Margaret Davis Ghielmetti - Brave(ish)

Praise for Brave(ish)

In Brave(ish), author Margaret Davis Ghielmetti travels the globe, describing the Technicolor riches of places and people with humor, generosity, and candor. As she discovers the worlds splendors, however, from incandescent rice paddies to moonlit deserts, she also learns to navigate another landscape: the fiercely beautiful, sometimes rocky terrain of her own heart.

Janice Deal, award-winning author of The Decline of Pigeons

Written in lyrical prose peppered with insight and wisdom hard-won through travel and personal struggle, Brave(ish) is Margarets continuation of her storytelling and one-woman shows that left audiences wanting more. In this uplifting, witty, and sometimes dark memoir, Margaret discovers her truths and her story, one destination at a time.

Jen Cullerton Johnson, award-winning author of Seeds of Change

Brave(ish) should be required reading for all perfectionists who are sick of people pleasing and ready to reclaim their own lives. Youll love traveling around the world with Margaret, and youll root for her as she embraces her true self. By owning her desires and asking for help, she is able to become the type of authentic person we all hope to be.

Nadine Kenney Johnstone, award-winning memoirist of Of This Much Im Sure

Margaret Ghielmetti shows us that sometimes you have to travel a long way to find a path back to your true self. Brave(ish) is intimate and honestthe two best words to describe a memoir.

Arlene Malinowski Ph.D., award-winning playwright of What Does The Sun Sound Like

Travel lover Ghielmetti sets her coming-of-middle-age tale against a vivid and alluring backdrop of beautiful and complex places such as Egypt, Singapore, Paris, and the Presbyterian Home in Evanston, Illinois. This culturally rich narrative makes us long to travel with Ghielmetti as she comes to understand that discovering her exterior landscape is secondary to discovering her interior one; that she can create momentum even when being still; and that living in these distant places in the world has brought her nearer to places of the heart, and of the spirit.

Patricia Ann McNair, award-winning author of The Temple of Air and And These Are the Good Times

Brave(ish) invites us on Margarets amazing adventures, where treasures are unearthedsome from worlds beyond what most of us have or will ever experience. Womens lives often have a tipping point, and Margaret shares with us that moment of revelation where what she once dreamed and imagined no longer suffices.

Laurie Kahn, director of Womencare Counseling and Training Center and author of Baffled by Love

This beautifully written book invites readers to join the author on a parallel journey. A wonderfully rendered narrative of life and travel on multiple continents around the world, Brave(ish) explores the humor and humanity of the places Ghielmetti inhabits and chronicles a poignant interior journey and her struggle to transcend constraints of childhood rules. Told with love, warmth, and brave self-reflection, the victories and losses along these two journeys coalesce to form a nurturing path of being at home wherever your travels take you.

Dr. Niva Piran, award-winning author of Journeys of Embodiment at the Intersection of Body and Culture

Brave(ish) is a breathtaking journey across the globe and into the soul. The authors adventures as a trailing wife will captivate you with glimpses into the opulent world of first-class hotels and jaw-dropping travel destinationsbut its her determined quest to find home within herself that will hold your heart.

MT Cozzola, author of Boy Small

Ghielmettis sure hand and clear prose guide us through her compelling story of breaking free from the straightjacket of perfectionism. If memoir is the art of making the personal universal, she has hit the mark and then some. Youll enjoy her often wise, often funny journey through an emotional and international landscape.

Anne Laughlin, author of Lammy-nominated The Acquittal

Reading Brave(ish) led me to an aha moment I had been unknowingly awaiting my entire adult life. A recovering perfectionist myself, I found solace in another woman questioning What will I be if Im not perfect? Kudos to Margaret for asking tough questions and finding answers. Let us take her example and forge ahead towards beingat the very leastbrave(ish).

R.C. Riley, author of the solo show Wrong Way Journey

To use Ghielmettis own words, reading her memoir is like an otter easing into a river. Its easy to cry and laugh with her on her journey through both exotic places in the world and intimate places in the heart. At the same time, I was permitted to walk through the door of her complex family and marriage and witness firsthand the behind-the-door feelings of both. Rarely is a reader given such profound access to the humble humanity of another person.

Adrienne Weiss, author of Brand Buzz: 3 Breakthrough Secrets for Building a Winning Brand

In her eloquently crafted memoir, Margaret Ghielmetti takes us along on parallel journeys. Each stop along the way of her sheroes journey back to self is set against a gorgeously painted backdrop that is her literal journey around the world.

Rita Balzotti, Career Advancement & Alumni Manager, Cara Chicago

Margaret shares a mosaic of intimate thoughts, souvenirs, and memories with a humorous and colourful writing style that compels you to read to the end of the story. This book should be a must-read for anyone embarking on an international career as an expatriatewith all the good and not-so-glamorous aspects of it. Most importantly, this book is a love story about acceptance of oneself.

Ren Beauchamp, founder of Rise&Spice blog and consultant hotelier

What an inspiring book with memories of the glamorous life of a hotel general managerand the trepidation of daily life trying to get the new culture and customs of each new move. The beautiful writing transports us on an expat journey and I would highly recommend this book for anyone about to embark on this life.

Louise Beer, founder and director of PragArtworks Gallery, Czech Republic

Brave(ish) is a revelatory and rich mix of memoir and travelogue. In this emotionally powerful book, Ghielmetti reveals the painful journey she takes to self-discovery with insight and humor. An acclaimed storyteller, Margaret writes with raw honesty, probingly and hilariously, about her adventures and struggles as a trailing spouse.

Don Henderson, retired book buyer for Gallery Shops, National Gallery of Art

Brave(ish) is an international journey and a glimpse into the interior of the soulful writer. Ghielmettis candor gives context to her experiences and each of the placesand transported me there. With an openness to share without holding back, she allows the reader a firsthand experience into her emotional lifeand in doing so allows the reader to be in touch with theirs.

JoAnn Kurtz-Ahlers, president of Hidden Doorways, A KAA Travel Collection

Margaret takes her readers on a tour of far-off, exotic locations through her beautiful storytelling. Its in these places that she comes to grips with her need to please. The unfolding and rediscovering of who she is in this world and the power of her story is a triumph.

Deanna Moffitt, CEO of Luminant Leadership and transformational coach at The You Experience

As one of live lits most skilled and respected storytellers, Ghielmetti consistently weaves the perfectly crafted tale on stage, and Brave(ish) is as bold, fun, and fascinating as her spoken-word performances. Turns out this self-proclaimed teachers pet also has an adventurous streak!