Former Congressman Ric Keller Shares Actionable Steps for Turning Dreams Into Reality
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“Ric Keller hits just the right note in Chase the Bears. Not only is it engaging, inspiring, and funny, but it also offers readers a solid plan for achieving their dreams. I love this book!” — Jack Canfield, coauthor of the No. 1 New York Times bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul series and The Success Principles
“Chasing the bears” is a metaphor for chasing dreams, and in his new book, Chase the Bears: Little Things to Achieve Big Dreams, former Congressman Ric Keller shares little things readers can do to succeed and be happy—no matter where they start in life.
“Chase the Bears is about becoming the best version of yourself by using your gifts and taking chances that are aligned with your purpose,” Keller said. With humility and humor, Keller guides readers to pursue their dreams and find happiness with tips and techniques to turn their aspirations and thoughts into reality.
The inspirational messages in Chase the Bears provide practical, actionable steps woven with fascinating anecdotes about others who have made their dreams come true by trusting their instincts, using their gifts, taking risks and never quitting.
The book is divided into two sections: Connecting Your Gifts to Your Goals and Connecting with People. In Part One, Keller starts with the importance of discovering your gifts, trusting your intuition and setting specific goals that are aligned with your purpose. Readers learn how to take actions to move toward their dreams by taking educated risks and making persistent efforts to achieve each baby-step goal.
Part Two of the book is focused on connecting with people and cultivating authentic long-term relationships. Keller shows readers how to network the right way. He also explains why leading with boldness, civility, humility and a little humor will make them leaders worth following.
About the Author Former Congressman Ric Keller served eight years in the U.S. House of Representatives. He chaired the House Higher Education subcommittee and served on the Judiciary and Education committees. Today, he is an attorney, writer, humorist, motivational speaker and television commentator. His TEDx Talk, “The Power of Self-Deprecating Humor,” was the sixth most-watched TEDx Talk in the world in May 2022.
Keller received his bachelor’s degree from East Tennessee State University, where he graduated first in his class, and his law degree from Vanderbilt Law School. He lives in Winter Park, Florida, with his wife, Lori, and their blended family.
Visit his website at www.rickeller.net.
Chase the Bears: Little Things to Achieve Big Dreams Publisher: HCI Books Release Date: September 27, 2022 ISBN-10: 0757324487 ISBN-13: 9780757324482 Trade Paperback, 256 pages Available for pre-order
Trish Stevens Lindsey Mach Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone.
Learn How to See the Good in the World, and Help Make America Sane Again
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A mindset that embraces rational thinking, perspective taking, and optimism can help society fight back against the rising tide of pessimism, posits Dr. Michael Adamse in his new book, Make America Sane Again: A Mental Health Expert Weighs In.
“Unless we get a collective grip on what is truly happening to us on a deeper psychological level, the shift away from individual and collective optimism is at risk,” Adamse wrote in the book’s introduction.
In Make America Sane Again, Adamse uses his background in philosophy and clinical psychology to tackle the critical topic of America’s mental health from two important — and completely nonpolitical — perspectives.
First, Adamse explores the myriad nationally scaled issues such as addiction, violence, loneliness, the double-edged sword of technology and other concerns that continue to undermine America’s mental health.
Then, after taking readers on a deep dive into the factors influencing the current mental health crisis, Adamse emphasizes personal responsibility and offers readers practical suggestions on how to address these challenging sources of stress and what they, as individuals, can do to contribute to America’s welfare.
Written in a conversational style, Make America Sane Again uses well established psychological principles to evaluate what is happening in this country on a deeper level and what readers can do to improve their own well-being, which, in turn, helps everyone.
“I think we should be aware and concerned about America’s mental health, but not panicked,” Adamse added. “Panic subverts rational thinking and simplifies complex issues into a primitive state of fear … The path forward is clear if we intelligently learn to manage the influences that work to distract us.”
With over 300 interviews across all media platforms, Dr. Adamse is able to speak on a wide range of psychological issues. Most recently, he has been asked to comment on the stress individuals are experiencing around current events, including the upcoming elections and inflation fears.
About the Author
Dr. Michael Adamse specializes in relationship issues and has practiced for over 40 years. He received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Miami after completing a pre-doctoral fellowship at Yale University. He also served as a Captain in the Medical Corps, U.S. Army Reserve.
He is also the author of Affairs of the Net, which represented a cutting-edge online relationship study; the inspirational novel Anniversary; and God’s Shrink.
