Success Memoirs

Collecting deeply personal conversations with inspirational LGBTQ+ trailblazers (from Troye Sivan to Margaret Cho) about how they leveraged the challenges and insights they had as relative outsiders to succeed in the worlds of business, tech, politics, Hollywood, sports and beyond, Andrew Gelwick’s The Queer Advantage celebrates the unique power of queer identity. Their stories brim with the hard-won lessons gained over their careers.

I have been driving a truck full time for over four years at the time of this publishing. I have been a company driver for three of those years, and an owner/operator for a bit over one. In the four-plus years that I've been driving, I have spent one year driving most of the lower 48 states. I haven't made it up to North Carolina or a few other states in the northeast, but all of the others I have. For the last two years, I have been truck driving with my team from Los Angeles to the Kansas City area and back. We did that twice a week.

After a messy breakup, Fien Kestelyn unknowingly starts her single journey that would take 10 years and counting. Her obsession with finding a partner forces her into an adventure of self-discovery. She moves from Belgium over Holland to the States, goes on retreats, gets her heart broken, learns how to fix it, and slowly gets to know her authentic self—experiences she would never have had if she had stayed in a relationship. She discovers supporting women is her purpose and travel is a part of her soul.

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.

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.

If you are overwhelmed, overburdened and struggling to find strength and security, you are not alone. In today's demanding and distracted world, it can be easy to lose center. What most people don’t realize is that no matter the obstacles in your path, a solution does sit peacefully within you—you just have to know how to access it.

What started with a simple introduction—“I’m Bob, Bob Prichard”—blossomed into a life-altering friendship of two men and their families. Over the table in a New Orleans–area diner, Bob mentored Eric through stories of life experience and principles the old oilman and his wife picked up along the way. Pull up a chair and join Eric as he recounts the impact of a man who pursued joy, celebrated relationships, and used common sense.

Living in a small town where dreams were dismissed and bouncing between the homes of divorced parents, Cameron Hanes carried low expectations and no hope for a life of fulfilled potential. Then he discovered his great love—the bow. For Cameron, finding his drive, his purpose, a reason for pushing himself every single day, changed everything. Endure chronicles the lessons Cameron has learned and compels us to raise our expectations of ourselves.

What does it mean to create a “model”? First, we naturally tune our attention toward role models during early childhood and take data to form an accurate model of our world. And from there, we model and remodel ourselves to become more like the ideal person we conceptualize in our imagination. Business Model gives listeners a front-row view of Williams’ own life experiences that gave rise to his unique business model. Listeners will be treated to countless inspiring perspectives on self-transformation, business success, and transcending adversity.

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.

"One day, one of Bozana's Skojo's friends told her she was 'a good poor'. Bewildered by the words at first, Bozana gradually came to realize they really did describe her - someone who was never overcome by adversity, but who fixed up her hair, put on a little lipstick and her 'game face' to work her way out of any difficulties that fate tossed her way. She realized it was a strategy for living that could apply to any situation.

As the son of Cuban immigrants, Grammy winner Armando “Pitbull” Perez experienced: a dangerous street life, a dysfunctional family, abandonment by each of his parents at different points, a period of foster care, and a bout of drug dealing and drug dependency all in his formative years. In his native Miami; pit bulls are illegal, that combined with the fact that they latch on and don’t give up led him to adopt “Pitbull” as his stage name. He made this a bedrock of one of the many philosophies he shares in this title.

From the backyard hockey rink to the nail-biting suspense of draft days, Karl Subban shares tales of his family's unique hockey journey. Mixing personal stories with lessons he learned as a coach and principal - lessons about goal setting, perseverance, and accomplishment - How We Did It will allow other parents, teachers, coaches, and mentors to apply the same principles as they help the young people in their lives to identify, develop, and live their dreams.

In the eyes of the public, Ron Baker had already become an international success, performing over sixty lead roles in operas and Broadway shows around the world. However, on the inside, he felt empty and insecure. Something important was missing from his life. Then, a chance encounter on a bus changed everything. What follows is an epic saga of spiritual empowerment like no other—from the channeled urgings of Archangel Gabriel for Ron to reframe his entire life, to the planet-shifting quests in the Great Pyramid of Egypt and on the mountaintop of Machu Picchu in Peru.

The Accidental Millionaire is the memoir of Gary Fong, would-be slacker who revolutionized wedding photography, inventor of popular photography aids, entrepreneur, contrarian, bon vivant and a man who really, really didn't want to become a doctor. A first-generation Chinese-American, Gary was raised in one of Los Angeles' least-desirable neighborhoods and was forced to deal in his own quirky and often very funny way with the burdens of poverty, crime and his parents' relentless aspirations.

At the age of six, Matthew lost his father to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. At the age of thirty-seven, he lost his fifteen-year-old daughter to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Between those two deaths, he lost a cousin and two uncles to suicide, and a brother to self-harm. Hope reveals the tenacity of the human heart, showcases unrelenting faith, and shares immovable hope while giving a breathtaking inside look into the battle against generational dysfunction, destruction, and death.

In *The Butterfly Code*, D'Yanna Craighead shares her remarkable journey of personal transformation, drawing powerful parallels between the metamorphosis of a butterfly and the stages of human growth. Whether you're facing your own challenges or simply seeking inspiration, *The Butterfly Code* is a must-listen.

From being nicknamed 'God of offside' to charting the future of team India, Sourav Ganguly is undoubtedly one of the greatest captains to have played for the country. His records speak for himself: 18,000+ international runs and 11,000 runs in ODI matches including 22 centuries with an average of 41.02! Moreover, Sourav still has the highest win/loss ratio (even higher than M.S. Dhoni’s) and also holds the record of the highest number of wins overseas as a test captain. What makes Sourav Chandidas Ganguly, the 'Prince of Kolkata', such a winner?

You can succeed in life despite any obstacles. Let's take a look at the life of the great writer and adventurer Jack London. By learning how Jack overcame all adversity and became a great success, we can apply his philosophy and principals and take action to create a life of joy, wealth, love, and adventure. This is a very brief biography, although many facts of Jack London's life are noted. However, this is more of a guidebook to lead an exciting and fulfilling life.

CEO of Hint, Inc., and author Kara Goldin turned her unsweetened flavored water into one of the most successful beverage businesses of our time. As she started to achieve her goals, Kara found herself being called “fearless”, “confident” and even “unstoppable”, but nothing could be further from the truth. In Undaunted, she shares real stories about her own fears and doubts, the challenges she encountered and what she did to overcome them to eventually build a great business and a life she loves.