Begin Within Receives Grant from The Awesome Foundation!
So full of thanks and gratitude! Begin Within has received a grant from The Awesome Foundation to produce an upcoming video they recognize as being "Awesome-worthy". I'm still keeping the…
“Happiness” gets 5 stars in the San Francisco Book Review!
It's always awesome to get a 5 star review from a renowned review source, but this one's extra special. The reason? It's reviewed by my target audience - a 6…
Begin Within Receives Kobo Sponsorship!
Exciting News! Begin Within has Received Sponsorship from Kobo!
I’m so pleased to announce that Kobo has offered to support Begin Within by aligning and offering sponsorship. An ebook is in the works courtesy of the Canadian built company, which will be available fall 2013.
Interview with Tamara on “One Writers Journey”
Penny Lockwood interviews Tamara on “One Writers Journey”, where she discusses her recently published book, and personal writing process.
Tell me a little about your book.
Happiness Doesn’t Come from Headstands is a picture book about a girl named leela who dreams of doing headstands. However, no matter how hard she tries, she’s unable to achieve her goal. She’s devastated by this as we usually are when faced with defeat, but through discovering that having a failure doesn’t mean that “she” is failure, she is ultimately able to find happiness.
This story offers an alternative to the “little engine that could” message that practice makes perfect and that if we just keep trying, we eventually reach a goal. The reality is, no matter how hard we try, we’re sometimes still unable to succeed in life. This book encourages cultivating self-acceptance, compassion and resilience in order to accept, learn and grow from defeat.
What gave you the idea for this particular story?
The story was in part inspired by my own struggle with perfectionism, which I’ve had since childhood and lead to a lack of self-acceptance or self-compassion. These were qualities I’ve had to learn as an adult and continue to practice as best as I can.
The beliefs we learn as children become our core beliefs as adults, so my intention through the work I create is to inspire healthy and empowering belief systems in children from the start, to help them become high functioning, happy, adults.
Wisdom Quarterly American Buddhist Journal offers “Happiness” a plug!
One of my fave Buddhist Blogs encourages it’s audience to check out Happiness Doesn’t Come from Headstands!
“Happiness” has finally arrived!
At long last! “Happiness Doesn’t Come from Headstands” is finally here!
Begin Within is proud to announce the publication of Happiness Doesn’t Come from Headstands; now available for purchase at the NEW BEGIN WITHIN WEBSITE!
Happiness Doesn’t Come From Headstands is a a modern day story about the search for happiness, and one girl’s discovery that even in the face of failure, peace can be found.
Check out sample interior pages, the book trailer, and order your copy of the book at our new fab website (Which I personally designed and would love for you to check out!) Plus, until July 15, in honor of Canada day, Canadians will receive FREE SHIPPING AND HST!
Praise for the book:
For some extra enticement, check out these recent 5 star endorsements on our Amazon page from reviewers below:
The Morning Show on Global with Author Tamara Levitt
Tamara Levitt joins hosts Liza Fromer, Dave Gerry, Kris Reyes, and Rosey Edeh on The Morning Show to discuss the message of her book, and why parents need to be offering children the room to fail in our achievement oriented world.
Kickstarter Campain Success for Begin Within!
I’m thrilled to announce that my Kickstarer campaign for “Happiness Doesn’t Come from Headstands” has been met with success!
Here’s a quick summary of how it went down:
• I raised $16,021 in 30 days
• I had 248 backers from all over the world including Europe, North America, and Asia.
• I was invited to speak about the process and my book in interviews with Bloggers, Global Television, and 1067 FM. Additionally, my own posts were featured on sites such as Huffington Post, Elephant Journal and YogaDork.
Beautifully Organic for Life Interview with Tamara Levitt About her Book and Purpose
Tamara, please tell us about your wonderful company Begin within Productions and how your latest project, the children’s book ~ Happiness Doesn’t come from Headstands~ has been born out of this creation?
My intention in creating Begin Within was to create a space in which to share the tools, techniques, and teachings that have assisted and continue to assist me on own personal path.
I have been writing, illustrating and producing books in which to support others to find the calm within the chaos – at times, a difficult feat. I’ve primarily been developing properties designed to nurture children’s growth, enhancing their emotional intelligence. Children today face daily challenges as they navigate a rapidly changing world. Begin Within offers the support and education to children and educators to inspire their inner transformation.
Happiness Doesn’t come from Headstands is a modern day story about the search for happiness, and one girl’s discovery that even in the face of failure, peace can be found. It’s the first book in a series called Lyle and Leela that was designed to help kids navigate the complex world of today.
Your business message is how to find the calm within the chaos. What does this mean to you and how might we achieve this day to day?
In my own life, I’ve worked hard to deepen my own self-awareness and equanimity as a woman.
To me, finding the calm within the chaos involves deepening awareness and cultivating equanimity. It’s about enhancing self-acceptance, self-compassion and honoring ones limitations and experiences. These are some of the ways to find peace in this roller coaster of a world that we live in and some of the themes of Happiness Doesn’t come from Headstands.
