I heard this author speak at Global Leadership Summit at my church. I really enjoyed her topic and the time she spent telling her story. I bought this book before it sold out and recommended it to several people. Great book!

Such a great book! If you didn't know the world of ethical fashion- this one is for you! Love Liz's story and how she is a trailblazer for this generation.

I have to be honest--- self-help, #motivationalmonday books are REALLY not my jam. I am eye-rolling, sarcastic retort kind of gal who never did well with team building exercises or journal time assignments.

But since finishing this book I have already found myself applying these principles to my every day life. Because big successful ideas are the culmination of the mundane, seemingly insignificant tasks of the day to day.

No matter who you are or where you’re at in life right now—-I think you're really going to love it and find a lot of #lifehacks you'll want to highlight and remember.

If you want to build a life that makes you excited to wake up every morning, read this book.

Liz tells you the things we all need to hear. She says them in a matter of fact "I've had to realize this too" kind of way, starting with probably the two biggest truths that we grownups have to change from what we were told in childhood- that the vast majority of us are average (and that's ok!) and that we need to stop trying to find our one thing/passion because that may not exist. This would make an excellent gift for the high school or college graduate or any young adult just starting out. If I had read this back when I first entered the real world, it would have saved me a lot of anguish. But as an adult in my late 30's my reaction to the principles in this book has been "wait, really? why did nobody let me in on these secrets earlier?" The principles can still help us older adults challenge some beliefs that we've had for a long time and think and act differently moving forward. Plus, the principles can be applied to any career or path, unlike other books that are written specifically for entrepreneurs.

I closed this book this morning with a quiet but significant “Wow”. I’m not quite sure how this book ended up on my bookshelf. Two weeks ago I read the description on the inside to reveal that the author owns a company that sells beautiful products handmade by college-bound women in Uganda in order to fund their university fees. I was confused why a book written by someone who does such big things would be in the hands of someone (me) that does such seemingly small and average things.

You guys - I want to cry tears of joy after reading this book. I expected to be told to work hard and that my happiness would be dependent on how much effort I put into what I do and if I failed I didn’t care enough about anything. Heavy, right? But that seems to be the theme of every ‘self-help’ book. That is not what this book is.

I was told there is no such thing as ‘finding’ my passion because it’s not under a rock. I was told that good enough is actually good enough. I was told that you can’t have joy without experiencing grief. I was told that I’m average, will probably always be average, and that average people do great things. “Owning your average is actually a remarkably freeing and powerful acknowledgement because being born inherently gifted or above average isn’t a prerequisite to living an extraordinary life.” Can I just say, almost embarrassingly, that I nearly cried reading that because up until that moment I didn’t realize I didn’t have to be the best at something to make a good, valuable impact?!

And then Liz ended with her testimony. And it was beautiful to see how the Lord drew her near to Him at just the right moment. And then set her out on a journey that she wasn’t prepared for but was clearly made for.

I want to buy this for every woman I know. I love Liz’s realness and humor and honesty and for going against the harmful mainstream success narrative and replacing it with Truth.

Part memoir, part self-help manual, this book is exuberant. It's like the most energetic TED talk speaker is hanging out with you. My only complaint was that my digital ARC had some glitches, but hopefully this will be corrected in the final version.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to provide an unbiased review.

Beginner’s Pluck is less about striving and achieving and grasping and more about being courageous and intentional about getting back to who you were created to be.” ⬅️ This quote from Beginner’s Pluck nicely summarizes what this book is all about. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I had the great honor of being introduced to Liz Bohannon during her talk at The Global Leadership Summit and I knew instantly that her message would impact my life in many ways. With chapter titles like, “Dream Small,” “Own Your Average,” and “Stop Trying to Find Your Passion,” Liz successfully separates Beginner’s Pluck from the other so called “self help” books that usually leave us feeling inadequate and stuck. Beginner’s Pluck leaves you feeling prepared and ready 💪🏽 to build a life of purpose. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I don’t have words to express how much I recommend this book to EVERYONE. Even if you think you hate “self help” books, I promise you Liz will impact your life with her words. ⠀

A self help book with tons of humor, heart, and grace.

Bohannon's creative non-swearing will make you feel like you're in an episode of The Good Place with the profanity filter on, and in some ways Bohannon seems at first like one of the ridiculously virtuous people Eleanor meets in the first season. But Bohannon is the real deal.

I wrote a review of another book about how I was troubled by stories of white Americans and Europeans hiring people in less developed countries, and going in (without knowing anything at all about Bohannon) I was afraid I was going to have similar problems with this book. But Bohannon really explains how she dug in and became a part of the community she was trying to help, how she listened and learned and didn't swoop in to save.

There's also a lot of excellent and thought provoking advice. The author is a devout Christian, which I was afraid was going to be a problem for me, but for the most part the thread of the narrative stays on track and with the author's strong and likeable voice, it is an imminently readable book.

