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Below we have centralized the Discover Resources in one place, but the resources specific to each theme also live at the top of each theme-specific page. Please keep in mind that not every resource will resonate with every person and it is not required for you to engage with all of them. We do encourage you to sample some of the resources as a way to help you think about your life and your future from a fresh perspective.

Books

• Upside: The New Science of Post-Traumatic Growth by Jim Rendon
• Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, & Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg
• The Anatomy of Hope: How People Prevail in the Face of Illness by Jerome Groopman
• David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and The Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell
• The Desire Map: A Guide To Creating Goals With Soul by Danielle Laporte.
• Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
• Find Me Unafraid: Love, Loss, & Hope in an African Slum by Jessica Posner & Kennedy Odede
• The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo
• Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
• The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
• Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, and The Gifts of Imperfection by Dr. Brene Brown

Articles 

• Oprah Learns The Secret To Paulo Coehlo’s Secret Wisdom
• Volunteering Abroad? Read This Before You Post That Selfie
• NPR: What’s Your Purpose: Finding A Sense of Meaning & Purpose in Your Life

AFC Blog Posts

• My Big Hairy Audacious Dream
• The Messy & Uncomfortable Side to Starting Fresh
• The Person Who Re-Kindled My Flame
• Seven Years. Seven Lessons Since South Africa
• The Five Lessons I Learned From Transforming Adversity Into Possibility
• Change Your Perspective. Change Your Life. 

TEDTalks

• How Great Leaders Inspire Action – Simon Sinek 
• The Power of Vulnerability – Brene Brown
• The Danger of a Single Story – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• How To Find The Work You Love –  Scott Dinsmore

Documentaries & Interviews

• Good Morning America: Melinda Gates & The Moment of Life
• Half The Sky – Can be rented for $2.99 on Amazon

Podcasts

• The Goodlife Project
  • Nick Onken – How To Become A World Traveling Photographer
  • Brene Brown on Gratitude, Vulnerability, and Courage
• Super Soul Sunday
  • India Arie: Life After Rock Bottom
  • Gabrielle Bernstein: The Universe Has Your Back
• The TED Radio Hour
  • Failure is an Option
  • TED Radio Hour: Comfort Zones.
• Dear Sugars
  • Oprah Winfrey: The Power of No (Part 1) & The Power of No (Part 2).

Reflection Prompts

We have included all of the weekly reflection prompts below.* You can also find them at the top of each week’s theme page. You can either write the answers in a more traditional journaling format (either in a physical journal or an online journal) or you could explore the creative process of art journaling. Or, sit down with someone in your life and ask these questions of each other. Whatever reflection mode you choose, you are welcome to answer any, all or none of the questions. This is simply an opportunity to carve out some time to reflect and see what emerges.

Theme 1: Transforming Adversity Into Possibility

1. What has been the biggest impact of the adversity of cancer in your life? | Draw or create a symbol to express something that has been the biggest impact.
2. Has the adversity of cancer made you more resilient? If so, how? | Pick a color that represents this adversity and play with doodling shapes and designs to show this adversity in your life.
3. What skills do you have now that you didn’t have before cancer came into your life? | Think of yourself as an animal/superhero/etc.-how are you different than you were before?  Express this through drawing, modeling clay, etc.
4. What are you less afraid of now that you’ve experienced the fear of cancer – either as a patient or a caregiver? | Print out, create or cut out images from mail/magazines etc. to symbolize what you are less afraid of.
5. What risks might you be willing to take now that you’ve realized how resilient you really are? | Express these risks using colors, shapes and symbols.

Theme 2: Choosing How You Want To Feel

Today’s prompts come from Danielle Laporte’s book, The Desire Map. As we said last week, there is no “right way” to tackle the journaling prompts. You can answer any, all or none of the questions. This is simply an opportunity to carve out some time with your journal and see what emerges.

1. Free write a list of up to 10 words to describe how you want to feel in your life.
2. Ask yourself which words made you feel positive, uplifted, expanded? Which words feel like home? Which make you feel inspired, grounded, peaceful, energized, or supported? Circle Them.
3. Ask these questions of each word:
   1. What does it feel like to be [insert word]?
   2. What does it look like to be [insert word]?
   3. What does it sound like to be [insert word]?
   4. If I were [insert word], what would my life be like?
   5. What’s [insert word] really about for me?

Pay attention to what emerges and if you want to take it to the next level, you can dig deeper into each word by looking up its definition and origin. Really sit with these words over time and see if they are getting to the root of your core desire. As Danielle says, “maybe ‘confidence’ is really about feeling empowered, or elegant, or it’s about respect. Maybe ‘success’ is really about freedom, or love, or being collaborative.”

Theme 3: Vulnerability

Below are a few of the journaling prompts from Brene Brown’s book, Daring Greatly (we highly recommend it!). Her book has many more insights and thought-provoking questions if you want to dive further. For now, you can answer any, all or none of the questions. This is simply an opportunity to carve out some time with your journal and see what emerges.

1. How would you define vulnerability? | How would vulnerability look like if it was a symbol or certain color or design? Or think of a mask or make a mask-what do you show the world on the outside and what is going on inside?
2. What are the beliefs that you hold around vulnerability? | Use a mind map to think about vulnerability
3. How was vulnerability viewed in your family? What were the lessons (spoken or unspoken) about being vulnerable? | Try drawing a family tree or genogram – make notes or drawings by each person.
4. What makes you feel the most vulnerable right now? | Use paint or drawing materials to express how being vulnerable feels like.
5. What do you do when you’re feeling emotionally exposed? | Draw an animal that you feel like when you’re feeling emotionally exposed.  Think about and make an environment around the animal and what you would like for the animal to have when feeling this way.
6. Do you spend time and energy trying to make the uncertain, certain? If so, how? Do you use “crazy busy” as armor? If so, how?
7. Who are the people who are with you in the arena? Who are the people in your life who are in the stands?| Draw or make a 3D arena representing this.  One idea is go on a walk in nature and use found objects such as sticks, rocks, leaves, etc.
8. How would your life look different if you no longer evaluated your worthiness by the reactions of the people in the stands? | Use art materials to express what this life would look like.

Theme 4: How Might Expanding Your Perspective Enhance Your Life?

1. After participating in the activity and doing something you normally would not do (or thinking about a time you chose to do something that was uncomfortable), what feelings or thoughts came up for you? | Consider making a feelings mandala by drawing a circle. Pick colors for different feelings and emotions and then fill in the circle with the biggest emotion(s) taking up the most space in the circle and the lesser emotion(s) taking up less space in the circle. 
2. What did you do when you had these feelings, thoughts or emotions? What are other ways that you could use in the future? | Make a cartoon about a character that is doing something out of their comfort zone.  See what happens to the character and maybe use thought or word bubbles.
3.  Identify at least two things you are hoping to gain from this whole experience. | Use images and pictures to show this.
4.  Think about a pros/cons list around doing something out of your comfort zone.
5.  What would you do if you had no risk of failing? | Create symbols that represent what this would look like.

Do you have suggestions to add to our Discover Resources Page? We’d love to hear your recommendations! Email us at info@afreshchapter.com.

Please note: The content of the A Fresh Chapter Odyssey Program is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or mental health treatment. If any of our content brings up feelings that are difficult to process, we encourage you to seek the advice of a mental health professional or another qualified health provider.