MSI Press Blog

    Today is Independent Bookstore Day. In lieu of shared posts from one author, as we typically do each day in the blog post, From the Blog Posts of MSI Press Authors, we are presenting tributes from a range of authors in support of their local independent bookstores. From Julia Aziz I adore the independent bookstores in my city of Austin, TX. When I went to BookPeople and told them about the release of Lessons of Labor, they immediately offered to host a book release party and stock my book there. I felt so supported, both as a professional and as a longtime community member. BookPeople continues to be my happy place--a space to rest, read, and discover. Julia Aziz author of  Lessons from Labor blog posts  by and about Julia Julia's blog From Franki Bagdades blog post on the topic: There is no replacement for entering a space filled with books. Running your hands over glossy covers, flipping through the pages. Hearing someone laugh behind you as they read, a child's "ooo

  Today's shared post comes from Julia Aziz, author of Lessons of Labor , who writes the following in her post, "When you give your attention to everyone else first," says - Do you ever feel upset at people for asking too much, but you keep those feelings to yourself and do what they as Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book  in exchange for  reviewing  a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book? Contact editor@msipress.com. Want an  author-signed copy  of this book? Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25) and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com. Want to communicate with one of our authors? You can! Find their contact information on our  Authors' Pages . k anyway? Do you procrastinate what’s import

  For those who have been following interviews of MSI Press author, Julia Aziz ( Lessons of Labor ), here are some you may have missed: Julia discusses miscarriage on EmpowHer. Check it out HERE . Julia discusses how childbirth can be one of life's greatest teachers on Talk Zone HERE . Julia talks about honoring birth on Extraordinary Moms podcast HERE . Julia talks about lessons of labor on Synchronicity Talk Radio from Vancouver HERE . Julia discusses "Where are all the babies?" on Smart Mom Solutions HEFRE . Julia discusses "How birth translates into life lessons" on Postpartum Podcast HERE . Read posts about Julia and her book HERE . Link to reviews of Julia's book HERE . Read more posts about motherhood HERE .                                  Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newslette                          Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .

  This fall and winter Julia Aziz ( Lessons of Labor ) will be offering her famous Release & Empower Women's Circles. More information and registration can be found HERE . For more posts about Julie, her book, and her activities, click HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .

The other day, I called up a dear friend and colleague who has survived four near-death health emergencies in the past decade. After a little check-in, I asked him, “So how are you feeling about your mortality these days?” We both laughed at how overly direct my question was. In typical Robert fashion, he then replied, “Well, I feel I’ve been doing my part by not using toilet paper.” Then we laughed again.  Most people don’t want to talk about death. It's not small talk, and the general attitude seems to be "why dwell on such things." Well, dwelling is certainly not helpful, but taking an honest look is. While some people have been facing terminal diagnoses for a while, we now have a collective situation where it's hard to ignore the possibility that death could come sooner rather than later. This little heads up doesn't necessarily make grieving easier, but it is a gift. When we understand there may not be as much time left as we hoped, we might take the

  EmpowerHer interviewed MSI Press author, Julia Aziz about experiences of labor and miscarriage. Read the full interview  HERE .  Read posts about and by Julia and information about and excerpts from her book HERE .

We are moving through the Days of Awe in the Jewish tradition this week, a deeply reflective time that starts with an autumnal new year and ends with a holy day of fasting, accountability, and forgiveness. In this ten day period, each member of the community is asked to own up to the ways in which they have become out of alignment with what is true and loving. No one is exempt from this process, for it is understood that being a human being means wanting to do better and failing often. Throughout the High Holy Days, we speak aloud the many ways we have fallen off track, from being greedy and inconsiderate to talking unkindly behind someone’s back to not speaking up against injustice. Now, you might be thinking this is a big “oh, how guilty am I” vortex. But it’s really not. It’s not about self-hate; it’s about acknowledging human frailty, taking corrective action, and recovering our true essence again.  Read the rest of the post HERE . For posts about Julia Aziz and her book, Lessons o

  In her blog post this week, Julia Aziz ( Lessons of Labor ) discusses (and links to) her new podcast on self-healing, spirituality, and therapy . For more posts on Julia and her book, click HERE .  Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishin g with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book in exchange for reviewing a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book? Contact editor@msipress.com. Want an author-signed copy of this book? Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25) and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com. Want to communicate with one of our authors? You can! Find their contact information on our  Authors' Pages .

