Lessons from the People Who Paid me (and the Ones Who Didn't)

Lessons from the People Who Paid me

(and the Ones Who Didn't):

A Field Guide to People Who Will Make or Break Your Brand

Lessons from the People Who Paid Me (and the Ones Who Didn't): A Field Guide to People Who Will Make or Break Your Brand by Ricka Raga is a 2026 best-selling guide focusing on the hidden dynamics of client management, brand strategy, and the realities of running a creative or service-based business.Raga, a brand strategist with over 13 years of experience, shares raw, actionable insights on, recognizing patterns, setting boundaries, and building a sustainable business.

The book is aimed at creatives, freelancers, consultants, and founders looking to move beyond surface-level business advice and build a sustainable brand.

What if the biggest lessons in your business did not come from your best clients, but from the ones who tested your limits?

In Lessons from the People Who Paid Me (and the Ones Who Didn’t), brand strategist Ricka Raga reveals what really happens behind client work. This is a direct look at patterns, mistakes, and hard earned clarity that no course or certification can teach.

This is not a book about getting more clients.
It is about understanding them.

Through real world experience working with businesses across industries, Ricka breaks down the hidden dynamics that shape every project. Some clients move your business forward. Others quietly drain your time, energy, and margins. The difference is not luck. It is pattern recognition and structure.

You will learn how to recognize recurring client archetypes, build systems that protect your business, and shift from reactive execution to strategic authority.

This book challenges the traditional narrative of freelancing and creative work. It moves beyond aesthetics, beyond hustle, and beyond surface level advice. It focuses on what actually builds a sustainable and scalable business.

Inside, you will discover:

• Why experience is about pattern recognition, not time
• How weak boundaries quietly destroy your business
• The real reason beautiful brands fail to generate revenue
• How to filter clients before they cost you time and money
• Why systems, not talent, drive long term growth
• The mindset shift required to move from service provider to authority

Written with clarity and conviction, this book is for creatives, freelancers, consultants, and founders who are ready to stop guessing and start operating with intention.

If you have ever been underpaid, overworked, or stuck in projects that never should have started, this book will change how you see your business and the people you choose to build it with.

Because in the end, your success is not just defined by what you do.
It is defined by who you allow in.

Click here to get

Lessons from the People Who Paid me

(and the Ones Who Didn't)

on Amazon / Kindle 

Future Realities of Workplace

 

Future Realities of Workplace

The workplace has shifted from location of work to the engine of civilization: The crucible where technology, humanity, and global systems collide. In Future Realities of Workplace, Dr. Elijah Ezendu delivers a groundbreaking exploration of how emerging forces of AI, robotics, bionics, cultural values, mobility, regulation, ethics and sustainability will redefine how we work, live, and thrive.

Drawing on decades of foresight, global case studies, and bold scenarios, this book maps the drivers of transformation and the impacts on the world system. It shows how the future of workplace will determine the following.

• The global economy and competitiveness of nations.
• The recalibration of education into lifelong learning ecosystems.
• The relevance of talent in a world of automation and augmentation.
• The optimization of industries across all sectors.
• Sustainability of the planet, as workplaces become frontline actors in net-zero and wellbeing economies.

With visionary clarity, Dr. Elijah Ezendu blends analytical depth with future scenarios and vivid case studies. Each chapter moves beyond theory, offering a rich narrative of how humans, machines, and hybrid beings will share, and sometimes contest the future workplace: A portending potpourri of asymmetry between non-human workforce integration and equitable human advancement. If a responsive global governance stoke the fire of order, fittingly structured regulation shall definitely ensure dominance and continuity of human control; conversely, slow or apathetic governance approach in the face of rapid technological innovation will be an invitation to catastrophe.

At its heart, Future Realities of Workplace is a blueprint for leaders, professionals, policymakers, entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs and workers who want to design the future, instead of walking blindly into its pitfalls. It calls for workplaces built on adaptability, fairness, innovation, sustainability and human-centred purpose.

The message is clear: The workplace is not a side stage of history. It is the determinant of economic prosperity, human dignity, and planetary survival. To shape the workplace is to shape the future of civilization.