For more information, please visit https://makeamericasaneagain.net/.
Make America Sane Again: A Mental Health Expert Weighs In Publisher: Inspired Forever Books ISBN 13: 978-1-948903-67-7 Available from https://www.amazon.com/dp/1948903679 and https://makeamericasaneagain.net/
Trish Stevens Alex Spencer Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
‘Letter to Progressives’ Shares Cautionary Message
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Entrepreneur, investor and lifelong educator David Parker refers to his new book, A San Francisco Conservative, as “a letter to progressives,” and in it, his message is clear.
“Stop trying to tax. Stop trying to distribute. And stop trying to solve problems by spending money,” Parker said in a recent interview.
In his book, Parker discusses both ends of the political spectrum and everything in between, and he reminds readers that the timeless principles of economics are essential to the preservation of American democracy.
Parker went back to school at age 50 to gain a deeper understanding of these enduring ideas — and the missteps of nations that deviated from them — to write A San Francisco Conservative. Just as his first book, Income and Wealth, provided readers with a thought-provoking examination of the foundations on which this nation’s freedom rests, his latest book also serves as a message of reassurance and challenge to the conventional political thinking of the day.
The issues Parker addresses are those he has focused on for more than half a century, throughout his 40-year career as a teacher in San Francisco public schools. In A San Francisco Conservative, he reminds readers that “crises” have affected the American economy numerous times over the nation’s history — but they pass.
Parker provides well-researched support for his belief that economic opportunities always exist. He cautions that government leaders — especially those who identify themselves as progressives — are jeopardizing the very democracy that has produced prosperity.
Themes covered in A San Francisco Conservative range from education to taxes and the political process itself. Parker challenges the widespread belief that a “conservative” (whether a resident of San Francisco or elsewhere) lacks empathy or a personal commitment to help those who are less fortunate. Government programs supported by many in today’s progressive movement to counter this misunderstanding merely increase the nation’s deficit in dangerous ways, Parker says.
Parker began his career in education at the age of 24 and served students at San Francisco’s inner-city public elementary schools for four decades as a music teacher, followed by 10 years as a volunteer. While pursuing his career in education, Parker became a successful real estate investor. It was success in business that focused his writing, teaching and career as a professional musician. Parker spent 20 years as a member of the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, then 20 years as leader of the Dave Parker Sextet, which twice headlined the San Francisco Fillmore Jazz Festival. His essays have been featured in The Economist, The Financial Times and prestigious law journals.
Scheduled to coincide with the publication of David Parker’s playfully titled newest book, A San Francisco Conservative, a new podcast series sharing that title showcases Parker’s views on the proper role of government and how individuals can arrange for the principles of a free-market economy to work in their favor. As the podcast’s co-host, longtime journalist Tom Martin, has noted, “David Parker’s scholarly approach to the study of political economy provides much-needed historical context to important topics dominating the news, including the progressives’ call for dramatically increased government spending.”
A San Francisco Conservative: David Parker Essays Volume Two Publisher: Waterside Productions ISBN-10: 1956503064 ISBN-13: 978-1956503067 Available from Amazon.com and anywhere books are sold
Trish Stevens Dea Shandera-Hunter Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone.
An Individual Approach to Surviving the Troubled Economy
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Former teacher David Parker delivers a crash course in economics in his book, Income and Wealth. His three main points? Why income and wealth are two different things; how wealth can be created on a minimum-wage income; and why it’s essential that government intervention in the lives of individuals be scaled back.
“The book includes business and economic insights carried with me since the age of 12, in addition to 40 years’ experience teaching inner-city public schools, 40 years a professional musician and 40 years of real estate investment,” Parker wrote in the book’s foreword.
In Income and Wealth, Parker provides a detailed analysis of how someone earning minimum wage can become financially independent in one decade, drawing upon the business and economic insights he formed during 40 years of studying economic history and principles, teaching in public schools, and being a professional musician and real estate developer.
His prescription for wealth creation may not be easy — but it is certainly effective. He urges all young people, regardless of their earning power, to follow the plan that worked for him. “Those who choose to follow this method, even without prior success, will generate significant income within 10 years,” he said.
Minimum wages in the U.S. today vary between $7.25 and $15 an hour, but Parker believes financial success is possible in a decade because of his own experience.
