“Gloria Burgess will help you find forgotten corners of yourself and rediscover your beauty.
You cannot read the many stories collected here without noticing that your life has already become a little more meaningful.”
—Geoff Bellman, consultant and author, The Consultant’s Calling: Bringing Who You Are to What You Do “Gloria Burgess has a rare gift for connecting the dots—between our teachers and our inner selves; between inheritance and legacy; between the pain of living in the world and the possibility of remaking it.”
—Eric Liu, author, Guiding Lights: How to Mentor and Find Life’s Purpose “I love this book. I want everyone to read it. A true innovator, Gloria Burgess reveals the mystery of our capacity for boundless creativity—showing us how to use it responsibly—to transform ourselves and, thereby, transform the world. Dare to Wear Your Soul on the Outside makes a humane and brilliant future possible.”
—Carole Hyatt, coauthor, When Smart People Fail, and founder and CEO, The Carole Hyatt Leadership Forum “In a world and time where societal and other external pressures can easily preempt one’s true self, this book offers a warm embrace of encouragement to take the path of self discovery.
Dare to Wear Your Soul on the Outside guides readers to shut out the ‘noise’ and discover, unleash, and embrace who they truly are.”
—William Bell, MSW, president and CEO, Casey Family Programs “Through inspiring stories and luminous prose, this book distills the secrets of personal transformation and why it is essential to live your best life not merely for yourself, but also to fulfill your highest calling—to be of service to others and to the future.”
—Sharon McDaniel, Ed.D., president and CEO, A Second Chance, Inc.
“Through her inspirational stories and by her own example, Gloria Burgess will guide you in understanding what it means to lead from within, and what it takes to be a true servantleader in the twenty-first century. This brilliant, practical guide will help you awaken and tap into your vast potential.”
—Jan Levy, executive director, Leadership Tomorrow “Responsive to the perilous times we live in, and the great possibilities we are offered, this book is a Call to Wake Up and Live, to bring forth the original medicine only you carry, serving your own life and the well-being of all life.”
—Anne Stadler, Open Space elder
“Through her poetic prose and practical tools, Dr. Gloria Burgess gently inspires us to awaken to the reality—and potential—of our life legacy. I recommend this excellent guidebook for bringing the richness of spirit into daily living.”
—Peggy Taylor, coauthor, Chop Wood, Carry Water: A Guide to Finding Spiritual Fulfillment in Everyday Life, and cofounder, Power of Hope, Youth Empowerment Through the Arts “Gloria passes along her years of experience and insight as a witness to the power of becoming a whole person, not in a self-centered way, but in the way one contributes to an emergent social network—our human community.”
—Harold Nelson, Ph.D., author, The Design Way: Intentional Change in an Unpredictable World, and president, Advanced Design Institute “Dare to Wear Your Soul on the Outside provides intimate insight into how to reach your full potential . . . how to follow one’s dreams and leave a legacy that others will want to emulate.”
—Doreen Harden-Cato, Ed.D., executive director, First Place School & Social Service Agency “Dare to Wear Your Soul on the Outside is not just a book; it is a guided journey from ordinary life to making friends with who you really are, so that you can live to your full potential.”
—Gifford Pinchot III, cofounder and president, Bainbridge Graduate Institute “For those who are looking for a way to make a difference in the world, Gloria’s book will surely help you. This book calls us to claim our brilliance so that we can unleash our imagination and genius.”
—LueRachelle Brim-Atkins, consultant, Brim-Donahoe & Associates “This book is outstanding, a must read for all ages. We will read and reread this book for the important life journey before us. Gloria Burgess is an architect for the spirit.”
—Constance Rice, Ph.D., founder and president, Strategic Education Centers “Gloria’s family story, with its legacy of ‘pass a kindness on’ and ‘make yourself useful,’
provides inspiration for readers of all ages.”
—Jean Davies Okimoto, author, Molly By Any Other Name “Dr. Burgess encourages you to consciously synchronize your intent with your behaviors every day, and pay attention to how much more effective you are and satisfied you feel. It works!”
—Ruth Massinga, former president and CEO, Casey Family Programs “Dare to Wear Your Soul on the Outside is a courageous demonstration of the possibility of sharing yourself as an instrument to awaken and inspire others. The author, a black woman who grew up loved by her immediate family and invisible and impoverished in the world at large, has a broad base of experience upon which to make her claims. And passionate claims they are: that creativity exists in each of us and its expression is essential in building a humane world that works for all. Through inspiring stories, luminous prose, and elegant poetry, Gloria reminds us that every aspect of an often cruel world can spur us to lift our voices in song as a possibility for others, to sing the song of the soul.”
—Rosamund Stone Zander, author, The Art of Possibility “Most of us intend to live at our highest and best, to contribute much to the world, and to live authentically, but life gets in our way. Gloria Burgess encourages us to push, probe, and delve into our very beings so that we can live our legacy. With prose, poetry, and a series of exercises, Burgess offers her gentle healing skills to a community that needs them desperately.
I am excited about this sister, her work, and her book.”
—Dr. Julianne Malveaux, president, Bennett College for Women “If you don’t live your legacy now, when will you live it? Gloria helps you do it now! Her work can help you ‘shine your light’ from the inside out!”
—Marshall Goldsmith, New York Times best-selling author, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There
In this inspirational book, Gloria Burgess uses the touching story of her father's relationship with William Faulkner as a starting point to explore a classic topic: how to bring forth the character qualities of love, wisdom, trust, faith, gratitude, creative action, vision, and integrity. Burgess declares the "sacred promises of legacy living" as part of a transformational process that helps us connect to our past by honoring those who came before us, living with intention in the present, and freeing our talents so we can realize our potential. Dare to Ware Your Soul on the Outside also includes practical exercises for fostering greater authenticity and purpose in our lives.
Praise for Dare to Wear Your Soul on the Outside
"We all need to be born again to create our true selves. . . . So read on, let the wisdom of legacy living guide you . . . and rebirth yourself."
—Dr. Bernie Siegel, author, Love, Magic, and Mudpies and Love, Medicine, and Miracles
"Dare to Wear Your Soul on the Outside is an original, powerful, and inspirational work that should be required reading for all serious students and practitioners of leadership."
—Dr. Warren Bennis, distinguished professor of business at the University of Southern California; author, On Becoming a Leader; co-author, Judgment: How Great Leaders Make Winning Calls
"Gloria writes with passion, commitment, and insight. I recommend all that she sends into the world."
—Peter Block, citizen of Cincinnati, Ohio, and author, Community: The Structure of Belonging