Click here to get your copy of Future Realities of Workplace

 

The Algorithm of Us

Maya Lin believes in data—not destiny. As the lead algorithm engineer behind HeartSpark, the world’s most successful dating app, her entire job revolves around proving that love can be measured, calculated, and optimized. But after a humiliating breakup goes viral, her company’s reputation—and her confidence—take a devastating hit, leaving Maya convinced that love, at least for her, is something better solved with science than trust. Enter Eli Torres, charismatic host of the internet’s favorite podcast, The Anti-Love Experiment. His mission? Prove dating apps manipulate emotions and ruin authentic relationships. And HeartSpark is his No. 1 target. When Eli launches a public challenge encouraging listeners to date without algorithms, HeartSpark panics. To repair the company’s reputation, Maya is forced to work closely with Eli—publicly and professionally—putting the face behind the algorithm directly in the path of its loudest critic. What begins as damage control quickly becomes something more personal, especially as Maya starts to realize she may have miscalculated him—and love itself. Only one problem: Maya didn’t expect Eli to be funny. Or thoughtful. Or devastatingly sincere. Or someone she could fall for—fast, when falling is the one variable she’s sworn never to risk again. As they navigate bookstore meet-cutes, awkward “old-fashioned” dates, and viral challenge videos, the chemistry between them becomes impossible to ignore. But the closer they get, the heavier Maya’s secret becomes… and the more terrifying the idea of losing Eli feels, because when he fully understands who she is and what she represents, the fallout threatens everything—her career, his platform, and the fragile belief that love might be more than data after all. In a world where love is automated, what happens when two people choose to follow their hearts instead? Perfect for fans of The Love Hypothesis, The Soulmate Equation, and The Unhoneymooners, The Algorithm of Us is a hilarious, heart-squeezing, slow-burn romance about modern dating, second chances, and the magic that can’t be calculated.

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on Amazon Paperback

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on Amazon Kindle

Lyrics & Love Notes : “Two voices. One app. A love song they never expected to create.”

 

Lyrics & Love Notes :

“Two voices. One app.

A love song they never expected to create.”

(The Bouchard Family Book 1)

After a devastating betrayal ends her thirteen-year marriage, middle school teacher Jada Simmons never imagined that she'd find love again. She discovers Groove, a karaoke app that is her escape and the place where she meets her mysterious duet partner, MrGrooveGhost. Noah Bouchard, is a billionaire tech mogul behind the screen and devoted single father. Burned by his own failed marriage, he has officially sworn off finding love. Well that's until Jada's strength, spirit, and song begins to break through to his guarded heart.

From their virtual duets to real-life romance, Jada and Noah must navigate distance, overcome family drama, meddling exes, and the constant pressure of the spotlight. Together they discover that true love doesn't just heal wounds. It creates something worth singing about. “Lyrics & Love Notes: A heartwarming romance about second chances, a blended family, and the courage to believe in love again.”

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A Different Approach on the Skills of Life

 

A Different Approach 

on the Skills of Life

By Leatrice D. Williams

What if the most important lessons in school were not only found in textbooks, but in the everyday choices that prepare young people for life beyond the classroom?

A Different Approach on the Skills of Life by Leatrice D. Williams opens the door to a curriculum built from more than three decades of teaching experience, community involvement, and a deep concern for how students grow as thinkers, citizens, and future professionals. This is not a traditional academic guide focused only on grades, tests, and classroom routines. It is a practical world of mock interviews, student portfolios, entrepreneurship projects, character education, public speaking, financial awareness, career exploration, teamwork, conflict resolution, and real-world readiness.

At its center is the belief that education should feel alive. A classroom can become a business trade show, a food truck competition, a career convention, a debate floor, a portfolio showcase, or a place where students learn how to speak, dress, listen, lead, apologize, and think with purpose. Leatrice’s approach brings “old school” fundamentals and modern life skills together, reminding educators that reading, writing, arithmetic, manners, character, and critical thinking still matter in a world shaped by technology and artificial intelligence.

