You Deserve the Truth: Change the Stories that Shaped Your World and Build a World-Changing Life

From a millennial media maker and award-winning social critic comes a guide for a generation paralyzed by the pressures of life to use the power of story to build bold, new lives. Behind the glossy Instagram pictures, many people in their 20s and 30s are living frustrating lives: overwhelmed and confused, anxious and inauthentic, exhausted and afraid. They are leading lives that, unbeknownst to them, have been shaped by everyone but themselves--and by everything but the truth. From social media to the workplace, the stories that they have believed have left them constantly seeking a better life but rarely ever finding it. Erica Williams Simon recognized that this was a recipe for disaster. At 27, she abruptly walked away from her career as a rising political media star to find her own truth and a truth that would help others finally build a life worth living. She got "story smart," rejected the lies that the world had taught her, and rewrote the ideas that have the power to shape a generation. You Deserve the Truth is a masterclass in how to challenge the narratives about fear, work, identity, success, love, and life that millions have been taught. Each chapter includes lessons learned during Erica's yearlong "hero's journey" and a career inside the highest levels of politics, media and tech. Part memoir, part self-help, this guide provides a blueprint for anyone seeking a new way to live and change the world.