Are you feeling a little stressed and worn down? Do you feel like you’re somehow holding back and keeping yourself from becoming an unstoppable force? If you are, Dr. Cynthia Howard is here to help. The executive coach has worked with thousands of professionals to help change people’s lives for the better by recognizing chronic stress factors and changing them. She has broken her teaching down into six key points on how to bring about positive change in your life. She addresses everything from how to channel your capacity to steps to take when life becomes hard and more.

This easy-to-follow, self-help guide is exactly what most professionals are looking for. It cuts straight to the point and doesn’t try to baby readers into thinking everything will be fixed in their lives overnight. Howard talks to you as if you were sitting right in front of her asking for advice, making the reading sections extremely palatable for such a topic. This comfortable environment also makes readers feel as if they were simply talking to a friend about their issues, which helps ease readers minds on what can be such a sensitive topic. The guide gives off the hard-hitting, self-help instructions that you need to kick you into gear but without sounding condescending and critical.

There are many sections in the guide that readers can fill out for themselves. The author includes questions, charts, and diagrams that enhance the guide visually as well as engage the audience. These allow for a break in the reading and promote focus so that you can have a chance to think about what the previous section has talked about and how to apply its teaching to your own life. The directions are simple and concise, preventing readers from becoming confused as to what to do for each section. These charts, diagrams, and questions are all designed to make you take a hard look in the mirror and do so in a clever and reassuring way.

Real-life examples were also added into the guide to help readers better apply the steps and advice that Howard offers. These examples only further aid the points that she makes, demonstrating in a real-world scenario how different situations can affect you. They don’t exaggerate like some examples in self-help books can but give readers just the right amount of realism to show how practical her steps can be.

Real-world science and psychology are woven into the fabric of this guide, as one would expect and hope from a book of this type. It reassures readers that they are dealing with legitimate and sound advice. Presented in a simple fashion, terms and practices that are often complicated to explain have been broken down in an easy-to-understand way for every reader. They are also not over-used as can be tempting for this type of book. Instead of shoving all these ideas and terms into a reader's head like a strict school teacher, Howard gives just the right dose to give you an idea of what she is referring to and why she is utilizing it.

RECOMMENDED by the US Review

Return to USR Home