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Bravey
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Memoir & Autobiography (2021)"Renaissance runner" (New York Times) Alexi Pappas--Olympic athlete, actress, filmmaker and writer--shares what she's learned about confidence, self-reliance, mental health, embracing pain, and achieving your dreams in this revealing and inspiring memoir-in-essays.
run like a bravey
sleep like a baby
dream like a crazy
replace can't with maybe
When Alexi Pappas was four years old, her mother committed suicide, drastically altering the course of Pappas's life and setting her on a perpetual search for female role models. When her father started signing her up for sports teams as a way to keep his bereaved daughter busy, female athletes became some of the first women Pappas looked up to, and she became a girl with a goal: to be an Olympian. Despite setbacks and hardships, Pappas held fast to that dream, putting in the tremendous hard work, both mentally and physically, and letting nothing stand in her way until she achieved it, making her Olympic debut as a runner in 2016.
Unflinching, often exuberant, and always entertaining, Bravey showcases Pappas's signature, charming voice as she reflects upon the touchstone moments in her life and the lessons that have powered her career as both an athlete and artist--chief among them, how to be brave. She faces obstacles with optimism and finds the dark moments as important to her process as the breakthroughs, from high school awkwardness to post-Olympic depression, offering valuable wisdom on the benefits of embracing what hurts, both physical and emotional. To Pappas, bravery is inward-facing; it's all in how you feel about yourself, as much about always believing in yourself as it is about running toward your goals.
Pappas's experiences reveal how anyone can overcome hardship, befriend pain, celebrate victory, relish the loyalty found in teammates, and claim joy. In short: how anyone can be a bravey.
run like a bravey
sleep like a baby
dream like a crazy
replace can't with maybe
When Alexi Pappas was four years old, her mother committed suicide, drastically altering the course of Pappas's life and setting her on a perpetual search for female role models. When her father started signing her up for sports teams as a way to keep his bereaved daughter busy, female athletes became some of the first women Pappas looked up to, and she became a girl with a goal: to be an Olympian. Despite setbacks and hardships, Pappas held fast to that dream, putting in the tremendous hard work, both mentally and physically, and letting nothing stand in her way until she achieved it, making her Olympic debut as a runner in 2016.
Unflinching, often exuberant, and always entertaining, Bravey showcases Pappas's signature, charming voice as she reflects upon the touchstone moments in her life and the lessons that have powered her career as both an athlete and artist--chief among them, how to be brave. She faces obstacles with optimism and finds the dark moments as important to her process as the breakthroughs, from high school awkwardness to post-Olympic depression, offering valuable wisdom on the benefits of embracing what hurts, both physical and emotional. To Pappas, bravery is inward-facing; it's all in how you feel about yourself, as much about always believing in yourself as it is about running toward your goals.
Pappas's experiences reveal how anyone can overcome hardship, befriend pain, celebrate victory, relish the loyalty found in teammates, and claim joy. In short: how anyone can be a bravey.
310 pages, Hardcover
First published January 12, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,075 reviews
January 25, 2021
Okay I struggled with my review on this and feel more clear after debriefing with Liz...this book is a 6.9/10 for me. 3.5/5 stars.
Reasons I loved it: Alexi is funny, likeable, self-aware, and a decent story teller. Her life is both relatable and impressive. I get the sense that we’d be good friends. I appreciated her vulnerability in talking about her struggle with depression, adored her stories about her father, and laughed at some of her hilarious moments thoughout life.
Reasons I didn’t love it: She spends a lot of pages in self-reflection and life analyzing. Realizing through reading this book and Untamed that I don’t love reflective memoirs that dig so deep into the meaning of life and feelings. It gets old after a while. I prefer more story-telling. Also, I was unimpressed with her writing style. As a Dartmouth grad, I expected more. I think she struggled with translating her academic, creative writing skills into a relatable memoir.
Reasons I loved it: Alexi is funny, likeable, self-aware, and a decent story teller. Her life is both relatable and impressive. I get the sense that we’d be good friends. I appreciated her vulnerability in talking about her struggle with depression, adored her stories about her father, and laughed at some of her hilarious moments thoughout life.
Reasons I didn’t love it: She spends a lot of pages in self-reflection and life analyzing. Realizing through reading this book and Untamed that I don’t love reflective memoirs that dig so deep into the meaning of life and feelings. It gets old after a while. I prefer more story-telling. Also, I was unimpressed with her writing style. As a Dartmouth grad, I expected more. I think she struggled with translating her academic, creative writing skills into a relatable memoir.
January 28, 2021
I loved the honesty and emotion in Bravey. Pappas discusses her struggles with depression in an open way that is easy to relate to. She shows that even someone that appears to have everything going for her still struggles. Pappas inspires readers to chase their dreams and not to let anything get them down. Pappas describes her mother’s death by suicide and how that has affected her throughout her life. Pappas female role models growing up were friends’ moms and athletes. I like how Pappas describes how hard she works as an athlete but also acknowledges that there is some ability she was born with. Pappas describes anxiety before races and feeling like she wasn’t good enough. In college, Pappas was not the best runner and it took her a few years to realize things like eating right and getting enough sleep were important to be a successful runner. Pappas discusses canceling her wedding and working on herself before focusing on her relationship. I really enjoyed Bravey and reading it felt like a friend telling me about their personal experiences. I loved reading about Pappas accomplishments, struggles she had to overcome along the way to accomplishing her goals, and advice to readers.
Thank you Random House for gifting me this book. All opinions are my own.
Full Review: https://justreadingjess.wordpress.com...
Thank you Random House for gifting me this book. All opinions are my own.
Full Review: https://justreadingjess.wordpress.com...
April 8, 2022
I picked up Bravey during an Amazon kindle sale, the goodreads award event. It is catalogued on my "random" shelf which basically means I purchased it with no previous knowledge of the book. There is something very compelling about an Olympic level athlete as she navigates the terrain of mental and emotional wellbeing. High performing athletes are gifted with an athletic talent and a drive towards achievement. Raw talent alone does not get a person to the Olympics. Alexi Pappas is a gifted runner, a good writer and someone who is very self-aware within the confines of her own lived experiences. In Bravey, she takes us on a journey of emotional and mental health in pursuit of her dreams but more importantly in pursuit of self-discovery, self-awareness and self-care. She approaches this book with a very focused eye, but an eye full of love, compassion and kindness and some humor towards her family and more importantly towards herself.
