USA Today Bestseller

Publishers Weekly Bestseller

"A well-reasoned and highly accessible manual for overcoming past trauma and attaining truly unlimited lives."
–Kirkus Reviews

"Prepare to be captivated, moved, and ultimately uplifted by a tale that reminds us that we are stronger than we think.”
—Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, author and OPI co-founder

“[Karena] shows us how to liberate ourselves from the grip of those experiences that all too often limit our chances to live life to the fullest. This book is . . . truly a gift of love.”
—Mike Love, lead singer and lyricist of The Beach Boys

The ultimate guidebook on how to heal from trauma.

Karena’s early life had been defined by stories of shame and abandonment, but as an adult she wondered—who could she be without those stories? Who would she be without her past defining her present? 

After years of working to heal herself, she wrote Rise Above the Story as a guidebook to help others free themselves from past pain and trauma. 

Part memoir and part self help, this book uses a 3-part, evidence-based formula to ease the fear and overwhelm we can feel when we’re trying to heal our old wounds. 

Everyone has a story.

Our emotional brain subconsciously writes our stories, and anyone who has experienced trauma can have a story about how their trauma defined them, including the author.

Before Karena Kilcoyne was a successful criminal defense attorney, trauma defined her early life. Her mother tried to give her away at birth. Her father went to a federal penitentiary when she was 12, leaving the family poverty-stricken and Karena to care for her siblings and her mentally unstable mother. 

After her mother died, she adopted her 9-year-old brother and graduated from law school at the age of 24. She fought for the freedom of others while imprisoning herself in self-doubt, depression, and anxiety. Existing only in survival mode, she repeatedly recounted the stories she’d written about herself: that she would never be enough, that she could never be happy.

In Rise Above the Story, Karena shares with raw vulnerability how she rose above her stories of abandonment, worthlessness, and shame. 

She’ll help you let go of your own past by embracing every beautiful, imperfect piece of yourself—no matter what your story looks like.

This healing journey is packaged into three parts:

• Part 1: Acknowledge Your Story Get honest about the stories you’re telling yourself and how they’ve limited you, your life, and your dreams. By the end of this section, you’ll be excitedly wondering who you could be if you left your story behind.
• Part 2: Untangle Your Story We’ll explore how you got tangled up in your story in the first place and how it took control of your life. Through exercises, spiritual tools, and journal prompts, you’ll unearth past traumas and set yourself free once and for all.
• Part 3: Rise Above Your Story We’ll unearth lessons and wisdom found in the traumas we’ve endured and dive deeply into self-love. In this part of the book, you’ll learn to embrace every part of yourself, even the past traumas you’ve cast away in shame.

Rising above your story will empower you to live the life of your dreams.

Karena’s beautifully simple yet powerful formula offers emotional freedom and unfettered joy when you’re ready to embrace the vibrant, worthy, and lovable person you truly are.