I Believe in Everything: A Memoir of Illness, Motherhood, and Magic

by Jen Dary

At thirty-five, Jen Dary's life flipped upside down when a routine MRI uncovered a lemon-size brain tumor. A stressed Silicon Valley coach and mother of two, she closed her business, weaned her youngest, and braced for brain surgery-all while calling forth the dead, chasing psychics, and digging for old Bibles in the attic.

What followed was a wild journey of healing, humor, and unexpected magic. As spiritual forces stirred in the hospital and beyond, Jen found herself confronting everything she thought she knew about life, faith, and fate.

From the chaos of brain surgery to the challenges of parenting, from building a coaching business to leaning into a newfound spiritual safety net, this is a story of resilience and revelation. I Believe in Everything is a sincere, smart, laugh-out-loud memoir about the mysteries that shape us, the love that sustains us, and the courage it takes to believe in the impossible.

260 pages, Paperback

Published January 8, 2026

Reviews

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jen’s story is at times heartbreaking and sobering, but it all is infused with her humor and joy. I know I will returning to this book again and again.

[Elizabeth Sabol (Dipert) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jen Dary’s voice is impossible to ignore. She brings humor, honesty, and a fearless curiosity to her storytelling that immediately draws you in. Her ability to talk about big, life-altering moments with both depth and levity is what makes this memoir feel so compelling. She doesn’t shy away from the strange, the scary, or the uncomfortable—and that openness is what makes you want to keep turning the pages.

If you’re looking for a memoir driven by a strong, authentic voice and a story that promises both heart and insight, this is a book you’ll want to read.

[Pamela M. Overman · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my fastest reads in years; Jen writes with such clarity and presence that I woke up one morning after going to sleep reading _I Believe in Everything_ briefly uncertain of if I was scheduled for brain surgery myself. Beautiful, sweet, and true.

Thank you for sharing this part of your story with us, Jen!

[Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

It made me feel less alone.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not sure how I stumbled upon Jen’s work (I am pretty sure someone gave me her name after I gave a tech talk around empathy in leadership, something like “Hey, you’d like this leadership coach who also believes humans should be humans!”), but I’ve been a subscriber to her newsletter throughout several years and couple of work emails. I admit I follow quite a few of these leadership thought partners, and I don’t always read their newsletters closely. I’m nothing if not supportive of badass women, and while I knew Jen had a brain tumor removed previously, I preordered this memoir mostly blind. I picked it up this evening and then sat engrossed for the new few hours, reading speedily (while crying from page 44 on).

I’m not sure how to describe this book. The subtitle describes illness, motherhood, and magic, and I’d agree, but I also felt resilience, grief, anger, gratitude, and belief. Jen clearly believes in a higher power (“The Bigness”, she calls it), and feels closer to God/The Bigness post-craniotomy. But from someone who is not a believer (raises hand), I viewed her story less around faith, since it’s so personal, and instead through the lens of community: she was so supported by family, friends, random tech companies, colleagues, and former students. Her story was that community, of hope, of helpers, and of abundant love.

If you’re looking for a well-written, captivating story of a resilient mother who faces unexpected health challenges with positivity, determination, and gratitude, pick this up. If you need a book that straddles hope and wonder with a heavy dose of reality, pick this up. And if you want to cry your eyes out in honor of Levi, a man you only know through beautiful words the several pages he’s mentioned in this book, pick this up. May we all live in honor of those we loved who did not get to live a life as long as we have.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s a question living quietly at the center of I Believe in Everything, what does it mean to live a good life? Not survive one. Not manage one. Live one, with your eyes open, your assumptions loosened, and your arms wide enough to hold the unexplainable.

The author doesn’t announce this question. She earns it. A lemon-sized brain tumor at thirty-five strips away the scaffolding most of us mistake for the building itself, the schedule, the business, the illusion of control, and what’s left is both terrifying and, somehow, luminous. She doesn’t respond with tidy resolution but with curiosity, calling on the dead, sitting with psychics, digging through attics for old bibles….

What stayed with me long after the last page wasn’t the tumor, or even the recovery. It was the quality of her attention, the way she learned to hold mystery without needing to solve it. There’s real philosophical courage in that. In a culture that rewards certainty and speed, choosing to believe in something you can’t prove, staying curious rather than conclusive, is a countercultural act.

I came away wanting to live more deliberately. To ask better questions of ordinary days. To resist the reflex of rushing past the things that can’t be explained and might, if I let them, change me.

This is one of those rare memoirs that isn’t really about what it’s about. It’s about the much harder, much more important work of becoming awake to your own life.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10 recommend this tender, funny, warm, REAL book.

I had a feeling this book would be up my alley. Stories about Big Scary Things and how ordinary people endure them always draw me in, and this one absolutely delivered. I spent much of the book nodding along, rooting for Jen, and laughing with her. Her writing is just so good: sharp, funny, observant, and incredibly relatable. I could picture every scene so clearly it felt like I was right there with her.

What I did not expect was how deeply seen I would feel when it came to spirituality. Jen somehow puts words to the curiosities and wonderings about spirituality and “Bigness” that I have felt for a long time but never quite had language for. The way she approaches it feels open, exploratory, and refreshingly nonjudgmental. Her articulation of something so abstract felt like permission to sit with the curiosity and wonder of it all. I honestly have never read anything that captures how I feel about spirituality quite like this.

I came for the story, but left feeling reenergized and a little mystified by Bigness in the best way. I want more, more, more from Jen Dary!

