Collection: Self-Development

Without credentials, connections or a college degree, a hip-hop journalist and community leader conquered her imposter syndrome while landing one of the most exclusive, sought-after and fun positions in the White House.

From the most unlikely person to end up as a senior official to President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama comes a candid, incredible and inspiring story. Moved by the election of the country's first Black president, Deesha Dyer applied for a White House internship in 2009 as a thirty-one-year-old part-time community college student, taking a leap that carried her through being hired in a full-time position, followed by two promotions landing her at the epicenter of politics.

But in spite of the little voice in her head telling her she didn't deserve to be there, Deesha thrived and rose to the highly coveted role of White House social secretary, giving her a front row-seat to executing events that communicated defining moments in history while curating some of the flyest parties 1600 Pennsylvania has ever seen. With humor and realness, she peels back the curtain, revealing the hard truth about why she spent years trying to hide behind it. Undiplomatic is a deeply personal narrative about combating the feeling of self-doubt while being on top of the world. Deesha reflects on how imposter syndrome threatened her self-esteem, proven aptitude and survival until she realized that it was neither her fault nor her responsibility.

In this vivid portrayal from a true "around the way girl" on the personal impact of the Obama presidency, Deesha shares her road map from imposter to impact. In Undiplomatic, she invites you on a journey of self-discovery where she overcame doubt, unearthed true love for herself and learned that your unique worth is not something to be earned, but something inherently deserved. Uplifting, funny and candid, Deesha's story shows you how to embrace your authenticity at all costs, and the joy and freedom that awaits on the other side.

WINNER -- 2015 AASECT Book Award by AASECT, American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists!

WINNER -- 2016 Clark Vincent Award by CAMFT, California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists!

Increase your sexual potential to connect on a deeper level with your mate. This award-winning book is for anyone with a desire for more loving relationships and greater self-love.

The basic question, "What comprises hot, healthy sex?" set us on a quest.

Mirror of Intimacy contains a year's worth of daily reflections that explore and support the range of human sexualities as a divine gift and a human right. The reflections reference a rich array of approaches: attachment theory, mind/body nexus, neurobiology, 12-step principles, meditation techniques, Eastern and Western philosophy, and ancient world myths. Unfettered by cultural, social, or religious norms, we set our intention to examine 366 topics related to sex and sexuality.

A reader writes, "Mirror of Intimacy is a 'vade mecum, ' one of those books which you don't let out of your sight. As a psychologist, I am happy to have this magnificent creation to use with clients and patients leading to their enrichment, joy and celebration of life. The book will soon be one of the important therapeutic tools in our field."

It's a promise--these pages will erotically enlighten you and your world!

Sex Positive Talks to Have With Kids is your guide to creating an open, shame-free connection with the young people in your world. These talks will help caregivers create the kind of bond that keeps kids safer, empowered, and returning to you for support along their journey.

Melissa Carnagey, renowned sexuality educator for youth and families, walks you through over 150 conversation starters, reflection exercises, and activities you can begin implementing at every age and stage on topics such as: bodies, consent, pleasure, sex, menstruation, gender, sexual orientation, safe & unsafe touch, pornography, feelings, relationships, and media literacy.

This inclusive, medically accurate, comprehensive guide is perfect for any parent or caregiver that's ready to normalize the talks and be that trusted adult we all needed growing up.

​​Drawn from yoga philosophy and mindfulness, this collection of 30 potent, supportive tools will bolster, inspire, and assist those in addiction recovery. ​

​This collection of 30 yoga and mindfulness tools will help support those in recovery from addiction of all kinds. Thirty accessible, pointed teachings offer inspiration, comfort, and solidarity in the moment, helping us cultivate a powerful and purposeful life in recovery and to create a new design for living. Each chapter focuses on a quality--such as vigilance, acceptance, accountability, among others--and delves into how to manifest it in your recovery journey.
Brian Hyman, a yoga teacher and recovery activist, understands deeply what people need to maintain sobriety and strengthen recovery--and knows that those who struggle with addiction also often need support with other mental health challenges, like obsession, anxiety, depression.
The practices--which include inquiry questions, meditations, awareness exercises, breathing practices, yoga nidra, among others--will quiet the mind in difficult moments, support us as we establish meaningful relationships, and reinforce the power that recovery offers us. He offers resources and additional reading suggestions in the back matter. ​​Hyman uses yogic philosophy, mindfulness teachings, personal anecdotes, and secular wisdom to illuminate each quality and the role it plays in helping us create the life we want.

