Born to Receive

November 25, 2013
In her latest book, consultant and coach Owen (The Power of Receiving) aims to empower women, whom she sees as emotionally fragile, excessively focused on weight and appearance, and overly dependent on external validation. She offers a different approach for women to reach their goals, reduce stress, and become healthier and happier by using their inner power. Because women often focus on others more than themselves, she encourages readers to tap into their own receptive power, which she calls a “birthright,” to create stability and become whole, balanced individuals. Her titular seven steps include paying attention to feelings and trusting intuition; knowing what one wants; being grateful and saying thank you; and not putting oneself last. Each step gets its own chapter, with inspirational stories and practical exercises aimed at cutting through emotional and physical clutter. While Owen’s approach will undoubtedly help women feel better about themselves, readers may find her initial assessment of women in general as weak, vain, and needy to be off-putting. Readers willing to overlook these insulting generalizations will find valuable insights here.