karen scott

In this classic best seller, Florence Scovel Shinn helped to define the personal success genre. Written in the new thought tradition, her message is simple yet transformative - we receive back what we put into the world through our actions, energy, and attitudes. Negativity and pessimism are returned in kind, but by switching the script in favor of positive attitudes and affirmations, we are able to manifest success and joy in everything we do. Life, Shinn tells us, is not a battle of us against the world, but rather a game of giving and receiving.

On any given day, thousands of devoted people clip into their bikes and have their lives changed by Tunde Oyeneyin. From her platform in a Peloton studio, she encourages riders with her trademark blend of positivity, empathy, and motivational “Tunde-isms,” to push themselves to their limits both on and off the bike. Now, fans and readers everywhere can learn about her personal journey, and discover how they too can “live a life of purpose, on purpose” with Speak, a memoir-manifesto-guide to life inspired by her immensely popular Instagram Live series of the same name.

In my book, you will meet a little girl named Viola who ran from her past until she made a life-changing decision to stop running forever. This is my story, from a crumbling apartment in Central Falls, Rhode Island, to the stage in New York City, and beyond. This is the path I took to finding my purpose but also my voice in a world that didn’t always see me.

Leilani is a young classically trained chef and best friend to Art, a retired millionaire almost 20 years her senior. Together they travel the world and embark on businesses and memories that anyone would envy. His house manager Veronica, a valuable and instrumental component as well, holds an MBA in business management, completes this whirlwind trio in more ways than one. Relationships are not always what they seem - as they all discover mixing wealth and greed can be a recipe for disaster.

As the circle of friends grew from three main characters to over 30, their experiences, travels, and families have defined their lives in many ways. As Leilani’s family grows the most, with Art second in line behind her, Veronica faces her karma challenges, doing all she can to resolve it. The opulent lifestyle of world travel continues with this circle of friends, no matter what.

Just as I Am is my truth. It is me, plain and unvarnished, with the glitter and garland set aside. Here, I am indeed Cicely, the actress who has been blessed to grace the stage and screen for six decades. Yet I am also the church girl who once rarely spoke a word. I am the teenager who sought solace in the verses of the old hymn for which this book is named. I am a daughter and mother, a sister, and a friend. I am an observer of human nature and the dreamer of audacious dreams.