Conversations

Published on April 27th, 2017 | by Jael Williams

Author Cherie Esteves Book Review and Interview: Journey out of Fat, Dumb, and Ugly, Looking for Guests on New Show

(…) A young lady called into the [radio] show and frantically revealed one frustration after another to the doctor and to all of the country. After listening to the caller’s spiel for several minutes, the talk show host, obviously out of patience, stopped the caller short and asked:

“Fat, dumb, or ugly?”

“What? the caller asked.

“Fat, dumb or ugly? Which do you think you are?”

“I don’t understand,” the caller muttered.

“People who make these kinds of choices in their life only make them because they see themselves as fat, dumb, or ugly. So which one do you think you are?”

After a pause, the doctor repeated her question, only slower, as if she were speaking to a two-year old. “So, which one do you think you are: fat, dumb, or ugly?”

After another moment, the caller swallowed hard and, in a weak, defeated voice, said: “I’m fat.”

This was the point of the story where I knew I was hooked.

Book Purpose

Are you tired of living your life according to the labels that have been slapped onto you?

Do you feel you are always pressured to conform to other people’s ideas of who they believe you are?

Do you feel destined to live a life of mediocrity and unhappiness, despite the fact that you know you are meant for something bigger?

“If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you will easily identify with Journey. Journey is a lost and tortured soul on a personal quest to escape the physical, mental, and emotional servitude of the unfair labels, invisible barriers, and dire consequences of a lifetime of decisions made out fear and feelings of inferiority. Journey’s path to freedom is a dramatic, tear-jerking, yet funny roller-coaster ride that beautifully demonstrates how to: Change the direction of your thoughts and your life; Use the power of your pain to discover and serve your life’s purpose; Eliminate toxic relationships and self-sabotaging behavior patterns. You have the power to remove whatever labels have been placed on you. If you know there’s more to you than meets the eye, and you’re determined to break free of a lifetime of painful stereotypes and a mediocre, dissatisfied existence, then this book is your key to opening the door to the exceptional life that you always imagined.” -Cherie Esteves

Background

Cherie Esteves is a non-fictional author who also describes herself as “Creole Peach”. This term concludes the fact that she was born and raised in New Orleans, and is deeply rooted in the rich, diverse culture that surrounds the beautiful city. She later moved to Atlanta in 1989, to pursue her creative passions.

“Since I was born and raised in the south, like a peach, I definitely err more on the side of soft and sweet, but also like the peppery flavor that New Orleans is famous for, I can be a bit spicy though, especially in those areas that I am deeply passionate about,” Esteves says.

Some of her most important causes are God, family, friends, women issues, and the many challenges that are unique to women in general.

“Women are the cornerstone and the anchor of the universe, everything birthed into this world must come through a woman. As mothers, we have the first opportunity to demonstrate for our children, both male and female alike.”

Years ago, I assisted Cherie Esteves with Divine Dish Radio (a local web-based radio show in Atl, GA.) as a Production Assistant Intern. This was not only one of my very first leading initiative roles, but also the start of a mentorship that would last for years.

I have always looked up to her, as she has always had such a “go-getter” mentality, is very genuine, and is a great woman to learn from career wise. So when she told me she had written her very first tell-all novel, it was a must that I got my hands on it. And let me just say, it was worth the read! Every single page was intriguing.

From the outside looking in, it might have been easy to mistake her life for being “perfect”, as silly as it sounds. But this is just a constant reminder that no matter how things may appear to be, you never truly know what a person is going through.

But isn’t that how it always is? Many of us go through things, and put on a brave face. But I strongly believe that it takes courage to step outside of your comfort zone, to tell your own personal grievances and testimonies, no matter what people may think about it. And that’s exactly what Cherie has done with this book.

The Story

In Journey Out of Fat, Dumb, and Ugly Cherie Esteves takes us on a journey – in every sense of the word. Her main character, Journey, is struggling about a split decision she has made to spend her life with an adulterous husband, whom she does not feel truly loves her.

But don’t be fooled, this is not just some Cliché: “he cheated on me and I’m sad about it” story narrative. When reading the story, it gives you insight on why she stayed, and the invisible chains that kept her emotionally stuck to toxic people and situations. In short, it gives you an understanding of why we all stay in situations far longer than we should at times.

This book has a very eye opening way of showing you just how in control you are of your own life, despite labels that may have been thrown on you. It reminds you to vibrate higher, because each and every thought that you have of yourself is controlling your own destiny. And when you feel low of yourself you open yourself up to feeling less than, which leads to letting others mishandle your heart.