Pappas's story is compelling and her process for growth and self-awareness was insightful. Her childhood could have been huge obstacles towards her success, but she has embraced her challenges. One of the things about Olympic level athletes is their need to endure and overcome pain. I remember a long time ago a Lance Armstrong interview in which he said, "I like to suffer". I was amused by what I thought was the absurdity of that quote at the time (some 20 years ago) but Pappas brings home what should be obviously true. Olympic level and pro athletes endure pain. Pappas tells us every run for her is painful. This is not pain associated with injury, this is pain associated with suffering. The suffering that happens when you push your body to limits it doesn't know it has. There is a mindset of people to subject themselves to suffering and every high performing athlete understands that suffering is the key to successes as measured in athletic competition. Overcoming the suffering is part of what defines a champion, a hero, a success story. Suffering is the adversary. In many ways, that's the theme of her book. Confront the suffering because suffering (pain) is going to happen. In the introduction of the book:
I thought the book was very good and successful for what it does. This is yet another book in which sadly, I am not the intended audience though I didn't recognize that at the outset. The book takes on such huge concepts that I expected a look back on how she overcame some insurmountable odds and lived a fulfilled life. And honestly, it is that, but Pappas is currently 31 years old. I thought that she would be much older (my own neice is 32 yrs old and she is still a baby as far as I'm concerned). Though her achievements thus far are amazing, I don't think she's fully baked yet. I think Pappas is very insightful, self-aware and charming, but it's still very early in her hopefully long life. Though I can see Pappas has done a lot of work toward mental clarity and self-care, some of the assertions and concepts in the book in my view were a little simplistic, underexplored and/or underrepresented. To me it is clear that the act of writing this book is part of her journey towards emotional health and wellbeing. She is very much still a work in progress (aren't we all). There is very little here for this grizzled old lady to take to heart. No pearls of wisdom that I haven't picked up in my own lived experience. However, there is still much to admire about this young, smart, inspiring, and talented lady. A great book to recommend for my would be high achieving, driven children under 25…if I had any.
3.5 Stars rounded up for this amazing young woman
Read on kindle
Pappas's story is compelling and her process for growth and self-awareness was insightful. Her childhood could have been huge obstacles towards her success, but she has embraced her challenges. One of the things about Olympic level athletes is their need to endure and overcome pain. I remember a long time ago a Lance Armstrong interview in which he said, "I like to suffer". I was amused by what I thought was the absurdity of that quote at the time (some 20 years ago) but Pappas brings home what should be obviously true. Olympic level and pro athletes endure pain. Pappas tells us every run for her is painful. This is not pain associated with injury, this is pain associated with suffering. The suffering that happens when you push your body to limits it doesn't know it has. There is a mindset of people to subject themselves to suffering and every high performing athlete understands that suffering is the key to successes as measured in athletic competition. Overcoming the suffering is part of what defines a champion, a hero, a success story. Suffering is the adversary. In many ways, that's the theme of her book. Confront the suffering because suffering (pain) is going to happen. In the introduction of the book:
Brave—ready to face and endure danger or pain; showing courage."Bravey is a made up word. Pappas describes how the word became part of an urban lexicon (full disclosure I'd never heard of it before this book):
"Courage—the ability to do something that frightens one; strength in the face of pain or grief.
It became the label for a mini-movement, a self-identifier for those who are willing to chase their dreams even though it can be intimidating and scary.Intimidating as in "may have to endure pain". In Pappas view this can be extrapolated to real life where she says
Most people innately want to avoid pain and seek out comfort, and chasing a dream means challenging the default.And there you have it. Lots of people do not achieve because they are not willing to suffer.
Sometimes it hurts to know you can do it. It’s an intimidating thing to realize because it means that the only person who can really define your growth and happiness is yourself.Pappas also has some words of encouragement about self-care and confidence.
You have to believe you are deserving of good surprises in life. You set yourself up for it."She also has thoughts about emotional and mental health and depression.
"Luck can be cultivated."
"Negative thinking drains energy"
"I think many people make the same mistake of not taking a mental injury as seriously as they would a physical injury."I was especially drawn to her concept of trying to "unscramble an egg" or "unring a bell" which is something I think many/most of us try to do at one point or another. For me, another way to phrase it is to rewrite the narrative or denial. Not sure if it is an indication of a mental injury severe enough to seek professional help, but it could an indicator to pause and reflect before reacting.
"The minute you start looking backward, when you entertain the idea of trying to unscramble an egg, you need to ask for help. You need to stop moving and deal with yourself at exactly where you are in that moment."
"depression can distort how you see yourself and your place in the world"
I thought the book was very good and successful for what it does. This is yet another book in which sadly, I am not the intended audience though I didn't recognize that at the outset. The book takes on such huge concepts that I expected a look back on how she overcame some insurmountable odds and lived a fulfilled life. And honestly, it is that, but Pappas is currently 31 years old. I thought that she would be much older (my own neice is 32 yrs old and she is still a baby as far as I'm concerned). Though her achievements thus far are amazing, I don't think she's fully baked yet. I think Pappas is very insightful, self-aware and charming, but it's still very early in her hopefully long life. Though I can see Pappas has done a lot of work toward mental clarity and self-care, some of the assertions and concepts in the book in my view were a little simplistic, underexplored and/or underrepresented. To me it is clear that the act of writing this book is part of her journey towards emotional health and wellbeing. She is very much still a work in progress (aren't we all). There is very little here for this grizzled old lady to take to heart. No pearls of wisdom that I haven't picked up in my own lived experience. However, there is still much to admire about this young, smart, inspiring, and talented lady. A great book to recommend for my would be high achieving, driven children under 25…if I had any.
3.5 Stars rounded up for this amazing young woman
Read on kindle
December 19, 2021
When I received this advance digital copy, I had no idea who Alexi Pappas was. Therefore, I knew nothing about her story. I went into this book totally blind. But, I wanted to read it for two reasons. One, I like the cover, and two, Maya Rudolph wrote the Foreword. I like Maya and I am/was a diehard supporter of her mother the late great Minni Riperton. Although I went into this memoir without knowing much about the author. I was 100% invested within the first few pages of reading the book.
An Olympic runner, actress, filmmaker and writer, at the age of four years old, Alexi’s mother died by suicide, drastically altering the course of her life. In this book Alexi shares what she’s learned from her experiences, while offering advice on achieving your dreams.
This is the most honest, heartfelt, transparent and emotionally vulnerable account of the affects that mental illness and suicide can have on a child. Not only is this memoir entertaining, but more importantly it is informative. Alexi took me into her life and her emotions. There were moments my heart wept for her. Reading about her mother’s mental illness was gut wrenching. She did a phenomenal job of capturing her emotions and the confusion she lived with, as a result of being a girl living without a mother.
Alexi’s vulnerability was also on full display as she wrote about her own battle with post-Olympic depression. A topic very few athletes discuss. She walked me through the entire journey, from beginning to end. It was very eye opening.
But don’t get me wrong, this book definitely had moments that made my heart sing. Reading how she overcame the issues of her past, and becoming an Olympic runner was inspiring.
I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. It contained everything I look for in a great memoir. I recommend this book for everyone, especially #YA readers, and anyone dealing with mental illness. This book offers hope for a better tomorrow. And that my friends, is why this book deserves 5⭐️s.
An Olympic runner, actress, filmmaker and writer, at the age of four years old, Alexi’s mother died by suicide, drastically altering the course of her life. In this book Alexi shares what she’s learned from her experiences, while offering advice on achieving your dreams.
