Authors Corner: The Living Library with Tess Booker

Finding Your Voice at Any Age: Confidence, Purpose & Starting Again

What if your past didn’t get the final word on who you become?

In this episode of Authors Corner: The Living Library, Tess Booker sits down with author and business coach Phyllis McNeal for a conversation about finding your voice, building confidence, living with purpose, and recognizing that it is never too late to begin again.

Phyllis shares how she moved from a childhood where she felt she had no voice into a life of teaching, coaching, writing, and serving diverse communities. Her work has reached incarcerated individuals, women experiencing homelessness, female managers, students in Japan, divorced parents, fathers, teen parents, and others navigating change and self-discovery.

Now at 84, Phyllis continues to write, teach, and live with intention. She and Tess explore compassion and empathy, the importance of fathers in developing confidence in girls, the Japanese concept of Ikigai, and the unexpected moments of kindness and divine timing that can shape a life.

Phyllis reminds us that our experiences may be part of our story, but they do not have to determine the ending.

In This Conversation

• Finding your voice after growing up in silence

“You can always start all over again.” — Phyllis McNeal

Connect with Phyllis McNeal

Phyllis McNeal

Email: [email protected]

Book: Sassy, Classy & Smart: The Path to Total Self Confidence

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=sassy+class+and+smart+phyllis+mcneal&i=digital-text&crid=2QSG4EBJCJW24&sprefix=sassy+class+and+smart+phyllis+mcneal%2Cdigital-text%2C188&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Connect with Tess Booker

Tess Booker

Website: https://www.tessbooker

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tess-booker

KPHRED Community:

Books by Tess Booker

Inspired Lives:

Overcoming Mediocrity: Empowered Women:

About Authors Corner: The Living Library

Authors Corner: The Living Library is where authors become more than the books they write. We explore the lived experiences, lessons, and stories behind the pages—and the wisdom those stories can offer the rest of us.

Curious about AI but don't know where to begin?

Suzanne Feit wants you to know: you can do this.

In this episode of Authors Corner: The Living Library, Tess Booker welcomes veteran educator, consultant, and author Suzanne Feit.

Suzanne brings more than 35 years of experience working at the intersection of technology, learning, Special Education, and accessibility.

Her book, Family Adventures from A to Z Using ChatGPT, shows families and educators how AI can help turn ordinary moments into opportunities for creativity, curiosity, learning, and connection.

Connect with Suzanne

https://chatandsuzanne.com/

Featured Book

Family Adventures from A to Z Using ChatGPT: Where Wonder, Connection, and AI Come Together

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FTYVHK7K

Connect with Tess

https://dot.cards/tessbooker

ABOUT AUTHORS CORNER: THE LIVING LIBRARY

Every book holds a story. Every author leaves a legacy.

Hosted by Tess Booker, Authors Corner: The Living Library is where authors move beyond the pages of their books to share the experiences, wisdom, and defining moments that shaped their message.

What if one of the most ordinary things your body does every day could teach you something about life?

Angela Jamieson is a former petroleum engineer turned bestselling author, speaker, digital entrepreneur, and founder of Relaxed Productivity.

In this episode of Authors Corner: The Living Library, Angela joins Tess Booker to share the wonderfully unconventional story behind Using No. 2 to Get to No. 1: The Shockingly Insightful, Full-of-Crap Self-Help Book.

Yes. We talk about poop.

But underneath the humor is a remarkably human conversation about how we process experiences, emotions, beliefs, and life itself.

Angela also shares her own transition from a demanding professional life—raising three children while serving as COO of a geological consulting firm—to questioning what success and productivity really meant after the death of her father.

That journey became the foundation of Relaxed Productivity.

In This Conversation

• Angela’s journey from petroleum engineer to author

“Emotions are just data.”

Connect with Angela Jamieson

Email

LinkedIn

Facebook

Instagram

Featured Book

Using No. 2 to Get to No. 1: The Shockingly Insightful, Full-of-Crap Self-Help Book

Coming From Angela

Write Your $%^&$ Book

Angela’s upcoming course for people ready to stop thinking about writing their book and actually write it.

