The Courage to Commit: Embrace the Radical Power of Sticking with Something

by Shawn Johnson, Andrew East

From former Olympic gymnast and gold medal winner Shawn Johnson East and former NFL pro Andrew East—the dynamic duo behind the chart-topping Couple Things podcast—a bold rebrand of commitment in an uncommitted world

Modern life seems designed to keep us uncommitted. Commitment is unsexy, uncool, old-fashioned. Why commit to a loving but flawed partner when there are endless romantic options to swipe through on the apps? Why double down on finishing a difficult project when you could be scrolling TikTok, streaming Netflix, or starting a new, more exciting idea? We live in a world of limitless distraction, infinite possibility, a barrage of options and choices always available. So why does it still feel like something is missing?

As a gold medal winning Olympic gymnast and a former NFL pro, husband and wife team Shawn Johnson and Andrew East know a thing or two about committing. And with The Courage to Commit, they’re here to prove just how contrarian committing can be in an age of dopamine-chasing impatience. Through scientific studies and personal stories, Shawn and Andrew show readers why commitment matters, how it works, and the strategies and tactics to get things done—so you can become the type of person who gets that promotion, enjoys a rewarding marriage, and achieves that long-held dream. In short, so you can move beyond fear and find the freedom, meaning, and joy we all crave.

This isn't a book about cold plunges or intermittent fasting or meditation. Instead, The Courage to Commit makes a simple case for sticking with the things that matter. Because in a world of options and distraction, the real rebellion is choosing your hill to die on—and then planting your flag there with gusto.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Audiobook, Family

282 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 9, 2026

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[donutqueenie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Courage to Commit by Shawn Johnson (Olympic gold medalist 🥇🤸) & her husband Andrew East (former NFL player 🏈).

I have been a fan of Shawn since her Olympic medals and was so excited to see this book coming!! This book makes a case for choosing something and sticking with it when the rest of the world has short attention spans. They present commitment as meaningful and reframe it as revolutionary instead of outdated or boxing yourself in. It’s full of fun stories about their previous sports careers, marriage, and family life. It’s honest and includes practical strategies. It reads more conversational instead of overly positive tired self help parroting.

“Commitment isn’t about giving up options — it’s about choosing your hill and planting your flag there.”

Perfect for people that struggle with FOMO, overthinking, or quitting too soon.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
Release date 6/9/26.

[Grace Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five fat starts from me. This book applies to so much more than relationships!! I don’t typically read books like this but I adore Shawn and Andrew and knew I’d read it the second they announced the book was in the works. It was so well written, realistic, and was surprisingly funny!

[Marianna Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Puts science behind a lot of the change management stuff I do at work & habit stuff I do at home :) Great as an audiobook

[Demetri Papadimitropoulos · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Architecture of Staying
Shawn Johnson and Andrew East’s “The Courage to Commit” finds its best wisdom not in medals or highlight reels, but in the rooms, rituals, and ordinary mercies that make devotion last.
By Demetris Papadimitropoulos | May 17th, 2026

Shawn Johnson and Andrew East’s “The Courage to Commit” begins in the air, but its real terrain is the ground. Mats, locker rooms, kitchens, calendars, church circles, family tables: these are the places where its promises must keep landing. Johnson is suspended before a double-twisting double back, in that tiny, impossible pause before gravity remembers its job. A lesser book would linger over the medal-lit second. This one is more interested in what that second holds: falls, drills, coaches, boredom, injuries, witnesses, and rooms arranged so effort has fewer places to hide.

That is what keeps “The Courage to Commit” from becoming another grit sermon with better sneakers. Johnson and East occasionally drift toward the coach’s whistle – try harder, stay longer, stop looking for shortcuts – but their more durable claim is subtler. Commitment needs conditions of return. It survives through rituals, witnesses, measurements, mentors, costs, and mercy. The person who stays is not always the person with superior moral fiber. Often, the person who stays is the one whose calendar, coach, kitchen counter, spouse, friend, spreadsheet, or prayer has become an ally of the chosen promise.

