Kierra Sheard-Kelly - Big, Bold, and Beautiful: Owning the Woman God Made You to Be

ZONDERVAN

Big, Bold, and Beautiful

Copyright 2021 by Kierra Sheard

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Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Sheard, Kierra Kiki, author.

Title: Big, bold, and beautiful: owning the woman God made you to be / Kierra Sheard.

Description: Hardcover. | Grand Rapids, Michigan : Zondervan, [2021] | Audience: Ages 16-19 | Audience: Grades 10-12 | Summary: In this immersive and inspirational book for teens, Grammy Award-nominated singer Kierra Sheard shares her hard-won advice on body positivity, spiritual self-care, goal setting, finding your joy, and living boldly in faith, empowering you to grab the life youre meant to lead. Every one of us was born to make a difference. But do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by the things the world prioritizes, thinking you dont match up or you dont fit into the mold? Or do you wish you had a more supportive family, or positive role models, or access to the things you need emotionally and spiritually to keep going? Kierra Sheard sees you and will teach you how to: *Identify your goals, talents, and gifts so you can survive and thrive *Deal with societal expectations and focus on what really matters *Truly love yourself and find out who you really are as an individual *Live your faith loud and proud Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020040715 (print) | LCCN 2020040716 (ebook) | ISBN 9780310770800 (Hardcover) | ISBN 9780310770817 (Ebook) | ISBN 9780310770824 (Audio download)

Subjects: LCSH: Self-actualization (Psychology) in womenJuvenile literature. | Christian womenReligious lifeJuvenile literature. | Well-beingReligious aspectsJuvenile literature. | WomenConduct of lifeJuvenile literature.

Classification: LCC BF637.S4 S5165 2021 (print) | LCC BF637.S4 (ebook) | DDC 158.1dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020040715

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020040716

Epub Edition February 2021 9780310770817

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Cover Design: Cindy Davis

Cover Photography: Mel B. Elder Jr.

Interior Design: Denise Froelich

Printed in Korea

2122232425/SAMWHA/10987654321

I dedicate this book to my nanna. She left too soon. I began reading more books because of the first book she gave me, which changed my life. I hope that this book does the same for someone as the book Nanna gave me.

I also dedicate this to my Popoo, who has taught me some

of my greatest life lessons, which I share throughout this book.

In addition, I dedicate this to my amazing husband, Jordan Kelly. I honor you and the change that youve brought to my life. I also dedicate this to my wonderful parents who are responsible for the woman I am today; my brother, J. Drew, who is my first best friend; my family, friends, and KiChain, who have been so supportive of me and all that I do. I wouldnt have the wisdom to share if it werent for you. I love you.

I learned at an early age that you need to protect yourself and what you feel the most passionate about in order to succeed. And for my mommy and nanna, when holiday meals rolled around, what they were most protective of was their kitchen and their food.

They couldnt stand for too many people to be in the kitchen, because it meant they couldnt be the most productive or make their best food. Sometimes people would just take up space, and others werent there to help cook or even keep the space tidy and help serve the meals being madethose people got the boot before long. Children were never allowed because they werent mature and seasoned enough to handle what was around them; they could hurt themselves in a slip, cut themselves, break something important like the fine china, or accidentally cause someone else to make a mistake. And even once I was old enough, my mother and nanna didnt always like me in the kitchen because, while I would help, I would also have a personal taste fest along the way. Before you knew it, some of the food would be missing and my kitchen time came to an end.

They were also a bit protective of their recipes, only giving a hint of the secrets behind them to keep each a family tradition. Unless you were going to carry on their traditions, you had no business learning their secrets. Thats because when youre building a legacy and working to leave your mark in the world, not everyone can be a part of that.

Now I see that those same rules apply to everyday life, including mental health and building legacies. You should be very protective with your recipes and spacewhether its a passion for making music or ideas you have for new products, or even the time you need to focus on a goal you want to achieve. So dont feel the need to keep people around if theyre getting in the way of your success or your purpose. Some hard decisions will need to be made to maintain and build your legacy. And youll discover some of the people around you are real family who are worthy of what you have to offer, and some are guests just there for the meal.

To determine which relationships are for a lifetime, and which ones have an expiration date, ask yourself, Whos my family? Remove the people who are just taking up space, remove those with childlike tendencies and mentalities. Make sure they are mature enough to handle your greatness and where youre going. Youll need some wise counsel from time to time. Will they know what to say? Then protect your recipes. Sometimes to build big empires, it doesnt take the amount of people we think. Do the people helping you build only make life about what they want, or is it about everyone winning together?