[Amen Adera]

I believed every part of this book because it was written with such honesty, vulnerability, and emotion. Nothing felt forced or exaggerated. Jen Dary shares her journey from discovering a life threatening brain tumor to experiencing a spiritual awakening in such a raw and authentic way that I felt deeply connected to her story.
What made the book especially powerful was how she balanced both the medical reality and the spiritual experiences without trying to convince anyone of what to believe. She simply shared her truth with sincerity and openness.
I also loved how she found meaning in ordinary moments and reflected so honestly on life, faith, motherhood, and healing. This book left me feeling inspired, hopeful, and deeply moved.

[Courtney LeBlanc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Believe in Everything will make you believe -- in yourself, in the universe, in friendship, in family, in science, in medicine, and maybe, in some higher power. Jen Dary takes the reader on a journey of the scariest time in her life: a lemon-sized tumor in her brain and the surgery to remove it, and then her recovery. I was enthralled in this story and could not stop reading. The writing is compelling and engaging and Dary tells her story with the perfect balance of hope and humor, truth and terror, whimsy and wisdom. You're right there with her as she navigates the brain tumor, the surgery, the recovery, the entire magical story. Highly recommended.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s probably five dozen memoirs every year from white ladies who had some life-threatening illness they beat. I read this one and I think you should too.

I know Jen from elementary, middle, and high school. You might think that’s why this pulled a perfect rating. Nah; plenty of people I know make bad art. I support the good stuff.

I Believe In Everything is solid. It has a thesis, delivers on it, and doesn’t get dull at any point. Reading about Jen’s journey is going to make you think a lot about yours, and you’re not going to like the thoughts you have.

That’s why I loved this book.

[Vince · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I Believe in Everything" by Jen Dary is not only a memoir, but also a manual for how to navigate a crisis with grace and humor. This is the best book I have read this year. Jen takes us through her brain tumor diagnosis, her battles at the brink, and her journey home. She is both strong and vulnerable and open to whatever angels or magics come her way. On the corporeal side, this is a heartwarming story of how family, friends, doctors, nurses, acquaintances and (former) strangers worked together to help Jen win her life back.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN! Since the pandemic I've had trouble reading one chapter of a book at a sitting. Jen Dary's shimmering, engaging, heart-and-soul-touching memoir kept me reading until the first night I was halfway through and within two days I was finished and happy/sad it had ended--I wanted to read more!
The author brought her experience to life in vivid scenes with a voice that feels like a dear friend. You'll be changed after reading this book - inspiration abounds!

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Believe in Everything: A Memoir of Illness, Motherhood, and Magic by Jen Dary is a fantastic book! She writes about her journey discovering a brain tumor, removing the tumor and recovering from the surgery with humor, grace, courage and profound strength. Jen had me crying and laughing from the moment I opened her book until the very end. It is such a powerful book of faith, love, and determination. I encourage all to read this personal story and learn from it.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raw, honest, and compelling. IBIE is a polished and accessible story about one young mother’s experience navigating the brain tumor journey. Jen’s personal transformation—her signature curiosity and openness to possibilities—will prompt readers to wonder what enlightenment they can take away from the challenges they face. I am honored to witness this story.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Believe in Everything is a riveting and unflinchingly raw memoir. This page-turning account evokes deep empathy and hope, offering inspiration and encouragement as the author courageously shares her profoundly personal journey through a brain tumor and her faith. The memoir is beautifully and impeccably written.

[Emily Schumacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jen’s book retells her story— an incredible (and still unfolding) journey. This story is stitched together by themes of resilience and inner strength, also explores greater themes of God & spirituality. Jen’s writing is approachable and relatable. This book is beautiful, and inspiring. It’s magic✨

[Indra · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the very first chapters, I Believe in Everything captures the long, disorienting wait for answers inside a biased medical system with startling clarity. As someone who’s lived that diagnostic limbo, I felt deeply seen. Jen Dary’s writing is vivid, resonant, and quietly poetic. She gives language to an experience that’s so often dismissed or misunderstood.

[TJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not expect a book about a young mother’s battle with a life-threatening brain tumor to be this enjoyable! Jen Dary’s voice is vivid and readable, and her story is equal parts terrifying, inspiring, and, surprisingly, laugh-out-loud funny! A very impressive debut book that is almost impossible to put down.

[Katel LeDu · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most moving, inspiring, and entertaining memoir I've read in a very long time. Jen Dary effortlessly weaves together vivid recollections from her life's story with insights and observations that can only be earned through deep reflection.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jen writes with authenticity and clarity about a very difficult life experience. You feel all her emotions alongside her as you read - devastation, confusion, loss, hope, humor, love and humility. Yet somehow it’s never too much. You will get sucked in and want to read it all in one sitting!

[Aubrey Lear · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Believe in Everything is a raw, unfiltered glimpse into what it means to be alive, to survive, and come out on the other side of change. This book is for moms, those going through illness, those navigating change, and everyone else. You'll laugh and cry, and you won't want to put it down.

[Sheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jen’s story takes us quickly to the moment where her life changed, and she speaks as would a friend about being middle-aged, a mom to young kids, and how life throws you curveballs. It’s a zippy read where not a page goes by without making you laugh, or cry, or both. Loved it.

[Alvaro Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The resilience, love, and humanity woven throughout the story are truly inspiring. Jen narrates her most intimate feelings and experiences in a way that makes the reader feel deeply immersed and part of her journey.

[Rachel Fleishman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book managed to make me laugh and cry throughout, sometimes within the same paragraph. You will be rooting for Jen and her family all the way through. It feels very real and relatable, but also punchy with a unique voice.