Commitment, in the book’s account, has been upholstered into dullness: responsible, dutiful, beige, vaguely suburban. The Easts want to restore its voltage. Around it hums the usual machinery of reversibility: dating apps, streaming, scrolling, job-hopping, the soothing little fraud of keeping options open forever. In a culture trained to treat one eye on the exit as freedom, they argue that certain freedoms arrive only after enough doors close. That setup could have produced a scolding book, one in which every hesitation is cowardice and every exit a moral failure. Instead, the better pages insist that commitment is neither temperament nor punishment. It is a skill. Like any skill, it needs a place to practice.

The table of contents does more than organize the advice; it stages the life cycle of a promise. Its three-part design is plain but effective: first seduction, then selection, then upkeep. Why commit? Because staying may produce calm, joy, depth, mastery, and meaning. What deserves commitment? That requires clues, values, love, uncertainty, and the wisdom of endings. How does commitment last? Through boredom, visible accountability, environment, mentors, measurement, belief, cost-counting, and grace. Desire has to pass through discernment before it earns the right to become maintenance. The book first makes commitment attractive, then warns readers not to squander it on the wrong thing, then teaches them how to keep showing up once the shine has worn off and the vow has become, as all real vows eventually do, a gray Thursday.

Their credibility comes from the body keeping receipts. Johnson brings Olympic gymnastics: chalk dust, raw hands, yips, injuries, the terror and precision of flight. East brings Vanderbilt football and the NFL: 4:30 a.m. workouts, long snapping, repeated cuts, and the corrosion of becoming what coaches call a “plan-B guy.” His most memorable confession is not of failing, but of hedging. During his NFL pursuit, he trains for a marathon before Washington’s off-season program, plays rugby during tryout season, flirts with venture capital, and calls all this strategy. The book is sharp here. Divided commitment is not harmless flexibility. It leaks. Coaches see it. Bodies feel it. A person may think he is protecting himself from disappointment when he is really watering down the thing he claims to want.

Johnson’s scenes have a more tactile charge. A basic gymnastics skill, the kip, becomes an emblem of earned joy. A public, impulsive promise to attempt a 2012 Olympic comeback, made while she is still on crutches after reconstructive knee surgery, becomes a study in the public gravity of being overheard by one’s future. She does not ultimately compete in those Olympics, which makes the story more persuasive, not less. The promise did not produce the desired ending. It did give a lost, injured, post-Olympic self a way back into motion. The book becomes trustworthy when failure remains failure: not waste, not prophecy.

The household images, quieter than the medals, often explain the book better. An espresso machine, bought after Andrew discovers the family coffee-shop spending has become a small-town budget, turns into household engineering: a way to import the morning ritual into the house so marital connection no longer depends on noble intention. Andrew’s father turns tandem-bike rides to school into timed races, then later stacks 473 consecutive days of writing devotionals to people in his construction business. Measurement becomes a love language. Shawn joins a women’s Bible study halfheartedly, withdraws, is gently called back, recommits, then watches the group dissolve just when she has finally made herself vulnerable. The disappointment does not end the desire; it clarifies it. She builds a new circle with more explicit expectations. This is not stonework. It is trellis work.

The sentences move quickly, smile often, and sometimes have one metaphor too many packed for the trip. The book thinks in images: commitment as architecture, greenhouse, bouncer, compass, mast, ledger, doorway, room. Many of these figures help; a few arrive after the reader has already understood the lesson and is looking for somewhere to sit down. The usual chapter rhythm is scene, principle, study, practical counsel, comic aside, summary. It is reassuring and occasionally over-reassuring. Johnson and East like to state the claim, illustrate it, joke about it, source it, then hand it back to the reader in capital letters, just in case it slipped behind the couch.

Still, the humor helps. It works because the authors mock themselves before they instruct anyone else: Andrew’s over-formal “ground rules” email before Shawn moves to Nashville, their early videos with all the ease of people being politely held hostage by a camera, the family’s appetite for tracking nearly everything short of hugs. Jimmy Soni, credited in the acknowledgments with helping shape the project, seems to have preserved their warmth while giving the book a coherent line of travel. This is prose meant to be used, not admired under glass: companionable, funny, repetitive by design, and quick to hand the reader a tool before motivation slips out the back door.

