Celebrating National Book Month: Authors, Healing, and the Power of Story

Ever wonder how one book can meet you right where it hurts and still move you forward? We’re celebrating National Book Month by highlighting four powerful authors whose work bridges real-life challenges with practical tools for growth—so you can find the right words at the right time and put them to work in your life.

We begin with Sherrica Davis-Hunt’s “Networking and Lattes,” a refreshingly human approach to building relationships without the noise. If networking has ever felt performative or draining, Sherika’s steps—rooted in gratitude, purpose, and authenticity—show how to create honest connections in coffee shops, conference halls, and Zoom rooms. Then we turn to Brandi Jackson’s “Healing Through Grief,” a compassionate companion for readers navigating loss. With affirmations, reflections, and tools to sit with sadness, anger, guilt, and acceptance, Brandy offers validation that’s steady and actionable.

Jeanette Foster Williams brings raw honesty and grace in “Overcoming Abuse: Standing Strong Through It All,” a testament to courage, clarity, and community from a survivor. Her story opens a safe path for readers to name harm, rebuild trust, and reclaim their narrative. 

Rounding out the lineup, Dr. Brooks Demmings' “Six Pillars of Resilience” translates a career setback into a practical framework for mid-career professionals—combining self-reflection, open-mindedness, and strategic recovery plans that shorten the bounce-back curve and restore momentum.

Along the way, we share simple, high-impact ways to support authors year-round: buy direct from their sites, gift copies to schools and community groups, host author visits, and share recommendations widely. Whether you love the crisp feel of a fresh hardcover or the convenience of an e-book, the point is to keep reading—and to keep lifting the voices that help us heal and grow.

If this conversation sparked your next read, subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a friend who needs a good book recommendation. Your support helps more readers find the stories that change lives.

Author Links:
sherricadhunt.com
@brandijackson
divineguidedlegacy.com
https://brooksdemming.com/

Chapters

• 5:39 National Book Month Focus
• 7:47 Why Authors Need Community Support
• 8:40 Books As Tools For Healing
• 9:56 Sherika Davis Hunt: Networking With Purpose
• 12:42 Brandy Jackson: Healing Through Grief
• 16:19 Jeanette Foster Williams: Surviving Abuse

Transcript

Wondra Spencer : 2:50

Welcome to the Motivational Fuel Podcast. I'm your host, Wondra, and this week's episode is a heartfelt celebration of the National Book Month. It is a time to honor the powerful words, the beauty of storytelling, and the incredible authors who pour their souls into the pages that we read. Let me ask you something. How many authors do you know personally? Maybe it's a coworker, a neighbor, a cousin, a family friend, or just someone you knew for a long time. Maybe it's someone you follow on social media who finally published their first book. Whether you're just starting out, or it's someone who's been writing books for a long time. So these writers are all around us and they do deserve our support. So books are more than entertainment. They can be tools for healing, educational resources, and vessels of transformation. In the month of October, I've been gathering some book recommendations from listeners, friends, and fellow creatives. And I am eager to dive into these powerful reads. So this week, author and the shout outs. So I want to shine some light on some phenomenal authors whose work is changing lives. The first one is Sherrica Davis -Hunt, Networking and Lattes 10 Steps to Networking. It is a guide that is rooted from Sherrica's personal journey and navigating uncomfortable spaces to achieve success. It is not being about being loud or popular. It is about building that gene relationship from gratitude and purpose. She writes, "Allow networking to be your superpower in addition to intelligence and hard work." Whether you're networking in coffee shops, conferences, Zoom rooms, her book provides the tools that you need to be fiercely, authentic, and aligned with your higher purpose. So you can grab a copy of Sherrica's book at sherricadhunt.com. And I will post these links at the end of the podcast. The next one is Miss Brandi Jackson Healing Through Grief, finding strength after loss. Are you struggling to make sense of your pain after a loss? Brandi's book is compassionate. It's an uplifting guide for anyone navigating the overwhelming journey of grief. Whether you're just mourning, a loved one, you're facing an emotional pain, her book offers comfort, validation, and a source of hope. Inside of it, you have your affirmations, reflections, emotional healing, tools for sadness, anger, guilt, and acceptance, and encouragement for anyone who's experiencing loss and reclaiming their life. Brandi's voice feels like a friend walking beside you. And her book is just isn't just a book, it's a healing space. And you can find Brandi Jackson on Facebook and you can connect with her throughout her platform. The next one is Miss Jeanette Foster Williams at Divine Guided Legacy. Jeanette's story is one of the soundness and courage. As a child, she endured abuse from someone who's supposed to protect her. But through all of it, she stays strong and now she shares her experience with others so they might heal. Her book is a testament to survival, the strength, and the power of vulnerability. She writes with raw honesty and grace, inviting readers into her space so they can share her influences throughout her book. And you can purchase her book within her store, and it offers some items that you can purchase within the Divine Guided Legacy. So definitely check out Miss Jeanette Williams' book on her Design Guided Legacy website. You have so many things. You can buy things for your family member. You can buy things for your spouse, your mate. With her book, you can purchase it directly with her. And the name of her book is Overcoming Abuse, Standing Strong Through It All. So you can purchase the book from Miss Jeanette Foster Williams. The next author is Dr. Brooks Demming. The Six Pillars of Resilience. What does it take to bounce back after adversity? Dr. Brooks shows firsthand after a professional setback that nearly derailed her career. She developed six core accomplices that help her rise again. And now she shares them with the world. Her book is a masterclass of resilience filled with self-reflection, open-mindedness, inner growth, practical strategies, and for mid-career professionals. Now, Dr. Brooks is a resilience coach who helps others overcome setbacks and leads purpose-driven lives. Dr. Brooks has a website offering clothing purchases, her books, her journals, her coaching sections, and videos. And you can find her book and many other books at BrooksDemming.com. Please support these authors by purchasing like a case of books for your church or your school events. You can contact them on their websites for an on-site visit or virtual session to discuss their books, their store items that they have, their coaching, and offer in-store appearances. So National Book Month, it really matters, is celebrated in October since 2003. So this is 2025, so a little bit over 22 years. Now National Book Month was established by the National Book Foundation to promote reading, writing, and literature among people of all ages and backgrounds. So the purpose promote literacy and lifelong learning, highlight the works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translated literature, encourage everyone to support the authors, the publishers, independent bookstores. So some ways you can get in on a celebration. You can read a book, revisit an old one, you can visit your local library, a bookstore, visit the websites that I will have and that I mentioned in the podcast. You can share some recommendations with friends, support your local and emerging authors, not just in October, but this can be all year long. So books are bridges, they connect us to ourselves and to the world. And every time you buy a book from a local author, you invest in someone's dreams, and you're going to grow yourself and your book collection and things like that. So visit their websites, purchase the books as they can offer you an autograph copy or paperback or hard copy book and electronic book. So for me, I have a deep affection of electronic books. Yeah, there's something that's there, but I do love a freshly printed book in my hand, like the texture, the aroma of it, and I just curl myself up on the couch or in a cozy chair with a blanket. Because the blanket, you know, it can be so soft, and I can just be ready to let myself loose and really read those pages within the book. So I hope you really enjoyed the podcast today regarding the author's and this national book month. So the upcoming episode for this month is World Savings Day. It is October 31st, which is the same day as Halloween, but it's a perfect time to discuss financial empowerment, some smart money habits, and some ways to build wealth with purpose. Until then, stay informed, stay empowered, take care of yourself, and remember every page you turn is a step forward in transformation. Thank you and have a great day.