Success Biographies

Bill Hansen is considered one of the top caterers in the United States, having served U.S. presidents, celebrities, Pope John Paul II, and scores of Fortune 500 corporations in a career that’s spanned over five decades. He’s catered more than 10,000 weddings across South Florida—and has the bridezilla and success stories to prove it.

As little girls, we dream of one day becoming a ballerina, a doctor; or a lawyer. We dream of having it all - a wonderful husband, beautiful children, a dog, the perfect house with a picket white fence. You know, the classic fairy-tale that most little girls fantasize about with their friends. This might not be your story, but is definitely mine. Maybe you can relate to some things or none at all. The end result of this story is an unhealthy, unhappy relationship that mutates into abuse.

At 15, I killed someone. This was just one of many secrets that my brain hid from me. For most of my life, I had barely any memories of my childhood. Except for a few snippets, I lived in the dark. It wasn’t until I turned 36 that my world began to unravel. Slow at first, and then suddenly, all at once, long-buried memories that had been concealed in the depths of my mind for survival now surfaced, shooting to the forefront of my mind.

At Nightingale-Conant, we have had the distinct honor of publishing some of the finest personal development speakers in the world. Yet, rarely did we ever work with a more enthusiastic, energetic, passionate, innovative, and big thinker than Mark. I still remember back in the 1990s when Mark called me on the telephone to tell me that he (together with his co-author, Jack Canfield) was about to write a book called Chicken Soup for the Soul - an inspiring collection of stories and wisdom to inspire the mind and warm the soul.

As the son that worked by his dad’s side, Brian Proctor was often asked what it was like to grow up as Bob Proctor’s son. In My Father Knew the Secret, Brian answers that question by sharing stories, lessons, and deeply personal experiences, in an easy-to-listen conversation that lets you into the private world of Bob Proctor. You will find many benefits within this audiobook as you learn from behind-the-scenes wisdom and strength.

On May 8, 1945, when he was just ten years old, Gidon Lev was liberated from a Nazi concentration camp after four nightmarish years. Twenty-six family members, including Gidon’s beloved father and grandparents, were murdered in the Holocaust. Only Gidon and his mother survived. From the depths of despair, a little boy who had lost so much was determined to build a life filled with adventure and love. And that is exactly what he did.

Hopping Over the Rabbit Hole chronicles the rise, fall, and resurgence of SkyBridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci, giving you a primer on how to thrive in an unpredictable business environment. The sheer number of American success stories has created a false impression that becoming an entrepreneur is a can't-miss endeavor - but nothing could be further from the truth. Hopping Over the Rabbit Hole gives you the skills, insight, and mindset you need to be one of the winners.

Danielle Bernstein spent her youth shopping at discount department stores, getting boozy in suburban backyards, and proposing marriage to every boy she dated. By age 19, she was a college dropout living in a West Village shoebox with three roommates and only six months to prove that her blog, @WeWoreWhat, could become a full blown career...or else board the train back to her mom's house. This Is Not a Fashion Story is the down and dirty tale of how a Long Island-born teenager became one of the most recognizable names in fashion.

Infertility is a battle that women have been fighting for centuries, but the seemingly taboo subject is rarely discussed openly. Here, Bailey Henry describes her journey with infertility, including four miscarriages, marriage, grief, love, and the chance she was never properly potty-trained. With raw honesty, heartbreak, and a bit of humor, Bailey discusses the trials of being pregnant but never having a baby. If you've known the devastating loss of a child, or if your life simply hasn't turned out the way you thought it would, this one is for you.

Traditionally, the renowned All Blacks and those charged with guiding them have kept their rules of engagement close to their chests. However now, New Zealand Rugby has agreed to open their doors to rugby writer Peter Bills to consider the reasons behind their dominance of the world game in the build-up towards the Lions Series in 2017 and Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan. Through this audiobook, Peter Bills draws on case studies and interviews of officials, coaches and players as well as people involved in all elements of rugby right across New Zealand.

With nearly four decades of experience with the good, bad, and ugly of the board universe, Brian Hayward hones in on practical ways to develop the thinking and behaviour necessary for anyone taking this seat. Through real-life examples, and stories featuring Paul McCartney, Kalahari bushmen, Robert Maxwell, camels, Buddhist parables, and the Boeing 737 Max, listeners will see how chairing a board requires leadership competency of its own (distinct from being a director).

Tatyana Bakalchuk is a self-made Russian billionaire entrepreneur and the founder of Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer. Born in 1975 and originally a school teacher, she launched Wildberries from her Moscow apartment in 2004 while on maternity leave, aiming to simplify online shopping for Russian consumers. With no prior business background or outside investment, she built a retail empire rooted in customer trust, operational discipline, and quiet innovation. Known for her low profile and data-driven leadership, Tatyana has become one of the world’s richest women, and a ...

After failing at 22 other jobs, Barbara Corcoran borrowed $1,000 from her boyfriend, quit her job as a diner waitress, and started a tiny real estate office in New York City. Using 24 unconventional lessons learned from her mom, Barbara built that tiny company into a $4 billion business, and today she's richer than her wildest childhood dreams.

Born to a family of modest means in Kentucky, Jim Glidewell overcame insurmountable odds to create a business of staggering success. In January of 1970, he opened Glidewell Laboratories - one of the largest and most successful dental laboratories in the world with multiple locations worldwide. Jim Glidewell’s story is one of the great American success stories of our times and offers valuable wisdom on topics ranging from relationships to investing and ways to navigate insurmountable obstacles in a changing world.

Imagine a company where people love coming to work and are highly productive on a daily basis. Imagine a company whose top executives, in a quest to create the most "fun" workplace ever, obliterate labor-management divisions and push decision-making responsibility down to the plant floor. Could such a company compete in today's bottom-line corporate world? Could it even turn a profit?

Historian Sarah Hopkins Bradford details the life of heroic abolitionist Harriet Tubman, who was born into slavery but escaped to lead other enslaved people to freedom.

What would your life look like if you measured success by your improvements instead of your victories? Chris Nikic, the first person with Down syndrome to ever complete an IRONMAN® triathlon, inspires others to achieve their goals by getting one percent better better every day.

Anne Neilson believes that each of us begins our life as a blank canvas: clean and fresh and ready to find texture in our experiences. Each trial, each joy, each heartache, and each hope leaves an explosion of color and sweeping brushstrokes that shape us. When we allow God to take over as the Master artist, we will find that He carefully adds dimension and highlights to create a beautiful masterpiece in us. Often, though, it's hard to find the beauty when we are wading through mess. Anne shares personal stories about why her faith is so important to her and resonates in all her work.

How did a barefoot college dropout with a passion for design change the world of technology forever? Before he became the visionary behind Apple, Steve Jobs was a curious and determined young man with a passion for creating things that could change people’s lives. His journey wasn’t always smooth—he faced failures, setbacks, and doubts. Yet, through it all, Jobs held onto his belief that technology could be both powerful and beautiful. His relentless pursuit of excellence led to the creation of products like the iPhone, iPad, and Mac—devices that transformed the way people ...

What does it take to leave behind the only life you've ever known? In Ripping Off the Mask, Joseph Lee shares his raw, unfiltered journey from the notorious Desire Housing Projects of New Orleans to becoming a successful tech CEO and devoted father. Born into a world of adversity, gang violence, and systemic inequities, Joseph’s path was nearly written—until one mother’s extraordinary sacrifice changed everything. Pulled from the chaos of the streets to a new life in Fort Washington, Maryland, Joseph began a powerful transformation.