Connect with Tess Booker

https://dot.cards/tessbooker

Website

ABOUT AUTHORS CORNER: THE LIVING LIBRARY

Every book holds a story. Every author leaves a legacy.

Hosted by Tess Booker, Authors Corner: The Living Library is where authors move beyond the pages of their books to share the experiences, wisdom, and defining moments that shaped their message.

What does resilience look like when the circumstances that changed your life were never your choice?

In this episode of Authors Corner: The Living Library, Tess Booker welcomes former international basketball player Dwayne Morton.

Dwayne is a published author, inspirational speaker, podcast host, resilience coach, and mental performance expert whose biggest accomplishments happened away from the basketball court.

After navigating an 18-year misdiagnosed blood cancer experience and witnessing a police shooting, Dwayne developed a deeper understanding of resilience, adaptability, identity, presence, and personal responsibility.

He now uses the lessons from his experiences to equip others with tools he wishes he had while navigating his own challenges.

In This Conversation

• Dwayne’s journey from small-town roots to international basketball

“You don't have to know the science to apply it.”

Connect with Dwayne Morton

Email

Facebook

Instagram

Connect with Tess Booker

https://dot.cards/tessbooker

Website

ABOUT AUTHORS CORNER: THE LIVING LIBRARY

Every book holds a story. Every author leaves a legacy.

Hosted by Tess Booker, Authors Corner: The Living Library is where authors move beyond the pages of their books to share the experiences, wisdom, and defining moments that shaped their message.

Tess Booker & Janell Cook

In this episode of Authors Corner: The Living Library, host Tess Booker welcomes author, wellness educator, and creator of Simple Health Test™, Janell Cook.

Drawing from her personal health journey and her book, Wellness Is Your Business: The Story and Method Behind Simple Health Test™, Janell shares how her own challenges led her to develop a practical three-step approach for helping individuals and practitioners better understand what supports the body, what interferes with it, and what is compatible with a person’s unique needs.

Together, Tess and Janell explore muscle testing as a tool for accessing the body’s wisdom, why emotional and spiritual factors can be important parts of whole-person wellness, and how timing and reassessment can influence personalized health decisions.

Janell also shares how wellness practitioners can incorporate Simple Health Test™ into their existing work to deepen their toolkit and create a more individualized approach for the people they serve.

“The body really works as a whole, not just parts and pieces.”

Connect with Janell Cook

Simple Health Test™

Explore the Book

Wellness Is Your Business: The Story and Method Behind Simple Health Test™

https://www.simplehealthtest.com/wiyb

Free Simple Health Test™ Starter Kit

https://www.simplehealthtest.com/starter-kit

Connect with Tess Booker

https://dot.cards/tessbooker

What happens when unimaginable loss becomes a call to action?

In this powerful episode of Authors Corner: The Living Library, host Tess Booker welcomes author, advocate, speaker, and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner Patrice Bullock, founder of Bailey’s Heart & Soul Foundation.

Patrice shares the story of her son Bailey and how his sudden cardiac arrest transformed her grief into a public mission centered on CPR and AED awareness, emergency preparedness, grief support, and community advocacy.

Through her book, 8 Min. 45 Sec.: A Child’s Heart: The Bailey Bullock Story, Patrice carries Bailey’s story forward while helping families, schools, organizations, and communities understand why knowing what to do during a cardiac emergency matters.

Tess and Patrice also explore grief as an ongoing process, the concept of sublimation—transforming emotional pain into constructive action—and Patrice’s advocacy for legislative change through the Bailey Bullock Act.

This conversation is about more than loss.

It is about love, legacy, preparedness, advocacy, and what can happen when one family’s story becomes a catalyst for protecting other lives.