Angela Duckworth’s “Grit” hovers nearby, but Johnson and East are less interested in defining perseverance than in furnishing the room where it might survive. James Clear’s “Atomic Habits” is a useful neighbor, especially in the emphasis on environmental cues and small systems, while Seth Godin’s “The Dip” echoes through the chapters on endings and costs. But “The Courage to Commit” is warmer, more marital, more openly faith-inflected, and more domestic than those comparisons suggest. It is a performance book that keeps wandering into the kitchen.

What the book gives staying is furniture. Go public, but not too early. Choose witnesses who can hold you accountable without crushing the seedling. Arrange the room so the desired action is easier than its rival. Find mentors who can see the future self you cannot yet see. Measure the soft things, not just the obvious ones: family dinners, date nights, calls to parents, thank-you texts. Train belief through mental rehearsal. Count not only the cost of staying, but the cost of starting over. Then practice grace. Self-punishment is a terrible long-term manager and, like most terrible managers, keeps scheduling meetings.

That final term matters. After so much accountability, measurement, public declaration, mentorship, and cost calculation, the book risks becoming a cheerful surveillance system for the soul. “Grace” corrects the pressure. Johnson recalls falling more than fifty thousand times in gymnastics and learning from Coach Liang Chow that every fall was information: good, now you know what that feels like. East describes spiraling after being cut by the Kansas City Chiefs while Johnson helps him look for “the gifts in the mess,” not as sugary consolation but as a way to prevent disappointment from hardening into identity. Self-compassion is not treated as permission to slacken. It is what makes high standards survivable.

The most revealing chapters are “Endings” and “Costs,” because they test whether staying is a virtue or a trap. In “Endings,” the Easts admit that commitment without wisdom becomes stubbornness. Not everything deserves full devotion; some relationships, careers, businesses, communities, and dreams need to conclude. They discuss closing a coffee company, abandoning a poorly prepared subscription-box venture, ending Andrew’s NFL pursuit, and letting Shawn’s dissolved Bible study become the ground for something better. This chapter keeps the book from becoming a slogan in cleats.

“Costs,” however, complicates the matter from the other side. Johnson remembers telling Chow she wants to quit gymnastics. Instead of arguing, he lets her leave and asks what she will replace it with. The fantasy of quitting curdles when she imagines rebuilding trust, skill, rhythm, friendships, and identity somewhere else. East turns down a promising venture-capital job to extend his football runway because leaving then would teach him something about himself he does not want to learn. The chapter’s argument against reflexive fresh starts is provocative and often right. It is also where the scaffolding begins to creak. The authors warn against harmful commitments. They acknowledge that some situations damage health, relationships, and future possibility. But the book’s emotional gravity still pulls toward staying. Some rooms are not classrooms. Some are traps. Some people have already shown courage by leaving.

That creak grows louder because the Easts’ examples come from lives with unusual room to maneuver: Olympic training, NFL systems, elite coaching, entrepreneurial flexibility, public platforms, a strong marriage, a faith community, family support, and enough control over household rhythms to turn values into annual planning rituals. The East Family Vision Setting Method in the appendix is generous and practical, but also faintly exhausting: part data review, part couples retreat, part family constitution, part spreadsheet with a prayer candle. It is the whole book in miniature – intentional, measurable, earnest, resourced, useful, and perhaps too organized for readers still trying to find the kitchen.

This does not cancel the counsel; it narrows its range. The Easts often scale down their advice wisely: start small, make a tiny promise, water the plant, call your mother, read for ten minutes. The conclusion is especially good on this point. It says readers may not be ready. It says commitment is not automatically good in every context. It says wrong commitments can harm. That humility strengthens the book retroactively. Still, work instability, illness, caregiving, debt, unsafe relationships, and institutional pressure can make “stay in the room” a more complicated instruction than the phrase can carry by itself.

