Whatever happened to Iyanla Vanzant?

New York Times best-selling author’s triumphant rise from the ashes

 
Bookcover and author Iyanla Vanzant

New York, NY (BlackNews.com) — In the 90s, Iyanla Vanzant (pronounced Ä“-YÄN-lä) emerged as one of the nation’s most beloved personal growth gurus. As a popular guest on Oprah, millions read her books and thousands gathered to attend her standing-room-only inspirational talks. Internationally renowned, Vanzant was fulfilling her mission to support others on their journey to personal empowerment.

Outwardly, Iyanla was the epitome of self-confidence, however, deep inside, her soul grieved as her carefully crafted world began to crumble and fall to pieces. Vanzant recounts the last decade of her life in PEACE FROM BROKEN PIECES: How to Get Through What You’re Going Through (www.SmileyBooks.com, Hardcover, November 15, 2010, ISBN: 978-1-4019-2822-3, $ 24.95). Peace lays bare the painful truths and private tragedies that defined her journey – from the price she paid for success during her meteoric rise as a TV celebrity on Oprah and Iyanla, to the dissolution of her 37-year relationship with the first man she had ever loved, and her daughter’s death from cancer on Christmas Day. Part metaphorical teaching story, part wrenching personal chronicle, this phoenix rising-from-the-ashes tale is about men and money, love and work, mothers and daughters, life and death, and the patterns and pathologies that families pass down through the generations – until someone gets clear enough to break free. “No matter how famous you are, how much money you make, or how ‘big’ you become in the eyes of the world, none of us is immune to the challenges of life and being human,” writes Vanzant. Iyanla’s story is everyone’s story.

As she investigates her family history and how she navigated the treacherous and often unconscious, self-destructive patterns, she discovers that she not only lived these inheritances, she passed them on to her own children. In the face of Vanzant’s uncompromising examples, readers are prompted to hold up a mirror and examine their own lives in the context of the family they were raised in. “If we dare to recognize our harmful family patterns and legacies, we may be able to help succeeding generations avoid or circumvent them,” says Vanzant. Vanzant explores:

* How her personal lie threatened to rob her of everything, including her spot on Oprah
* The roots of her dysfunctional family tree and its pathological patterns
* How her longing for her absent father left her in perpetual pursuit of the wrong man
* The uphill battle she faced on Iyanla, the show produced by Barbara Walters, and why it may have been destined to fail from the start
* The toll the illness and death of her beloved daughter Gemmia took on her and the amazing spiritual lessons it demanded that she learn
* Why she could not save her fairy-tale marriage
* When faced with bankruptcy and foreclosure, how she turned loss into gain
* The steps she took to heal generations of family trauma Courageous, poignant, and straight from the heart, the unforgettable story of Iyanla’s determination to find peace amidst the fragmented pieces of her life will inspire anyone who refuses to be defeated in the face of adversity.

Iyanla Vanzant is the founder and executive director of Inner Visions International and the Inner Visions Institute for Spiritual Development. The author of 13 titles – including five New York Times bestsellers and the Inner Visions CD Series – she is the former host of the television series Iyanla, and former co-host of the NBC daytime reality show Starting Over. She is a 2010 Black Girls Rock! honoree recently celebrated on BET’s national awards show. The proud grandmother of eight currently resides in Maryland. View a personal invitation at: http://youtu.be/kPpsekeS1t8 To arrange an interview with Iyanla Vanzant, please contact Kira Citron at 646-484-4963 or kcitron@hayhouse.com.

About the Book
PEACE FROM BROKEN PIECES: How to Get Through What You’re Going Through
by Iyanla Vanzant
ISBN: 978-1-4019-2822-3 / SmileyBooks Hardcover, $24.95