In this post, I am reviewing Darleen Santore’s new book, The Art of Bouncing Back.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links. This comes at no additional cost to you.
Fast Facts
Author: Darleen Santore
Publication Year: 2023
Genre: Non-Fiction / Self-Help
Page Count: 208
Total Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
It’s not often that I pick up a book (especially non-fiction) and find myself completely obsessed, but that’s exactly what happened with The Art of Bouncing Back, by Darleen Santore (or Coach Dar).
In this book, Coach Dar explores this idea of “flow,” how it gets lost when you face setbacks, and how to get it back when you’ve lost it. (If you’re a 90s kid like me, think of “flow” like Kuzco’s groove in The Emperor’s New Groove.)
Whether you’re currently facing a professional or personal setback, OR you just want to be prepared for next time (because no matter how hard you try to prevent setbacks, they can’t be stopped!), you need to read this book. For me, The Art of Bouncing Back book was an absolute game-changer, and I am so excited to talk about it in this post.
Official Overview
Find out how world-class athletes and leaders survive defeat and come back even stronger—and how you can, too—with the blueprint from the coach who helps set them up for success
With apologies to Benjamin Franklin, there are actually three things in life that are certain: Death, taxes, and the fact that sometimes, life will throw you a gut punch. Coach Dar has seen a fair share of calamitous situations in her 25+-year career, from major league players suffering slumps and season-ending injuries to executives floundering professionally and experiencing financial devastation—plus her own setbacks like three strokes before the age of 45 and the loss of both of her parents.
As a mental skills coach whose clients have included professional athletes, top CEOs, and world leaders, Coach Dar specializes in helping the best of the best get up and get going again after suffering serious setbacks. In The Art of Bouncing Back, she shares these proven strategies and techniques for the first time ever so you can ensure the obstacles and setbacks you face quickly morph into setups for your next success.
You’ll discover how to pour a strong emotional foundation, accept feedback (the right way), connect with your “Why-Power,” and create your own bounce-back environment. Every chapter provides a blueprint that helps you learn more about yourself, so you can identify the exact pivot you need to push forward, start reframing your setbacks, and cultivate the strength you need to handle future adversity better.
Packed with tons of strategies that have proven successful time and time again and exercises to help you achieve the life-changing results her clients see, Coach Dar’s The Art of Bouncing Back is exactly what you need to see that the adversity in your life can create opportunities from any setback.Apply the lessons in The Art of Bouncing Back to increase your confidence, emotional intelligence, agility, and resiliency—and build the business, career, and life that’s within you. Or that you’ve envisioned.
From Barnes & Noble
“The Art of Bouncing Back” – My Review
There is just so much good to share from this book that I don’t even know where to begin.
Without going into too detail, I picked this book up for a reason: I was facing some personal setbacks, I was struggling to overcome them, and nothing I was doing, reading, or trying was helping me make much headway. When I came across this book, I thought maybe, just maybe, with Coach Dar’s background in sports psychology, and my background in being an athlete, she’d be able to speak to me in ways other people and books had not. And oh my gosh, that hunch was so correct.
From Page 1, Coach Dar had me hooked.
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The Art of Bouncing Back does such an amazing job blending psychology and Coach Dar’s own professional experience with the carefully-selected case studies (and vulnerable personal anecdotes!) she includes. Her writing is super digestible, conversational, and easy-to-follow; at times, the book reads like you’re speaking with a good friend. This book is jam-packed with information and never once in a way that left me thinking to myself, “Huh? I need to go read that again.”
Mainly, the book revolves around Coach Dar’s Nine Principles to overcoming setbacks and finding your “flow” when you lose it. These include (in my own words):
- Acknowledging that sucky things happen, and no matter how hard you try to avoid “sucky” things happening to you, you will never fully prevent them;
- Understanding yourself and what makes you click;
- Encouraging, asking, and accepting feedback from others;
- Determining your why;
- Optimizing your bounce back environment;
- Improving your Emotional Intelligence;
- Reframing setbacks;
- Building your “grit” muscle;
- Moving on.
These nine principles are clearly laid out and expanded upon through simple journaling exercises she recommends and sprinkles throughout. Because I like to consume books as quickly as possible, I tend to be a speed-reader (and normally, I’d never stop reading to journal and respond), but I slowed myself down this time to do the journaling exercises, and I feel like it made my understanding of the book that much greater.
If you are someone who loves reading up on psychology, mental wellness, and/or self-improvement, I could not recommend this book to you more. I’d also recommend this book to anyone who’s facing a setback, whether professionally or personally. Coach Dar will have you thinking and reframing (honestly everything) from the moment you start reading, and you won’t be able to put this book down.
Order Your Copy Now!
Are you ready to plan your Bounce Back, or are you just curious to know more? If so, order your copy here!