Speak Up by Rosemarie Aquilina

If self-advocacy is challenging for you, grab a copy of Speak Up by Rosemarie Aquilina.

The book is filled with multiple ways to become more confident in and trusting of yourself, and teaches you how to set boundaries that you deserve. The difference between Speak Up and your typical self-help book is, rather than statistics and science, Aquilina uses real stories. Some from her own experiences, and some from those of others.

Every story is relatable to someone, and while they may not all resonate with you, I promise you’ll find one or more that does. Sharing real life experiences supports the idea of using faults and failures to progress, not regress. Everyone has flaws and there is no way to ignore or get rid of them, so why not use them to move yourself toward your goals rather than hold you back?

One of my favorite things about this book is that it teaches learning how to set boundaries and advocate for yourself isn’t the same as being selfish. It doesn’t have to be arrogant or disrespectful. It doesn’t have to be learned overnight. It doesn’t have to dismiss your uniqueness and authenticity. It doesn’t have to be hard, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

Throughout the book you’ll find questions to ask yourself to help you reframe and rework how you allow experiences, good or bad, to influence you. Advocating for yourself is a positive thing, and if you take the time and put in the effort, you will learn how to “speak up” without feeling guilty about putting yourself first.

Speak Up is available on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and other retailers.