Make Friends With The Dragon: During The Dissertation Journey (Dissertation Series)

Make Friends With the Dragon: During the Dissertation Journey is an encouraging and practical guide for doctoral learners, graduate students, and dissertation writers who are navigating the emotional, academic, and personal challenges of completing a doctoral program.

In her previous book, So, You Want to Be a Doctoral Learner Huh? Are You Nuts?!, Dr. L. A. Davis shared the struggles, lessons, and survival strategies she learned while completing her own dissertation journey. Now, in Make Friends With the Dragon, she returns with a deeper reflection on life after earning her doctoral degree and on the challenges many students continue to face as they move through the dissertation process.

Inspired by her own experiences, as well as comments and concerns shared by students on her alma mater’s support board, Dr. Davis explores the “dragons” doctoral learners may encounter along the way. These dragons may appear as fear, procrastination, self-doubt, confusion, isolation, frustration, academic pressure, or the overwhelming demands of dissertation writing.

Rather than running from these challenges, Dr. Davis invites readers to make friends with the dragon. With honesty, humor, and hard-earned wisdom, she guides students through the different stages and chapters of the dissertation journey, helping them recognize obstacles, build resilience, and keep moving toward completion.

This book is ideal for:

• Doctoral learners and PhD students
• EdD candidates
• Graduate students beginning the dissertation process
• Students struggling with dissertation writing
• Online doctoral learners
• Dissertation coaches, mentors, and academic support groups

Make Friends With the Dragon: During the Dissertation Journey offers encouragement, motivation, and practical insight for students who need a reminder that the dissertation dragon can be faced, understood, and conquered.

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Make Friends With The Dragon:

During The Dissertation Journey

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Own the Room: How to Communicate to Be Seen, Heard and Respected

 

Own the Room:

How to Communicate to Be Seen, Heard and Respected

Own the Room is not a book about public speaking. It’s a book about human perception. Why do some people command attention the moment they walk into a room while others struggle to be heard? Why do certain leaders, salespeople, creators, and communicators create trust instantly while others feel forgettable—even when they’re more qualified? Because communication is never just about words. Before people evaluate your ideas, they evaluate you. Your confidence. Your certainty. Your emotional control. Your authenticity. Your presence. Human beings are constantly making unconscious decisions about who feels trustworthy, capable, safe, persuasive, and memorable long before logic enters the equation. In Own the Room, communication strategist Jake Stahl breaks down the hidden psychology behind influence, authority, trust, and presence in a way that is both deeply practical and psychologically precise. Drawing from decades of experience training professionals across industries, along with principles from behavioral psychology, social psychology, neuroscience, and NLP, Stahl reveals how subtle emotional signals shape every interaction we have. This book explores why people react differently to the exact same words depending on who says them, why approval-seeking weakens persuasion, how insecurity leaks through communication, and why emotional congruence matters more than rehearsed perfection. Readers will learn how to create psychological trust, regulate tension, project grounded confidence, and communicate in a way that makes people feel seen, understood, and certain. Whether in business, leadership, sales, relationships, negotiations, interviews, podcasts, presentations, or everyday conversations, Own the Room teaches readers how to stop performing and start communicating with clarity, authority, and emotional precision. Because the people who truly own the room are not always the loudest, smartest, or most charismatic. They’re the people who understand how the room works.

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The Long Way Home: A Student’s Story of Survival

The Long Way Home:

A Student’s Story of Survival

When war breaks out without warning, childhood ends instantly. In The Long Way Home, a young schoolgirl is forced to flee when violent conflict erupts during the Congo–Rwanda war. Separated from her parents and stranded far from home, she begins a dangerous journey across the country—alone, frightened, and uncertain if she will ever see her family again. As she travels through villages and cities scarred by violence, she witnesses the brutal realities of war through the eyes of a child: loss, displacement, fear, and survival. Her journey reflects the experiences of countless children whose lives are reshaped by conflict they did not choose.

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The Long Way Home: A Student’s Story of Survival

on Amazon Kindle / Kindle Unlimited US Store

Click here to get

The Long Way Home: A Student’s Story of Survival

on Amazon Kindle / Kindle Unlimited CA Store

Welcome to Episode #003 of the Make Peace With Life Podcast: The Angry Episode

   

Welcome to Episode #003 of the Make Peace With Life Podcast: The Angry Episode

In this episode, we get real about something we all experience—anger. If you’re on a journey to make peace with life, does that mean you’re never supposed to feel upset, frustrated, or overwhelmed? Absolutely not. We talk about how these emotions are a natural part of being human and why embracing them—rather than suppressing them—is part of the process. We also dive into the importance of asking for help—something many of us struggle with. Whether it’s physical, mental, or emotional support, reaching out can be one of the most powerful things you do—not just for yourself, but for the people who genuinely want to be there for you. In our Life in the Slow Lane segment, we explore how slowing down isn’t just safer—it’s a reset that can help reduce stress and bring clarity back into your life. To close things out, we take a deeper look at life itself. Are our experiences just small pieces of a much bigger journey? Is anything truly coincidence, or do the connections we make carry meaning? Maybe it’s a little of both—and maybe that’s where the beauty lies. Be sure to visit MakePeaceWithLife.com to check out more podcasts and shortcasts, explore the blog, connect with the community, and find out how you can grab one of the coolest Make Peace With Life shirts for yourself.