Gained a new word for my vocabulary thanks to the title! But seriously, this book was a pleasure to read. Liz's personality comes through so distinctly in her writing and she is very motivational and encouraging. She shares honestly how she put herself out there at times and how it has made her who she is. It was inspirational to hear the story of how she came to start Sseko designs. Thanks for the enjoyable, encouraging read Liz!

This book is powerful, funny, and applicable. Liz is realistic and honest with how she built her business and her life. She takes away the overwhelming big picture of the future, and encourages you to look at what is infront of you and what you can do now. She gives you steps to follow, shares her mistakes and this is must read for anyone who has a dream, big or small. This is a book I will return to over and over.

If you’ve read Rachel Hollis’ books, Beginner’s Pluck is a great addition! Liz is down to earth and I love her stories.

I have followed LIz for several years now and was super excited for this book. I truly enjoyed reading this book .Great advice! Thank you netgalley, for the arc.

What an interesting combination of memoir and encouragement to pursue purpose and impact. It's a fun book for millennials as Bohannon's writing style is right up their alley. She's bold, a little irreverent, has a wacky sense of humor, and certainly speaks her mind. I mean, who else would call Benjamin Franklin Benny Boo Bear?

Her principles for building an extraordinary life of passion, purpose and impact certainly turn lots of inspirational books on their heads. “Own your average,” she says. What? We are not supposed to think of ourselves as extraordinary? Rather, she suggests owning our average is freeing. We don't have to compare ourselves with achievers. We average people can build extraordinary lives, facing our average fears and insecurities. Another one is “dream small.” What? She suggests we dream so small we have no excuse for doing it.

I like her ideas about passion and purpose. They are not something we “discover.” “You don't find your passion and purpose. You build it.” (Loc 804/6236) That's good news for those of us waiting around for that epiphany and sudden insight for our meaning in life. She and her husband built their passion and purpose slowly and with intention. Success and impact didn't just happen. It took living out of their car for six months and lots more.

This is a good book for people wanting to know how their lives can matter to others. Bohannon suggests dream of bridging the gap between what is and what ought to be. Then take a small step. Then another and another.

Food for thought: “If you live your life trying to distance yourself from failure and protect yourself from rejection, you're going to also distance yourself from the life you are created to live, the impact you are made to make, and the unspeakably precious bonds you will create with those who join you.” (Loc 4738/6236)

More food for thought: “You have everything you need to go build an extraordinary life of purpose and impact.” (Loc 5600/6236)

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

This book will, without a doubt, make you rethink everything you know about following your dreams. I had the pleasure of reading an advanced copy and let me tell you, this book is a must for your shelf. It tells the story of how Liz started Sseko Designs, but it also gives you actionable steps to take to find what you were meant to do. In other words, how to find your passion - the right way.

"Something miraculous will happen with you Own Your Average. You will stop only saying yes to the things you think you'll immediately excel in.... you'll become less afraid and more likely to succeed, perhaps wildly, because you truly believe you're just as worthy and likely to build an extraordinary life of purpose and passion as anyone else."

Liz wants you to own your average. And by that, she means she wants you to try anything and everything until something sticks. You don't have to be big and important to do something amazing. You just have to work hard at work worth doing. And there is something so beautiful and important about that.

This book invites you to be curious. To look at the world and think WOW! Because the world is going to tell you that once you "find your passion" you will be happy. But the truth is, you have to cultivate as much WOW as you can because passion isn't everything. This is your permission to dream BIG. To think like money and time are no obstacles and see what you come up with. Before you even try to come up with a how, just start saying WOW.

"And if you want to build a life of purpose and passion, WOW comes before HOW. Every. Single. Time."

I loved reading about the start of Sseko Designs. I loved the nitty gritty details she shared about starting a small business. Like moving to Uganda without a plan after quitting a stable and well paying job that was just okay. Or living out of her car with her husband just to keep selling hand made shoes to keep a promise to three girls across the see. Or finding hope in a stranger in a strange land who barely spoke her language but took care of her in her neediest of moments. There are so many great nuggets of wisdom in this book that I couldn't even begin to share them all. Liz is brave, kind, and full of hope in a way that you don't get to see very often. I think this book is one that you will truly enjoy and want to share with others.

Thank you so much to Liz and her team for giving me an advanced copy. Thank you to the Sseko Designs and Beginner's Pluck community for inspiring me every day. Plucks fly together.

This book is everything I wanted and more! As someone who has followed Liz Bohannon's journey for the last 2+ years, I always hoped she would write book, and she delivered!

I believe, with every fiber of my being, that everyone needs to read this book and that it will make each of our lives and the world we live in a little brighter.

"Beginner's Pluck" is funny, witty, hopeful, inspirational, down to earth, gritty, and realistic. It shares Bohannon's story - both personal and of growing her socially conscious company, Sseko Designs, as a mere example of how to build a life of passion and purpose.

