The Power of Authenticity: Find Your Own Superpowers, Purpose, and Path to Success - Softcover

Über die Autorinnen und Autoren

Dr. Michelle Chappel is a Princeton PhD psychologist, world-acclaimed musician, leading career coach, and top business consultant for companies such as Google and Intel. She specializes in showing people how to reclaim their hidden superpowers and succeed in life and work as their full, authentic selves. After discovering she could sing and write songs, she left a career as an award-winning psychology professor to become a rock star with over a million fans and followers. As the CEO of Creativity Rock Star Coaching and Consulting, she has helped thousands of people find their purpose, claim their power, and live the life they were born to lead. Her songs have topped overseas and U.S. college radio charts, and aired on ABC, HBO, Encore, and Showtime. Her music and work have been featured in The Washington Post, TechCrunch, Psychology Today, Science of Mind, WorldNews.com, and Change.org. She is the author of The Power of Authenticity, published by Books That Save Lives. 

Diane Dreher, PhD, is the author of eight nonfiction books, including the bestselling Tao of Inner Peace and Pathways to Inner Peace. She is an award-winning university professor and positive psychology researcher whose work on hope has been recognized internationally. Her books, workshops, and webinars blend the wisdom of the past with powerful strategies from contemporary psychology and neuroscience to help us meet the challenges of our time with greater courage, creativity, and hope. Diane's books have been translated into ten languages, and her work has been featured in USA Today, Entrepreneur, Redbook, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Science of Mind, radio and TV talk shows, podcasts, webinars, and websites on leadership and personal growth. She has a Ph.D. in Renaissance English literature from UCLA as well as a master's degree in counseling, and is a Professional Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation. Diane is currently professor emeritus and associate director of the Applied Spirituality Institute at Santa Clara University in California, and a lecturer in the Positive Psychology Guild in the United Kingdom.

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Life is too short to live someone else’s idea of who you should be. I didn’t let this happen to me and you don’t have to, either!

After I got a Ph.D. in psychology and became a professor, I felt like something was missing from my life. I was successful doing what I was “supposed” to do, and I loved teaching my students to think for themselves, but I felt empty. I started playing the guitar to unwind, a hobby I’d dabbled in during my teens. I sang in a local band, wrote a handful of songs, and knew that if I didn’t reach for my dreams then, I never would. Despite being called “crazy” by colleagues, I ditched academics to become a rock star. Since then, my songs have been on the charts and I’ve helped thousands of people find their hidden gifts and honor their authentic paths in this world, too. 

Now it’s your turn.

No two people are alike, not even twins. You came into the world with a unique purpose and a set of special strengths to fulfill it. But, you probably buried some of your most extraordinary gifts to fit in with others, forgetting who you truly are. Losing access to your whole self means losing your power. You may feel anxious or depressed because you’re not using your natural strengths. The good news is that when you reclaim your “individual superpowers” — your unique talents and interests — you remember why you’re here. Reconnecting with your calling improves your mental health and your soul does a happy dance 24/7.            

The sad truth is, most of us don’t lead authentic lives. Over the years, we cut off more and more of our true selves to fit who we think we’re “supposed” to be. According to Carl Jung, these disowned parts of ourselves lie hidden in the “shadow,” outside the light of our conscious awareness. They’re still rattling around inside of you, trying to get your attention.

So, take a deep breath and let your mind relax for a moment. What talent or passion is calling to you now? Can you hear anything? Nothing but crickets? No problem. It usually takes some digging to get there, but you can become more empowered right now by answering these questions.

E asy — What comes naturally to you that you may take for granted? 

M oment — What puts you in the moment; time disappears when you do it? 

P assion —  What are you curious about, enlivened by? 

O pinion — What do people ask you for advice about? 

W eird — What makes you unique / stand out from others?

E arly — What were you drawn to as a child?

R ewarding — What would you do for free because it’s intrinsically fulfilling?

If you’re scratching your head about some of the answers, don’t worry. This book will help you discover your hidden abilities and combine them into an identity uniquely your own. Just keep in mind that often the very qualities you view as your flaws are actually your greatest gifts. I once worked with a shy 20-year-old receptionist who had been ridiculed for collecting stuffed animals. Once she embraced her ability to see the world through a child’s eyes, she answered her true calling to be a kindergarten teacher. 

When you uncover your buried abilities, you automatically connect with your purpose and improve your well-being. What’s more, you can harness the energy released from suppressing your superpowers to change the direction of your life. Success comes as a side effect — not because you’re trying to be your best self — but because you’re becoming the most complete version of yourself, a mental health benefit crucial to thrive in our challenging times.   

This book will help you discover your greatest gifts and radically transform your life one empowering step at a time. I’ll provide psychological research, motivational music, Jungian shadow work, and my own stories to help you reclaim your superpowers by breaking free from constraining family roles, school rules, and cultural norms. I’ll share success stories from clients who used my transformational tools to answer their true callings in soul-filling work while balancing their lives with side projects that leveraged their unique skills. Each story ends with a life-changing lesson, and each part of the book ends with practical exercises for you to apply those lessons to your life. 

It’s no accident that you are living during this time in history with your particular set of gifts. You have a precious piece of the puzzle to bring to the world. Whether you’re searching for a true vocation that fills your wallet AND your soul or to follow your creative calling and revitalize your life, you will learn how to create a joyful, authentic life that uses your talents and skills to the fullest.