Lori Gottlieb

4.11134 learners

In this raw, unflinching memoir, seasoned therapist Lori Gottlieb pulls back the curtain on psychotherapy—by stepping into the client’s chair herself. When her long-term partner abruptly leaves her, refusing to raise her young son, Gottlieb is thrown into grief, self-doubt, and existential panic. Forced to confront her own unprocessed pain, she seeks treatment with Wendell Bronson, a wise, no-nonsense therapist who challenges her to look beyond anger and denial. Interwoven with her journey are stories of four clients: John, a narcissistic screenwriter masking crippling grief over his late son; Julie, a newlywed professor fighting terminal cancer; Rita, a 69-year-old planning to end her life if she doesn’t find meaning by 70; and Charlotte, a 25-year-old paralyzed by anxiety and alcoholism. As Gottlieb guides her clients through darkness, she learns therapy is never one-sided—healing happens when both therapist and client embrace vulnerability, confront truths, and choose to grow.

Tiffany Chang

3.9991 learners

Meet Lila, a burnt-out NYC marketing manager trapped in a loveless marriage, toxic office dynamics, and a crippling sense of unworthiness. After an explosive fight with her husband, she flees to the Catskills, runs out of gas, and stumbles on a cabin where a wise elder poses a life-shaking question: “Who are you?” This sparks a transformative journey as Lila sheds the false identities she’s built her life on—job title, marital status, college credentials—and uncovers her true self: a core of love, joy, and peace buried under layers of physical habits, repressed emotions, overactive thoughts, and societal roles. Guided by the elder, she learns how energy vibrations shape her reality, how her subconscious drives repeated patterns, and how to heal childhood wounds trapped in her body. She discovers the difference between fleeting, external happiness and lasting, inner joy, and masters the art of surrendering to unchangeable facts while taking charge of her inner state. By the end, Lila emerges with clarity, resilience, and the tools to live authentically, free from the chains of others’ expectations.