Steve Austin - Catching Your Breath: The Sacred Journey from Chaos to Calm

Two things make Steve Austins voice unique and worth hearing. First, hes been through hell and comes back with the kind of hopefulness that is as contagious as it is compelling. People are always better for having encountered such people. Second, hes candid. He says the thing that so many are thinking but are afraid to say, and shares the details of the story that others would hideand he does all of that without being smug or self-aggrandizing. On the contrary, Steves candor is tempered by grace and compassion that makes it safe for others to be honest about what theyre experiencing and to also encounter hope. In Catching Your Breath , Steve offers himself as a companion to those who feel like they are drowning, not as a lifeguard but as a coach saying Hey. You can swim!

Andre Henry, Managing Editor, RELEVANT Magazine

My friend Steve understands more than most that we are messed-up people living in a messed-up world with other messed-up people. He understands the human condition. He refuses to sugarcoat the depth of his own desperation and need. But he also understands that God meets our messed-up-ness with his mercy over and over and over again. He understands that God loves bad and broken people because bad and broken people are all that there are. Hes uncomfortably honest, remarkably compassionate, and beautifully rough around the edges. Thank you for your friendship, Steve. And thank you for this book. Page after page you reminded me that It is finished.

Tullian Tchividjian, author of One-Way Love:
Inexhaustible Grace for an Exhausted World and
Jesus + Nothing = Everything

Steve Austin is one of the most genuine guys I know. He is sincere, thoughtful, and one of the funniest guys Ive met. Steve is brutally honest about his story. He doesnt hold back.

In Catching Your Breath , Steve invites you into the darkest and holiest moments of his life with courage and vulnerability. Steves book is relatable, giving practical advice for those who feel overwhelmed. His advice is real, messy, and hard-won. This is the book Steve was born to write.

As I was reading Catching Your Breath , I was convinced that Steve had been reading my mind. Thankfully, he had just the words I needed to hear. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

Michael Baysinger, host of The Inglorious Pasterds Podcast

In his book, Catching Your Breath , Steve Austin meets you where you are. Austin immediately puts himself in your shoes, gently takes your hand, and from there, youre off. From the practical and relatable advice he gives, you can tell hes been there. I would highly recommend this book to a friend whos going through a tough time.

Sarah Schuster, Mental Health editor at TheMighty.com

Steve Austin has done it again. Catching Your Breath is a truth-telling memoir about being truly human. In our fake-it-till-you-make-it-world of 24/7 shiny posts that fuel our perfectionism, Austin delivers courageous medicine: we are all brokenand more important, we are all beautiful, valuable, unique, and connected. Instead of hiding, Austin calls us all to the table and asks us to catch our breaths in order to be vulnerabletogether. What a gift!

J. Dana Trent, author of For Sabbaths Sake

Steve Austin has written a masterpiece! He gives us permission to be sad and feel again. In a world that demands that we suppress our feelings, Steve unleashes the power of the soul by showing us we can heal from anything life throws at us! I highly recommend this work of art!

Jeremy Lopez, author and entrepreneur

What a beautiful gift this book is for those of us living in todays world. Steves wholehearted vulnerability invites us to question the often-glorified and addictive pattern of chaos, constantly going, unhealthy striving, achieving to avoid pain, comparing, and the illusion of control.

We get one sacred life and what we do with this time matters. For this reason, I am deeply grateful for Steves willingness to share his story as a reminder that we cant always control what happens in life, but we can often control how we respond to others, events, and situations in life. It is in this subtle shift of control that Steve unpacks how we can ultimately move from chaos to calm along this sacred journey.

Holly K. Oxhandler, PhD, LMSW, Baylor University

Steves website says underdogs welcome. He means that! His life embodies grace and compassion for everyone. He was at rock bottom when he attempted suicide; since that day, hes softened and matured and grown and learned and has been sharing his story of messy grace the entire way. If youve ever felt overwhelmed or unsure of how to move forward, I recommend Catching Your Breath. Steves story is real, raw, and relatable.

J.J. Landis, author of Some Things You Keep

A Siberian elder once wrote, If you dont know the trees you may be lost in the forest, but if you dont know the stories you may be lost in life.

A lot of us feel lost in life because we either dont know or else cant admit to our own story. As a result, life can hurt so much we find ourselves wondering if its worth it. We feel crippled, as if some kind of highly personalized Kryptonite is slowly destroying us. And there is, a Kryptonite that is emotionally powerful enough to seduce even the strongest willed into believing lies about themselves and others, lies that can cripple and destroy, lies that force us to hide behind gleaming smiles on the outside while inside we feel as if our life is going up in flames and no one else can even hear the fire alarm ringing.

Steve Austin understands that Kryptonite can only be conquered using the superpower of wordsthe words that we speak to others and the words that we speak to ourselves. In Catching Your Breath , he helps the reader learn to use words as a weapon to tell their own story, thus lancing the festering boil of anxiety and neutralizing the power of dark secrets. Most of all, he offers the reader a taste of wildly extravagant grace. If you are among the multitudes who need help just to survive the next 24 hours, this book will be a God-send.

Dr. Paula Champion Jones, Retired UMC pastor

What strikes me the most about Catching Your Breath is Austins vulnerability, authenticity, and encouragement. Through personal stories and self-reflection, Austin provides a safe place that permits readers to be open and genuinely themselves, secrets and all. This is a book that I would not hesitate to recommend to my clients.