This is the most honest, heartfelt, transparent and emotionally vulnerable account of the affects that mental illness and suicide can have on a child. Not only is this memoir entertaining, but more importantly it is informative. Alexi took me into her life and her emotions. There were moments my heart wept for her. Reading about her mother’s mental illness was gut wrenching. She did a phenomenal job of capturing her emotions and the confusion she lived with, as a result of being a girl living without a mother.
Alexi’s vulnerability was also on full display as she wrote about her own battle with post-Olympic depression. A topic very few athletes discuss. She walked me through the entire journey, from beginning to end. It was very eye opening.
But don’t get me wrong, this book definitely had moments that made my heart sing. Reading how she overcame the issues of her past, and becoming an Olympic runner was inspiring.
I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. It contained everything I look for in a great memoir. I recommend this book for everyone, especially #YA readers, and anyone dealing with mental illness. This book offers hope for a better tomorrow. And that my friends, is why this book deserves 5⭐️s.
March 1, 2021
This book would probably be great for 10-13-year-old girls. The writing is simple, straightforward, and repetitive, filled with "you can do it" encouragements and life lessons that these younger readers may not yet have learned. However, I, as a reasonably well-adjusted 35-year-old woman, found the writing somewhat twee and the repetition borderline insufferable. I hate having ideas that were conveyed in a single sentence mashed into my face over and over for pages on end. It's probably why I so rarely read "inspirational" books at all.
If I were the editor of this book, I'd have tried to get the writing to progress chronologically with the writer. It's fine for the beginning chapters of the book to be rendered simplistically, because in those chapters Pappas is a child, seeing the world through a child's eyes. Therefore, a child's language is appropriate. But as she grows and matures in the book, the writing does not grow and mature with her. That, in my opinion, was a missed opportunity on the part of whoever was guiding this book through publication.
All of this being said, I very much enjoyed the level of specific detail Pappas brought to scenes within some of her personal stories. I'm a big fan of memoirs in general, so the more her stories portrayed the people of her life as characters (namely her mother and father), the more she captured my attention. There's one scene of her mother doing something very disturbing (which I won't recount here) that still sticks with me, it was that powerful. I also appreciated the transparency she brought to her negotiation of sponsorships and the instability that can come with trying to decide where and how to train.
All in all, I gave this book three stars because I personally would give it two or two-and-a-half, but I think for the right audience (adolescent/young teenage girls) it might be a four-star book. And the title? And that cover? Those get five stars for sure.
February 17, 2021
Not much good to say about this book and curious to see where all the very high Goodreads ratings are coming from. I thought this was a memoir of an Olympic athlete turned film maker with a tough upbringing but it is more a series of essays that loosely fit together as a story. The book begins interesting enough with the authors stories of her Mom’s early exit by suicide at her age of 4. There are recollections from those times ( I don’t remember anything from that early age of my life) and those hold your interest but after that, the book skips around and skims the surface of what may be a fascinating person but I was not fascinated. The book really runs out of gas at the end where author Alexi Pappi decides to end with stories about her head lice as a young girl ( really?!) and finally with some obligatory self-help type coaching up as to how to persevere and reach your goals. I didn’t know if Alexi Pappas before this book showed up as recommended and I likely won’t hear of or think of her again. I wish her well though, just not someone worthy to read about.
February 21, 2021
This was a 3.5 for me. The first half is a very open and honest memoir. Alexi Pappas has taken hardship and trauma and found ways to not just survive, but thrive. Her road to the Olympics and artistic success was paved by an inordinate amount of blood, sweat, and tears. She's incredibly inspiring.
Unfortunately, the second half of her book starts to meander and she turns to some repetitive cliches (always work hard, follow your dreams). She's so vulnerable in talking about her mother's mental health and subsequent suicide in the beginning, but then starts the second half of the book with a story about having lice in first grade. I just think it could have been stronger if it was edited down a bit.
Unfortunately, the second half of her book starts to meander and she turns to some repetitive cliches (always work hard, follow your dreams). She's so vulnerable in talking about her mother's mental health and subsequent suicide in the beginning, but then starts the second half of the book with a story about having lice in first grade. I just think it could have been stronger if it was edited down a bit.
February 23, 2021
I’ve followed Alexi on social media and she seems wonderful, energetic and likely a good mentor. She is open and honest, but this book was too all over the place for me. Too much inferring of moments in her life, name dropping, and as a reader I didn’t feel like there was a clear plot line. Lastly it didn’t meet my expectation for level of writing for an Ivy League grad. I will still be a huge fan of Alexi but likely won’t pick up her next book too quickly.
February 4, 2021
I’m a track and field fan, but because Alexi Pappas ran the 10k for Greece in the Rio Olympics, she wasn’t on my radar. Instead, I saw an excerpt from this book, and knew I wanted to read it.
Alexi faced a big challenge as a little kid: When she was only 4, her mom died, and due to her mother’s mental health struggles, Alexi’s memories of her are not all good. Her dad stepped up as well as anyone could to raise two children, but it is very difficult to be a motherless girl. Alexi compensated by watching her friends’ moms, and by gravitating towards women who could mentor her in the activities she loved: writing, acting, and sports, especially soccer and running.
When I started the book, I assumed that “Bravey” was Alexi’s nickname, but instead it’s from a poem she wrote that became popular among her Instagram followers: run like a bravey / sleep like a baby / dream like a crazy / replace can’t with maybe. This poem pretty well sums up Alexi’s approach to life: She loves to run; she doesn’t skimp on sleep and recommends that everyone get plenty of it; and she’s determined to use a combination of hard work and good luck to make her craziest dreams become reality. So far, she’s been very successful at that.
This book is both gritty and inspiring. Alexi is absolutely truthful about all of her experiences, the beautiful and the ugly, and all of her reactions to those experiences, good and bad and truly awful (the severe depression she went through for nearly two whole years following the Rio Olympics). The writing style is mostly chatty and upbeat, but there’s no lightening the weight of some of what she’s been through. Her personality really shines through, and she seems like a terrific person to know and hang out with.
This is written as a combination memoir/self help/guidebook, with tons of advice from Alexi. And, in my opinion, most of that advice is very good, especially since it stays “advice” rather than being presented as the only way to approach life (“this is what worked for me” is the tone). I’m definitely outside of the target demographic -- this book is probably best read when you’re 14 to 25 years old. It speaks to anyone who is creative, athletic, or especially both.
I especially related to the chapter about how young female athletes are treated, and how it needs to change. My college swimming coach used to do weigh-ins, and whatever we weighed, we were always pushed to weigh “less.” There was no attempt to determine what our ideal competitive weight might be, or to make sure we were getting enough calories (especially the right kind of calories) to support strenuous training; there was just the attitude that less of us was always better. Surprise, surprise, we were all tired and injured all the time. And this still seems to be the dominant attitude in many sports, particularly among male coaches of female athletes. Alexi has strong words about this, and more power to her.
I’m glad I read this, since I really liked Alexi and her voice. I’m a little sad that this book didn’t exist when I was 16 -- I would have gotten a lot from it then, and the advice about recognizing when to seek help for depression would have been invaluable. Whatever Alexi does with the rest of her life, it’s sure to be amazing.
