“If I can’t use this to help people, then what did it happen for?”

Those words came from Dr. Haley Arias years ago, sitting in Atlanta as a young woman grappling with her father’s death by suicide. She had already lost her brother at age 11, and now faced another devastating loss that left her feeling completely powerless.

But what emerged from that darkness would become her life’s work—and now, a powerful chapter in The Wisdom Collection that’s touching readers around the world.

The Message That Wouldn’t Stay Quiet

Dr. Arias’s chapter, “Forks in the Road: Finding Choice in Grief,” centers on a profound truth: even when life feels utterly out of control, we still have small choices we can make. Using the metaphor of forks in the road, she illustrates how these seemingly insignificant decisions can become the building blocks of resilience and healing.

“Even when you lose someone you love, it feels completely out of your control,” Dr. Arias explains. “We still have small choices we can make. And I think that really is a through line… it’s that choice of reframing, that power of reframing.”

This isn’t just professional insight—it’s wisdom born from lived experience. Dr. Arias has walked through the valley of devastating loss twice, emerging with hard-earned understanding about how we navigate grief, trauma, and major life transitions.

From Children’s Books to Adult Wisdom

What makes Dr. Arias’s journey particularly compelling is how her message has evolved. She recently published a children’s book about using imagination in grief and healing, which received an overwhelmingly positive response from families experiencing loss. When the opportunity arose to contribute to The Wisdom Collection, she saw it as “divinely timed”—a chance to dive deeper into her own journey and honor not just her professional expertise, but her personal experience.

“It was really a chance for me to even dive deeper into and honor my own journey through grief, not just as a professional and not just on the coaching side of that, but someone who’s lived it,” she reflects.

The Power of Authentic Messiness

One of the most striking aspects of Dr. Arias’s approach is her embrace of authenticity over polish. Through the writing process for The Wisdom Collection, she discovered something liberating: “I realized how unpolished I could be and just putting something on the page… this is giving me the confidence to say, yeah, it’s okay that it’s messy. Just like I try to tell other people, right? Grief is really messy.”

This revelation transformed not just her writing, but her entire approach to helping others. She found that people don’t want perfection—they want authenticity. They want to know that someone else has walked through the messiness and found a way forward.

A Message Ready to Soar

Dr. Arias describes herself as standing “right there on that edge” of fully embracing her calling to share this message with the world. After years of working quietly with individual clients, she’s ready to step into a broader platform. Her chapter in The Wisdom Collection represents a pivotal moment—not just in her career, but in her willingness to be vulnerable on a larger stage.

“It’s time to show up or shut up,” she says with characteristic honesty. “And this book has given me the opportunity to really… let’s show up.”

Your Message Matters Too

Dr. Arias’s story illustrates something we see repeatedly at Summit Press Publishers: the most powerful wisdom often emerges from our most difficult experiences. Her journey from devastating loss to life-changing insight reminds us that our struggles aren’t just personal—they’re preparation for the lives we might touch through sharing our truth.

If you’ve walked through valleys that have taught you something valuable, if you’ve discovered insights that might help others navigate similar terrain, your voice matters. The world needs your unique perspective, born from your specific journey.

The Wisdom Collection: Stories That Transform How We Live, Connect, and Lead releases June 24th. Dr. Arias’s chapter on finding choice in grief is just one of many powerful messages waiting to inspire and guide readers through life’s challenges.

Ready to share your own wisdom? Contact Summit Press Publishers by hitting reply to learn how your message could become part of our next transformative collection.