“There’s no relationship between income and wealth,” Parker added. “You can do what you really want in life. You can be an artist; you can be a schoolteacher; you can open a restaurant … Do it because you want to do it.”
Income And Wealth also provides a framework for reflecting on the role of government in our lives and the opportunities available to each of us. Parker presents a compelling case for the benefits of free market economics and shares strategies and insights that can be used as building blocks for a step-by-step plan for financial prosperity.
David Parker began his career in education at age 24 and served students in San Francisco’s inner-city public elementary schools for 40 years as a music teacher. While pursuing his career, Parker also became a successful real estate investor. It was success in business that focused his writing, teaching and career as a professional musician. He spent 20 years as a member of the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra and 15 years as leader of the Dave Parker Sextet, which has headlined at San Francisco’s Fillmore Jazz Festival.
Income and Wealth Publisher: Waterside Productions ISBN-10: 1951805909 ISBN-13: 978-1951805906 Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Dea Shandera-Hunter Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
12 True Stories That Enable Discovery, Evoke Inspiration and Elevate Awareness
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“Liminal” means threshold, and thresholds are not just transitionary places; they are opportunities for discovery, awareness and choice, posits Sande Hart.
In her new book, The Liminal Odyssey, Hart invites readers to step into, not over, the thresholds of their daily lives to explore the transformative power of the space between crisis and action.
“Oftentimes, we simply step over the mundane or ignore what may seem meaningless, not realizing what gems these synchronicities and messages can actually reveal in our lives,” Hart says. “In this space, we can interpret and examine possibilities for creativity that help us move on from old problems, beliefs and myths of who we are.”
Combining true stories and lessons from Hart’s life with practical wisdom to inspire readers on their own journey, The Liminal Odyssey details how readers can alchemize their own lives. Hart outlines the 12 skills she deems foundational to such a journey, including the art of listening, forgiveness, grace, cultivation of synchronicities and trust. These skills, among others, provide the tools and lay the groundwork for a paradigm shift, allowing readers to explore the gifts that exist in the everyday. A reimagining of Joseph Campbell’s framework of The Hero’s Journey, a liminal odyssey goes even further to explore life’s pauses, transforming an experience into an experiment.
The Liminal Odyssey incorporates philosophy, science, shared indigenous knowledge and psychology by some of the world’s most spiritually prolific leaders, authors, scientists and indigenous grandmothers. Hart has created a call-to-action for the current era, where a changing world is summoning a cultural shift.
As Hart states, “Imagine the outcome when we grow collectively by way of individual contribution into that cultural liminal space. It is crowd-sourcing change at its best and is the only way that is sustainable and resilient for this next era we are moving into, with or without us.”
Everyone has an abundance of stories waiting to be discovered. The Liminal Odyssey is where these stories can take us.
About Sande Hart Sande Hart is an award-winning leader in the fields of women’s empowerment and interfaith community building. She founded the women’s interfaith international grassroots organization S.A.R.A.H. (The Spiritual And Religious Alliance for Hope) the morning of 9/11, an instinct to gather women of diverse faiths to protect all that they consider sacred, now in its 20th year. She founded and served as director of Charter for Compassion’s Women and Girls sector, served as chair for the United Religions Initiative for North America and serves on the Women’s Task Force for The Parliament of World’s Religions.
Hart is also the founder of Compassionate California. She is currently being inducted into the Women’s Oral History Library of Claremont Colleges.
For more information, please visit https://www.liminalodyssey.com/.
The Liminal Odyssey: The Alchemical Power of The Spaces In-Between ISBN-13: 979-8812367336 Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Dea Shandera-Hunter Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone.
Learn How to Form Authentic Human Connections Through Storytelling
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In an age when business can be conducted from a smart phone, family therapist Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse has a suggestion to help people cultivate authentic, human connections: storytelling.
“Screens and data have overtaken our society; we are overloaded, digitalized and distracted,” she wrote in the introduction to her latest book, Storytelling Legacy: Everyone Has Stories—What are Yours? “Storytelling can be used to connect, engage, inspire, heal and create a brighter future.”
Wegscheider-Cruse has brought hope and healing to millions of people through her work as a family therapist, co-founder of the National Association of Children of Alcoholics, acclaimed author and conference presenter. She invites readers to join her as she recounts her remarkable life in Storytelling Legacy, hoping that her narrative will encourage readers to share their own experiences through the power of storytelling.
“Communication is more than an exchange of information,” she said. “Words can inspire; words can teach important lessons. And woven together, words offer a legacy to those we love for generations to come.”
