Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Well-Being

The 2025 Mind and Spirit Long List for Spirituality and Enlightenment
The Mind & Spirit Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Spirituality and Enlightenment Non-Fiction. The Mind & Spirit Book Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring Spirituality, Enlightenment, Self-Help, Mindfulness, Well-being, Meditation, Energy, and more.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from all 2025 Mind & Spiri Non-Fiction entries to the 2025 Mind & Spirit Book Awards LONG LIST. Entries below are now in competition for 2025 Mind & Spirit Short List. The Short Listers will compete for the Semi-Finalist positions. Finalists will be selected from the Semi-Finalists. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC26).

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 28 CIBA divisions’ Finalists.

We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 18th, 2026 in beautiful Bellingham, WA sponsored by the 2026 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2025 Mind & Spirit Book Awards novel competition for Spirituality and Enlightenment Non-Fiction!

Join us in celebrating the Long List authors and their works in the 2025 CIBAs.
- Amy L. Bernstein – Wrangling the Doubt Monster: Fighting Fears Finding Inspiration
- Andy Becker – “Grandy Let’s Play!”: Reflections on the Joy Blessings and Wonder of Grandparenting
- Andy Chaleff – Dying To Live: Finding Life’s Meaning Through Death
- Anne Jeppesen – When Life Came Knocking
- Charlotte Swift – Glow Up: Self-Love and Spirituality for Teens
- Cheryl Lynn – Washing the Inside of the Cup: My Journey of Walking in the Spirit
- D. H. Hutton – Drums of a Distant Tribe: a Son’s Message From the Great Beyond
- Danielly Kaufmann – The Age of Digital Spirit
- Diane Marie Taylor – I’m on Assignment: an Alternative View of Past Lives, the Impact on Our Current Lives, Soul Mates, World History, and the Akashic Records
- G.W. Evans – Heaven’s Hill: Meeting Your Loved Ones on the Other Side
- Dr. James Manning – Deeply Human the Science and Soul of Emotional Healing
- J.D. Pincus Ph.d. – The Emotionally Agile: Brain Mastering the 12 Emotional Needs That Drive Us
- Julianna Lindsey – Radiant Longevity a Physician’s Protocol for Living Your Best Life
- Keith and Erin Ramachandran – Mental Health, Strong Marriage
- Lara Sanderson – Mātrikā’s Muse: a Journey To Awakening Through the Senses
- Linda A. Lavid – Personal Archetypes for Stress Relief: a Holistic Guide
- Marie-Eve Dawood – Jesus Shrank My Dating Pool: Holding Out for a Godly Man When It Feels Like You’ve Missed the Boat
- Marti Tote – A Whisper in the Wings
- Natalie Saar – Becoming 1 Better: 100 Simple Changes To Improve Your Life 1 at a Time
- Paul O’Neill – Letters To a Young Teacher: Wisdom for Those Who Guide Others
- Rev. Robyn Accetturo, Lcsw – I Am the Reluctant Messiah and So Are You
- Stavo Mustang Craft – Auto Antenna: an Enchanted Guide To Santa Fe & Vague Blueprint To the Cosmos
- Terri Harford – New Body, Old Soul
- Timeout A. Taumu – The Magnificence of the 3
- Tyrone Polastri – Dancing on the Edge: Moving Through Life with Power, Dignity, and Effectiveness
Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

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We will also be promoting this list in our Newsletter, which you can sign up for here!

Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2024 Mind & Spirit Awards is:

Naked in the Now: Juicy Practices for Getting Present

By Marijke McCandless

See the full list of 2024 First Place Mind and Spirit Winners here!

We are now accepting submissions into the 2026 Mind and Spirit Book Awards for Spiritual Non-Fiction.

Please click here for more information.

Winners will be announced at the 2025 CIBA Awards Ceremony that is sponsored by the 2026 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

April 17 – 19, 2026! Save the Date for Registration!

Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.

Join us for our annual conference and discover why!
November 12, 2025
The 2025 Mind and Spirit Hall of Fame for Mindfulness and Enlightenment

Looking for Balance in your Life?

The Mind & Spirit Awards are here for you

***Enter your book today***

Mind and Spirit Non-Fiction

At the heart of the Mind & Spirit Awards is a celebration of transformation and enlightenment. It embraces the power of words to uplift, inspire, and guide, creating a ripple effect that resonates with readers on a soulful level. This division acknowledges the significance of the mind-spirit connection, delving into the realms of spirituality, mindfulness, well-being, and self-discovery.

Let’s celebrate the Grand Prize Winners of the Mind and Spirit Awards

Naked in the Now: Juicy Practices for Getting Present
By Marijke McCandless

Naked in the Now: Juicy Practices for Getting Present offers a playful yet impactful guide for those seeking vitality and inspiration. Through short, refreshing practices, readers explore vulnerability, authenticity, and self-compassion, fostering deeper connections with themselves and others. By committing to just minutes of daily practice, this book cultivates sustainable awareness and self-inquiry, rejuvenating one’s sense of vitality and joy. With an emphasis on mindfulness and emotional intelligence, it provides accessible tools to shift mindsets and embrace the present moment with curiosity and delight.

Buy it here!

Psychological Secrets for Emotional Success
By Dr. Kelly Rabenstein

Do you often feel that you sabotage your personal and work relationships? In Psychological Secrets for Emotional Success, Dr. Kelly Rabenstein teaches readers exactly what psychological techniques will help them strengthen and maintain their interpersonal connections.