Alexi faced a big challenge as a little kid: When she was only 4, her mom died, and due to her mother’s mental health struggles, Alexi’s memories of her are not all good. Her dad stepped up as well as anyone could to raise two children, but it is very difficult to be a motherless girl. Alexi compensated by watching her friends’ moms, and by gravitating towards women who could mentor her in the activities she loved: writing, acting, and sports, especially soccer and running.
When I started the book, I assumed that “Bravey” was Alexi’s nickname, but instead it’s from a poem she wrote that became popular among her Instagram followers: run like a bravey / sleep like a baby / dream like a crazy / replace can’t with maybe. This poem pretty well sums up Alexi’s approach to life: She loves to run; she doesn’t skimp on sleep and recommends that everyone get plenty of it; and she’s determined to use a combination of hard work and good luck to make her craziest dreams become reality. So far, she’s been very successful at that.
This book is both gritty and inspiring. Alexi is absolutely truthful about all of her experiences, the beautiful and the ugly, and all of her reactions to those experiences, good and bad and truly awful (the severe depression she went through for nearly two whole years following the Rio Olympics). The writing style is mostly chatty and upbeat, but there’s no lightening the weight of some of what she’s been through. Her personality really shines through, and she seems like a terrific person to know and hang out with.
This is written as a combination memoir/self help/guidebook, with tons of advice from Alexi. And, in my opinion, most of that advice is very good, especially since it stays “advice” rather than being presented as the only way to approach life (“this is what worked for me” is the tone). I’m definitely outside of the target demographic -- this book is probably best read when you’re 14 to 25 years old. It speaks to anyone who is creative, athletic, or especially both.
I especially related to the chapter about how young female athletes are treated, and how it needs to change. My college swimming coach used to do weigh-ins, and whatever we weighed, we were always pushed to weigh “less.” There was no attempt to determine what our ideal competitive weight might be, or to make sure we were getting enough calories (especially the right kind of calories) to support strenuous training; there was just the attitude that less of us was always better. Surprise, surprise, we were all tired and injured all the time. And this still seems to be the dominant attitude in many sports, particularly among male coaches of female athletes. Alexi has strong words about this, and more power to her.
I’m glad I read this, since I really liked Alexi and her voice. I’m a little sad that this book didn’t exist when I was 16 -- I would have gotten a lot from it then, and the advice about recognizing when to seek help for depression would have been invaluable. Whatever Alexi does with the rest of her life, it’s sure to be amazing.
December 27, 2020
This book is as emotional, honest, straightforward as if you are having a heartfelt conversation with your best friend. It is very well written and will keep your attention from the first page until the last. The first couple of chapters that deal with the mentally ill mother sets the stage for you to pay attention to every detail, every word of this girl's journey. Don't be surprised if you want to read 'one more chapter' as there never seems to be a good place to pause.
October 18, 2021
i was so impressed with the first 2/3 of the book That i prematurely gave it 5 stars but then I docked a star for her converting an anemic teenage vegetarian runner to a red meat eater . If she had taken nutrition courses in college rather than poetry she would have known that dark green leafy vegetables at much better at building red blood cells than red meat while at the same time building strong dense bones and being charges with anti oxidants and anti-inflammatories .There is nothing in red meat that is not also in chlorophyll rich greens . Why do you think grass fed beef is so much more nutritious than corn fed beef ? It because the cows are eating greens .
In fairness to Katie Davis Majors ( author of "Kisses from Katie" ) I docked another star because I agree with Katie that its really mind blowing how people from rich countries can drop 200.00 on a pair of shoes (gucci's are $800 and up) when that same 200.00 could pay a years tuition for like 10 ORPHAN Ugandan student (what about THIER dreams??? )
She lost her mother at age 5 but was left with a loving Dad and a good home . Ugandan orphans are set on trash piles at birth or lose BOTH parents at age 5 and are with our food , clothes and shelter .
A quote form the book " People say dream pursuers are selfish but thats OK if it does not hurt anyone " Well, It turns out that red meat eating is hurting the entire planet becasue the methane generated by the meat industry is the bigger contributor of global warming. Also the deforestation caused by cutting down trees for cattle pasture .So if someone thinks that have to eat red meat to builds up their red blood cells it is not only wrong but is also clearly it is harmful to every one one this planet.
If instead of eating red meat to build up her red blood cell count she had eaten calcium rich kale. collards , turnip greens , wheat grass , and moringa etc she would have had much denser pelvic gridle bones and would probably not have fractured it . Eating red meat is also proinflammatory which retarded her recover after the pulled hamstring .It also leads to gout and rheumatoid arthritis NOT GOOD for an athlete's longevity .I noticed that she never made it back to professional running much less the Olympics even though she was only 30 in the last Olympics.If she had been relying on raw green leafies in lieu of red meat to up her red blood cell count she would have been at peak on 2020 .
QUOTE from Book " fitness and health are two different things .Fitness is being able to preform in the short term . Health is the durability of our body in the long term. For sucsess as an athelete health is more important that fitness " ( then she promotes eating red meat to boost red blood cells count!!! )
For emphasis I will repeat Her career was over at age 26 . Scott Jurek ,a vegan , Set the speed record for completing the Appalachian Trail (approx. 2,200 miles) in 46 days, 8 hours, and 7 minutes in 2015 at age 42 . (after winning many world class ultra marathons in through out his 30s )
Jurek is an advocate of plant-based eating for health and ethical/environmental reasons, and he cites his diet as the key to his athletic performance and recovery. He gave up eating meat in 1997 and became totally plant based in 1999, motivated by the belief that poor nutrition was responsible for the chronic illnesses he saw in his family and in his physical therapy patients
For more info on great vegan runners see : https://www.greatveganathletes.com/ca...
I am a runner .I have pulled hamstrings . I did not need to go to a doctor . I was back in top form in 6 months .I am a vegetarian.
One runner to another -you NEVER message an injury --especially a torn or strained ham string !!!!
The way to rehab a torn , ruptured , or strained hamstring is to : rest for 3 days then do a very slow easy jog on level ground for 20 minutes the 4th day > then alternate slow 20 minutes run days with longer and longer slow run days staying on fairly level ground until you get up to 10 miles on you long days >ALWAYS RUNNING WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THE PAIN (if you feel pain quit at once until next day )
The taper looks like this : 20 minutes > 20 minutes > 20 minutes > .....20 minutes > 25 minutes > 20 minutes ......20 minutes > 30 minutes > 20 minutes ....20 minutes > 35 minutes > 20 minutes > .....adding a little more every 3 weeks until you get to 20 minutes > 10 miles > 20 minutes > then add more hills > then slowly add more speed
You can stretch the ham out gently WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THE PAIN - after each run by lying on your back and using a towel or strap under your shoe
That's the fastest surest way to rehab a hamstring without making it worse .