In the recounting of her legacy, Wegscheider-Cruse includes tales of celebrity, culture, humor, history, questions, relationships, surprises, spirituality, traditions and travels.
She then invites readers to go deep within, to realize the wonder of their own life experiences, and to craft their own legacy of stories.
“Everyone has a story,” she adds. “What is yours?”
About the Author Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse is a family therapist, businesswoman, and founder of Onsite Workshops. She is the author of 23 books, including 5 bestsellers, translated into 13 languages, most notably Another Chance: Hope and Health for the Alcoholic Family, Learning to Love Yourself, and Choicemaking. She has brought hope and healing to millions through her company, Onsite Workshops, TN, and fostered a movement that brought direction to millions of adult children of alcoholics. The co-founder of the National Association of Children of Alcoholics (NACOA), she has trained and lectured for the US Air Force, counseling agencies, spa wellness centers, and corporations. She has developed programs in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Sharon has appeared on numerous television and radio shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Phil Donahue Show, The Larry King Show, and The Today Show. Her love for her soulmate, Joe, is everlasting and her greatest accomplishment is her joy for her children, her grandchildren, and relationships with her friends.
For more information, visit https://sharonwegscheidercruse.com/.
Storytelling Legacy: Everyone Has Stories—What Are Yours? Publisher: HCI Books Release Date: July 26, 2022 ISBN-10: 0757324355 ISBN-13: 9780757324352 Trade Paperback, 272 pages Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Lindsey Mach Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone.
Finding Meaning in Life’s Messes: Easier Shows Readers How
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When it seems as if the path forward looks like a brick wall, it’s time to zoom out, and watch other possibilities come into view, advises author and business coach Chris Westfall. His new book, Easier: 60 Ways to Make Your Work Life Work for You, isn’t about taking the easy way out of difficult circumstances. It’s about overcoming tunnel vision, seeing things in a new way and showing up differently when challenges arise.
“The book Easier is actually filled with difficulty, just like life is,” Westfall said in a recent interview. “But in the midst of difficult circumstances, difficult relationships, misunderstandings, communication challenges … a new path emerges — a new possibility emerges.” Accessing new ideas and possibilities in Westfall’s narrative is simpler than readers will find in other self-help books because Easier is told as a relatable, straightforward conversation between a Client and a Coach. The Client is ambushed at work. He’s fired on a Monday morning. He believes his wife will leave him as a result. He’s afraid that he can’t pay his bills.
From this life-after-career-death story, new discoveries bloom, revealing 60 insights into resilience, resourcefulness, self-leadership and more. With each new concept, readers can find their perspectives shifting from “How will I ever get through this?” to “What can I gain from this?”
Westfall’s insights can be applied not just to the workplace, but to all aspects of life.
“The obligations are the obligations, the duties are the duties, the deadlines are the deadlines, the sharks are still the sharks,” Westfall said. “But when you show up differently, the conversation can change.”
Ultimately, Easier takes an even-handed look at how things work — using neuroscience, history and powerful coaching examples to impart fresh perspectives that are vital for companies striving to create inclusive cultures, for organizations seeking to expand innovation and for individuals who want to deepen their relationships through understanding.
“When it looks like life and career and communication and everything else is breaking down, it’s time to break free,” Westfall said. “It’s time to access a kind of personal freedom that allows you to make different choices. To see things in a different way. People around the world are looking for more personal freedom, more encouragement and more possibility.”
About the Author Chris Westfall is one of the most sought-after business coaches and keynote speakers in the world. He helped launch over five dozen businesses and has appeared on ABC NEWS, NBC TV and CNN. A regular contributor to Forbes, he has worked with thousands of leaders at Fortune 500 companies, nonprofit organizations and high-tech startups. A coach to entrepreneurs and executives around the globe, his clients have appeared on Shark Tank, Dragon’s Den and Shark Tank-Australia. He regularly consults with top-tier universities and is the author of three other books, including Leadership Language.
For more information, please visit http://westfallonline.com or http://easier-book.com. You can also follow Westfall on Twitter (westfallonline), Instagram (westfallonline) or Facebook (easierbook).
Easier: 60 Ways to Make Your Work Life Work for You Publisher: Wiley ISBN-10: 1119834570 ISBN-13: 978-1119834571 Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Helen Cook Senior Publicist Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 281.333.3507 Office 903.654.0938 Direct [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
