Up From Nothing by John Hope Bryant

I'm currently working on my third book with bestselling author, financial literacy entrepreneur and businessman John Hope Bryant so it seems appropriate to kick off my blog with an appreciation for the book we worked on over the pandemic, Up From Nothing: The Untold Story of How We (All) Succeed.

Not everyone has equal access to the American Dream (duh). Up From Nothing takes the idea of America as the Land of Opportunity and shows how that idea has been interpreted differently for black Americans. As John likes to say, the Dream is alive, the ladder is broken.

Up From Nothing explores what it would mean for the future of us all if we were to fix the broken ladder of economic mobility for the historically disenfranchised so they too can come up from nothing. In the book, John discusses what in his life allowed him to be successful—what made him the exception to the rule, frankly—and what we all need to do to remove the obstacles hindering African Americans from coming up.

I learned so much from John over the year and a half we spent working on this book together: African-American history and why America is the way it is, and the simple mindset shift we collectively need to all grow a bigger economic pie. Personally, John taught me through his words and example the incomparable value of being comfortable in your own skin and I am forever grateful.

John gave me the highest compliment of all when he told me I "spiritually co-wrote" Up From Nothing with him. See what else he said about working with me on my testimonials page.