Connect with Patrice Bullock

Bailey’s Heart & Soul Foundation

Featured Book

8 Min. 45 Sec.: A Child’s Heart: The Bailey Bullock Story

Companion Book

Still Here: A Companion for Grief, Healing, and Legacy

Learn Hands-Only CPR

https://cpr.heart.org/en/cpr-courses-and-kits

Connect with Tess Booker

https://dot.cards/tessbooker

What does it truly mean to be a pioneer—and how do you know when your ideas are ahead of their time?

In this episode of Authors Corner: The Living Library, host Tess Booker welcomes author, educator, and advocate Lynn Miller for an inspiring conversation about curiosity, leadership, innovation, advocacy, and lasting impact.

In this conversation, you will discover:

Whether you are an entrepreneur, author, educator, leader, advocate, or purpose-driven professional searching for your next chapter, this episode will encourage you to trust your unique perspective and recognize the pioneer within you.

Conscious Home Design: Design the Life, Then the House to Support It with Talor Stewart

What if your home could do more than shelter you? What if the space around you could actively support your happiness, health, relationships, habits, and the life you're becoming?

In this episode of Authors Corner: The Living Library, Tess Booker sits down with architect and #1 bestselling author Talor Stewart to explore the ideas behind his book, Conscious Home Design.

With more than 25 years of experience as a licensed architect, Talor challenges us to think beyond floor plans, finishes, and square footage. Instead, he invites us to consider the powerful relationship between mind, body, and environment—and to intentionally create spaces that support the way we actually want to live.

Tess and Talor explore research on happiness and relationships, Maslow's hierarchy of human needs, the role our environment plays in our habits and willpower, and even how something as simple as a sunny window can influence behavior and motivation.

Whether you own a home, rent, are planning your next space, or simply want to look differently at the environment you're living in today, this conversation offers a fascinating question:

Does your environment support the life you're trying to create?

In this episode you'll discover:

How architecture and environment can influence happiness and well-being

Why intentional home design begins with your life, not your floor plan

How our homes can support different types of relationships

Talor's approach to Maslow's hierarchy and the nine essential spaces

Why environment can sometimes be stronger than willpower

The "Sunny Window Effect" and how natural light can influence motivation

Practical ways owners and renters can create more supportive spaces

How conscious design can help us create environments that reflect who we are and where we're going

About Talor Stewart

Talor Stewart is a licensed architect with more than 25 years of experience and the founder of Conscious Home Design, Inc.

His book, Conscious Home Design, reached #1 bestseller status in seven countries. Talor specializes in single-family and multi-family homes and intentional communities, working with clients throughout the United States and select international locations.

He also trains and certifies architects and designers in the Conscious Home Design methodology so they can bring these principles to their own clients and communities.

Connect with Talor Stewart

Website:

LinkedIn:

Facebook:

Instagram:

Continue Your Journey with Tess Booker

If today's conversation resonated with you, I'd love to continue the journey with you.

Explore podcasts, emotional wellness resources, Executive Reset experiences, the Inspired Living App, speaking, coaching, and current ways to connect with Tess—all in one place:

https://dot.cards/tessbooker

Authors Corner: The Living Library celebrates authors whose books carry ideas, experiences, and wisdom worth continuing beyond the page.

The Power of Surrender: A Journey to Intimacy with Tim Bojko

What happens when a high-performing leader discovers that being can be more powerful than doing?

In this episode of Authors Corner: The Living Library, Tess Booker welcomes author, executive coach, and business leader Tim Bojko for a deeply personal conversation about surrender, identity, faith, healing, and discovering who we are beyond achievement.

Drawing from his own journey and the ideas explored in his writing, Tim shares what changed when he began releasing control and developing a deeper intimacy with God. Together, Tess and Tim explore how experiences from childhood can influence our beliefs about ourselves, why emotions need to be acknowledged rather than suppressed, and how forgiveness and receiving love can become part of the healing process.

For leaders and high achievers accustomed to solving, producing, and pushing forward, this conversation offers another possibility: What might happen when we stop trying to earn our worth and begin learning how to receive?

Tim shares practical ways he has learned to quiet the noise, listen, surrender, and reconnect with his identity and purpose.

