loving friend. What hit hardest for me were the sections that dealt with feeling complicit. “What if I liked it?” and “What if I gave consent?” They break open the myths we often use to silence ourselves. She tackles these grey zones without judgment, which is rare and brave and necessary. The real-life stories she includes aren’t sanitized, and that’s what makes them powerful.
I also appreciated the practicality of the book. Goth doesn’t leave the reader with just emotions and theory; she gives you tools. Exercises, guided imagery, breathing techniques, and even journaling prompts–all doable. I tried some of them while reading and was surprised by how quickly they brought up things I hadn’t realized I’d buried. She encourages you to move at your own pace, and that permission alone feels like healing. The tone of the whole book is soft but firm. She doesn’t coddle, but she always has your back. I found myself highlighting entire paragraphs and whispering, “yes,” more than once.
This is not an easy book to read, but that’s the point. It’s for survivors who are ready to stop pretending and start facing the pain, confusion, and sometimes even twisted memories of their trauma. It’s for people who’ve felt lost in therapy, or who haven’t yet found the words for what happened. It’s also a guide for those supporting survivors, partners, friends, and family who want to understand without intruding. UNBROKEN would be especially helpful for anyone navigating the messy aftermath of assault while still trying to function in everyday life.
Pages: 134 | ASIN : B0CZYBCRMC
