MoonglotexasI absolutely loved Aundi Kolber’s first book and this one is more of a guidebook to go alongside that. I appreciate how “Strong Like Water” breaks down how to be strong by recognising our needs, and our past hurts through gentleness. It speaks to learning to flow like water and build resilience slowly and thoughtfully.
I have a complex trauma history, as I’m sure many who read it will, so feel I should mention some of the stories of people Aundi has worked with were too much for me and too triggering. I found I could skip over them and still gain an immense amount from the book. I appreciated the practices, rhythms, and resources at the end of each chapter. This isn’t one to rush through but a workbook to be parked in, to be unpacked slowly and put into action.
Love, joy, and connection are what it’s all about, this book takes your hand and helps you start the journey to healing and finding more of that. I highly recommend it, it’s a five out of five on the enJOYment scale.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from Tyndale House Publishers through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
From the back cover:
There’s a cost to being a certain kind of strong.
When it comes to difficult circumstances, we’ve all heard the platitudes: “No pain, no gain.” “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” But if we spend our lives trying to be “the strong one,” we become exhausted, burned-out, and disconnected from our truest selves.
What if it were different? Could there be a different way to be strong? Could strength mean more than pushing on and pushing through pain, bearing every heavy burden on our own? What if, instead, true strength were more like the tide: soft and bold, fierce and gentle, moving together as one powerful force?
In Strong like Water, author and trauma therapist Aundi Kolber offers a framework for true flourishing. With each page, you’ll:
- Learn how your nervous system shapes your experience so that we can move through pain instead of being stuck in it.
- Explore various practices, rhythms, and resources to support you in challenging circumstances with compassion and hope.
- Discover how to internalize connection, love, and safety—empowering you with greater resilience.
A different, more expansive way of healing, wholeness, and possibly—especially—strength is possible. We were made to be strong like water.