Dr. Rabenstein is a licensed psychologist offering her extensive knowledge of how to make sound, conscious changes in mindset and perspective to help you thrive in relationships across the board. If a person can thrive, then they can be fully authentic to themselves and to those who surround them.

Psychological Secrets for Emotional Success follows the structure of thoughtful explanations and emotional explorations, followed by insightful exercises at the end of each chapter to help readers understand and improve both their workplace culture and personal interactions. These questions reveal where we stand and how to develop a more balanced life.

Dr. Rabenstein lays out the deceptively simple key to emotional success: a combination of awareness, education, and empathy.

Read More Here

A Sky of Infinite Blue
By Kyomi O’Connor

“It’s my armor,” Kyomi O’Connor realizes, as she sees herself continuing life as normal after her husband dies of cancer.

Grief brings with it many companions: childhood trauma, memories of difficult seasons of life, triumphant moments of growth, epiphanies, healing, love. In A Sky of Infinite Blue, Japanese immigrant Kyomi O’Connor allows grief to open her heart to the lessons of her past.

In particular, she recognizes emotional armor that since childhood, she has built up, torn down, and built up again. Through her relationship with her husband, her devoted Buddhist practice, and her trust in her “Self,” Kyomi makes meaning of her life and redeems her darkest memories. Readers walk through these memories with her as the book shifts between past and present.

Kyomi is deeply guarded as a child.

She struggles to deal with her family’s dysfunction, gradually learning to distance herself emotionally as a means of protecting herself. She fashions her armor, wearing it for years. But, after immigrating to the US, she finds a reason to begin taking it off.

Read More Here

Enlighten Up
By Beth Gibbs

Beth Gibb’s Enlighten Up! Finding Clarity Contentment and Resilience in A Complicated World is not a simple how-to book, but rather an invitation to begin a journey of self-discovery.

This journey follows the “five-layer method,” based on the Upanishads, a 3,000-year-old East-Indian wisdom tradition. After a quick history lesson on the pursuit of self-awareness, Gibbs walks readers through the five layers of achieving it, for a happy and fulfilling life. Throughout the book, Gibbs includes breaks for mindfulness and grounding exercises to get the most out of each section.

Gibbs writes about the assumption that the goal of enlightenment is to, “suppress or eliminate their emotions, live everlasting bliss, and face every situation with equanimity,” and how that assumption is unrealistic.

Read More Here

Exit The Maze
By Dr. Donna Marks

Exit The Maze: One Addiction, One Cause, One Cure by Dr. Donna Marks is a welcoming and comprehensive enchiridion of untapped wisdom that offers a step-to-step guide to getting out of any form of addiction.

No one sets out to become an addict; it catches us off guard. An addiction can happen quickly or slowly and can affect anyone regardless of intelligence, social class, ethnic group, or religion. With pitch-perfect prose, Dr. Donna Marks invites readers into the root causes of different forms of addiction, while offering pragmatic and evidence-based solutions that are bound to yield results.

Buoyed by the personal experiences of the author along with numerous case studies, Dr. Marks further offers deep insights into the inadequacies of traditional treatment models. For example, she notes that most rehab centers lack adequate staffing and overstep the limits of their capabilities. Another example is the famous 12 steps of fighting addiction which she believes do help to stop a behavior and develop a solid support system, however, she also sees that the program falls short.

Read More Here

Now that you’re set on your next reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of Mind & Spirit Winners is to submit today!

Those who submit and advance will have the chance to win the Overall Grand Prize of the CIBAs and $1000!

Be Part of the Legacy: Join the Illustrious Roster of Winners

As the deadline for the 2025 Mind & Spirit Awards arrives, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the exceptional achievers.

Seeking avenues for your non-fiction prowess? Explore all our Non-Fiction Divisions that provide platforms for various genres and styles.

September 26, 2025
The Mind & Spirit 2024 First Place Roundup for Spirituality and Enlightenment

The Mind and Spirit Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Enlightenment and Well-Being Non-Fiction. The Grand Prize Winner, Marijke McCandless’s book, Naked in the Now, will be promoted for years to come in our annual Hall of Fame article, as well as be featured on the Mind and Spirit contest page year ’round!

The best part about being a Chanticleer Int’l Book Award Winner is the love and attention you get all year ‘round!

The 2024 Mind and Spirit Winners were announced at the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference in April, and you can see the official winners post here!

Join us in celebrating the 2024 First Place Mind and Spirit Winners!

Shari Biery – It’s Your Turn: How to Rediscover Yourself, Prioritize Your Well-Being, & Thrive with Purpose

Also a Chanticleer 2024 Military and Front Lines First Place Winner!

Are you feeling buried under the demands of supporting your spouse, family, and the chaos of daily life while your own needs fall to the bottom of the list?

As a midlife woman, it’s easy to always put others first, leaving little time or energy for yourself. But now, It’s YOUR Turn to break free from the overwhelm and reclaim your life.

In It’s Your Turn, Shari Biery—a National Board Certified Purpose and Well-Being Coach and former military spouse—shares her personal journey from self-neglect to self-empowerment.

The moment she received the American Flag at her husband’s retirement ceremony marked not just the end of his career but the start of her own new chapter. After years of putting everyone else first, Shari made a powerful shift, and now she’s here to guide you in doing the same.