FOR INSOMNIA : the best way to handle insomnia is to meditate and do what the yogis call savansan(lie on your back -spread eagled - with palms facing up while systematically relaxing every muscle in you body starting with the toes (one toe at a time one foot at a time) > forehead > feet > ankles < shins > calves ) all way up to your the top of your head
when you can't lie down on your back any walk any more- get up and walk a few steps - stretch a bit then sit up cross legged with eye closed and try to keep your inner attention in the darkness visible to the closed eyes and in that darkness repeat a mantra to keep thoughts away .The best mantra is a name of God that you like or love when you cant sit any more . Do savasan again or take a very hot bath and savansan again. Do this R&R until 8-10 hours has passed
This way you will relax deeply even if you don't sleep . 45 minutes of Savasan is much more restful than 8 hours of fitful sleeping .Your body will be stronger and more rested than if you'd slept 8 hours .You will become a master of relaxing your muscles including your heart and arteries .with practice. You will be able to dilate the capillaries in your muscles and even skin bringing the fresh nutrition
there are many savansan videos for example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AX4H...
(note probably a good idea to use a Orthopedic Design, Egg-Crate Foam pillow like this
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Contour-Fo...
or roll up a towel and put it behind you neck
Even better than savansan -- try putting in ear plugs and listening to the ringing sound that is audible in your brain and let this non physical musical note or melody sooth and energize you >Listening to it is much more restful and physically and menially beneficial than sleep. This sound is a like soothing beautiful undulating melody .It is not physical .It comes from a higher plane and your pituitary gland picks it up like an antennae .it is like the musical voice of God soothing ,sustaining , you calling you back . Just listen attentively to it and enjoy it . It is more energizing and healing than any physicals food or energy drink > it will give you very good elevated dream if you do fall asleep --like floating in an ocean of love . The ancient Greeks called this music "the music of the spheres" Present day yogis who listen to this are called "surat shabd yogis "
For depression : Act happy then you may start to feel happy works to some extent but stilling your mind in order to build a personal relationship with God during the long insomnia nights is even better. Just turn off your thoughts and grope for his presence in your head. Insomnia can be a great blessing and source of strength -enjoy it while it lasts
Red meat eating contribute to menial illness because the animals being raised and kept so cruelly are filled with pain and fear when they die which spikes the secretion of stress hormones which flood the meat .Vegetarians eating produces tranquility so we sleep and rest better. Green leafies have calcium , iron that women need for strong bones and rich blood .Plus there is that scientific Law " For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction " when we buy beef we create a demand for the cruel conditions cows and kept and killed in . How can the reaction of that be any thing but pain for the meat eater .
When plants are raises and killed they feel no pain thus there is less of a debt to pain and death weighing down on our emotions .
Our DREAM should be to be happy .We should choose our dream and the path to it wisely and logically .
OH one last thing " She talks about concentration drains " Sex is a huge concentration drain . Mediation is a huge concentration builder . But its hard to meditate if ones mind is agitated from eating red meat.
In fairness to Katie Davis Majors ( author of "Kisses from Katie" ) I docked another star because I agree with Katie that its really mind blowing how people from rich countries can drop 200.00 on a pair of shoes (gucci's are $800 and up) when that same 200.00 could pay a years tuition for like 10 ORPHAN Ugandan student (what about THIER dreams??? )
She lost her mother at age 5 but was left with a loving Dad and a good home . Ugandan orphans are set on trash piles at birth or lose BOTH parents at age 5 and are with our food , clothes and shelter .
A quote form the book " People say dream pursuers are selfish but thats OK if it does not hurt anyone " Well, It turns out that red meat eating is hurting the entire planet becasue the methane generated by the meat industry is the bigger contributor of global warming. Also the deforestation caused by cutting down trees for cattle pasture .So if someone thinks that have to eat red meat to builds up their red blood cells it is not only wrong but is also clearly it is harmful to every one one this planet.
If instead of eating red meat to build up her red blood cell count she had eaten calcium rich kale. collards , turnip greens , wheat grass , and moringa etc she would have had much denser pelvic gridle bones and would probably not have fractured it . Eating red meat is also proinflammatory which retarded her recover after the pulled hamstring .It also leads to gout and rheumatoid arthritis NOT GOOD for an athlete's longevity .I noticed that she never made it back to professional running much less the Olympics even though she was only 30 in the last Olympics.If she had been relying on raw green leafies in lieu of red meat to up her red blood cell count she would have been at peak on 2020 .
QUOTE from Book " fitness and health are two different things .Fitness is being able to preform in the short term . Health is the durability of our body in the long term. For sucsess as an athelete health is more important that fitness " ( then she promotes eating red meat to boost red blood cells count!!! )
For emphasis I will repeat Her career was over at age 26 . Scott Jurek ,a vegan , Set the speed record for completing the Appalachian Trail (approx. 2,200 miles) in 46 days, 8 hours, and 7 minutes in 2015 at age 42 . (after winning many world class ultra marathons in through out his 30s )
Jurek is an advocate of plant-based eating for health and ethical/environmental reasons, and he cites his diet as the key to his athletic performance and recovery. He gave up eating meat in 1997 and became totally plant based in 1999, motivated by the belief that poor nutrition was responsible for the chronic illnesses he saw in his family and in his physical therapy patients
For more info on great vegan runners see : https://www.greatveganathletes.com/ca...
I am a runner .I have pulled hamstrings . I did not need to go to a doctor . I was back in top form in 6 months .I am a vegetarian.
One runner to another -you NEVER message an injury --especially a torn or strained ham string !!!!
The way to rehab a torn , ruptured , or strained hamstring is to : rest for 3 days then do a very slow easy jog on level ground for 20 minutes the 4th day > then alternate slow 20 minutes run days with longer and longer slow run days staying on fairly level ground until you get up to 10 miles on you long days >ALWAYS RUNNING WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THE PAIN (if you feel pain quit at once until next day )
The taper looks like this : 20 minutes > 20 minutes > 20 minutes > .....20 minutes > 25 minutes > 20 minutes ......20 minutes > 30 minutes > 20 minutes ....20 minutes > 35 minutes > 20 minutes > .....adding a little more every 3 weeks until you get to 20 minutes > 10 miles > 20 minutes > then add more hills > then slowly add more speed
You can stretch the ham out gently WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THE PAIN - after each run by lying on your back and using a towel or strap under your shoe
That's the fastest surest way to rehab a hamstring without making it worse .
FOR INSOMNIA : the best way to handle insomnia is to meditate and do what the yogis call savansan(lie on your back -spread eagled - with palms facing up while systematically relaxing every muscle in you body starting with the toes (one toe at a time one foot at a time) > forehead > feet > ankles < shins > calves ) all way up to your the top of your head
when you can't lie down on your back any walk any more- get up and walk a few steps - stretch a bit then sit up cross legged with eye closed and try to keep your inner attention in the darkness visible to the closed eyes and in that darkness repeat a mantra to keep thoughts away .The best mantra is a name of God that you like or love when you cant sit any more . Do savasan again or take a very hot bath and savansan again. Do this R&R until 8-10 hours has passed
This way you will relax deeply even if you don't sleep . 45 minutes of Savasan is much more restful than 8 hours of fitful sleeping .Your body will be stronger and more rested than if you'd slept 8 hours .You will become a master of relaxing your muscles including your heart and arteries .with practice. You will be able to dilate the capillaries in your muscles and even skin bringing the fresh nutrition
there are many savansan videos for example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AX4H...