The book carries the atmosphere of a busy, creative classroom where students are not passive learners but participants in their own future. They are asked to reflect on values, make decisions, solve problems, build confidence, and imagine the lives they want to pursue. The curriculum also responds to the social and emotional impact of the pandemic, recognizing that students may need renewed guidance in cooperation, attention, communication, and healthy interaction.

What makes this work stand out is its moral urgency. It asks educators to consider whether students are truly being prepared for life—or simply moved from one grade level to the next. The dilemma is clear: should education remain confined to academic instruction, or should it also teach young people how to function with integrity, independence, creativity, and respect in the real world?

Rooted in classroom experience and shaped by the Foundations program, A Different Approach on the Skills of Life presents education as preparation for more than a report card. It is preparation for interviews, careers, relationships, service, leadership, responsibility, and self-belief.

The final lesson is simple: when students are given practical skills, moral guidance, and room to discover their potential, the classroom becomes a foundation for life.

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on Amazon

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on Barnes & Noble

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeatriceDWilliams/

Under the Cover of Darkness

 

Under the Cover of Darkness

By Kat Markley

What if the darkest chapters of a life could become a powerful story of faith, healing, and resilience?

For readers drawn to deeply personal true stories, Under the Cover of Darkness by Kat Markley offers a moving biography/autobiography about survival, memory, and the long road toward healing. The book begins with a simple medical-history question in a doctor’s office, leading Kat to revisit the painful truth of her childhood and the family history she never fully had access to.

At the heart of the book is a life shaped by trauma but not defined only by it. Kat writes about a childhood marked by fear, confusion, and emotional wounds that would follow her into adulthood. Her story gives readers a personal look at how early experiences can shape one’s sense of safety, identity, and belonging. Yet the book also carries a quiet message of endurance: even after years of pain, healing remains possible.

What makes Under the Cover of Darkness meaningful is its honesty. Kat does not present trauma as something easily forgotten or neatly resolved. Instead, her story reflects the reality of living with PTSD and anxiety while still choosing to seek help, build a life, and hold on to faith. Her present-day life in the valley of Texas with her husband and their two pups adds a gentle contrast to the darkness of the past. Their trips in a used motorhome to cooler towns and states reflect a life still moving forward, one mile and one day at a time.

Readers of biography and autobiography may find this book especially compelling because it speaks to courage in its most human form. It is not only about surviving difficult memories, but also about learning to live beyond them. Through counseling, faith, marriage, and reflection, Kat’s journey shows the importance of support, truth-telling, and spiritual grounding.

Under the Cover of Darkness is a book for readers who appreciate true stories with emotional depth, vulnerability, and purpose. It invites reflection on the hidden struggles many people carry and the strength it takes to bring those experiences into the light.

For readers wondering what can emerge from life’s darkest chapters, Kat Markley’s Under the Cover of Darkness offers a sincere and courageous reminder that healing, faith, and resilience can still be found beyond the pain.

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on Amazon

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on Barnes & Noble

From Brilliant Bitch To Dynamic Diva!: Don't Think Like A Man--Think Like A Diva!

   

From Brilliant Bitch To Dynamic Diva!:

Don't Think Like A Man--Think Like A Diva!

Tired of male authors advising that we women should 'Think Like A Man But Act Like A Lady? Frustrated with male authors that claim they will spill the 'secrets' on how to get and keep a man? Fed-up with books that continue with the double standard that 'women should hold out & put themselves on lock-down' while men get to spread themselves all over town? Want to learn how to become a Brilliant Bitch in control? Want to finally learn the 'secrets' to not only getting the man you want--but one that also wants YOU? Then this volume of the Dynamic Diva series, 'Don't Think Like A Man--Think Like A Diva is for you! Learn to not just 'name' your power, but to claim it! Want to be a Real Woman with a REAL Man? Want to experience what you desire AND what you Deserve? Want to show partners that are not respecting you how to begin to do so, or 'Get 'Ta Stepping?" Then begin by honoring YOU in all your glory. When you honor you, others are compelled to do the same!

Click here to get

From Brilliant Bitch To Dynamic Diva!:

Don't Think Like A Man--Think Like A Diva!

on Amazon / Kindle

Also find the book Under Recommended Reading at

sherrybrantley.com