Through relatable stories and actionable steps, Shari shows how common it is for midlife women, especially those supporting a spouse and family, to feel overwhelmed and disconnected—and how to overcome these challenges.

From Chanticleer:

The detailed and actionable guide, It’s Your Turn by Shari Biery, encourages women to reclaim the time and space they deserve in life from the slow creep of demands like home, childcare, and supporting a spouse’s career.

To help women take “their turn,” much of this book is devoted to slowing down: why, how, and when to do it. Even its conversational writing style is an invitation to do so. It’s Your Turn leads readers to reflect, assess, and make effective changes in their lives. This isn’t a quick-hit self-help book, but a meditation for navigating midlife flux amid marriage and family responsibilities.

Biery draws on her own experiences living through many challenges frequently encountered by modern women. She struggled most with balancing personal needs and family responsibilities. Biery’s own needs and dreams long fell by the wayside in favor of managing her household and supporting her husband with his career in the military. With It’s Your Turn, she hopes to share her process of reclaiming those needs and dreams and reclaiming her well-being.

It’s Your Turn is loosely organized around Biery’s “C.A.L.M. method.” Through Clarity, Awareness, Learning, and Mindset, she teaches women how to carve out necessary space for themselves.

Read More Here

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Damien Fozard- Disbelief

Manuscript

Eileen Marlowe – The Call to Connect with Spirit

Author and artist Eileen Marlowe is an Indigenous Chipewyan from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. She invites readers to learn from her journey of spiritual identity, to forge connections with spirit and leverage them to transform your life. Through the symbology of dreams and the vibrant colours of her abstract art, Eileen shares her experience of dialoguing with her spiritual guides. Her practices of daily meditation and her efforts of becoming the director and architect of her own life are embodied in the themes of the artwork throughout.

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Anne Kiehl Friedman – Higher Love: A Psychedelic Travel Memoir of Heartbreak and Healing

Her entire life, Anne Friedman chased everything that society told her she should want: Marriage. Professional achievement. Thighs that didn’t touch. But all that got her was depression, anxiety, and disordered eating. Little did she know, her world was about to be turned upside down.

When her fiancé dumps her without explanation, she buys a one-way ticket to Costa Rica in search of answers. But what she finds there is beyond anything she could have imagined.

Through a spontaneous psychedelic experience in the jungle, Anne discovers three simple words that bring her peace. And in Amsterdam, on magic mushrooms with her dad, she has a series of visions that allow her to let go of the self-blame for her broken engagement.

But this is just the beginning of her journey. In Higher Love, Anne takes readers on a globe-trotting search for healing through psilocybin, ayahuasca, LSD, and cannabis. As she travels through the Netherlands, Morocco, Turkey, Spain, and other richly sensuous locations, Anne shares the life-changing wisdom she gains from each psychedelic experience.

For fans of Eat, Pray, Love and Untamed, Higher Love is a guide for self-discovery with a delightful psychedelic twist. But be warned, this is not your average love story. With powerful emotions and a captivating setting, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Jane Kim Yu – Journey of Awakening and Higher Consciousness

Discover the journey of awakening in a new light never seen before. Read about our universal journey of discovery, of awakening to the greatest truth of the land, the truth that reverberates in our very hands, the hands of heart, the very heart of our being, that – you are love.

Through a profoundly rare experience that left the author’s mind silent for nearly half a year, it awakened her own desire to find her fire. The very fire that lit the night sky. The very fire that lives in all our hearts nigh. The very fire, to come alive.

Jane’s debut book Journey of Awakening and Higher Consciousness, is an offering of love that crystalizes her 3 passions: eloquent writing, creative expression, and the exploration of our divine humanity. These combine into an unforgettable experience that will awaken your inner fire and bring passion and purpose back into your life.

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Thank you for joining us to celebrate the 2024 Mind & Spirit First Place Winners!

Watch for our Spotlight and Hall of Fame Articles that will feature incredible books, including Marijke McCandless’ Grand Prize Award-winning Naked in the Now

Your book can join the Tiers of Achievement, but only if you enter the Mind & Spirit Awards!

Got a great Self-Help or Enlightenment Book?

The 2025 Mind & Spirit Book Awards are open through the end of September!

Submit to the Mind & Spirit Awards Today!

September 24, 2025
10 Days left for September Non-Fiction that Guides
Non-Fiction Closes Soon!

Don’t let your book miss out!
Only 10 days left to submit your books to these prestigious CIBA Divisions and embark on an extraordinary journey to success.

The Chanticleer International Book Awards provide ongoing recognition that amplifies authors’ digital footprints through high-traffic website features, social media promotion, newsletter spotlights, and long-tail marketing that continues promoting winners throughout the year and beyond!

The I&I, Harvey Chute and The Mind and Spirit Awards are still open!