Pioneering movement educator Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen's innovative approach to embodiment, movement analysis and reeducation, Body-Mind Centering(R), is the subject of this book of collected essays, interviews, and exercises written for Contact Quarterly dance journal between 1980 and 2009. Drawing from both Western and Eastern scientific knowledge, BMC(TM) is an experiential study of the body systems and the evolutionary developmental patterns that underlie human movement. Her unique viewpoint is made evident in twenty-one chapters addressing specific systems, including the organs, neuroendocrine system, fluids, developmental movement, reflexes, perceptual system, embryology, cellular, and autonomic nervous system.

Over the last thirty years, BMC(TM) has engaged the interest of a wide range of people involved in dance, performing arts, athletics, therapy, healthcare, child development, meditation, and other body/mind disciplines.

The third edition includes sixteen additional pages with new articles on inspiration, expiration, and dancing through the transitional fluid, a subject index and List of Explorations.

Featuring over 40 DIY projects that illustrate how to transform one of the world's most natural ingredients into tangible creations, Beeswax Alchemy is the perfect amalgamation of recipe craft book and beekeepers' guide.

Considered the miracle of the beehive and used by humans for 8,000 years, beeswax remains a vital ingredient to society and is still used as the foundation for many household products in the twenty-first century. Learn from apiarist and entrepreneur Petra Ahnert about the history of beeswax, as well as tips and techniques on how to mold it into beautiful, reusable creations.

An introduction details the different ways in which beeswax has been used throughout history, as well as the products that contain it today. You'll also find an explanation of the different types of beeswax, as well as insider tips on working with beeswax, followed by step-by-step instructions for making candles, balms, salves, creams, scrubs, soaps, ornaments, art, and more out of beeswax (either your own or store-bought). Color photos illustrate the processes and show finished results throughout. Among the useful and beautiful things you'll learn to make out of beeswax:

• Hand-Dipped Birthday Candles
• Lip Balm with Cocoa Butter
• Rosebud Salve
• Solid Natural Perfumes
• Honey, Oats, and Beeswax Soap
• Beeswax Luminaries

Whether you are an expert beekeeper or experimental crafter, Beeswax Alchemy is the best guide for anyone aspiring to make wellness-boosting treasures to keep or gift to friends and family.

This is your very own nature scrapbook, packed with fascinating facts and brilliant activities. Doodle, draw, and color in leaves, butterflies, frogs, and much more. How many different types of snowflakes are there, and how are leaves formed? Find out how to make your own leaf prints, bee hotels, and sun masks.

With her beautiful, distinctive illustrations, Nina Chakrabarti urges you to explore the weird and wonderful things you can find all around you-whether you're out in a park, in your back yard, or sitting in your living room at home! Activity book from Nina Chakrabarti exploring the amazing world of nature, Beautiful, distinctive illustrations, Doodle, draw and color leaves, butterflies, frogs and more, while learning fascinating facts and completing amazing activities

For solvers who have dared to come this far--congratulations! Your reward is the roughest, toughest kakuros ever put on paper. Good luck...youll need it!

Find inspiration for wellness, confidence, and hope with this official, one-of-a-kind talking bobblehead of the world's favorite fitness guru, Richard Simmons. Set includes:

• SPECIFICATIONS: 3 inch Richard Simmons bobblehead figure on a base
• AUTHENTIC AUDIO: Says 10 unique motivational messages in the inimitable voice of Simmons himself. Lines include "This is so much fun!" "You can do it!" and "You know you're worth it!"
• BONUS BOOK: 32-page book features full-color photos and more inspirational quotes
• PERFECT GIFT: A uniquely motivational gift
• OFFICIALLY LICENSED: Authentic collectible

Redefining UGLY for individual and collective liberation--uplift, glorify, and love yourself in an uglified world.