The studies are support beams, not the living room. Research on decision fatigue, choice overload, deliberate practice, self-monitoring, visualization, sunk costs, and self-compassion appears throughout. The material is useful, but it usually confirms the stories rather than disturbing them. The liveliness comes when the book translates between arena and kitchen: beam to breakfast, locker room to marriage, yips to environment, streaks to love.

The book lands now not because it scolds the glowing rectangle – though the rectangle gets a deserved side-eye – but because it asks what happens when a life is kept permanently reversible. Its complaint is less about scrolling than about a life lived with one hand already on the doorknob. Its better question is older and more difficult: what are you willing to remain with long enough to be changed by? In a moment fluent in exits and less fluent in forms that help attention become devotion, that question has bite.

For a book about commitment, “The Courage to Commit” is most convincing when it distrusts grandeur. The glory moments are here, but its small mercies linger longer: a child asking strangers questions across a Mexican restaurant because curiosity has become a family value; a public countdown to a football game; a phone placed somewhere else during dinner; a mental routine performed while sitting still on gymnastics equipment; a father’s checkmark on day 473; a coach saying, after a fall, good, now you know what that feels like.

At 83/100, or 4/5 stars on Goodreads, “The Courage to Commit” is strong, usable, emotionally persuasive practical nonfiction, held back from the highest tier by familiar conceptual terrain, occasional overstatement, repetition, and the limits of turning unusually supported athletic and family systems into a portable creed of staying.

The book’s plainest sentence carries its deepest wager: commitment means staying in the room long enough to discover what is possible. It is wise enough, by the end, to add that not every room deserves you. Its better invitation is not to lock the door, throw away the key, and call endurance a virtue. It is to choose more carefully, arrange the furniture more honestly, invite the right witnesses, forgive the inevitable stumble, and remain a little longer where remaining might yet change not only the room, but the person still standing inside it.

[Emily Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m usually not a huge fan of these types of books, but this one was done well! It didn’t feel too cheesy, and the advice actually felt applicable to everyday life. Highly recommend! I listed to the audiobook and loved that it’s read by the authors.

[Olivia Ciotta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a tough one to rate for me.

There were portions of this book I found really valuable and I really appreciated the sections that incorporated statistics and research. I also liked that the audiobook was narrated in tandem by the authors.

There's no doubt that Shawn and Andrew are very committed people. That said, having a former Olympian and former NFL player write this book made it a bit unrelatable for the average person. Not to say there aren't things to take away from it but there were definitely passages I struggled with due to the fact that these aren't just "normal" people writing this. They are elite athletes and super wealthy influencers with a wide breadth of resources at their disposal. Commitment will inherently look different for them due to this reality.

[Books Data · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Courage to Commit: Embrace the Radical Power of Sticking with Something by Shawn Johnson and Andrew East is a practical, encouraging book about choosing depth over distraction and finding more freedom by staying committed to the people, goals, and routines that matter most. The core idea is refreshingly countercultural: in a world filled with endless options, constant comparison, and the temptation to keep everything open, real peace often comes from narrowing your focus and staying with something long enough to let it grow. The authors draw on their lives as elite athletes, public figures, spouses, parents, and builders of a family-centered life to show that commitment is not a burden to escape, but a path to meaning, stability, and joy.

The book is shaped by the authors’ own experiences with pressure, performance, and public life. Shawn Johnson’s background as an Olympic gold medalist and Andrew East’s years as a professional athlete give them a unique perspective on discipline and follow-through. But the book is not really about fame or sports. It is about the deeper lesson both of them learned: the best things in life do not usually happen quickly, and they rarely happen without sustained effort. Whether it is marriage, parenting, work, health, or personal growth, the things that matter most tend to require patience, repetition, and a willingness to keep going when the excitement fades.

