Totally love it and I would recommend this book to absolutely everyone, even if you aren't looking for motivation or inspiration at the moment. But especially recommend this book to those who are. If need someone to tell you that you can absolutely do it and you deserve to be where you are Michal is your woman.

I am definitely a person that lives with random bouts of fear and anxiety with making decisions, choices, big steps, etc.
I found these lessons in the Hasidic principles of Jewish wisdom so thoughtful and intregal to living a well balanced life. Their purpose to replace fear and anxiety with joy and purpose. As with all Jewish religious rituals and prayers everything is symbolic. This book describes through the authors own experiences how she learned from these lessons and how these lessons were realized in her own life.
We had an interfaith wedding with a Pastor and a Rabbi and my husband broke the glass, we stood under the Chuppah and we signed our Ketubah which is framed on our wall. We celebrate Passover, Hanukah, and Yom Kippur. I loved reading more about some of the wisdom beyond what I've read in the Haggadah and what our Rabbi spoke at our ceremony.
This book isn't to convert it can be read from any religions perspective. It is for self reflection and growth on your own journey of purpose.

The areas of the book that really stood out to me were:
✨Mitzrayim - "boundaries" my internal chains. I have so many- Self doubt, jealousy, body dismorphia, and social media.
✨Soul and Death- ok this wasn't answered but young Michal I have the same questions about where all the feelings go when a person dies. They can't just disappear.
✨ Your purpose- doesn't have to be grand. It takes time, its a journey. You don't have to share it on social media, it's discovered as you go.
✨"The day you were born is the day God decided he was missing you." -Rebbe Nachman of Breslov . I want to add this to our Lexicon. I love this!
✨Be a Mensch - self explanatory (thinking about making a sign for our living room)
✨ Compliment game - I want to add this into our week as well. I think it's great! We are already pretty lovey on eachother but I think with puberty that may change so having a time that they give eachother compliments at the end of the week to instill Kindness in them is a great idea.

There was a lot more I flagged that I loved and want to use but I'm a work in progress. Def recommend to add to your non fic shelves.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you net galley and penguin random house for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

You don't have to be Jewish to appreciate the advice in Michal Oshmans new self-help book, What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid. The author invites her readers to open their minds to Jewish sacred teachings to better their home and work lives. Since this book is also autobiographical, we can see this advice used in the authors own life. I enjoyed learning about Judaism while learning new ways of coping with anxiety, finding your purpose, and dealing with others. I also appreciated how Oshman helps her readers reflect on her ideas by providing questions at the end of every chapter. Anyone can use these teachings in their daily lives. While these ideas may come from a specific faith, they are universal and don't impose on anyone's own faith. I recommend this book to anyone who not only wants to better their life but is also interested in learning about the Jewish faith.

I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid? Initially, I was a bit skeptical, as the author discussed battling years of anxiety (the descriptions felt a little melodramatic). That said, I really appreciated that the author acknowledged anxiety and depression are both really common ailments, especially for readers in the U.S. She states that 20 percent of the U.S. population take psychiatric medication and doctors believe another 20 percent are in need of medication, and it's not hard to believe.

Mental health is a serious issue, and I'm glad the author, Michal Oshman, was (true to the book title) brave enough to address her issues with it. Doing so certainly isn't easy in our society, where we like to pretend like mental health issues don't exist. Oshman offers a multitude of raw details, which took courage but also made the book much better. She went from offering descriptions to feeling like someone so relatable to the reader.

She really hooked me when she enunciated the differences in Freudian therapy and the therapy school based on the teachings of Victor Frankl, logotherapy. Freud focuses on the past and the pursuit of pleasure, but for many, it feels so hollow. Frankl, who survived many episodes in the Holocaust, focused on the pursuit of meaning and purpose. Instead of dwelling on the past, he sought to enjoy the here and now, as well as move toward a better future.

I don't want to continue giving away too much of the book, but I loved how Oshman found meaning by discovering aspects of her roots and her heritage. Jewish thought goes back thousands of years and is chalk-full of wisdom, which Oshman shares some of here. I appreciated too that even though she identifies as secular, she found Jewish religious customs so meaningful. In our current age, where we have such empty spiritual existences, I think even those who identify as secular still find ways to incorporate the spiritual in order to give their lives meaning.

Excellent work by Oshman. I plan on buying a copy for a family member currently struggling with anxiety. Even for those readers who don't suffer from anxiety, there is plenty of wisdom here for facing the multitude of challenges one may face with family, work or friends.

The book has lots of good information but I found the points were drilled over and over. Too much repetition of the authors life and experiences.