In a deep analysis of the constructs of uglification and their impact on our social structures, collective psyche, and identities, author Vanessa Rochelle Lewis flips the script on how we think about ugly--what it is, what it means, and how it functions in our culture--and shows readers how to to Reclaim, Uplift, Glorify and Love Yourself. Blending incisive social analysis with personal narrative and joyful self-help magic, Reclaiming UGLY! empowers readers to connect, revolt, and heal from the oppression of uglification with creative prompts, reflective meditations, and guided opportunities for self-love and community-building.

But what is uglification? Uglification is a tool, ideology, and type of oppression. It's ugly weaponized--it designates some bodies as more or less worthy of love, respect, or access. It determines who gets to exist in which spaces, and acts as a tool of the white supremacist cisheteropatriarchy. Like all forms of oppression, uglification is at work on systemic, interpersonal, and internalized levels--painfully interrupting life, love, joy, pleasure, hope, and possibility for those our culture uglifies. Lewis unpacks the insidious impacts of uglification--and shows us how reclaiming ugly is a subversive, empowering act in which we embrace joy, healing, and community. Moving us closer to a collective liberation that takes back what society tells us is ugly and taboo (and what we've told ourselves is ugly and taboo), Lewis' analysis, personal journey, and activity toolkit compassionately guide readers to radical self-acceptance, joyful community-centered healing, and authentic self-love.

Natural swimming pools are the biggest news for gardeners since green roofs. The water is cleaned by aquatic plants instead of chlorine so it is gentle on the eyes and healthy for swimmers. These self-cleaning ecosystems are beautiful to look at and provide a valuable water source for dragonflies, honeybees and other beneficial insects. Wolfram Kircher has researched extensively into the low-nutrientdependent plants that are needed for the surrounds of natural swimming pools and the high-nutrient dependent plants that are required for the regeneration zone. In the book he demonstrates how to maintain the nutrient level in perfect balance to keep down the algae down and water sparkling. The authors have installed pools for decades and trialled different systems and plants to come up with the best possible designs.

"Not only is there more to life than basketball, there's a lot more to basketball than basketball." -- Phil Jackson"
One of the most successful coaches in NBA history, Chicago Bulls head coach Phil Jackson provides an inside look at the higher wisdom of teamwork with "Sacred Hoops" -- Jackson's philosophy of mindful basketball and his lifelong quest to bring enlightenment to the competitive world of professional sports.
A new paradigm of leadership based on Eastern and Native American principles, Jackson's approach flies in the face of the egoistic, winner-take-all attitude that has changed the face of American sports. Rather than winning through intimidation, Jackson -- who describes himself as a Zen Christian -- stresses awareness, compassion and most of all selfless team play. Filled with stories about Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Toni Kukoc and other members of the Bulls, "Sacred Hoops" reveals how Jackson directs his players to act with a clear mind; to respect the enemy and be aggressive without anger or violence; to live in the moment and stay calmly focused in the midst of chaos, so that the "me" becomes the servant of the "we."
In "Sacred Hoops, " Jackson takes us inside the mind of the thinking man's coach as he builds one of the greatest teams of all time. Not just for sports fans, this inspiring memoir is for anyone interested in the potential of the human spirit.

"A helpful guide for creating mini masterpieces." -- Looking for a Good Book

"A fantastic book!" -- The Classy Chics

Transform ordinary stones into colorful works of art with this easy-to-follow guide. Popular stone artist F. Sehnaz Bac, a seasoned archaeologist who markets her painted Sassi dell'Adriatico (Stones of the Adriatic) on Etsy, presents step-by-step instructions for creating 30 fantastic designs. Full-color photographs accompany directions for painting themes that range from trees, flowers, and animals to mandalas, geometric patterns, holiday motifs, and more.
Starting with the basics -- including finding and choosing stones as well as tools and materials -- the guide offers a variety of techniques, including painting stones with colors or inks, painting on natural stone, and sealing the finished work. Projects range from simple to advanced and include suggestions for indoor and outdoor display, as well as instructions on how to style wearable objects such as pendants.

"This is a gorgeous book and I found so much inspiration reading through it." -- The Gingerbread House

"The instructions are clear and engaging, while the photos are lovely and inspiring. Rock painting has become a really fun family activity for us all." -- Sharing Craft Ideas

"This is brilliant, fun, and truly inspirational! Highly recommend it." -- splashesintobooks

Embrace the chaos, the grime, and the gnarly with Goblincore Coloring Book.