One of the book’s main arguments is that modern life encourages a kind of restless uncommittedness. People are surrounded by choices, quick fixes, and the idea that if something gets hard, there is always something newer and easier around the corner. The authors push back against that mindset. They suggest that constantly searching for the next best thing can create anxiety, shallow relationships, and a sense that life is always just out of reach. Commitment, by contrast, asks a person to stay, invest, and build. It may seem limiting at first, but the book argues that this very limitation can bring freedom, because it removes the exhausting pressure of keeping every door open.

The authors use both research and personal stories to make their case. Scientific studies help explain why commitment supports well-being, while their own lives provide concrete examples of what it looks like in practice. They talk about the routines, habits, and values that shape a lasting marriage and family life. They also explore how commitment works in ordinary daily moments, not just in dramatic decisions. That means showing up consistently, creating rituals, protecting time together, and accepting that real growth often happens in the boring, repetitive, unglamorous parts of life. In their view, those quiet routines are not empty. They are the very foundation of a meaningful life.

Marriage is one of the book’s central examples. Shawn and Andrew do not present marriage as effortless or perfect. Instead, they treat it as a living commitment that needs care, attention, and ongoing choice. Their message is not that love automatically solves everything, but that love becomes stronger when it is supported by intentional practices. That can mean setting shared values, protecting time for one another, and deciding together what kind of family they want to build. The book encourages readers to think less about perfection and more about consistency, honesty, and mutual effort. It suggests that strong relationships are formed less by grand gestures than by repeated acts of care.

Parenting is another important part of the book’s message. The authors describe how commitment changes the way people approach family life. Instead of chasing idealized versions of parenting or comparing themselves to others, they encourage readers to embrace the messiness of real life. Parenting, like marriage and work, is full of routines that can feel invisible or tedious in the moment, but those routines are what create safety and connection over time. The book helps reframe those ordinary tasks as meaningful acts of devotion. In that sense, it encourages readers to find beauty in the unglamorous side of responsibility.

The book also addresses the important question of when commitment becomes unhealthy. It is not arguing that people should stay in every situation forever no matter what. Rather, it makes a distinction between quitting too quickly and wisely pruning what no longer serves a purpose. That balance matters. The authors want readers to be thoughtful and intentional, not stubborn for the sake of stubbornness. Commitment is valuable when it deepens life, but it must be joined with discernment. This makes the book feel more practical than rigid. It is about choosing carefully, then honoring that choice with consistent action.

At its heart, The Courage to Commit is an argument for a different kind of success. It suggests that joy, calm, mastery, and lasting connection are not found in constant novelty, but in faithful attention. The book invites readers to stop drifting and start building. It asks them to choose one path, one person, one purpose, and one set of values with courage. That message is especially powerful in a culture that often celebrates speed, reinvention, and endless flexibility. Shawn Johnson and Andrew East offer a steadier vision: the life you want is often on the other side of sticking with something long enough to see it become real.

Overall, the book is an encouraging guide for anyone who feels pulled in too many directions or unsure about the value of staying committed in a restless world. It speaks to couples, parents, professionals, and anyone trying to create a more grounded life. Its tone is hopeful and practical, and its message is simple but strong: commitment does not trap you. It can actually free you to live with more purpose, more peace, and more joy.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having rotated through many things I’ve started and stopped because they didn’t hold my interest anymore or became too tough, I really loved “The Courage to Commit.” Shawn and Andrew make a strong argument for pushing through the discomfort of experiences and sticking with something. Whether it’s work, hobbies, relationships, or new skills, staying even when it’s hard is incredibly valuable for your mind, character, and future. You learn that you’re someone who sees things through and isn’t a quitter. Because, let’s be honest, quitting is easy. But what’s rarely discussed is the cost, both mentally and practically, you pay for doing so. I appreciate that they include a section on knowing when, in fact, it’s time to quit—time to walk away. This isn’t a message of committing at all costs. Not at all. But it’s definitely a rally call and a deep examination of the benefits of committing. The book is filled with personal stories from both their individual lives and their marriage. They know how hard it can be to stick with something when the newness has worn off, or when all you see and feel is failure. But they also know the irreplaceable joy and pride of getting to the other side. Everything they share is supported by research, making the case all the more compelling. They share their own process of identifying what they truly value and what’s worth committing to (because not all things are equal) and how they ensure they’re living in alignment with those values. It’s admittedly intense, but they offer it as an example of what it can look like, and not an exhortation that everyone should follow their example. Overall, it’s a fantastic book that I found helpful and meaningful.

