HOPE LEANS FORWARD
Braving Your Way Toward Simplicity, Awakening and Peace
A unique synthesis of Buddhist and Quaker wisdom and mindfulness, centering real-life BIPOC experiences of transformation that inspire and challenge.
Simple, accessible, brave-making practices to move you from identity crisis to confidence.
Available now.
Daily we are called toward bravery, to stretch in the direction of kindness, generosity, vulnerability, and authenticity. Yet life’s tender fragility, fear, and uncertainty can derail us from growing and thriving, leaving us stuck, fractured, and constantly second guessing ourselves.
How can we gain greater self-awareness and bravery to break these patterns?
HOPE LEANS FORWARD will help you:
- Choose bravely when conditions are uncertain and ambiguous.
- Address anxiety to support deeper self-understanding and self-love.
- Feel grounded at home, hybrid workspace, or office.
- Align your values with your work for a greater sense of purpose and meaning.
- Cultivate clarity through body intelligence and body awareness.
- Listen for connection instead of control and correction.
- Sustain calm through fear, anger, and pressure.
- Examine unconscious patterns that hold you back.
- Savor the radical rest you deserve.
SPECIAL OFFER:
FREE GIFTS WITH YOUR ORDER
Every order of Hope Leans Forward comes with these free, brave-making resources from Valerie:
Hope Leans Forward
e-Journal
This e-journal was created to accompany your reading journey – to capture your reflections and support skillful choices to be your best self.
Guided Meditation:
Mindful Breathing Practice
Guided 20-minute audio meditation
Pause, rest, exhale deeply.
Restore calm and balance.
HERE’S HOW TO CLAIM YOUR GIFTS:
1.
Order Hope Leans Forward from your local bookstore or vendor below.
2.
Get the receipt / order #
from your purchase.
3.
Fill out the form below to receive your gifts by email.
ORDER YOUR COPY:
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT HOPE LEANS FORWARD:
“This extraordinary book is like a great river that delivers nutrients to all those on her shores.”
Roshi Joan Halifax
Abbot, Upaya Zen Center
“A deeply personal and rich book that does not hide the mud from which lotuses grow, but at the same time shows the lotuses in all their splendor.”
Sister True Virtue
Plum Village, France
“To read this book is to feel more grounded and alive. To practice the wisdom within it is to open yourself to the possibilities of your own life.”
Barry Crossno
General Secretary
Friends General Conference
“In this moment, when our interconnectedness and mutual vulnerability are more evident than ever, Valerie Brown’s Hope Leans Forward offers a path luminescent in its pragmatism, crystal in its invitation to shared responsibility, gentle in its guiding steps and full of grace for each of us.”
Sarah Willie-LeBreton, Provost & Dean of the Faculty
Professor of Sociology & Black Studies, Swarthmore College
“Valerie Brown writes as a Buddhist-Quaker grounded in her practice of Kundalini Yoga. The end result is an excellent example of how the practice of interreligious dialogue more often than not expands expand one’s faith journey in unexpected and creative ways.”
Paul Ingram
The Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies
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THE MINDFUL SCHOOL LEADER
Practices to Transform Your Life and School
Big results come from small steps.
Written with school leaders in mind, this inspirational yet practical handbook teaches you how to add mindfulness into your day, bit by bit, whether you are sitting in your office or walking down the hall. With mindfulness, you will get better at managing meetings, responding creatively to complex situations, and achieving resilience―you will become a more effective leader and a more positive force for your staff and students. Features include:
- Real-life profiles of mindful school leaders
- Practice exercises to try right away
- Guidance so you know if you are “doing it right”
- Hard-to-find resources, including mindfulness apps
“The art of being a mindful leader requires just one thing, and that is cultivating the art of living mindfully….This book offers simple practices for nourishing mindful leaders.”
Thich Nhat Hanh
Zen priest, poet and peace activist
“This must-read book will help school leaders find the equanimity needed to lead with calm, clarity, and effectiveness in the midst of the storm.”
Kristin Neff, Associate Professor
Educational Psychology Department
University of Texas at Austin
“In The Mindful School Leader, Brown and Olson offer with remarkable clarity and depth a thorough introduction to the practice of meditation, the science behind its benefits, and many firsthand accounts of lives and work situations transformed through this practice.”
Joseph Goldstein
Co-Founder, Insight Meditation Society
“The Mindful School Leader is a tremendous asset to leaders worldwide to foster greater understanding and compassion within themselves and within schools.”
Sharon Salzberg
Co-Founder, Insight Meditation Society
THE ROAD THAT TEACHES
Lessons in Transformation through Travel
Not your average travel guidebook.
This book explores some of the world’s great pilgrimages, destinations, and the author’s reflections on the lessons she learned from them. Read this book to discover how travel can be transformational, how to be more mindful while traveling and every day, the adventures of traveling alone, the delights of encountering new people and places, ancient pilgrimage journeys and sacred travel worldwide. Written from the perspective of a Buddhist Quaker spiritual teacher, Valerie Brown, who has a knack for capturing life’s wonders in words.
“The insightful discoveries that Valerie shares are evidence that with right mindfulness of body and mind, our outward journey can inform our capacity to travel inwardly—touching the light and peace that dispels busyness, fear, and isolation.“
Thich Nhat Hanh
Zen priest, poet and peace activist
“If you want a ‘travel guide’ that does more, much more, than tell you where tourists should stay and what they should see, this is the book for you. Travel with it and you will travel well, inwardly and outwardly, with open eyes and an open heart.“
Parker J. Palmer, Author
Healing the Heart of Democracy, Let Your Life Speak, The Courage to Teach, and A Hidden Wholeness
CULTIVATING HAPPINESS, RESILIENCE & WELL-BEING
Through Meditation, Mindfulness & Movement
In chaotic times, a deep breath can bring calm to your classroom.
With the uncertainty and anxiety of the global pandemic, gun violence, racial injustice, and climate crisis, it’s more important than ever to make your classroom a place that supports mental health and improves wellness. With this practical, research-based guide, you’ll incorporate age- and grade-appropriate meditation, breathing, mindfulness, and secular yoga activities into your teaching, in ways that work for in-person as well as virtual and hybrid settings.
Features include:
- Adaptations for special populations, including those who have experienced trauma
- Recommendations for family involvement in social emotional learning
- Guidance on self-care for teachers and school staff
- Data from successfully implemented programs
- Dozens of illustrations, QR codes, and reflective questions
“Every teacher, every administrator, every parent who wants to improve learning outcomes, raise moral children, and create a more peaceful and just society should read this book and embrace its promise.”
Bryan K. Garman, Ph.D.
Head of School, Sidwell Friends School, Washington, DC
“This book provides a pathway to a better, brighter future as it addresses students’ and teachers’ immediate needs.”
Amrit Singh Khalsa, CEO
Kundalini Research Institute
Santa Cruz, NM
