Success Biographies

With Chris at his side, Joe takes us from his beloved son’s gravesite where a trusted friend might sometimes leave an empty Landshark bottle to his bedroom (now Joe’s office) in Winnetka, Illinois which still smells of sage and teen sweat, to the Florida Gulf beaches at night where Joe has found hope and affirmation of his son’s everlasting love through shared dialogues, to In Balance Ranch Academy in Arizona, where Chris was a shining star and a leader for troubled youth, and where he also found healing and the love of an American paint horse.

Here are 21 inspirational stories about role models and counting your blessings. The stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Think Positive will encourage listeners to stay upbeat, because there's always a brighter way to look at life. This book continues Chicken Soup for the Soul's focus on inspiration and hope, reminding us that each day holds something to be thankful for.

CEO Lisa Messenger shares an insightful account of her rollercoaster ride as the creator and founder of the globally popular Collective Hub, the hip magazine of inspiration for disrupters and innovators of all stripes - with bold ideas on how you can stay on track and remain true to whatever your passion may be. Speaking to the new generation of innovators, this book is a personal and honest chronicle of Lisa Messenger's various business endeavors. Exuding honesty and energy, Lisa blends these wonderfully insightful stories with important business lessons.

In 2014, after being forced to quit her professional recruiting career due to excessive hospitalizations from complications of cystic fibrosis, Klyn Elsbury was confined to a wheelchair with her lung function plummeting below 40 percent. It was after a two-week hospital stay (just one of five that year) she set off on a six-week road trip across the United States to visit friends and family she wasn't sure she would live to see again. I Am ____: The Untold Story of Success is a blend of raw emotion and inspiring wisdom.

This memoir chronicles the life of Sanjay Singhal. Everything from his bankruptcy at the age of 31, diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and all the business successes that followed. By providing support through real life experience, Sanjay helps pave the way for a shorter path to success and help people empower their ability to be their own entrepreneurs. As one of Canada’s most sought after and successful startup investors, Sanjay’s mission lies with inspiring the next generation to take risks that no rational person would consider reasonable.

Imagine if you lived without the fear of failure, without the fear of not measuring up. If you no longer felt the need to stifle your thoughts and swallow what you really want to say in order to please and appease others. If you could stop berating yourself mercilessly for human mistakes, let go of the guilt and the strangling pressure to be perfect, and just breathe. What if, in every decision you faced, you made the brave choice or took the bolder path. Would you be happier? Would you impact the world in the ways you dream you can? I believe the answer to both is yes.

The Way to Wealth, originally a preface to the 1758 edition of Franklin's beloved Poor Richard's Almanack, presents a brief fable of a local wise man, Father Abraham, quoting Poor Richard to an eager crowd. In this inspiring tale, Franklin steps out of the past and shares with you his famed maxims about wealth, knowledge, virtue, and all other elements of business success.

For the first time in history, Chris shares his insights on what made Jim Rohn tick during his years as speaker, author, and leader. For seven years, best-selling author and speaker Chris Widener was personally mentored by Jim Rohn. In this time, Chris travelled with Jim Rohn and absorbed his business acumen first-hand. Chris gives listeners a rare glimpse into the greatness of this man, who was considered America’s number one business philosopher.

From foster homes and top magazines to classrooms and corporate offices, professional speaker, entrepreneur, and veteran Ryan Stream has traveled the world inspiring audiences with gripping messages and how-to steps to “conquer your colosseum” and create a winning personal and professional life.

Sheri P. Palmer, a legal assistant for over 20 years, had no intention of publishing. However, as she started walking through her fears, some of which led to an addiction to alcohol, she noticed a release of those fears followed by the power of freedom. She exposes her life during a difficult season, and she provides a rare window into addiction.

Remembering the truth of what it's like to be a kid is vital because most of us are stuck in some phase of arrested development, thanks to something traumatic that happened to us during our youth. Do you know what that trauma was and how it has affected who you are today? Understanding where you got stuck can free you to be the parent and adult you were meant to be.

In Welcome to the Jungle, proven corporate leader, senior executive, author and entrepreneur, Teena Hostovich, shares her journey from reception desk to the C-Suite in this entertaining and thorough guide to navigating a thriving career in corporate America. This book is the perfect place to learn from someone who has seen it all and come out on top. You'll walk away from this book feeling empowered and ready to take on the jungle and the adventure of a corporate career!

It is both interesting and inspirational to hear of the great lengths that an individual has gone to achieve success. This is the reason many flock to motivational seminars and conferences; it is the reason we listen to speeches and read autobiographies and biographies of people we consider great. Their stories provide the inspiration we desperately needed and the opportunity to learn or relearn the way to success.

Larry had dreamed of sailing around the world ever since he first stepped foot into a sailboat at the age of 13. He held onto that dream for 30 years, until one day he realized that "it's now or never". He left his corporate job, trading his comfortable executive life for adventure. A true story memoir packed with lessons from the ocean that served as a teacher of seamanship, personal strength, growth, leadership, and perseverance, while Larry and his crew discovered themselves, and the world.

We all have hidden prisons—grief, anger, shame, trauma, self-doubt. But these prisons have doors. Drawing from his extraordinary journey from incarceration to New York Times bestselling author, resilience expert, and entrepreneur, Shaka Senghor reveals the mindset and proven practices that transformed his life—and can help anyone achieve their wildest dreams.

This book continues Chicken Soup for the Soul's focus on inspiration and hope in these difficult times. These inspirational stories remind us that each day holds something to be thankful for - whether it is having the sun shine or having food on the table. These stories of gratitude, getting back to basics, recovering from adversity, and silver linings remind us of the simple pleasures of family, home, health, and inexpensive good times.

Edited by Toni Morrison and first published in 1974, An Autobiography is a classic of the Black Liberation era which resonates just as powerfully today. Long hard to find, it is reissued now with a new introduction by Davis, for a new audience inspired and galvanised by her ongoing activism and her extraordinary example. In the book, she describes her journey from a childhood on Dynamite Hill in Birmingham, Alabama, to one of the most significant political trials of the century.

Through the Fires is a triumphant comeback story in life and business. Robert Carr reflects on decades of struggle that took him to the brink of financial ruin at age 50. Carr would later make a fortune in the card payments industry only to lose almost everything in 2009 after one of the most devastating data breaches ever.

Wendy Tamis Robbins offers a window into the mental illness of an all-star athlete, Ivy League-graduate, and successful attorney. At just six years old, Wendy’s first panic attack sparked a 40-year struggle with a variety of anxiety disorders. Avoiding anything that could trigger her symptoms, she retreats into a box to contain and hide her condition. After years of living in the prison she originally constructed as her safe place, Wendy is no longer willing to limit her life to accommodate her disorders.

The Sunday Times number-one best seller. How people succeed and how you can, too. Alastair Campbell knows all about winning. As Tony Blair’s chief spokesman and strategist, he helped guide the Labour Party to victory in three successive general elections, and he’s fascinated by what it takes to win. How do sports stars excel, entrepreneurs thrive, or individuals achieve their ambitions? Is their ability to win innate? Or is the winning mind-set something we can all develop?