“The most positive uplifting speaker I’ve seen in a very long time! I’ve been in the field of psychotherapy for years and believe in the “help thyself then help others” so I like getting personal insight and Lisa does it in a way that leaves you feeling like you have been replenished and ready to take on your new world! If you get a chance, bring her to your work, company picnic, go to any of her venues, however you can see her…Do it! You won’t regret it! Enjoy!”

Lisa Bien is a natural-born teacher, mentor and friend. It came as no surprise to me that she decided to share her story of “bouncing back” to help others who could benefit from her tribulations and triumphs. Lisa gave me my first job in Public Relations in 1996, where we worked side-by-side for an elite agency in Philadelphia. It was there that I first witnessed her capacity for kindness, strength and friendship. Her ability to foster friendships over the years has always boggled my mind. Despite kids, husbands, careers – Lisa manages to keep healthy, rewarding friendships. A woman with endless energy, Lisa is a fighter. Not one from the streets. Her battles are of the heart. Her loyalty and pride are her ammunition. And in the end, as she notes in her book, she learned that it is within yourself that you find happiness, contentment and the glory of winning.

“Life Happens: Bounce Back!” is a wonderfully woven, from-the-heart motivational read…Lisa tells it how it is, an easily identifiable style to which any age group can relate.

She recounts her life experiences with raw honesty and shares her pains and joys with no holds barred, because her mission and hope is to be a catalyst for positive change for anyone struggling to figure out who they are, what they want out of life and how they can get there. This book is not good enough….it’s GREAT!

I have always known Lisa to be positive and encouraging, motivating and honest, and more than anything, genuine in her desire for others to succeed. Lisa was candid about her moments of weakness. She didn’t hide her low points. She was never too proud to be defeated, but she was too strong to let a failed relationship, a lost job, or broken friendships overcome her. As a young woman, I admired the braveness and candor of an active and successful married mother of two who seemed to be living a perfect life. She had the husband, the job, handsome and well-mannered sons and a full social life. But unknown to many, she was unhappy. Knowing yourself and being honest with yourself is a feat, and a scary one at that. Lisa not only faced defeat, she embraced it, learned from it, and grew from it. When I had my own moment of failure, turning to Lisa for insight offered instant clarity. There was no quick fix for my problem; as Lisa said, “what’s done is done.” But she helped me see that it wasn’t the earth-shattering, world-ending issue that I was making it out to be. By speaking to her, I had come to terms with how low I was feeling and moved on. We had a plan of action in place and what felt like such a negative, quickly became a win-win. In the grand scheme of things, my problem was minor. But by owning it and facing it with Lisa’s help I was able to “bounce back.” And you will too.

During my short 24 years, the women I have carefully watched, even imitated, tend to linger around and eye up the decisions in their lives – the leaps of faith – that taunt the consciousness with one resounding and ever open-ended question: “What if?” What I love about Lisa and her commitment to bouncing back is her staunch determination to never just ask the question, but to discover every possible answer. When I first met the one and only Bien, I was standing on that exact precipice, asking “What if?” but not daring to take a step further. Lisa was brazenly, painfully honest when she asked me what I was afraid of, and she struck a perfect balance with her unconditional support and demand for “better” when all my answers fell short.

We so seldom step back from the canvas of our lives to observe, feel, evaluate and assess what we have thus far created for ourselves. We are so afraid to erase the parts we have come to dislike, resent and suffer through, for fear of “rocking the boat” or failure. But when a woman like Lisa Bien writes a book like this, and puts your own brush back into your own hand once and for all, it is irresistible to not only ask “What if?” but to start imagining, sketching, and creating the life you want, all over again.

Lisa teaches us that self-love is the landscape upon and before which our lives and the best versions of ourselves are built. When she encourages us to bounce back, she reminds us that our lives are always and continually ours to claim – at any age, at any phase, and with all our unique and vibrant colors. Thank you, Lisa, for pioneering this message; may it always serve as a testament to the human will and the very best life still to come.