If you loved tromping through the woods and making mud pies as a child, then you'll love goblincore, where you can celebrate the lesser-appreciated aspects of nature in all its imperfections.

Whether you're a lover of frogs and snails, mushrooms and moss, or fairies and the goblin king, there's something for you in Goblincore Coloring Book. Inspired by earth and nature, the goblincore aesthetic relishes the wonderful diversity all around us, both the beautiful and the beautifully ugly. Designed to help you get coloring but also to help you to explore your own personal creative side, you will find:

• More than 120 fantastical coloring designs
• Beautiful line-drawn art
• An intricate meditative pattern to color on the back of each page

Just as there is no right or wrong way to use this book, there is no right or wrong way to color. You can color these curious and odd illustrations however you wish and in whatever way feels right to you. Cool blues, vibrant greens, rich browns, it's all up to you! This is about getting in touch with what makes you unique, so if one coloring page doesn't appeal to you, simply move on to one that fits your vibe.

One of the great things about coloring is that it's accessible to anyone. Being able to add your own colors helps make the experience more personal, and, just like goblincore itself, there's no pressure to make these drawings perfect.

So, what are you waiting for? Surround yourself with nature and get coloring!

Chartwell Coloring Books is the ultimate coloring book series, encompassing designs of every kind. From intriguing abstract patterns to beautiful pictures from the natural, technological, and fantasy worlds, each of these coloring books will soothe the mind and inspire the inner creative in anyone. With so many variations of complex, beautiful designs in each book, you'll have plenty of pages to bring to life. Whether young or old, creative or not, this series has something for you.

After you've cultivated the coziness of the Danes (hygge) and achieved the Swedish way of moderation (lagom), then what's next? How about developing your Sisu -- an "untranslatable" Finnish term referring to a mixture of courage, resilience, grit, tenacity, and perseverance. It's a trait that has shaped not just the fate of a nation but continues to be a guiding principle for how Finns live their daily lives. Now it can offer lessons to us all, helping us to:

• discover our inner strength
• resolve conflicts at work and home
• raise kind and resilient children
• achieve our fitness goals
• fight for what we believe in

And much more!

An interactive pop-up book that inspires hands-on learning through the lifecycle of a frog! Tactile elements and delightful imagery will encourage the development of motor skills and early learning.

Bold, brightly colored pictures, lift-the-flap pages and entertaining rhymes, Pop up Peekaboo: Frog provides lots of opportunities for parent-and-child interaction and hours of amphibian fun. Journey from tadpole to frog and explore all the pop-ups and flaps along the way.

Babies and toddlers will love lifting the big flaps to find five peekaboo surprises pop up from the pages: eggs floating in the water, a tiny tadpole swimming, a fascinating froglet, a fully grown, hopping frog...then the cycle starts all over again! Does your little one know what frogspawn looks like? Can they spot a tadpole swimming? Vocabulary about a frog's lifecycle is woven throughout, making this board book a fun and easy story about a tiny tadpole's transformation.

Inside the pages of this adventure pop-up book, you'll find:

- Hands-on play elements that builds all-round learning skills.
- Look-and-find peekaboo games that reward curiosity.
- Rhythmic, read-aloud text that aids language development.
- Rounded edges and chunky board book pages, protecting babies and their growing teeth!

This pop-up book has been designed as an all-round activity learning experience to get the most out of storytime. Read aloud the lively rhymes that create the amusing story for your kids to follow, and play a guessing game of who is behind the flap! The rhymes and the easy-to-read text help little ones remember the new words they are learning for early language development.

This interactive book for 2-year-olds helps teach young children object permanence, which is an important step in childhood development. Turning the pages and moving the pop-ups helps toddlers learn motor control for improved dexterity.

Complete the Pop-Up book series!

Surprise! The peekaboo fun doesn't stop here! Your little one will enjoy hours of hide-and-seek surprises with the My Pop-Up series. Find your farmyard friends with Pop-Up Peekaboo! Farm, search the oceans in Pop-Up Peekaboo! Under the Sea and travel back in time to find dinosaurs in Pop-up Peekaboo! Baby Dinosaur, and more!