MSI Press Blog

You are not your past When you are asked to describe yourself, you probably do what most of us do and describe your history of experiences, roles, and accomplishments. Those are the things through which we build a self-concept. As a child, perhaps you were a fast runner, or maybe you were the last kid picked. Whichever was the case, your mind made up a story about the meaning of those things. You identified as a certain gender (or perhaps as none). You were good at math and sciences or maybe hated writing. The list goes on. These experiences eventually built up into an icon of who you see as yourself. It is how you know yourself. But that is not who you are—not in the least. Most of what we think is our past are not the events of our lives but the memories we have about them. A friend of ours (we’ll call her Rachel) was physically and sexually abused by an adult neighbor as a thirteen-year-old girl. It was a horrible and degrading set of experiences that no one should ever have to

             San Juan Books is the hybrid division of MSI Press LLC. It allows first-time writers to become published in a traditional way through the reduction of risk by sharing publication costs. All other publishing features are traditional in nature, and most SJB authors go on to be offered traditional contracts for their subsequent books. SJB publications are available as paperback, hard cover, and e-book versions. SJB authors' books very much hold their own against their contemporaries in the traditional publishing division. Indeed, a number of them have outsold their traditional compatriots. Today, San Juan Books presents authors Kris Girrell and Candace Sjogren. KRIS: Kris Girrell is an author, speaker, and executive leadership coach on a global level. His education spans the disciplines of psychology, theology and coaching. Kris has lectured, presented and coached clients in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia/Pacific. A father of three and grandfather of four, he lives

Candace Sjogren is a corporate executive, entrepreneur, trainer and coach.   She is the Head of Emerging Sales at Marqeta and CEO at Boston Breakthrough Academy, a leadership development academy for adults looking to level up in life. Prior to this, Sjogren was the founder and CEO of two fintech companies and chief strategy officer at a number of lending platforms nationwide, and continues to serve as an angel investor.   She lives on Cape Cod with her husband, Andrew, son, Ivar and dog, Pan. Candance co-authored  Typhoon Honey: The Only Way Out Is Through , which is currently available on pre-order.

  Breakthrough means breakdown first It has often been said that as humans we will do far more to avoid pain than we will to maximize pleasure. We realize that most people think that they want to find joy, happiness, or pleasure, but in truth most of our efforts are in the opposite direction. One look at evolution, however, will quickly demonstrate that it is through pain, failure, and breakdown that we get better, stronger, and smarter. What is it that we learn in these painfully tough moments or experiences? Let’s first dissect what happens in a total breakdown. What do we actually mean by breakdown? It is important to differentiate that we are not discussing something like a “nervous breakdown.”  That is something that should be handled by a medical professional, and neither this book nor this specific chapter are intended to solve these kinds of problems. That being said, please read what follows through this important filter.  Breakdowns are, in fact, epic. Breakdowns are t

Kris Girrell is an author, speaker, and executive leadership coach on a global level. His education spans the disciplines of psychology, theology and coaching. Kris has lectured, presented and coached clients in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia/Pacific.  A father of three and grandfather of four, he lives with his wife Sarah and son Jesse in Andover MA. Kris co-authored Typhoon Honey: The Only Way Out Is Through , which is currently available on pre-order.

  A new book by Kris Girrell, author of Typhoon Honey , is now available on pre-order: Learning to Feel . From the moment we are born, we as humans are blessed with emotions. We feel joy and love, and with that comes fear, sadness and grief. In all honesty, though, those are overly simple labels for our feelings. Under the surface, our emotional experience is far more complex and personal to our own lives.   Kris Girrell, with his background in theology and psychology is more than aware of the plentiful and complex emotions humanity is capable of, so imagine his surprise when his wife accused him of not being emotionally intelligent. He had gone to therapy, he had done the work to try to understand his own psychology, so what was missing?   This question set Girrell off on a quest into his deepest, most hidden emotional core. He sought to not only discover what defines emotional intelligence, but to develop and mature his own emotional experience. His goal with this book is, fi

  This picture was taken at the Rolling Ridge Retreat and Conference Center, North Andover, MA. It was their 75th Anniversary celebration, and the theme was a celebration in arts and music. Kris Girrell was one of two area authors who were there, and he signed his most recent release, Learning to Feel , which has dominated Amazon's hot new release list since its release mid-August. Kris's earlier book, Typhoon Honey , was a runner-up in the New England Book Festival. For more posts about Kris and his 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 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 co

  Reviewers at Readers' Favorite write: "This interesting and introspective read asks us to examine whether we are truly accessing our feelings or not or simply going through the motions of life. Packed with deep questions to help the reader walk the same exploratory path as the author, this is a read which involves its audience in a truly interactive soul-searching mission. It is a combination of memoir, self-help, and motivational writing that is suitable for the general reading audience.   It is clear from the outset that Kris Girrell is passionate about the subject matter of this intense and well-presented self-help book. One of the most striking qualities of the read is the personality and honesty embedded in the narrative, gently coaxing readers to look at themselves from a more critical viewpoint. It also peels back many layers of the author’s own heart and mind to show us the true power of being vulnerable and honest with ourselves. I especially enjoyed the chapter lik

  CB and the late Carl Leaver, MSI Press authors Meet our author-dads who have written absolutely splendid books for fathers (and others) about all sorts of topics! (Some are no longer with us, but their works in life and in literature live on.) And, yes, of course, we continue to sell their books. Wally Amidon (deceased) The Musings of a South Carolina Yankee Read MSI blog posts about Wally . TL Brink How to Argue with an Atheist Read more posts about TL Brink  HERE . Dave Brown (co-author) One Simple Text.. KOPS-FETRHLING.INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARD LEGACY. AWARD: INSPIRATION/MOTIVATION HOLLYWOOD BOOK FESTIVAL FINALIST Read MSI Press blog posts about Dave  HERE . Dr. Frederic Craigie Weekly Soul AMERICAN BOOKFEST BEST BOOK AWARD FINALIST; INSPIRATION BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD GOLD: MIND, BODY, SPIRIT READER VIEWS LITERARY AWARDS SILVER: MIND/BODY/SPIRIT READER VIEWS LITERARY AWARDS SILVER: RELIGION KOPS-FETHERLING INTERNATIONAL BOOKS AWARDS HONORABLE MENTIONN: INSPIRATION/MOTIVATION Read M