Congratulations to the 2024 Winners of the Mind & Spirit Awards for Spirituality and Enlightenment!
- Shari Biery – It’s Your Turn How To Rediscover Yourself Prioritize Your Well-Being Thrive with Purpose
- Damian Fozard – Disbelief
- Eileen Marlowe – The Call to Connect With Spirit
- Anne Kiehl Friedman – Higher Love: A Psychedelic Travel Memoir of Heartbreak and Healing
- Jane Kim Yu – Journey of Awakening and Higher Consciousness
And a huge round of applause to our 2024 Mind & Spirit Grand Prize Winner:

Naked in the Now

By Marijke McCandless

Congratulations to the 2024 Winners of the I&I Award for Guides and How-tos!
- Margaret C Beeler – Tropetails: A Cocktail and Mocktail Book for Bookworms
- Tania Israel – Facing the Fracture How To Navigate the Challenges of Living in a Divided Nation
- Katherine Fabrizio – The Good Daughter Syndrome: Help For Empathic Daughters of Narcissistic, Borderline, or Difficult Mothers Trapped in the Role of the Good Daughter
- Bob Dahms, MBA, CPA, CMA – Let’s Talk About This: 50 Things You Need to Know About Starting and Managing a Small Business
- Douglas A. Burton – The Heroine’s Labyrinth: Archetypal Designs in Heroine-Led Fiction
- Jacqui Clarke – Stop Worrying about Money
And a huge round of applause for our 2024 I&I Grand Prize Winner:

Success with Hydrangeas: A Gardener’s Guide

By Lorraine Ballato

Congratulations to the 2024 Winners of the Harvey Chute Award for Business and Enterprise!
- Roger Spitz – Disrupt With Impact: Achieve Business Success in an Unpredictable World
- Jenny Li Fowler – Organic Social Media: How to Build Flourishing Online Communities
- Anastasia Kārkliņa Gabriel – Cultural Intelligence for Marketers: Building an Inclusive Marketing Strategy
- Neal Schaffer – Digital Threads: The Small Business and Entrepreneur Digital First Marketing Playbook
- Melina Palmer – The Truth About Pricing
And a huge round of applause to our 2024 Harvey Chute Grand Prize Winner:

Stop Worrying About Money

By Jacqui Clarke

The CIBAs provide a ladder to success with a range of achievement tiers and expert long tail marketing strategies. From the highly anticipated Long List to the prestigious Overall Grand Prize Winner, the CIBA lists energize both authors and readers, maximizing your digital footprint and expanding your fan base.

We are always eager to support the Best Books through the CIBAs. Join the ranks of celebrated authors who have already taken this critical step in their publishing.

Your book deserves to be discovered, celebrated, and shared with the world. Don’t miss the chance to showcase your talent and gain valuable exposure at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (April 17-19, 2025) where Winners from all 28 Book Award Divisions will be announced and honored.

In a world hungry for good books, your story deserves to be heard. Submit now and leave a lasting impression.

Let’s celebrate exceptional storytelling together!

Your book deserves to be discovered

Enter Today!
September 20, 2025
The 2025 Mind and Spirit Spotlight for Spirituality and Enlightenment!
Finding Peace in a Busy World

The Mind & Spirit Awards Are Looking to Unplug

In our increasingly fast-paced world, the search for inner peace and authentic connection has become more vital than ever. From mindfulness practices that ground us in the present moment to spiritual frameworks that illuminate our deeper purpose, readers are seeking guidance that nurtures both mind and spirit. The Mind & Spirit Awards for Spirituality and Enlightenment celebrate the exceptional works that provide this essential wisdom, recognizing authors who offer transformative insights and practical tools for living with greater awareness, compassion, and joy.

Celebrating Our Grand Prize Winner!

We’re delighted to celebrate our 2024 Mind & Spirit Division Grand Prize Winner, Marijke McCandless for her inspiring guide Naked in the Now: Juicy Practices for Getting Present. This accessible and warmhearted work offers a refreshing approach to mindfulness, providing simple yet powerful practices that help readers reconnect with themselves and find peace in everyday moments. McCandless understands that many people crave more presence in their lives but feel overwhelmed by complex spiritual practices, so she offers “tiny practices” that deliver “real relief” without requiring major life overhauls.

What makes Naked in the Now truly special is its blend of practical wisdom with gentle encouragement. The book helps readers spark insight and authenticity while quieting their inner critic through practices that can be integrated into busy schedules. McCandless shows the reader that even just five minutes a day can open doorways to the peace, vitality, and joy that already exist within us. She will receive a Chanticleer Editorial Review and has already completed her Awarded Author Interview, allowing readers to explore her insights on mindful living and practical spirituality.

The Mind & Spirit Awards honor the full spectrum of spiritual and wellness literature, encompassing categories from Enlightenment and Spirituality to Mindfulness, Meditation, Well-Being, and Energy work. This comprehensive approach reflects our understanding that spiritual growth takes many forms, whether through Motivational frameworks that inspire transformation or specialized practices that cultivate specific aspects of consciousness and healing.

Explore All Business & Self-Help Divisions

The Mind & Spirit Awards are part of Chanticleer’s comprehensive celebration of transformative non-fiction:
- Harvey Chute Awards for Business & Finance: Business strategy, finance, investing, technology guides, and professional development
- I&I Awards for How-To and Self-Help: Practical guides, self-improvement, skill development, and instructional works
- Nellie Bly Awards for Research and Journalism: In-depth explorations that changes the readers perspective on life
- Military and Front Line Awards for Service to Others: Stories of those who protect and engage in community
One Kiss
By Michelle Ashton

One Kiss by Michelle Ashton is a poignant and emotionally unvarnished memoir of life through loss, healing, and the grim, lovely battle of being human.

One Kiss feels like a private journal—vulnerable, scattered at times, terribly real and sympathetic. Readers walk beside someone who’s still dealing with life’s challenges—working through heartbreak, trying to heal, stumbling, getting back up, and asking big questions she hasn’t yet found the answers to.