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Make Peace With Life Podcast

The Honu Diary: A Journey of Coming Together (The Pono Trilogy Book 2)

 

The Honu Diary:

A Journey of Coming Together

(The Pono Trilogy Book 2)

Noelani Lee happily escaped the busyness of California city life to fulfill her post-divorce dream of starting fresh in a beautiful tropical paradise. Life would be easy peasy frolicking on pristine beaches with her sexy, much younger fiance…until it wasn’t. Her adoring fiancé, Rodrigo, enjoyed the reprieve from their hectic urban life. However, the idyllic island life wasn’t what Rodrigo wanted for their happily ever after. An enticing, once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity beckons him back to the states. Noelani’s ancient ancestors are summoning her to dive deeper into her spiritual legacy. Yet following her ancestor’s guidance could ultimately derail any future happiness with her soulmate and love of her life.

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The Honu Diary: A Journey of Coming Together 

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Rising from the Ashes: A Survivor's Truth (4 book series)

Rising from the Ashes: A Survivor's Truth

(4 book series)

Disclaimer: This memoir series contains discussions of childhood abuse, sexual assault, military trauma, addiction, depression, self-mutilation, suicidal thoughts, family estrangement, infidelity, and other mature topics. Reader discretion is advised. This four-book memoir series is a raw and honest account of Lawanda Glenn’s life journey through trauma, loss, broken relationships, addiction, depression, self-destruction, and ultimately healing through Jesus Christ. Closed for Business explores childhood abuse, family dysfunction, military service, and the events that shaped her early life. Sex Please shares the pain of deception, betrayal, and discovering devastating truths within her marriage. Sindarella examines family conflict, adult-child estrangement, the challenges of military life, separation from her children, boundaries, and the heartbreak of losing precious time with loved ones. Healed By His Hands tells the story of faith, restoration, and the healing that began when she surrendered her life to Jesus Christ. The first three memoirs were written during some of the darkest seasons of her life, when she poured her thoughts, pain, struggles, and experiences onto the pages without holding anything back. The fourth book was written from a place of healing, faith, and transformation. For the full story, the books are intended to be read in order, as each one builds upon the events, struggles, and lessons of the previous book. Together, these books tell a story of survival, resilience, redemption, and hope. The first three books reveal the pain. The last book reveals the healing. The rest, you’ll have to read for yourself.

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Rising from the Ashes: A Survivor's Truth (4 book series)

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Why Arthur Conan Doyle Tried to Kill Sherlock Holmes

 

Why Arthur Conan Doyle Tried to Kill Sherlock Holmes

Few fictional characters have become as famous as Sherlock Holmes. More than a century after his creation, the brilliant detective of Baker Street remains one of the most recognizable figures in literature. He has appeared in countless books, films, television series, radio dramas, comics, and video games. Even people who have never read a Sherlock Holmes story know his name. Yet there is one surprising fact that many readers never discover: Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, eventually grew to hate the detective's success. In fact, Doyle became so frustrated by Holmes that he decided to kill him. The decision shocked readers around the world and sparked a public reaction unlike anything literature had seen before. Newspapers discussed it. Readers wrote angry letters. Fans mourned the detective as if a real person had died. The strange relationship between Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes is one of the most fascinating stories in literary history. The Character That Made Doyle Famous When Arthur Conan Doyle introduced Sherlock Holmes in *A Study in Scarlet* in 1887, he could never have predicted what would happen next. Holmes was unlike the detectives who had come before him. Using observation, logic, and deduction, he solved mysteries that baffled everyone else. Readers were captivated. As more stories appeared, Holmes grew steadily more popular. By the early 1890s, the detective had become a sensation. People eagerly awaited each new adventure. Magazines featuring Sherlock Holmes sold in enormous numbers. Readers discussed the cases with friends and family. The detective's fame spread far beyond Britain. For most writers, this would have been a dream come true. For Arthur Conan Doyle, however, it slowly became a problem.

Yet Sherlock Holmes refused to disappear from public consciousness. Demand for new stories remained overwhelming. Eventually, Doyle gave in. In 1901 he published The Hound of the Baskervilles. The novel was technically set before Holmes' death, allowing Doyle to write about the detective without undoing The Final Problem. Readers loved it. The success demonstrated that interest in Sherlock Holmes had not faded at all. Finally, in 1903, Doyle performed what many readers had been hoping for since 1893. He brought Sherlock Holmes back to life. In The Adventure of the Empty House, Holmes revealed that he had survived the encounter at Reichenbach Falls after all. The detective returned. The readers rejoiced. And one of literature's most famous resurrections was complete. A Battle Doyle Could Never Win The story of Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes reveals something remarkable about literature. Most authors dream of creating a character who captures the imagination of readers. Doyle succeeded beyond measure. The problem was that Holmes became larger than his creator intended. The detective escaped the boundaries of fiction and entered popular culture. He became an icon. Even today, many people know Sherlock Holmes better than they know Arthur Conan Doyle. That is both a triumph and a tragedy. A triumph because Doyle created one of the greatest fictional characters ever written. A tragedy because the very success he achieved was not the success he wanted. Yet history has a sense of irony. More than a century later, readers continue to discover Sherlock Holmes. They continue to read the stories. They continue to debate the mysteries. And they continue to be fascinated by the complicated relationship between a writer and the detective who refused to die. Discover More About Arthur Conan Doyle The story of Sherlock Holmes is only one part of Arthur Conan Doyle's remarkable life. From his medical background and literary career to the creation of the world's most famous detective, Doyle remains one of the most fascinating figures in literary history.

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