Abandoned at age 15, Sam Bracken battled homelessness, poverty, and abuse to successfully earn a full-ride football scholarship to the Georgia Institute of Technology. When he left for college, everything he owned fit in an orange duffel bag.
Now, in this award-winning illustrated memoir and road map to personal transformation, Sam shares his story as well as everything he’s learned about overcoming the odds and radically changing his life so that you can create positive, lasting change of your own. With My Orange Duffel Bag, you’ll have the inspiration, motivation, and tools to realize your potential and achieve your dreams.
"In this one-of-a-kind book, Sam Bracken lays out a step-by-step approach to change through sharing his own remarkable journey from victim to conqueror. This book is a must-read for everyone who wants to leave their baggage behind once and for all and become the change they seek!"
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- Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Hightly Effective People
"I spent five years with Sam Bracken at a time of Transformation for him. His is a stunning story of courage, resiliency, and servant-leadership. We would all do well to read and heed his powerful message."
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- Bill Curry, NCAA football coach and former NFL player
"This book is the must-read book of the year. It represents everything I believe in."
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- Kathy L. Murphy, founder of The Pulpwood Queens, the worlds largest book club
Guts
Sam Bracken’s backstory would make Dr. Phil turn tail and run. During his childhood, he suffered years of abuse and was even set on fire by a relative. What didn’t kill Bracken made him stronger. And he is now on a mission to bring self-empowerment to others—to realize a life of grit and grace.
This book is about achieving a purpose-driven life. You’ll have to push past failure again and again. And it is also about beating the odds no matter how high they are stacked against you. To be a true leader, you have to start with yourself.
"As a former college quarterback myself I know how tough it is to make the team even with plenty of advantages. Sam Bracken had no advantages, but he went from being a hopeless street kid to a champion college football player. In this insiteful book, he illustrates how success in life is less about talent, wealth, or good luck, and more about guts. And having Guts is a choice anyone can make."
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- Sean Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens and The 6 Most Important Decisions You'll Ever Make
"I've spent 30 years helping people learn to have "Crucial Conversations." Sam's book is about the most crucial conversation you will ever have -- the one you will have with yourself. We all have a voice deep down inside of us-- down in the GUT-- a guiding voice that can let you know if you are doing what's right in life. This book will help you prosper by connecting with that ennobling voice."
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- Joseph Grenny, New York Times bestselling author
"Your GUT very rarely leads you down a wrong path, yet going with your GUT can be the toughest choice to make because it makes you live outside your comfort zone. It takes real GUTs to live your life from your place of passion. Sam has hit the nail on the head with this book, giving all who read it a path to find and reach their own personal greatness regardless of their circumstances."
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- M. Todd Stansbury, VP and Director of Athletics at Georgia Institute of Technology
Unwind!
This book by Michael Olpin, a top-notch stress expert, and Sam Bracken, a no-longer-stressed-out writer, stands out from other books on stress management in one significant way: its “whole-person” approach.
Unwind! is about optimizing your body, heart, mind, and soul, recognizing that any and all of these dimensions of your life affect your anxiety level. It helps you get clear about who you are as well as your priorities and goals. The authors show you how to take charge of your life and how to make better choices that will prevent stress in the first place.
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“There has never been a time of so much noise, distractions, and stress, which is why the book, Unwind, comes when we need it the most. This timely and practical guide teaches us how to avoid the stress response, live in the moment, and find purpose and meaning in the journey.”
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- Treion Muller, The Modern Learning Architect