Much of this book circles around Ashton’s deep, complicated attachment to Noah, the man she calls “Adonis” and her “Twin Flame.” She relates with painful but relatable honesty how it feels like to wait, to hope, to wonder if you should hold on or walk away. Who hasn’t sat there refreshing their messages or praying for a sign that maybe this time things will turn out differently?

Read More Here

Guided: Lost Love, Hidden Realms, and the Open Road
By Kirsten Throneberry

A Journey First Place Winner!

In her stunning memoir, Guided: Lost Love, Hidden Realms, and the Open Road, Kirsten Throneberry weaves together the highs and lows of a road trip packed with life wisdom, where she explores grief, spirituality, and rekindled hope.

Throneberry’s achingly vulnerable memoir splits its readers’ hearts and tenderly sews them back together.

In the aftermath of the devastating loss of her husband, Kirsten sells her home and takes her two small sons, two elderly pups, and eccentric mother on a year-long road trip around the United States in their new-to-them Bigfoot RV.

Encouraged by the same spirit guides whose earlier advice for her husband’s health left her broken and untrusting, Kirsten must learn to face the open road with an equally open heart and mind.

Read More Here

Ask Biella
By Syl Sabastian

Syl Sabastian’s Ask Biella is unlike today’s typical self-help books—ones that are quickly read, interpreted, and forgotten. Instead, Ask Biella is a thoughtful and thought-through self-help reference work featuring a fictional guide from Syl Sabastian’s core series fielding deep questions from real readers. It asks its audience for a different kind of commitment to its deep sharing: a raw, self-exploratory approach in which one creates a realistic-ideal world for themselves through the process of positivity and emphasis.

Ask Biella invites readers to turn inward for enlightenment, satisfying their questions with lasting internal empowerment rather than external compromises. Biella reveals the harmful mental habits to which we are all prone and points to the rope that can save us from ourselves. After all, according to Biella, “We, and we alone, are the creators of meaning.”

Biella’s world is rooted in real-world wisdom with an easy-to-follow candor, and pulls from Biella’s “Dictionary-of-Power,” hyphenating and capitalizing particular words and phrases for emphasis to change how the reader engages with the text. For example, Biella hyphenates and capitalizes the phrase “Thinking-Things-Through-TO-THE-END” to capture readers’ attention, changing the way readers’ brains respond to the words via emphasis. These specific words and phrases, or “tools-of-living,” cover a wide variety of topics.

Read More Here

Coming Out of the Metaphysical Closet
By Lisa Rhyne

In her stunning and intimate memoir Staying Married is the Hardest Part: A Memoir of Passion, Secrets and Sacrifice, Bonnie Comfort takes readers on a decades-long journey of deep love, laughter, and the challenges of a long-term marriage, from first meeting her husband Bob in the late 1970s until his death in 2010.

Throughout their life together, Bonnie and Bob have their fair share of disagreements—including where to live—but the main conflict within their marriage centers around their conflicting sexual needs and preferences.

As a professional psychologist, Bonnie shows the highs and lows of her marriage to Bob, contrasted by her job of helping others with their emotional and relationship problems. Bonnie and Bob’s committed love for one another makes staying married both the hardest and easiest part of their lives regardless of what challenges come their way.

Read More Here

These reviews represent just a glimpse of the transformative wisdom and practical guidance waiting to be discovered in today’s spiritual and wellness literature.

See the Chanticleer Difference for Yourself!

We’re excited about all the inspiring spiritual and wellness works we receive every year for both the CIBAs and for our Editorial Reviews. Throughout this year’s Mind & Spirit Book Awards, we had the pleasure of promoting numerous enlightening titles as they advanced through our competition tiers. The Chanticleer International Book Awards provide ongoing recognition that amplifies authors’ digital footprints through high-traffic website features, social media promotion, newsletter spotlights reaching thousands of industry professionals, and long-tail marketing that continues promoting winners throughout the year and beyond!

This is the journey from beginning to end for the CIBAs! Every list you make means more promotion for you and your work as each advancement tier is posted right here on our website, on our social media, and also out in our newsletter! Your book deserves to be discovered.

Don’t Let Your Wisdom Remain Unshared!

The spiritual and wellness market continues to flourish as readers seek authentic guidance for navigating life’s challenges with greater peace and purpose. Whether your work offers ancient wisdom adapted for modern life, innovative meditation techniques, energy healing practices, or motivational frameworks for personal transformation, the Mind & Spirit Awards provide the recognition and promotional platform your insights deserve.

Spiritual and wellness literature has the unique power to heal, inspire, and awaken readers to their highest potential. From mindfulness practices that bring immediate relief to profound teachings that shift entire worldviews, every thoughtfully crafted work has the potential to become a treasured guide on someone’s spiritual journey. Don’t let your wisdom remain hidden—submit to the Mind & Spirit Awards today and join the visionary authors who’ve found their spiritual community through Chanticleer!

Submit to the Mind & Spirit Awards today! Deadline: September 30th

You know you want it…
September 15, 2025
The 2024 Mind & Spirit Book Award WINNERS for Spirituality and Enlightenment Non-Fiction
The Mind and Spirit Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Enlightenment and Well-Being Non-Fiction and Memoir. The Mind and Spirit Book Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring enlightenment, motivational/self-help, spirituality, mindfulness, well-being, meditation, and energy. See our full list of Non-Fiction Divisions here.

