HarperAudio US · CHECKING IN by Michelle Williams | Chapter 1

Acclaimed musical artist Michelle Williams shares the intimate, never-before-told story of how, even in the midst of enormous fame and success, she battled depression, leading her to find her true calling as an advocate for mental health - especially her own.

As a member of Destiny's Child, one of the top female R&B groups of all time, Michelle Williams felt blessed. After the group disbanded, she continued to create best-selling albums, appear on television shows, and star in theater productions. Though she had always struggled with low moods, in 2018 her depression deepened, and when she found herself planning her own funeral, she checked herself into a treatment facility. There she found the help she needed to live out the incredible story God was writing for her life. 

In her first book, Michelle courageously shares the hidden secrets that nearly ended her life; the importance of her faith, family, and friends; and the lessons she learned about prioritizing her mental health. She is on a quest to increase mental health awareness and urges others to understand the importance of "checking in" with themselves, God, and others. Her candid, often humorous, and incredibly brave book will inspire listeners who desire hope for their own difficult times.

In the middle of the pain you didn't cause, the change you didn't want, the reality you didn't know was coming...your life can still be beautiful. We all have stories full of sorrow and celebration because of situations we've faced. But with God, there's always more than we see being worked out behind the scenes. In Seeing Beautiful Again, New York Times best-selling author Lysa TerKeurst shares how she processed seasons of disappointment and heartbreak, while inviting you to hope again.

Lysa assures us that the aching pain we feel is proof there's a beautiful remaking already in process if we don't give up. Through these 50 devotions, Scriptures, prayer prompts, and personal notes from Lysa, you will:

        • Gain healthier ways to process your pain and learn to see your situations through truth-based perspectives
        • Disempower the lie that how you feel about your life is the full story by remembering with God there's always something more true, lovely, and good right now
        • Stop feeling alone in your struggles by spending guided time with God each day alongside Lysa, a friend who will bear witness to your hurts but also help you move on

While there's no denying there are parts of our story we'd love to edit out, what if those circumstances are the unlikely ingredients God is using to weave together a greater good we'd never want to miss out on? Together we'll discover the indescribable gift of our God, who breathes life into even the shattered pieces of our stories, creating something new and more beautiful than ever before.

No Pain, No Gaines is a by-the-bootstraps manual for building a network of people you can count on. Fair warning: Building it will be painful, but what you’ll gain is something strong, something reliable, and something that can change the world.

Spoiler alert number one: This is a book about networks

Spoiler alert number two: This is not a book about networking

Not networking in the traditional sense, anyway. It’s not about how to leverage your interactions with everyone you meet in an all-out sprint to get ahead. It’s about how to find a group of real people who will stand beside you as you bust your butt, who believe that authentic human connection is more important than any other earthly thing, and who bet on each other instead of the status quo. People with beating hearts and passions who live and love and try and fail and try again. People who lift you up and give your life meaning.

Written for anyone who believes that relationships are more than transactions, and who is looking to build a network of people they can count on, No Pain, No Gaines will coach you on how to:

      • look outside yourself and your circle and foster connections with others
      • value what you bring to the table
      • resist the status quo
      • find the risks worth taking
      • engage and be awake to life, not asleep at the wheel
      • get comfortable with being uncomfortably kind
      • build a network you trust and then, trust the network you build

Chip Gaines has been building that kind of network his whole life, and he can tell you, it doesn’t come easy. The good stuff never does. It requires faith in people. It requires hope. And it requires a willingness to grow even when it hurts. In No Pain, No Gaines, through hard-won lessons and personal stories, Chip will coach you on how to build a network of your own that will make your life rich and your relationships run deep.

Enough About Me equips you with practical tools to find meaning and compassion in even the smallest of everyday choices.

What if your path to a more successful, healthy, and satisfying life is actually not about you?

When his father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, Richard Lui did something tough. The award-winning news anchor decided to set aside his growing career to care for family. Selflessness, however, did not come easily. So, Richard set out to explore why he struggled.

In every decision, big and small, Lui discovered hidden opportunities to put others ahead of himself. Similar to training physical muscles, we must train our decision-making muscles to choose others over ourselves in order to have unexpected smiles and renewed balance in our lives.

From a journalist's point of view, he digs into and shares stories from his seven-year "selfless" exploration. Lui shares practical tips, tools, and mnemonics learned along the way to help shift the way we think and live:

      • Selfless decision methods and practices for work, home, relationships, and community
      • Studies and research which show the personal benefits of being selfless
      • A pragmatic debate on whether selflessness is even possible
      • Practical, bite-sized ways to be selfless
      • Entertaining and shareable stories to inspire you to selflessness