(note probably a good idea to use a Orthopedic Design, Egg-Crate Foam pillow like this
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Contour-Fo...
or roll up a towel and put it behind you neck
Even better than savansan -- try putting in ear plugs and listening to the ringing sound that is audible in your brain and let this non physical musical note or melody sooth and energize you >Listening to it is much more restful and physically and menially beneficial than sleep. This sound is a like soothing beautiful undulating melody .It is not physical .It comes from a higher plane and your pituitary gland picks it up like an antennae .it is like the musical voice of God soothing ,sustaining , you calling you back . Just listen attentively to it and enjoy it . It is more energizing and healing than any physicals food or energy drink > it will give you very good elevated dream if you do fall asleep --like floating in an ocean of love . The ancient Greeks called this music "the music of the spheres" Present day yogis who listen to this are called "surat shabd yogis "
For depression : Act happy then you may start to feel happy works to some extent but stilling your mind in order to build a personal relationship with God during the long insomnia nights is even better. Just turn off your thoughts and grope for his presence in your head. Insomnia can be a great blessing and source of strength -enjoy it while it lasts
Red meat eating contribute to menial illness because the animals being raised and kept so cruelly are filled with pain and fear when they die which spikes the secretion of stress hormones which flood the meat .Vegetarians eating produces tranquility so we sleep and rest better. Green leafies have calcium , iron that women need for strong bones and rich blood .Plus there is that scientific Law " For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction " when we buy beef we create a demand for the cruel conditions cows and kept and killed in . How can the reaction of that be any thing but pain for the meat eater .
When plants are raises and killed they feel no pain thus there is less of a debt to pain and death weighing down on our emotions .
Our DREAM should be to be happy .We should choose our dream and the path to it wisely and logically .
OH one last thing " She talks about concentration drains " Sex is a huge concentration drain . Mediation is a huge concentration builder . But its hard to meditate if ones mind is agitated from eating red meat.
February 26, 2021
This fell flat for me. Not sure if it was the writing style or the way the book jumped around but I found myself skimming large parts of it.
January 16, 2021
Siehdnxleirhfndkwodu !!!
I probably cried through half of this book, and half of that time was more of a full out sob. This book might not be for everyone, but it was for me. I’ve been a longtime fan of Alexi Pappas and am even more fond of her now.
Alexi is raw, open and vulnerable about her losses, struggles, how she overcame and how she looks ahead to achieve her, literally, Olympic-sized dreams. I feel I can check all the boxes needed to get something out of this book: female: check, runner: check, dreamer: check, artist: check, depression: check, painful childhood: check... I’m so grateful for this book and for her advice. With Alexi losing her mom at a very young age, it left an obvious gap in her life from the start. She was wise and strategic in the face of that to go after mentors as if her life depended on it. It’s something I wish I’d also done, and maybe would’ve if I realized I needed one so desperately. It’s hard finding women who inspire you and whose words you can actually trust, but this book feels like a slice of big-sister-that-I-really-needed plus a flame to the a** to get moving and chasing your goals because damnit they’re important and if you’re not going to take them seriously, then nobody else will. And they probably won’t even if you do, so do it anyway. Be brave. There are about 50 quotes I’d love to mention as my kindle version is highlighted up the wazoo but I won’t spoil any here. So grateful for this book and Pappas sharing her story with the world.
I probably cried through half of this book, and half of that time was more of a full out sob. This book might not be for everyone, but it was for me. I’ve been a longtime fan of Alexi Pappas and am even more fond of her now.
Alexi is raw, open and vulnerable about her losses, struggles, how she overcame and how she looks ahead to achieve her, literally, Olympic-sized dreams. I feel I can check all the boxes needed to get something out of this book: female: check, runner: check, dreamer: check, artist: check, depression: check, painful childhood: check... I’m so grateful for this book and for her advice. With Alexi losing her mom at a very young age, it left an obvious gap in her life from the start. She was wise and strategic in the face of that to go after mentors as if her life depended on it. It’s something I wish I’d also done, and maybe would’ve if I realized I needed one so desperately. It’s hard finding women who inspire you and whose words you can actually trust, but this book feels like a slice of big-sister-that-I-really-needed plus a flame to the a** to get moving and chasing your goals because damnit they’re important and if you’re not going to take them seriously, then nobody else will. And they probably won’t even if you do, so do it anyway. Be brave. There are about 50 quotes I’d love to mention as my kindle version is highlighted up the wazoo but I won’t spoil any here. So grateful for this book and Pappas sharing her story with the world.
March 15, 2021
Just not a personality that I enjoy. And not enough running stories.
January 18, 2021
Wow! I'm a runner and Alexi fan, but even if I weren't, I would have loved the book just the same. Alexi makes her lessons in sport (and outside of sport) relatable. Her stories are honest, heart-breaking, and funny. The book is brilliantly organized not by timeline, but by theme. A beautiful writer, Alexi includes small poems between sections.
I found Alexi's stories about her mental health struggles particularly compelling and heart-wrenching, but also motivating and inspiring! I also found myself wondering about her romantic relationships and then in the next section--there it was! Her love story! Throughout the book, Alexi destigmatizes mental health and encourages readers to release the grandeur we too often hold for celebrities.
Bravey is at its core a self-help book, but the best thing is this: the book doesn't read like a self-help book. I would particularly recommend this book for young women and for anyone chasing her dreams.
I found Alexi's stories about her mental health struggles particularly compelling and heart-wrenching, but also motivating and inspiring! I also found myself wondering about her romantic relationships and then in the next section--there it was! Her love story! Throughout the book, Alexi destigmatizes mental health and encourages readers to release the grandeur we too often hold for celebrities.
Bravey is at its core a self-help book, but the best thing is this: the book doesn't read like a self-help book. I would particularly recommend this book for young women and for anyone chasing her dreams.
March 13, 2021
Alexi Pappas is a fantastic writer and offers great advice for athletes (including amateur athletes like me) and goal- and dream-oriented people. I will be taking her advice with me into my training and other life goals. Her personal story is compelling and inspiring, and I am grateful for her vulnerability and advocacy in the mental health space. I highly recommend this book!
October 19, 2021
The most valuable lessons the book has to offer have to do with Alexi's victory over depression
1) When depressed act like you are not depressed .Perform the actions of a happy optimistic enthusiastic person .Smile and be active and positive .Then slowly you will start to feel happy , positive and optimistic.
2) TELL some one your inner thoughts and feelings .Never keep them bottled up .Get them out .Dont under go it alone .Keep up the act with all but your inner most confidants . But keep on doing the actions of a positive optimistic and happy person .
Besides this she tells what worked for her in making it to the 2016 olympics and she tells how what worked for her can be applied to anyone to realize any dream .