Special thanks to the authors, Portfolio, and NetGalley for the gifted copy

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has long admired Shawn Johnson—not just for her incredible Olympic achievements but for the way she’s carried herself beyond the mat—I went into this book with high expectations… and it absolutely delivered.

The Courage to Commit is honest, vulnerable, and deeply relatable. Shawn and Andrew pull back the curtain on their relationship in a way that feels raw and real—sharing not just the highlight reel, but the doubts, growing pains, and intentional choices that come with building a life together.

What stood out most to me was how grounded this book feels. Despite their public lives, their story is one so many couples will see themselves in—navigating communication, identity, faith, and the evolving nature of commitment. It’s not about perfection; it’s about choosing each other again and again, even when it’s hard.

Their dual perspectives add so much depth, giving insight into how differently two people can experience the same moments—and how powerful it is to work through that together. There’s a warmth and sincerity throughout that makes you feel like you’re sitting down with them, hearing their story firsthand.

This is more than just a relationship memoir—it’s a thoughtful reflection on what it truly means to commit, grow, and build something lasting.

A must-read for fans of Shawn, but also for anyone who values honest conversations about love, marriage, and partnership.

Thank you to NetGalley and Portfolio for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Marissa C · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Courage to Commit, was overall an informative, interesting and thought provoking book.

I felt it gave great advice on how to commit and to push through. It talks lot about when things get mundane, the “honeymoon” phase being over and how people just give up. Commitment is work, just like anything in life. Yes, after a while it doesn’t seem like work, but from time for time there will always be something that makes you question yourself.

I love that in each chapter and breakdown of there theory of commitment that Andrew and Shawn shared their experiences, whether from when they were professional athletes or in the business world.

They also note that ending or leaving something we have committed to is not failure. Sometimes a commitment has run its course, or is not right for your life anymore. That it’s okay to realize that you can’t fit everything into your life without taking away from some other commitment.

Thank you NetGalley and Portfolio for this eARC in return for my honest review. I hope this book helps people realize their potential and all great things that come from commitment.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shawn and Andrew are wise beyond their years in this guide to fully committing to life and its many challenges and journeys. Their personal anecdotes and experiences add depth and insight to each chapter. Whether you are parenting, single or looking for direction and encouragement on how to get the most out of your personal ‘treasures’, this book is an honest deep dive guide that you don’t wanna miss. In our current culture, the message in this book is much needed to help direct ourselves and our children to do the hard things in spite of how messy it feels. Shawn and Andrew nail the landing in Courage to Commit.

[Madison Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a young gymnast, turned gymnastics coach, Shawn was always one of my role models. Now, after 12 years of coaching and currently the “founder” and “head coach” of a small but mighty competition program, a mother, and spouse this book has related to every aspect of my life. After reading the part about committing to getting the kip and how it is a make or break skill, I read it to my athletes. My father is going into a recovery program and is committing himself to healing, I have recommended the book to him.

[Wendy Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️ I listened to this via audiobook. I will be buying the physical copy and rereading it slowly so I can highlight the good stuff. I really appreciate and respect Shawn and Andrew. I have at times not been a fan of their constant influencerness, but over the years have learned to appreciate and understand them better. This books was great. My biggest issue with it was that it is very repetitive which is good for some, but not for me. I don’t know if I would call it life changing, but I do think a lot of people should read it.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adore Shawn, her husband, and their family, and what they share on social media. In the book you get even more glimpses into their past and present lives. I don’t typically read self help books, so I did find some parts to be a bit repetitive at times. BUT it’s all to drive home a message - commitment. They did a great job sharing incredibly relatable anecdotes (with self deprecating humor) and actionable steps to commit, even to the smallest of things. I will be sharing many of the recommendations with my husband and certainly encourage others to do the same!