I love this book because it’s not what you expect it to be, and in a good way! I encourage anyone that is feeling down or lost in life, and are ready to take their power back, to please read this book. It is good for the soul. It teaches you how to eliminate toxic relationship patterns and cycles of self-detrimental decisions you can make that can severely affect your life.

The author takes us through the process of how she got closer to God, causing her to change her views of herself, which led to her living a better life in return. She changed her thoughts, as well as her faith; therefore her life changed.

The most profound element of the story in my opinion is the way it shows you how no one in the world is in control as you are of your own life, and rips apart this illusion that others have the control of affecting or harming our lives in any way. It ends with spectacular revelations, that will leave you at peace knowing that it is possible to create, and shape your life through your own belief systems.

The progression of the protagonist in the story will make you feel a deep-rooted connection to her, like you are rooting her on as she finally starts to set herself free from the invisible chains that have once kept her self-esteem down for so long.

I can’t express my love for it enough, honestly. All I can say that it a must read for anyone feeling lost, misunderstood, misused, etc. You can purchase the book on Amazon here.

Best Book Quotes

“One day I realized I was my own jailer.”
“He would always be coming home to me. As if I was winning some sort of prize or something. I must have sounded so ridiculous. And I didn’t realize it as the time, but I was reciting the “doormat”-catchphrase.”
“If you trace your steps and find the place your pain first began, there you will also find the thing that you are most afraid of. When you discover that thing, whatever it is, I challenge you to muster the courage to reintroduce yourself to your worst fear.”
“If we sit passively by and do nothing, like an ostrich with our heads in he sand, life will simply make our choices for us.”
“Making intelligent decisions that render good results are not born out of emotion, but out of peaceful, balanced, cerebral thought.”
“Yesterday has passed and tomorrow has not yet come. The decisions that we make today create our reality of tomorrow.”
“I was forever playing the part of the fun-loving extrovert, but I was secretly afraid that someone would see through me and discover the fat, ugly, socially awkward person that I believed myself to be.”

Customer Reviews

“This book is outstanding! The evolution of the characters makes you take a close look at yourself, and encourages you to do what is needed to be your best in spite of what may or may not be the perceptions of others. The mindset of the characters in this story are more free for their experiences, just as you will be upon completing this awesome read!” – S. Scott

“An eye opening revelation of the invisible forces that constantly attempt to steal, kill and destroy true self and as well as drown authentic dreams, hopes and desires we were born to express in this world. Journey offers readers mental emancipation from fear and distorted labels by way of awareness, acceptance , enlightenment; and empowers to move forth. Excellent book club discussion material!” – Yvette D.

“In a world where we as women often don’t see ourselves as beautiful, strong and worthy, Journey the main character shows us that us that through faith all we have ever needed to be happy, whole and complete already exists in each of us. This is an intriguing and inspirational book. You’ve got to read it!!” -Kathy Warner

“I would recommend this book to anyone that’s ready to take that Journey to change their life for the better spiritual. It is very inspirational. Loved it.” -Michael A.

Author Interview

Q: In your book you discuss how “brainwashing” is the key to a breakthrough, can you explain this?

A: The term brainwashing actually means to radically change a person’s thoughts, through an inducing and unpleasant stimulant. But when I speak of brainwashing in my book, I’ve chosen to redefine it a bit and added a different twist to its meaning. I believe that the single most valuable thing that we have are our thoughts. Our thoughts determine the destiny for our lives. Everything that we’ve ever accomplished, started with a single thought. Our thoughts chart the course for our lives. So it’s extremely important that we monitor them closely, making sure that we remove the negative thoughts that we are subject to consciously, and subconsciously. Because we are exposed to the messages we absorb from our surroundings. But it’s not enough to simply remove those thoughts, we must fill that space with a strategic thought or idea of our own choosing. It’s very important that we create the right image in our mind because we will gravitate towards whatever image of ourselves that is most prevalent in our thoughts. Therefore, the thoughts we focus on must line up with the goals and changes we are wanting to implement in our lives. It’s like bathing, we wash away the grime and dirt that we’ve accumulated on our bodies every day, and replace it with a cleaning solvent, usually one that has a scent we’ve selected that we would like to smell like. It’s unfortunate that most of us give more thought to washing our cars, or taking a shower, than we are about controlling the types of thoughts that we allow into our minds, (which have the power to control and reshape the destiny of our lives).