1) Have a high level of Commitment .Make your happiness dependence on attaining it .Be heart broken if you don't attain it (other wise your are just interested and will not do what it takes)
2) follow the rule of thirds : feel good 1/3 of the time > feel like OK 1/3 of the time > feel like crap 1/3 of the time (My comment : this applies to red meat eaters who run 10Ks .I run 10Ks and am vegan and i feel great all the time I east lots of greens including moringa ,take vitamin B-12 and zinc) I am very competitive do push my self out of my comfort zone and I do acknowledge that one has to go outside of ones comfort zone about 1/3 of the time but I LIKE being in that zone and i think that's becasue of not having alot of toxins in my muscles from eating meat . Its just easier and I feel lighter .There is no anemia if I take B-12 along with the greens and there's lots of world champion athletes who ate maintaining dominance into their 40s who are vegan
http://myveganjournal.com/timothy-bra...
3) avoid activities that "Drain you will power account " engage in activities that deposit into you will power account " (my comment But she fails to include conscious contact with God In meditation which is the main stay of my "will power account balance" I am a surat shabd yogi which is a scientific method of attaining God realization in this life time .The main feature of surat shabd yoga is listening to the inner music and gaining energy from it .This overcomes all depression and gives energy to achieve anything in life .However the bliss is so great that all one is interested in is using the energy to go higher inside and getting more and more of "the shabd " until one merges in it and in God .For me running is only to keep fit so I can continue to mediate well .It si a mean to and end but not the end itself ,
Our Dream should be to be happy .So many people set their hearts on and pursue worldly goal then once they achieve them find that they are less happy than before .They find they were happier anticipation what it would be like to achieve that worldly dream . Surat Shabd yoga teaches that this is because we have not given our soul what it actually longs for which is to know and attain union with its source .Once we attain that we will find it to be happy beyond our wildest dreams
Also it does not cost a penny to attain this dream .its a free gift from God offered to all humans out of mercy and love . Any one who want it and MAKES THE EFFORT for it can have it IN THIS VERY LIFE TIME and be happy now and forever while leading a successful worldly life.
1) When depressed act like you are not depressed .Perform the actions of a happy optimistic enthusiastic person .Smile and be active and positive .Then slowly you will start to feel happy , positive and optimistic.
2) TELL some one your inner thoughts and feelings .Never keep them bottled up .Get them out .Dont under go it alone .Keep up the act with all but your inner most confidants . But keep on doing the actions of a positive optimistic and happy person .
Besides this she tells what worked for her in making it to the 2016 olympics and she tells how what worked for her can be applied to anyone to realize any dream .
1) Have a high level of Commitment .Make your happiness dependence on attaining it .Be heart broken if you don't attain it (other wise your are just interested and will not do what it takes)
2) follow the rule of thirds : feel good 1/3 of the time > feel like OK 1/3 of the time > feel like crap 1/3 of the time (My comment : this applies to red meat eaters who run 10Ks .I run 10Ks and am vegan and i feel great all the time I east lots of greens including moringa ,take vitamin B-12 and zinc) I am very competitive do push my self out of my comfort zone and I do acknowledge that one has to go outside of ones comfort zone about 1/3 of the time but I LIKE being in that zone and i think that's becasue of not having alot of toxins in my muscles from eating meat . Its just easier and I feel lighter .There is no anemia if I take B-12 along with the greens and there's lots of world champion athletes who ate maintaining dominance into their 40s who are vegan
http://myveganjournal.com/timothy-bra...
3) avoid activities that "Drain you will power account " engage in activities that deposit into you will power account " (my comment But she fails to include conscious contact with God In meditation which is the main stay of my "will power account balance" I am a surat shabd yogi which is a scientific method of attaining God realization in this life time .The main feature of surat shabd yoga is listening to the inner music and gaining energy from it .This overcomes all depression and gives energy to achieve anything in life .However the bliss is so great that all one is interested in is using the energy to go higher inside and getting more and more of "the shabd " until one merges in it and in God .For me running is only to keep fit so I can continue to mediate well .It si a mean to and end but not the end itself ,
Our Dream should be to be happy .So many people set their hearts on and pursue worldly goal then once they achieve them find that they are less happy than before .They find they were happier anticipation what it would be like to achieve that worldly dream . Surat Shabd yoga teaches that this is because we have not given our soul what it actually longs for which is to know and attain union with its source .Once we attain that we will find it to be happy beyond our wildest dreams
Also it does not cost a penny to attain this dream .its a free gift from God offered to all humans out of mercy and love . Any one who want it and MAKES THE EFFORT for it can have it IN THIS VERY LIFE TIME and be happy now and forever while leading a successful worldly life.
November 22, 2021
3.5 Stars
I have a lot of mutual interests with Alexi, like running, writing and filmmaking, so I was excited to read this.
I enjoyed the stories about her life and deeply empathized with her feelings of depression, anxiety and perfectionism. It was sad to know how much she struggled and yet inspiring to hear her speak so honestly about her mental struggles and the trauma she experienced.
She had some great advice about changing one’s thought process and working towards goals. I especially found the willpower budgeting part helpful, along with learning to change your actions to change your thoughts/feelings. And how we should treat mental issues like physical injuries, and attend to them right away and with the same care.
I think this would have been even better had I read it when I was younger. It seems to be written for a young audience, but there’s still a bit of advice in here for everyone. This would also be a great book for coaches of female athletes.
I have a lot of mutual interests with Alexi, like running, writing and filmmaking, so I was excited to read this.
I enjoyed the stories about her life and deeply empathized with her feelings of depression, anxiety and perfectionism. It was sad to know how much she struggled and yet inspiring to hear her speak so honestly about her mental struggles and the trauma she experienced.
She had some great advice about changing one’s thought process and working towards goals. I especially found the willpower budgeting part helpful, along with learning to change your actions to change your thoughts/feelings. And how we should treat mental issues like physical injuries, and attend to them right away and with the same care.
I think this would have been even better had I read it when I was younger. It seems to be written for a young audience, but there’s still a bit of advice in here for everyone. This would also be a great book for coaches of female athletes.
September 25, 2023
Very inspirational in an accessible way. I love how she explained the ways in which she reframed her thinking to overcome challenges or move past bad feelings. Books that talk about chasing a big dream always make me feel a little uncomfortable or inadequate as a person who does not have a big dream, but I feel like there's still a lot to take away from this book on female empowerment, positive thinking, and overcoming obstacles in life.
January 28, 2024
This book started off slow for me, in part because I wasn't familiar with Pappas, in part because memoirs/autobios/bios are not my favorite genre. The chapter 'Depression' was the turning point. I've never read anything that articulated so well how I've felt, what I've thought. It's validating and liberating - and exactly the kind of thing people are talking about when they encourage more openness in the dialogue around mental health.
