Unconditional: Break Through Past Limits to Transform Your Future

Lived experience and the science of healing tell the life-changing truth: unlearning is the key to setting yourself free 

In an inspirational, practical self-help book, bestselling author of A Good Wife Samra Zafar weaves together research and personal stories to share how she has broken free of beliefs that held her back, and how readers can too.

After escaping an abusive marriage in her twenties with her two daughters in tow, Samra Zafar thought the biggest challenges she would face would be supporting her family, putting herself through school, working in the corporate world, and rebuilding a support system for herself and her daughters. But she discovered the hardest challenge of all was within her own heart. Her childhood conditioning to criticize her every move paralyzed her from pursuing what she truly wanted, landed her in relationships that held her back rather than lifting her up, and constrained the way she wanted to mother her children. Finally, when she couldn’t take it anymore, she sought help.

In Unconditional, Samra shares everything she has learned, as a woman, physician and mother, about unlearning the harmful beliefs we store deep within ourselves. Through the hard work of digging out past trauma, unpacking faulty ideas that no longer serve you, creating healthier neural pathways, and embracing who you truly want to be, you can learn to love yourself—unconditionally. 

SAMRA ZAFAR is an award-winning, internationally renowned speaker, physician, author and educator. She has been recognized among the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, the Top 25 Most Inspirational Women in Canada, and the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants. Her book A Good Wife: Escaping the Life I Never Chose, based on her journey of escaping an abusive child marriage to pursue her freedom, sheds light on gender-based oppression, and was a national bestseller and a CBC Best Book. One of the youngest alumnae to serve as governor at the University of Toronto, she is currently on the board of the Women’s College Hospital Foundation and a celebrated ambassador for Plan International. She is also the founder and executive director of Brave Beginnings, a national charity that provides mentorship to women who have escaped abuse. Her work has impacted millions and has been extensively featured in national and global media. Samra Zafar’s speaking portfolio includes four successful TEDx Talks and many leading organizations around the world. 

KIM PITTAWAY is a writer, editor and educator with over thirty years of experience telling the stories of survivors of trauma and injustice. She is co-author (with Toufah Jallow) of Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #MeToo Movement, which the New York Times described as “riveting . . . harrowing and propulsive.” She is a multiple National Magazine Award finalist and winner of the National Media Awards Foundation’s Outstanding Achievement Award. In addition to her writing and editing work, she has consulted on communications strategies for human rights in Canada and abroad. Kim Pittaway is a cohort director in the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Non-Fiction program at the University of King’s College in Halifax.