In this episode you'll discover:

Why surrender doesn't mean giving up control of your life, but learning to trust

The difference between achievement and alignment

How intimacy with God has shaped Tim's understanding of identity and purpose

Why childhood experiences and the beliefs formed around them can continue influencing adulthood

The importance of processing emotions rather than suppressing them

How vulnerability, forgiveness, and receiving love can support healing

Why Tim believes being can sometimes accomplish what constant doing cannot

The importance of creating space to listen, receive, and reconnect with what matters most

About Tim Bojko

Tim Bojko is an author, executive coach, and business leader whose work explores leadership, identity, purpose, faith, and personal transformation.

Through his personal experiences and professional leadership, Tim encourages people to examine the beliefs driving their lives, release patterns rooted in performance and control, and discover a deeper sense of identity and purpose.

Connect with Tim Bojko

Email:

LinkedIn:

Tim also offers a complimentary 15-minute consultation for those interested in learning more about his work.

Continue Your Journey with Tess Booker

If today's conversation resonated with you, I'd love to continue the journey with you.

Explore podcasts, emotional wellness resources, Executive Reset experiences, the Inspired Living App, speaking, coaching, and current ways to connect with Tess—all in one place:

https://dot.cards/tessbooker

Authors Corner: The Living Library celebrates authors whose books carry ideas, experiences, and wisdom worth continuing beyond the page.

The Universe in a Child's Book: Fostering Wonder and Wisdom with Garret Rhea

What if teaching science wasn't only about helping children understand how the universe works, but also helping them experience wonder about their place within it?

In this episode of Authors Corner: The Living Library, Tess Booker welcomes educator, author, and Ninja Science Academy president Garret Rhea for a fascinating conversation about science, storytelling, consciousness, curiosity, and connection.

Drawing from more than 15 years in elementary education, Garret shares an approach to learning that goes beyond memorizing facts. Through storytelling, hands-on experiences, inquiry, and family engagement, he encourages children to become curious about the universe while developing a deeper appreciation for themselves and one another.

At the center of the conversation is Garret's children's book, The Story of Circle and Square.

Through the seemingly simple story of two shapes who become separated by their differences and eventually discover something deeper that connects them, Garret introduces young readers to ideas about science, empathy, identity, and our shared human experience.

Tess and Garret explore the intersection of science and consciousness, why awe can be such a powerful part of learning, and what becomes possible when children are encouraged to ask questions rather than simply memorize answers.

For parents, educators, families, and anyone curious about new ways of helping children understand themselves and their world, this conversation is an invitation to rediscover something children often understand naturally: wonder.

In this episode you'll discover:

How storytelling can make complex scientific ideas accessible to children

Why Garret believes awe and curiosity belong at the heart of science education

The story and deeper message behind The Story of Circle and Square

How science, intuition, emotional awareness, and connection can coexist in education

Why experiential and inquiry-based learning can help children engage more deeply

The importance of family and community in a child's learning experience

How conversations about our similarities and differences can help develop empathy

Garret's vision for Ninja Science Academy and Peacemakers Publishing

About Garret Rhea

Garret Rhea is an educator, author, and president of Ninja Science Academy whose work brings together science, storytelling, curiosity, and experiential learning.

His educational approach encourages children to explore big questions about themselves and the universe while nurturing wonder, wisdom, connection, and curiosity.

Through Ninja Science Academy, Peacemakers Publishing, and children's stories including The Story of Circle and Square, Garret creates learning experiences designed to help young people explore science in engaging and meaningful ways.

Connect with Garret Rhea

The Story of Circle and Square on Amazon:

Peacemakers Publishing:

Email:

Continue Your Journey with Tess Booker

If today's conversation resonated with you, I'd love to continue the journey with you.

Explore podcasts, emotional wellness resources, Executive Reset experiences, the Inspired Living App, speaking, coaching, and current ways to connect with Tess—all in one place:

https://dot.cards/tessbooker

Authors Corner: The Living Library celebrates authors whose books carry ideas, experiences, and wisdom worth continuing beyond the page.