1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners were announced at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony by Gail Noble-Sanderson on Saturday, April 5th, 2025 at the Bellingham Yacht Club in beautiful Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

This is the OFFICIAL 2024 LIST of the MIND & SPIRIT BOOK AWARDS First Place Category Winners and the MIND & SPIRIT Grand Prize Winner.

Congratulations to the FIRST PLACE CATEGORY WINNERS of the Mind & Spirit Book Awards for Spirituality and Enlightenment!
- Shari Biery – It’s Your Turn How To Rediscover Yourself Prioritize Your Well-Being Thrive with Purpose
- Damian Fozard – Disbelief
- Eileen Marlowe – The Call to Connect With Spirit
- Anne Kiehl Friedman – Higher Love: A Psychedelic Travel Memoir of Heartbreak and Healing
- Jane Kim Yu – Journey of Awakening and Higher Consciousness
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2024 MIND & SPIRIT Awards is:

Naked in the Now: Juicy Practices for Getting Present

By Marijke McCandless

You can see all of our amazing 2024 Mind & Spirit Finalists! Congratulations to all and thank you for submitting!

Well done climbing the CIBA Levels of Achievement!

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

Attn CIBA Winners: More goodies and prizes will be coming your way along with promotion in our magazine, website, and advertisements in Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards long-tail marketing strategy. Welcome to the CIBA Hall of Fame for Award Winners!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, for Facebook to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook. Our handle is @ChantiReviews

A Note to ALL the WINNERS: The coveted CIBA Blue Ribbons will be mailed out starting in May. We will contact you with an email to verify your mailing address and other items. You will receive an OFFICIAL EMAIL NOTIFICATION with Digital Badges and more information.

We will post at least two 2024 CIBA Divisions’ OFFICIAL Winners per business day starting April 14, 2024. We do a final sweep and reconciliation prior to making the Official CIBA Posts for the 2024 First Place and Grand Prize Winners. We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding. There are many moving parts involved with the Chanticleer International Book Awards Program.

Thank you for participating in the 2024 CIBAs! We are looking forward to reading your future entries.

Team Chanticleer!
April 17, 2025
The 2024 Mind and Spirit Awards Finalists for Enlightening Non-Fiction
The Mind & Spirit Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Spirituality and Enlightenment Non-Fiction. The Mind & Spirit Book Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring Spirituality, Enlightenment, Self-Help, Mindfulness, Well-being, Meditation, Energy, and more.

These titles have moved forward from the 2024 Mind & Spirit Non-Fiction SEMI-FINALISTS to the 2024 Mind & Spirit Book Awards FINALISTS. All FINALISTS will be recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC25).

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 25 CIBA divisions’ Finalists.

We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 5th, 2025 in beautiful Bellingham, WA at the Bellingham Yacht Club sponsored by the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

These titles are in the running for the FIRST PLACE and GRAND PRIZE WINNERS of the 2024 Mind & Spirit Book Awards novel competition for Spirituality and Enlightenment Non-Fiction!

Join us in celebrating these authors and their works in the 2024 CIBAs.
- Wilma Macliver – Life Behind the Masks
- Jill Amy Sager – Guidance From the Universe Hopeful Messages for Everyday Challenges
- Shari Biery – It’s Your Turn How To Rediscover Yourself Prioritize Your Well-Being Thrive with Purpose
- Bobby R. Patton, Rusalyn H. Andrews, Jennifer Page Daily – Keys To Healthy Communication
- Thomas Weems – Unlocking Kabbalah a New Synthesis of Astrology Tarot and the Tree of Life
- Damian Fozard – Disbelief
- Marijke McCandless – Naked in the Now: Juicy Practices for Getting Present
- Lisa Rhyne – Coming Out of the Metaphysical Closet
- Eileen Marlowe – The Call to Connect Spirit
- Anne Kiehl Friedman – Higher Love: A Psychedelic Travel Memoir of Heartbreak and Healing
- Lynne Spriggs O’Connor – Elk Love: A Montana Memoir
- Jane Kim Yu – Journey of Awakening and Higher Consciousness
- Rachael Siddoway and Sonja Wasden – An Impossible Life: A True Story of Hope and Mental Illness
Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, it is easier for us to tag authors when they have Liked and Followed us on Facebook.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook.

We will also be promoting this list in our Newsletter, which you can sign up for here!

Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 Mind & Spirit Awards is:

Psychological Secrets for Emotional Success

By Dr. Kelly Rabenstein

See the full list of 2023 First Place Mind and Spirit Winners here!

We are now accepting submissions into the 2025 Mind and Spirit Book Awards for Spiritual Non-Fiction.

Please click here for more information.

Winners will be announced at the 2024 CIBA Awards Ceremony that is sponsored by the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

April 3 – 6, 2025! Save the Date for Registration!

Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.

Join us for our annual conference as we enter our second decade and discover why!
January 21, 2025
The 2024 Mind and Spirit Awards Semi-Finalists for Enlightening Non-Fiction
The Mind & Spirit Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Spirituality and Enlightenment Non-Fiction. The Mind & Spirit Book Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring Spirituality, Enlightenment, Self-Help, Mindfulness, Well-being, Meditation, Energy, and more.

These titles have moved forward from the 2024 Mind & Spirit Non-Fiction SHORT LIST to the 2024 Mind & Spirit Book Awards SEMI-FINALISTS. Finalists will be selected from the Semi-Finalists. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC25).

