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Today is the Day! (Pub Day)
Episode 9
About the Episode
Todayβs the day! Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual is officially in the world. You can now purchase Professional TroublemakerΒ wherever books are sold, includingΒ Amazon, Audible, Barnes & Noble, Β Apple Books, and more! A big shoutout to everyone who has bought the book so far!
I’m talking about the book everywhere I go this week – other people’s podcasts, media appearances, and of course, my own podcast Professional Troublemaker. Click below to listen in:
How would our lives be different if we were given permission to be disruptors for the greater good? How far will we have gone if we already knew that our jobs arenβt to shy away from big things but to run towards them? How dope would our legacy be if we knew that FEAR is natural and weβre actually supposed to do the things that scare us?
In #ProfessionalTroublemaker, I talk about all these things, and how my life has transformed as a result of being the person who committed to doing the things that feel bigger than me, doing the things that feel scary as shit, and things that make me lose my breath.
We’re all afraid. We’re afraid of asking for what we want because we’re afraid of hearing “no.” We’re afraid of being different, of being too much or not enough. We’re afraid of leaving behind the known for the unknown. But in order to do the things that will truly, meaningfully change our lives, we have to become professional troublemakers: people who are committed to not letting fear talk them out of the things they need to do or say to live free. We must get right within ourselves before we can do the things that scare us; how to use our voice for a greater good; and how to put movement to the voice we’ve been silencing–because truth-telling is a muscle.
The point is not to be fearless, but to know we are afraid and charge forward regardless. It is to recognize that the things we must do are more significant than our fears. This book is about how to live boldly in spite of all the reasons we have to cower.
This book is truly my best work yet. ???? Professional Troublemaker is dedicated to everyone who has been told they are TOO MUCH, TOO LOUD, TOO TROUBLESOME. It’s for the ones who have found themselves in boxes that were too small because their dopeness was too big.Β I wrote THIS book cuz I want a Black girl or woman to pick it up and know she can be exactly who she is and still SOAR.β Β As I was writing this book, all I could think was, βHOW THE HELL am I going to finish this book when the world is falling apart?β But what pushed me forward was this book in itself is a testimony. β
????οΈΒ This is the book I needed 10 years ago when I was afraid to call myself a writer. β
????οΈ This is the book I needed when I turned down my TED talk TWICE because I didnβt think I was ready for it. β
????Β This is the book I need RIGHT NOW when I am pushing my own limits and showing up in ways I havenβt before.β
And if I need it, then I know others do too.β
I hope that these pages inspire you to find the courage to dream audaciously, ask for more, and grow wildly.Β I hope this book loans you power in the times when youβre about to move scared.Β Most of all, I hope you use your limitless imagination to stop thinking about what could go wrong but instead think about how amazing your life could be when you have the audacity to live boldly.
My hope with this book is that you read it and feel compelled to take up ALL THE SPACE in this world. I hope it gives you permission to dream audaciously too.
Hereβs to creating a million Professional Troublemakers moving through the world and making it a better place.Β HERE IS TO US WINNING.
Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual (hardcover, ebook, audiobook) is out EVERYWHERE. Get your copy wherever books are sold!
Professional troublemakers are not to be silenced,
but to be celebrated.
About the Guest
Luvvie Ajayi Jones
Luvvie Ajayi Jones is a three-time New York Times bestselling author, speaker and podcast host who thrives at the intersection of humor, media, and justice. Her critically acclaimed books Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual (2021) and Iβm Judging You: The Do-Better Manual (2016) were instant bestsellers and established her as a literary force with a powerful pen.Β Her newest book and first book for young adults Rising Troublemaker: A Fear-Fighter Manual for Teens (released May 17, 2022) debuted at #3 on the New York Times Bestseller list.
Transcript