[Charmaine Elmgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is engaging, inspiring, and practical. Shawn & Andrew thoughtfully curated captivating stories, academic research, and world-class expertise to unlock a pathway of joy, peace, and freedom that is overlooked in today's culture. The Courage to Commit is not only an enjoyable read, but also a tangible guide for decision-making - translating learning into action. Highly recommended for anyone seeking calm direction in this fast-paced, ever-changing world.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will actually read this again!
—————

They learn that learning a skill is one reward but becoming someone who doesn't quit is the bigger one

I never had to make a choice about showing up because the framework of commitment had already made the choice for me.

Mastery hides in the boring parts.

The path to excellence is available to anyone willing to put in the work.

Accept that boredom is part of mastery.

[Taylor Guignon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5. I really liked the message! The book was full of good advice that was researched based and clearly practiced by these two. The advice was practical and easy to apply. I didn't feel like I was being sold on anything but being reaffirmed of techniques I had used and forgotten about and I learned a few along the way. Some of the stories were repetitive and the writing style wasn't the greatest. Overall, solid read!

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a motivational book with amazing insight and input that I will definitely be putting to use in my life to become more committed and be intentional about committing. I truly believe it will have a huge impact on anyone who reads it. I loved the different perspectives it had and the real life scenarios that were used to make things more relatable and understandable. I most read if you ask me!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Shawn’s for her entire career so I was very excited when she announced she was writing this book with her husband. I think commitment and lack thereof is something that is not discussed enough culturally and Shawn and Andrew provide real life examples that even non-professional athletes can relate to!

[Tyler Leech · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very inspirational when it comes to committing to things in today's world as well as reminding people it's okay to stop committing to something too. It gives a reminder to look at values and how they can change in different parts of life. I recommend it to anyone looking for inspiration and if you're a fan of Shawn and Andrew.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and how they applied lessons they’ve learned especially in sports to every day life. The chapter on metrics really spoke to me. I’m good at setting the vague goals but have no idea how to break it down or where to start. That chapter really helped me recognize some better ways I can track and make my goals accomplishable.

[Mikaela Bray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very typical Olympic gymnast/NFL player view on life. I felt like I agreed with the majority of what they discussed, but it also felt maybe a little extra. I’m not sure if I’m just not at the stages in life where I feel their advice to those extremes is necessary but we will see if one day I get there!!!

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy the personal stories that Shawn and Andrew write in their book. The bottom line is the word committ or the word consistent is key to be successful in anything. I liked that they focused on this and not their success or gain but that anyone can be successful. The question is, are you willing to be committed and consistent.

[Delana Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This call to responsibility and maturity was so much better than I expected. These two elite athletes/parents/entrepreneurs have got a lot figured out and they make some great points in their first instructional about relationships, parenting, health and creating your most powerful version of yourself.

[Tess Meade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great audio book option! I was recommending it to people when I was only 40% done. Self help but not in the annoying, “you can do it” way. Practical and applicable. They’re also just a fun couple and you can feel it throughout the book

[Kayla - Idlewildreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! Simple and straightforward advice that can be applied to almost any aspect of life. I was personally very inspired by it. Also, just an interesting read. Great on audio, narrated by the authors.

[Christopher Knowlton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed The Courage to Commit by Shawn and Andrew. It was an easy read and felt very genuine and relatable. I appreciated how open and honest they were about their own struggles, challenges, and experiences in marriage, family, and life in general.

[Acanderfam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book! Very inspiring and fun to read and I especially appreciated all the practical guidance on how to carry out and follow through with commitments. Shawn and Andrew share lots of personal stories, and they both have great speaking voices for the audio version!

[Cassandra Hungerford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much would have needed this in my 20’s. I’m aware now that mastering something requires the boring bits, which is the point of the book. They write it well and have good stories to keep you engaged.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

thought provoking

I loved the personal stories of how and why commitment has worked in the authors’ lives. I appreciate the advice, the encouragement, and the reminders of grace that were given.