January 14, 2021
⚜️ Happy Book Birthday ⚜️
BRAVEY 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘿𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙨, 𝘽𝙚𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙋𝙖𝙞𝙣, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙊𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝘽𝙞𝙜 𝙄𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙨 by @alexipappas
Published by @thedialpress Jan 12, 2021
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
I am usually not really big on Memoirs, but let me tell you this book is wonderful for anyone who is looking for more, strength, resilience and confidence! It is filled with so many motivational quotes! My favorites are
“𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒“
“𝑁𝑜𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡, 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡, 𝑒𝑛𝑗𝑜𝑦 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑛𝑜𝑤, 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑔𝑜 𝑓𝑎𝑠𝑡“
“𝐼𝑓 𝑎𝑛 𝑜𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑠, 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝑚𝑦𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔“
It was a fast and easy read and would be perfect for young women! The only thing I would have liked more is if it contained more mystery!
BRAVEY 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘿𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙨, 𝘽𝙚𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙋𝙖𝙞𝙣, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙊𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝘽𝙞𝙜 𝙄𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙨 by @alexipappas
Published by @thedialpress Jan 12, 2021
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
I am usually not really big on Memoirs, but let me tell you this book is wonderful for anyone who is looking for more, strength, resilience and confidence! It is filled with so many motivational quotes! My favorites are
“𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒“
“𝑁𝑜𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡, 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡, 𝑒𝑛𝑗𝑜𝑦 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑛𝑜𝑤, 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑔𝑜 𝑓𝑎𝑠𝑡“
“𝐼𝑓 𝑎𝑛 𝑜𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑠, 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝑚𝑦𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔“
It was a fast and easy read and would be perfect for young women! The only thing I would have liked more is if it contained more mystery!
February 28, 2021
I absolutely loved this book. As a distance runner and writer, Alexi is seriously an inspiration to me. Her book was so full of good advice but it was written so well that it didn’t feel like a self help book. So so so good. (Also brb going to go chase some dreams haha)
February 10, 2021
Incredible and inspiring story. This is not a book about running, although she touches on that journey, it’s about life lessons, growth through grit and the navigation of achieving your goals. Highly recommend.
August 30, 2022
I'm so disappointed in this book because I like Alexi Pappas and had a quote from an interview she did with the NYT taped to my computer screen for years! This book fell short in quite a few ways. First, there seemed to be a disconnect between what the book was trying to be. It became a weird combination of her bio and at the same time a self-help book with tips for you "to reach your goals/dreams" that did not work well. The self-help tips felt trite and like they were more geared toward a high schooler or young adult - "stay the course, commit, don't give up, only you can make your dreams happen, etc.". Secondly, the writing was stilted and did not flow at all - too many sentence formulas that began "I this" and "I that". Connected to this was that I listened to the audiobook version, which I was excited about since Pappas narrates it. Unfortunately, she reads it in one tone for the whole book and I did not feel any range of emotions as different parts of the book (her life!) were relayed. It seemed almost as if she had kept diaries or journals of her years in college and while she was training for the Olympics and then rearranged sections of it to form a bulk of the book. Third, it seemed strange to me how she talked about certain famous people in the film world and how excited/flabbergasted she was to talk to them - haha I would have kept those nuggets private.
Overall, I am quite disappointed because even though Pappas reveals her background in Bravey, I don't feel like I really know her any better than when I started. There was so much opportunity in the material for her to shine through. The self-help tips also left a filmy coating on my reception of the book, like after you take a dose of Nyquil/cold medicine - toward the end, I just had to swallow it down to finish the book.
Lastly, the older I get the more I disagree that every individual can use willpower to achieve their 'dreams/goals' in life. I do think there is an element to how we can all steer our own boats, but there is certainly luck, where and to whom we are born, and many other factors as to whether we have the capabilities, resources, bandwidth, or opportunity to chase our dreams.
Overall, I am quite disappointed because even though Pappas reveals her background in Bravey, I don't feel like I really know her any better than when I started. There was so much opportunity in the material for her to shine through. The self-help tips also left a filmy coating on my reception of the book, like after you take a dose of Nyquil/cold medicine - toward the end, I just had to swallow it down to finish the book.
Lastly, the older I get the more I disagree that every individual can use willpower to achieve their 'dreams/goals' in life. I do think there is an element to how we can all steer our own boats, but there is certainly luck, where and to whom we are born, and many other factors as to whether we have the capabilities, resources, bandwidth, or opportunity to chase our dreams.
January 25, 2021
Sometimes it's comforting to hear another woman speak about her experiences growing up without a mother. Regardless of the differing circumstances, Pappas' words resonated deeply with me and made me feel less alone in my experiences as a daughter of a single father, a college athlete, a writer, and as someone who enjoys testing their limits and following their dreams. I love this woman and her book!!
February 22, 2021
I first came upon Alexi Pappas years ago and immediately became obsessed with her use of "bravey". This book was a sweet memoir that made me energized to run and hunker down with the things I do best. Pappas is thoughtful and generous in her sharing.
The one thing that tripped me up was the final chapter about being interested vs committed to dreams. To some extent I'll agree, but writing off circumstances as not being committed enough felt short-sighted. Chasing a dream is a real privilege. Lots of hard work, yes, but a privilege to do so. Plenty of people stop because they don't have the right energy or drive, sure. But just as many don't have the safety net or the cultural capital to dedicate their life to the pursuit of a passion. The slightest hint of acknowledgment here would have been great.
The one thing that tripped me up was the final chapter about being interested vs committed to dreams. To some extent I'll agree, but writing off circumstances as not being committed enough felt short-sighted. Chasing a dream is a real privilege. Lots of hard work, yes, but a privilege to do so. Plenty of people stop because they don't have the right energy or drive, sure. But just as many don't have the safety net or the cultural capital to dedicate their life to the pursuit of a passion. The slightest hint of acknowledgment here would have been great.
February 13, 2021
This book was... really incredible. I don't know who Alexi is and I only gravitated towards this book due to the Maya Rudolphs opening. but like, for someone who is a creative, for someone who is struggling with being creative, listening to this was really a treat. It was nice to have to acknowldge, but also gently force you to keep moving forward. Just because you "can't today" doesn't mean you can't. set goals, keep moving.
idk this was really a treat and I wasn't expecting to really enjoy it as much as i did.
idk this was really a treat and I wasn't expecting to really enjoy it as much as i did.
August 24, 2021
What really resonated with me was that the more Alexi tried to not be like her mother, she ended up being like her.
And that gave me insight into my life where I've done my best not to be like an unnamed parent but somehow, I've become like them where I use them as an excuse as to why my personal life is in shambles.
And that gave me insight into my life where I've done my best not to be like an unnamed parent but somehow, I've become like them where I use them as an excuse as to why my personal life is in shambles.
February 7, 2021
I dunno what to say. This is the second running memoir I've read that came off so privileged even despite the difficulties she faced. This book was HYPED in the running community, and to me it was just so-so.
Also, her life has been a roller coaster!
Also, her life has been a roller coaster!
February 23, 2021
At the start of this I was floored with its insightfulness, but over time it got monotonous. It felt like a similar set of lessons on repeat that are only accessible to a high achiever or someone who has a goal. Not super accessible for someone in the in-between. Great writing though.
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