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 25 CIBA divisions’ Finalists.

We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 5th, 2025 in beautiful Bellingham, WA at the Bellingham Yacht Club sponsored by the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

These titles are in the running for the FINALISTS of the 2024 Mind & Spirit Book Awards novel competition for Spirituality and Enlightenment Non-Fiction!

Join us in celebrating these authors and their works in the 2024 CIBAs.
- Kristin Sven Larsen – Joy of Being Mindfully Present
- Wilma Macliver – Life Behind the Masks
- Teri M Brown – 10 Little Rules for a Double-Butted Adventure
- Jill Amy Sager – Guidance From the Universe Hopeful Messages for Everyday Challenges
- Shari Biery – It’s Your Turn How To Rediscover Yourself Prioritize Your Well-Being Thrive with Purpose
- Bobby R. Patton, Rusalyn H. Andrews, Jennifer Page Daily – Keys To Healthy Communication
- L.A. Mcmurray – God Is in the Odd the Ordinary and Outside Church
- Lori Pappas – The Magic of Yes Embrace the Wise Woman Within
- Thomas Weems – Unlocking Kabbalah a New Synthesis of Astrology Tarot and the Tree of Life
- Dr Harry Somaraju – Anxiety To Ahh-Mazing in Days
- Manisha Jane – Truth Was Once Taboo a Memoir of Self-Knowledge in the Age of Spiritual Sovereignty
- Damian Fozard – Disbelief
- Marijke McCandless – Naked in the Now: Juicy Practices for Getting Present
- Joseph Clarke – SOL: supportive guidance for healing & awakening
- Christin Collins – be. love.
- Eileen Marlowe – The Call to Connect Spirit
- Anne Kiehl Friedman – Higher Love: A Psychedelic Travel Memoir of Heartbreak and Healing
- Lynne Spriggs O’Connor – Elk Love: A Montana Memoir
- Jane Kim Yu – Journey of Awakening and Higher Consciousness
- Rachael Siddoway and Sonja Wasden – An Impossible Life: A True Story of Hope and Mental Illness
Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, it is easier for us to tag authors when they have Liked and Followed us on Facebook.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook.

We will also be promoting this list in our Newsletter, which you can sign up for here!

Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 Mind & Spirit Awards is:

Psychological Secrets for Emotional Success

By Dr. Kelly Rabenstein

See the full list of 2023 First Place Mind and Spirit Winners here!

We are now accepting submissions into the 2025 Mind and Spirit Book Awards for Spiritual Non-Fiction.

Please click here for more information.

Winners will be announced at the 2024 CIBA Awards Ceremony that is sponsored by the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

April 3 – 6, 2025! Save the Date for Registration!

Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.

Join us for our annual conference as we enter our second decade and discover why!
January 19, 2025
The 2024 Mind and Spirit Awards Short List for Enlightening Non-Fiction
The Mind & Spirit Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Spirituality and Enlightenment Non-Fiction. The Mind & Spirit Book Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring Spirituality, Enlightenment, Self-Help, Mindfulness, Well-being, Meditation, Energy, and more.

These titles have moved forward from the 2024 Mind & Spirit Non-Fiction LONG LIST to the 2024 Mind & Spirit Book Awards SHORT LIST. The Short Listers will compete for the Semi-Finalist positions. Finalists will be selected from the Semi-Finalists. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC25).

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 25 CIBA divisions’ Finalists.

We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 5th, 2025 in beautiful Bellingham, WA at the Bellingham Yacht Club sponsored by the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

These titles are in the running for the SEMI-FINALISTS of the 2024 Mind & Spirit Book Awards novel competition for Spirituality and Enlightenment Non-Fiction!

Join us in celebrating the Short List authors and their works in the 2024 CIBAs.
- Rhona Epstein – The Satisfied Guide To Eating Well
- Kristin Sven Larsen – Joy of Being Mindfully Present
- Wilma Macliver – Life Behind the Masks
- Teri M Brown – 10 Little Rules for a Double-Butted Adventure
- Jill Amy Sager – Guidance From the Universe Hopeful Messages for Everyday Challenges
- Shari Biery – It’s Your Turn How To Rediscover Yourself Prioritize Your Well-Being Thrive with Purpose
- Bobby R. Patton, Rusalyn H. Andrews, Jennifer Page Daily – Keys To Healthy Communication
- L.A. Mcmurray – God Is in the Odd the Ordinary and Outside Church
- Lori Pappas – The Magic of Yes Embrace the Wise Woman Within
- Thomas Weems – Unlocking Kabbalah a New Synthesis of Astrology Tarot and the Tree of Life
- Dr Harry Somaraju – Anxiety To Ahh-Mazing in Days
- Manisha Jane – Truth Was Once Taboo a Memoir of Self-Knowledge in the Age of Spiritual Sovereignty
- Wendy B. Correa – My Pretty Baby Seeking Truth and Finding Healing
- Damian Fozard – Disbelief
- Marijke McCandless – Naked in the Now: Juicy Practices for Getting Present
- Joseph Clarke – SOL: supportive guidance for healing & awakening
- Alicia M. Rodriguez – The Shaman’s Wife: A Mystical Journey of Surrender and Self-Discovery
- Kimberly Harms – Are You Ready?: How to Build a Legacy to Die For
- Christin Collins – be. love.
- Eileen Marlowe – The Call to Connect Spirit
- Anne Kiehl Friedman – Higher Love: A Psychedelic Travel Memoir of Heartbreak and Healing
- Lynne Spriggs O’Connor – Elk Love: A Montana Memoir
- Jane Kim Yu – Journey of Awakening and Higher Consciousness
- Rachael Siddoway and Sonja Wasden – An Impossible Life: A True Story of Hope and Mental Illness
- Lisa Rhyne – Coming Out of the Metaphysical Closet
Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, it is easier for us to tag authors when they have Liked and Followed us on Facebook.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook.

