For fans of Terrible, Thanks for Asking, a revelation that we don’t need to fit a square peg into a round hole to reach our higher selves.

It’s about time somebody said it: the self-help industry can be exhausting. Somehow, we’ve convinced ourselves that the only way to reach our higher self is by meditating every day, curating the perfect, kick-ass morning routine, and filling journal after journal with our manifestations. We can do everything right to try to fix ourselves, but often nothing clicks the way self-help gurus tell us it should.

Wellness coach and advocate Michelle Garside has seen it all—as a recovered bulimic, alcoholic, and addict, she has not only survived, but created an extraordinary life through radical truth-telling. In (NOT) Awakened, she recognizes that to build the life we picture when we think of our “higher selves,” we don’t need to bury our flaws under a pile of self-help practices. That can be just as destructive as our habits that landed us at rock bottom in the first place! Rather, we need to own the parts of us that we have been taught are shameful.

Weaved with Michelle’s laugh-out-loud, heartbreaking, and candid personal stories, (NOT) Awakened will show you that if you think you’ve experienced countless failures in attempt to reach a spiritual awakening, you’re not alone. You’ll learn the most applicable, self-loving practices for accepting (and celebrating) your shame.

Even if it doesn’t feel divinely orchestrated, you’ll find that you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be—all while embracing life’s most delightful imperfections and letting yourself just be.