This book takes an empathetic approach and gives bite size approaches and allows you to have kindness and patience with yourself when dealing with life. This is so necessary for everyone to read in life. Highly recommend. Especially loved the reflection to true life to humanize my feelings and relate. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

To be honest, this was much more interesting than I thought it would be. Usually self-help books like this, with a spiritual take, are either beyond my comprehension or written by someone who doesn't really know what they're talking about in any kind of depth. This book avoids both those pitfalls. I felt like I was growing as a person by reading this, and it gave me a lot to ponder.

What a new take on personal development.
I quoted this book several times this weekend and cant wait for others to get to dive into this philosphy.
The combining of Judaism and anxiety are a fresh take on an old problem.
Highly recommend for some fresh feedback.

I will confess that sometimes I actively seek an advanced review copy (Arc/Galley) with minimal expectations. I may look at the cover. I may read about the author. It may simply be the description of the book that makes me think "This sounds interesting."

This was the case with Michal Oshman's "What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid?," a book that weaves together religion/spirituality, self-help, leadership skills, and more into a book that merely piqued my curiosity initially but ended up full-on immersing me in a world that now has me going down the internet's rabbit hole to learn even more about these ideas, concepts, and teachings that Oshman embraces and writes so beautifully about.

"What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid?" has turned out to be the book I didn't realize I needed. It has turned out to be the book my soul needed at a time personally and professionally when I'm sensing some major life shifts and trying to make sense of it all. I began the book early today, a Sunday, not long after attending my usual morning worship service. While I'd planned to read today, I hadn't intended to both begin and finish a book. However, once I began reading "What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid?" I simply didn't want to stop.

So, I didn't.

Oshman is the Head of Culture at TikTok Europe, a position she recently transitioned into after several years in Team & Leadership Development at Facebook.

If you are already thinking to yourself "The last thing I need is another stuffy, privileged business leadership book," I practically beg you to think again. For years, Oshman has been a mentor for leaders in top global companies. With this book, she expands upon her unique personal growth methodology based upon the life-changing principles of Jewish wisdom. She draws upon her own heritage and a wide range of Chassidut, or Jewish teachings, to offer practical advice for common concerns ranging from getting the most out of one's career to overcoming setbacks to parenting, to healing from a broken heart and more.

Oshman writes both intelligently and with warmth and compassion throughout "What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid?" She empowers yet also feels as if she's standing by your side and holding space for the journey you are about to embark on. There's a realistic yet unwavering optimism throughout the book that reinforces the idea that each of us has a purpose and a soul reaching for the light. It's a matter of finding that light and living into it. We already have all the ingredients needed to lead a joyous life.

Oshman beautifully balances her experiences in the corporate world with the highly applicable world of Jewish wisdom. Each chapter is based upon a key principle and each chapter has beautifully illustrations, contemplation points, and absolutely vital and revealing questions.

Oshman herself is quite revealing here and openly discusses her own journey points ranging from dealing with anxiety to growing up in a home where death was always nearby and all the way through universal experiences like a relationship's end, a job change, parental insecurities, and more. Oshman writes matter-of-factly, yet her words are accessible and the book provides definitions for those Jewish terms that may be unfamiliar. Familiarity with Judaism is not required to fully embrace and gain from this incredibly valuable book.

Even the title, "What What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid?," is so incredibly simple yet beautiful that even thinking about it sends me into reflection and prayer. This is a book I will undoubtedly refer to time and again, a book that provides the tools to move past the fears that may be holding us back personally and professionally and a book with such a richness of humanity and heart and even humor that these teachings will plant themselves inside you and you'll actively seek to learn more while also admiring Oshman's ability to communicate all of this so wonderfully.

From observing Shabbat faithfully to giving regularly of her and her family's time to a myriad of other ways in which the author illustrates her own continued practice of these principles, Oshman has crafted a wonderfully insightful and applicable resource guiding us toward a journey of meaning and purpose.

Destined to be one of my favorite books of 2021, "What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid?" is a book you may not realize you need but you'll be oh so glad you discovered it.

This book was received as an ARC from DK in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I learned so much from Michal than I have learned from anybody else. The language she used and the tone she picked to write this book was perfect not only for understanding purposes but for motivating purposes. Learning the background of Michal and all that she went through in her career made her more admirable than ever. I am all about female empowerment and not being afraid to stand up to your potential and Michal definitely expresses her views in an empowering tone that is sure to get everyone up and moving to achieve your dreams. A lot of things have been holding me back because of fear and now after reading Michal's book, I am taking a different approach to achieving my goals by telling myself that I am worth it, first thing when I wake up in the morning. This book will be perfect for those who are struggling with their future or just plain living their life.

We will consider adding this title to our Self Help collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.