On February 18, while in Austin on other business, managing editor, Betty Lou Leaver, met with Julia Aziz, author of Lessons of Labor, shown here at a booksigning at Book People. Julia and Betty shared breakfast at Julia's house, had a general discussion about book matters, including promotion, and then made a podcast, which will be posted to the podcast page in due time.

  (porcupine photo by Julia Aziz - read her post to find out the relevance) Says Julia -- I'm happy to say I've been meeting new friends on my morning walks again. Just last month, I had encounters with a porcupine, owls, armadillos, hawks, foxes, a  crested caracara , and coyote. I always try to play it cool, gently slowing down without making too big a deal of it, wanting to greet the animals in a natural way. As you might imagine, they don't often hang out for more than a few moments, and I find myself feeling wistful each time they leave. Not knowing when or if we might meet again, I'm left with a fleeting joy, better nourished by the connection. For the rest of Julia's post, click  HERE . For more posts by and about Julia and her books, click  HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Interested i

I don’t know who wants to hear this right now, but I hope you will share this with anyone who needs it. I promise you, there are people you love out there right now who are scared, and they don’t feel like they can talk to anyone about what they are truly afraid of. You probably also have loved ones in high risk groups who are not afraid and who are ready to talk, but they may be quite lonely because no one will listen.  As many of you know, I used to work as a hospice chaplain, visiting people in their final months, weeks, days, and hours, as well as sitting and praying at the deathbed after a loved one’s passing. I’ve had terrifying experiences as well as profoundly blissful ones, but every single encounter with death has been humbling. There were times I felt the pull of dark energies nearby and times I was floating in bottomless peace. Yet one of the most important insights that came from those families I had the honor to witness and care about was this: much of the fear of

  The following post comes from Julia Aziz, author of Lessons of Labor : I’ve been living in the same neighborhood for ten years now, and given that I take a walk at least once a day, I’m pretty familiar with my surroundings. There’s the blue house with the big cactus out front, the little library around the corner, the “for sale by owner” sign two blocks away… you get the picture. Seeing the same things every day can, as you may well know, get a little monotonous. Yesterday though, it occurred to me that I could walk in a different direction. That sounds obvious, I know, but taking a left from my front door means crossing a busy street, so I never go that way. Yesterday however, I turned left, waited to cross the street, and found myself in a neighborhood I had never seen before. Listen, it wasn’t as if I discovered Shangri-la. It’s just another neighborhood, right? But yesterday it felt like grace, getting happily lost on unfamiliar streets with new sights to see. Of course this mini

Just up! Managing Editor, Dr. Betty Lou Leaver, traveled to Austin, Texas recently. While there, she met with author of Lessons of Labor, Julia Aziz, and conducted an interview. Listen to the podcast on our podcast page on our website by clicking HERE .

  Dr. Wendy Bruton recently interviewed Julia Aziz, author of Lessons of Labor , on her I Used To Be a Therapist podcast. The topic? " Surrender and Releasing Negative Emotions ." For more posts on Julia and her writings, click HERE .

  Julia Aziz, author of Lessons of Labor, is offering another cycle of Release and Empower Women's Circle, starting soon.  Click HERE for all the details, including registration. For more posts about Julie and her book, click HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book  in exchange for  reviewing  a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book? Contact editor@msipress.com. Want an  author-signed copy  of this book? Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25) and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com. Want to communicate with one of our authors? You can!  Find their contact information on our  Authors' Pages .

  The following post is shared by Julia Aziz, author of  Lessons of Labor: One Woman's Self-Discovery through Birth , for Mothers' Day:  If you’ve been raising kids through the craziness of this world, you are a hero whether you feel like one or not. To be a mom is to risk your heart, forever unprepared and courageous as you follow a winding path you’ve never navigated before. I don’t want to create more martyrdom in the mother role by waving the hero flag too high though. The standards we expect moms to live up to are inflated enough already!  I love my children fiercely, and I am already feeling all the feels of my oldest leaving home this summer. It doesn’t mean that every day I’m basking in the glow of family though. Like you, I am my own person with my own emotional bandwidth, daily multi-tasking the mundane. Instead of heroism, I’d like to celebrate and elevate our humanity this year. Here are a couple Mother’s Day gifts in this spirit: Read the full post:  For the Mamas,