When it comes to sharing your struggle, do you have a particular audience in mind who you are trying to get through to?

I think that anyone can relate to the struggle of being misjudged, wrongfully labeled, battling with low-esteem, and the longing to escape dysfunctional relationships. But primarily, I believe that my audience is female. And women of all ages can relate to the struggle of dealing with the pressures that society imposes on us, to maintain unattainable images of perfection, and the body shame and degradation we deal with from society and ourselves. Most times, we inevitably are unable to achieve those impossible goals.

What was the “wake up call” for Journey in all this? The moment she felt that things needed to change?

The wake up call for Journey came when she looked in the mirror, and realized that she no longer loved or respected herself. Somewhere along the way, she totally lost herself. She had compromised her standards and morals too often, seeking the approval and love from others that she should have first developed and sought in herself. She realized that she had given away so much of herself, until the person she saw in the mirror became unrecognizable to her.

Can you speak on turning your pain into passion and what that means to you?

I believe that we have all been placed here on earth for a specific purpose. Everything about us is a strategic design: from our physical appearance, to our race and gender, and even the family we were placed in, all play a huge part in our destiny. Many times, circumstances or events that occur in our lives are so difficult or painful, we wonder how they could have been a part of God’s master plan for us. But often times these are the very circumstances that push us into our destiny. For example, a mother loses her daughter to a drunk driver, and becomes impassioned about preventing needless deaths associated with drunk driving and forms MADD-Mothers against drunk driving. And starts saving millions of lives through drunk driving awareness and prevention. There are hundreds of examples of doctors whom have been inspired to find cures for diseases, because of the pain of losing a loved one. And don’t forget about the beautiful and thought provoking music that is born out of some sort of tragedy, or painful experience. There are many such tunes out there that fit this description, but one artist dedicated an entire compilation of songs to this theory and entitled it “Lemonade”. Beyoncé speaks of how she turned the pain of a rocky marriage, (and heartbreak caused by a cheating husband), into a multi-million dollar, triple platinum, award winning record. I believe that we all have a pain inside of us that is intricately connected to our purpose, and is the key to catapulting us into our destiny and to becoming the highest form of ourselves.

Towards the end of the story you experience a “paradigm shift”, explain?

The paradigm shift came when Journey realized that she needed to make some significant changes in her life. The pain of living in dysfunction became greater than the fear of letting go of the familiar. She had to move forward to the unknown, and of doing the work it would take to make some permanent changes in her life. She realized she had to “brainwash” herself to reshape the image that she had of herself in her mind’s eye. She implemented the process I spoke of, by replacing the negative thoughts with positive thoughts, it helped shape her into the person she wanted to become. She figured out who she wanted to be, and found thoughts that supported her vision. She reinforced those thoughts multiple times a day with words, actions, and by eliminating the negative people in her life. Then replaced them with a new loving, accepting, and positive support system. Through this paradigm shift, Journey realized her own self-worth. She found the unconditional love, strength, and acceptance inside of herself, that she had sought in others for so many years. This was the point when the paradigm shift truly occurred.

Currently Looking for Guests on her Upcoming Show (Atl Only)

Esteves is gearing up for her upcoming radio/web-based show called Journey Into Something New. This is somewhat of a sequel to her novel, but a more positive and hopeful message of what comes after “the storm”. The show will be located in Atlanta, GA. and is currently looking to start booking guests!

Description: We are now booking guests/talent for the first season of the weekly lifestyle reality series,radio/web based TV podcast show that films on location and in studio. Our segments demonstrate unique perspectives and approaches to overcoming life’s obstacles, accomplishing goals in creative ways.

This show celebrates open minded concepts and new ideas. We engage our web audience with live, on the spot audience, with real, straight up, raw, un-cut questions that invoke stimulating conversation. The show is filmed live each week in studio and out on a various locations.

Qualified candidates should be charismatic and have an interesting personality and stage presence. Selected candidates will also appear in reels created for standard network TV consideration, currently in production, as well as other projects. We also promote our show by use of many engaging marketing concepts. Future consecutive appearances will also be possible. So if you feel your story is worth telling and you fit our candidate’s description, please apply by email, for consideration as a guest or regular talent on of our show.

Breakdown (how to apply):

Non-union Radio TV and web series

Filming Location: greater Atlanta area and various U.S locations as required

Airs Weekly

Episode Length: 60 minutes

Schedule: Varies

Calendar: Filming throughout 2017

For more information on how to be a guest on Journey Into Something New, please reach out via the email in the flyer below.