What I love about Bohannon's writing style is that she feels like your best friend who encourages you but keeps you grounded, making it an easy and fun (yet internally challenging) read.. Despite admiring Liz Bohannon in many ways, reading this book makes me want to be the best version of myself while sharing my story - a story that only I can write.. Her words firmly define that each of us has something incredibly unique to offer this world, and the world is better when we share our fullest selves. As I read each word, my head is spinning with all of the ways I can apply her words, story, and advice to my own life. I can feel the light inside of me growing brighter while discovering what small, powerful things I can do to build my life of passion and purpose and leave my mark on the world and those around me - all while feeling Bohannon’s spirit next me to as my biggest cheerleader, pushing me and encouraging me to step a little more out of my comfort zone.

I highly recommend this book to everyone because we could all use a little something to ignite the fire that's burning inside of us. Everyone can and will benefit from reading this book.

As a self-proclaimed “non-reader,” I couldn’t wait to get this book in my hands, and now I can’t wait to read it again to capture every small detail and extract every powerful quote!

I heard Liz Bohannon speak at the GLS this past August and after hearing her talk about pluck and that maybe Beginner's aren't just lucky, maybe there is something about being a Beginner that lends itself well to innovation and entrepreneurship, I knew I needed to read her book.

This book is part memoir (she shares lots of details about herself, her background and personal stories) but even more than that, it's a guidebook on how anyone can build their passion and thus their life's work around that - rather than waiting for them to happen upon their "passion" or calling.

Liz calls us to stop just dreaming and to become curious investigative journalists in our own lives - whether it's working on a solution for an issue or group we care about, parenting, in the marketplace or more. She has us asking and then taking risks.

This is a book for BOTH the dreamers and the doers. This quote stood out to me from liz. "While your WHY will always be the most important, make no mistake about it, the WHAT does matter. If you're not energized at all by the day to day work, you will not make it."

So grateful to the author for giving us her vulnerable and honest story of how she created Sseko Designs, an amazing design/fashion company that is not only doing well in the marketplace, but is creating jobs for women in Uganda as well as jobs/income for women in the US. She did not set out to create this company at the start of her journey, but rather arrived her after identifying a need (jobs for women in Uganda) and becoming curious about the issue, possible solutions, etc. Her principles can be applied no matter where you work or what issue you're seeking to address and that's what I love about this book.

Liz spoke at the recent Global Leadership Summit and I ran to the resource room to snatch up her book. Life has many beginnings, and they are often scary. In this moving, inspirational and practical book, Liz shares her story - not just of building Sseko Designs and all the missteps, challenges and joys that has brought, but figuring out life along the way. From "Dream Small" to "Choose Curiosity over Criticism" to "Be Good with Good Enough" - every chapter is filled with insights and ideas that will help you create your best life and all that goes with it. Whether you are looking to grow personally or professionally, "Beginner's Pluck" provides a springboard - and a community of people ready to cheer you on every step of the way.

Liz's new book Beginner's Pluck is so so good! Liz has a way of telling her story to make you laugh, but more importantly to make you really think about how you look at your purpose in life! She is creative and funny and when you read her book you literally feel like she is your best friend - rooting for you, but also being brutally honest and not sugar coating a situation with "It'll be fine", "you are amazing", or "find your purpose", instead she will tell you that "it will be hard...but worth it", "you are average", and "you need to build your purpose". Seriously - every best friend, mother, and sister should spur each other on in this way - stop living the lies of everything will be amazing and easy! Sometimes it will take grit and struggle. Liz has a way of inspiring everyone to be their best selves! I have heard her speak and she is so real, honest, authentic, funny and inspiring! This book will not disappoint!

Fun, quirky, inspirational, and motivating! More than a self-help, more than a memoir, but definitely required reading. Liz shares her experiences that led her to the conclusion that you don't need beginner's luck on your side, you just need a little "pluck" to take you where you want to go. From reminding us to own our average to dream to attract our team, you will be holding your head high, charging forward into the unknown, knowing you can do anything with a little spirited and determined courage (also known as, PLUCK)!

Beginner's Pluck is packed full of charm, wit, humor, 90s references and practical ideas for building passion/purpose in your life. Liz debunks the myth that your passion and purpose are just floating out in the universe waiting to be discovered and encourages readers to cultivate their passions through pluck (spirited and determined courage.)

Throughout the book, Liz shares the story behind Sseko...a fair-trade fashion line that she began with the dream of sending young women in Uganda through university. Liz is a terrific storyteller and shares the highs and lows she experienced while building her dream. I'm not an entrepreneurial type or what I would call a "big dreamer" but this book has resonated with me in so many areas of my life - marriage, motherhood, vocational ministry, etc. I've definitely been inspired to own my average, get my steps in, make some promises and WOW.