We will also be promoting this list in our Newsletter, which you can sign up for here!

Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 Mind & Spirit Awards is:

Psychological Secrets for Emotional Success

By Dr. Kelly Rabenstein

See the full list of 2023 First Place Mind and Spirit Winners here!

We are now accepting submissions into the 2025 Mind and Spirit Book Awards for Spiritual Non-Fiction.

Please click here for more information.

Winners will be announced at the 2024 CIBA Awards Ceremony that is sponsored by the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

April 3 – 6, 2025! Save the Date for Registration!

Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.

Join us for our annual conference as we enter our second decade and discover why!
January 17, 2025
The 2024 Mind and Spirit Awards Long List for Enlightening Non-Fiction
The Mind & Spirit Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Spirituality and Enlightenment Non-Fiction. The Mind & Spirit Book Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring Spirituality, Enlightenment, Self-Help, Mindfulness, Well-being, Meditation, Energy, and more.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from all 2024 Mind & Spiri Non-Fiction entries to the 2024 Mind & Spirit Book Awards LONG LIST. Entries below are now in competition for 2024 Mind & Spirit Short List. The Short Listers will compete for the Semi-Finalist positions. Finalists will be selected from the Semi-Finalists. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC25).

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 25 CIBA divisions’ Finalists.

We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 5th, 2025 in beautiful Bellingham, WA at the Four Points by Sheraton sponsored by the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2024 Mind & Spirit Book Awards novel competition for Spirituality and Enlightenment Non-Fiction!

Join us in celebrating the Long List authors and their works in the 2024 CIBAs.
- Rhona Epstein – The Satisfied Guide To Eating Well
- Kristin Sven Larsen – Joy of Being Mindfully Present
- Wilma Macliver – Life Behind the Masks
- Teri M Brown – 10 Little Rules for a Double-Butted Adventure
- Jill Amy Sager – Guidance From the Universe Hopeful Messages for Everyday Challenges
- Shari Biery – It’s Your Turn How To Rediscover Yourself Prioritize Your Well-Being Thrive with Purpose
- Steven Joseph – Cranky Superpowers Life Lessons Learned From the Common Crankatsuris Chronicles
- Bobby R. Patton, Rusalyn H. Andrews, Jennifer Page Daily – Keys To Healthy Communication
- L.A. Mcmurray – God Is in the Odd the Ordinary and Outside Church
- Lori Pappas – The Magic of Yes Embrace the Wise Woman Within
- Thomas Weems – Unlocking Kabbalah a New Synthesis of Astrology Tarot and the Tree of Life
- Dr Harry Somaraju – Anxiety To Ahh-Mazing in Days
- Manisha Jane – Truth Was Once Taboo a Memoir of Self-Knowledge in the Age of Spiritual Sovereignty
- Ann Michelle Mracek – Unpacking the Attic
- Wendy B. Correa – My Pretty Baby Seeking Truth and Finding Healing
- Juliana J Bruno – Reasons to Live: An Interactive Guide to Healing and Overcoming Suicidal Thoughts and How to Help Others Survive
- Damian Fozard – Disbelief
- G.E. Poole – Infrequent Frequencies Rare Resonance
- Marijke McCandless – Naked in the Now: Juicy Practices for Getting Present
- Joseph Clarke – SOL: supportive guidance for healing & awakening
- Alicia M. Rodriguez – The Shaman’s Wife: A Mystical Journey of Surrender and Self-Discovery
- Hilary Giovale – Becoming a Good Relative: Calling White Settlers Toward Truth, Healing, and Repair
- Kimberly Harms – Are You Ready?: How to Build a Legacy to Die For
- Tejas Hiremani – The Principles of Creation
- Christin Collins – be. love.
- Eileen Marlowe – The Call to Connect Spirit
- Anne Kiehl Friedman – Higher Love: A Psychedelic Travel Memoir of Heartbreak and Healing
- Lynne Spriggs O’Connor – Elk Love: A Montana Memoir
- Jane Kim Yu – Journey of Awakening and Higher Consciousness
- Rachael Siddoway and Sonja Wasden – An Impossible Life: A True Story of Hope and Mental Illness
- Lisa Rhyne – Coming Out of the Metaphysical Closet
Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, it is easier for us to tag authors when they have Liked and Followed us on Facebook.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook.

We will also be promoting this list in our Newsletter, which you can sign up for here!

Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 Mind & Spirit Awards is:

Psychological Secrets for Emotional Success

By Dr. Kelly Rabenstein

See the full list of 2023 First Place Mind and Spirit Winners here!

We are now accepting submissions into the 2025 Mind and Spirit Book Awards for Spiritual Non-Fiction.

Please click here for more information.

Winners will be announced at the 2024 CIBA Awards Ceremony that is sponsored by the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

April 3 – 6, 2025! Save the Date for Registration!

Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.

Join us for our annual conference as we enter our second decade and discover why!
December 29, 2024