When Life Knocks You Off Your Happy: Facing Challenges For The First Time

Apparently, books can collect bling. Winner of the Firebird Book Award, the Literary Titan Book Award, the International Impact Book Award, plus 7 first-place wins, 2 honorable mentions, and a shiny “Best Quote” nod, earning me the title Champion at the Outstanding Creator Awards. I’m blushing. The book isn’t. Thank you to everyone who read my book and took the time to leave a review. You are my heroes. All the awards were based on the judges' reading of the eBook version. (Plot twist: only the print edition includes the 100-page bonus section!) I’m extra proud that the core chapters did the heavy lifting and still brought home the shiny stuff.

When Life Knocks You Off Your Happy: Facing Challenges for the First Time with BONUS SECTION is a heart-centered guide for children ages 9–13 who are navigating the big feelings and unexpected moments that life throws their way.

While adults reading alongside may remember when they faced these life lessons for the first time, young readers will find reassurance, insight, and the language they need to understand and express what they’re going through. From feeling left out to facing disappointment or making difficult choices, this book helps kids build emotional intelligence and resilience with compassion and clarity.

Through relatable scenarios and gentle guidance, readers will learn how to:

• Recognize and name their emotions

• Communicate more clearly in tough situations

• Be a better friend, student, and family member

• Understand that challenges are part of growing up—and they don’t have to face them alone

To support readers of all learning styles, this book is also available as an audiobook—perfect for kids who have trouble keeping pace or staying focused. Listening while reading along helps improve attention, comprehension, and academic skills, making this an even more powerful tool for growth.

Perfect for parents, teachers, and counselors to read with children, When Life Knocks You Off Your Happy offers meaningful conversation starters and tools to help kids feel seen, supported, and strong, especially when life gets complicated.
What was the inspiration for writing this book?
Let’s just say… if awkward childhood moments were an Olympic sport, I’d be a gold medalist. Every story in this book is inspired by real challenges I stumbled through as a kid, without a user manual, a life coach, or even a mildly interested adult in sight. I didn’t write this book because I had it all figured out back then; I wrote it because I didn’t. These stories are what I wish I had when I was trying to navigate weird vibes, social disasters, and confidence black holes with nothing but a pencil and a snack pack. If this book can help one kid skip the overthinking spiral or dodge a shame-filled ninja star, it’s done its job.