The Rise: An Unforgettable Journey of Self-Love, Forgiveness, and Transformation

by Danette May

From near bankruptcy to creating her own multimillion-dollar business, an entrepreneur's inspirational journey of listening to her soul's voice calling for her to rise.

Raw and richly authentic in its ups and downs, fitness entrepreneur Danette May's deeply personal memoir is a clear calling to unlock the power we each possess deep within our souls. After the tragic loss of her son and a marriage that ended in divorce and near-bankruptcy, May found herself questioning all that she had been and all that she thought she could be. But even through the shambles, she began to hear a voice inside telling her it was time.
May never predicted that her journey would take her to a world bikini competition, to a sacred healer in Costa Rica, or through a re-examination of who and what home was. And she definitely didn't know it would lead to establishing her own international business, touching the lives of millions of people around the world. Yet it was her soul's calling that led her there.
By embracing her own radical truth, May was able to unearth the self-love and forgiveness she needed to connect with her greatest self. And with an accepting and forgiving embrace, she calls for you to rise to be the you that you are meant to be.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Personal Development, Biography, Spirituality

208 pages, Paperback

Published December 31, 2019

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you believe me or not, this book called to me from the shelves, and I completely understand why. I was standing in line to check out at Barnes and Noble (hello, book haul!) and saw that over in the corner by the check out was the self-help section. I typically am not much of a self-help guru, but have been trying to live a more positive and mindful life so thought I would just check it out real quick to see if they had anything that caught my eye. There on the shelf (out of place and alphabetical order) was "The Rise." The cover was beautiful, I picked it up, and the rest was history. I absolutely could not wait to get home and dive into this book. I jumped in with two feet and didn't look back. This book was raw, and emotional, and was like pouring cold water on my senses and brain. I feel like I "woke up" by the end and the fog was lifted. I am a very hands on person, I like to have things laid out in front of me so I can see how they will work and this book did just that. As a reader, I followed Danette through her trials and tribulations and was able to watch her manifest this beautiful life out of doing things that every single one of us are capable of doing daily. I woke up this morning (after finishing the book last night) with a clear mind, full heart, and ready to take on the day with positive affirmations. This book is nothing short of a guide, and I believe, that it will allow me to live a more mindful, positive, life by doing what Danette has outlined. If you ever question yourself, need a pick me up, or are just feeling a little lost, pick this book up and allow it to help you find yourself.

[Taylor Denham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! Real. Vulnerable. Inspiring. Just what I needed.

Loved Danette’s vulnerability, her stories, her perspective and her writing style! Great for anyone looking for an inspiring self development book that you can binge read vs self love workbook.

[Vivian Herrero · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very easy and beautiful read about self awareness, improvement and the power of the woman connection. It is truly motivational and makes you want to be better in mind body and soul! Highly recommend.

[Lovely Winters · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book had some great principles so for that I gave it four stars. The part that was a stretch and I keep seeing in books is to stop doing everything and travel the world to find peace. While we would love to do that in reality some of us have responsibilities. Responsibility to our children, parents, friends, and yes ourselves. I would love for someone to write a book about finding joy while going to work. Incorporating the vast majority of our life struggles and finding a way to make it work. FYI this is not that book. Again some great wisdom that I will use but it will have to fit into my current life, not the one where I take a year off and travel the world on islands to find myself.

[Cathie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though the summary of the book starts out with weight loss information and I wasn't looking for that, I still wanted to read this book and so glad I did. Her story of personal growth and her life perspective was different from other books like this I've read, which really made it interesting for me. I'm thankful she shared her story, it is really helpful and inspiring.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing!! I highly recommend it!! It's very inspirational!! Danette teaches you to rise with her!!

[LaVerne Booton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved The Rise! I have been following Danette’s healthy lifestyle program for a couple of years now. She is so enthusiastic and inspiring- and cute/beautiful. I never guessed all of the struggles she had encountered. So many of them resonated with me, either through personal experiences or those of close friends. Danette believes that weight loss and a healthy lifestyle is a mind-over-matter situation. I totally agree BUT the book is about so much more. It’s raw and Danette bares all of her emotions. I will read it again soon. . .

[Jennifer England · Rating 5 out of 5]

Go Danette. You just have to feel the inspiration a book like this gives. I actually listened to the audio version of this on my Hay House Unlimited App. Goodreads hasn't listed an audio version so I put this under Hardcopy. I am always amazed how a person can RISE from a traumatic situation. Danette you did some amazing things. I especially like the contest you entered. That took courage and I feel that was the big turning point for you. When you did this you can do anything. Excellent.

[Lia Hamel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book has some great approaches and interesting aspects. The writing, the way the author tells her story, seems honest, you understand what she is going through and emphasize with her feelings. However, sometimes especially later in the book things got a little too spiritual for me. I enjoyed the whole idea of "listening to your soul" but like I said, sometimes it just was a little too much. Still a great book though!

[Debby · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some excellent tools throughout the book, but be wary of some of the philosophies. When the author left her religion, she embraced many others, in part, and lands somewhere in hedonism with a tag of unconditional love. It ends with ultimately the message of self-love being more important than anything and not denying yourself pleasure of any kind. Because of the last chapter(s), I would also not recommend it for anyone under 18.

[Sharlyn Zimmerman-Tollefson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it an easy read, relating to several things that the author went through and felt through her journey into her own inner Goddess power. Easy to relate to, she had me in tears at times as I could literally feel the pain that she was experiencing and captured so well. Thank you Danette for your inspiration and for revealing your journey in such honesty.

[Alesya Corsett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you have or have not been to retreats this book makes you stop and ponder. Vulnerable and raw, it’s coming your way... Danette paints the picture in full color and is not cutting corners in a sake of being “modest”. It’s not that book. It’s a shake up to trust your gut, to listen to your intuition, to cut out the bs noise. Grab it. Read it.

[G. Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful journey of self love. I wish there was more details about her journey and hardships. Most details were just skim of the surface to paint a baseline for what was being written but no further in depth details. Overall great book.

[Victoria N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book! Great reminders as well as fresh perspectives on how to take control of your life and stop worrying about what others think. This is a book I would actually buy for my bookshelf because I loved it so much!

[Hollymac45 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really great look at persevering through times and finding a way to break though the ceilings that we imagine are in our lives.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book to read for anyone beginning on their awakening journey. It was specifically empowering from a single moms perspective as there is not a lot of content out there on that.

[marg lines Lines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish I had her discipline! Very good story that a lot of women can relate to. Lots of good insights!

[Naila Saadi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially I thought this is one of the marketing gimmicks so often used to sell a product/service. It didn't seem so. Perhaps because I could relate to it at so many levels.

[Droxsan Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciated Danette shared her very personal journey. So inspirational!

[Sophie Jessup · Rating 4 out of 5]

Empowering feminine book

[Ellen Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational.

[Jackie Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal development book on overcoming obstacles

[Madison Krieger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the kind of book I typically read but enjoyed the story!

[Victoria Yaczo · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites. A story of overcoming what you’ve been taught to live how you want.

[Amy Doeun · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this book more stars I would. I really enjoyed it, it is life changing.

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part memoir and part light introduction into different spiritual practices. This book is about a religious woman's emancipation from who she used to be, someone who followed the rules and expectations, to someone owning her own truth. It's quite a good story including the part where she participated in a bikini competition and how that supported her own growth. Her descriptions about motherhood were quite touching as well including how she lost her son. It's honest, raw, storytelling at its best.

[Michella Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspiring partly because she is so truthful and shows what she has been through. Wish the book went a bit more into how she cane around and struggles later on that she encountered. I could really relate to a lot in the book. Very quick read because of it flows very well. Definitely inspiring.

[Elena · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book started so off great, with some well-written stories, but ended up being confusing, privileged, repetitive, and an advertisement for her products.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful! The raw truth of life but an inspirational twist to harsh times..... I will listen to this again.

[Stephanie Fournier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Danette May has had an incredible and profound impact on my life over the past year. I am eternally grateful to her for sharing her philosophies. This book not only summed up everything she stands for but went a step further. She shared herself with her audience and the story of her own personal “rise”. Thank you Danette!