Help me spread the word!

The official publication date is November 4, 2025, but preorders are open right now. That means if you preorder your copy, it will arrive on your doorstep on November 4!

Preorders are super helpful for authors. Publishers use preorders to gauge the public’s interest in the book, and the numbers influence things like how many copies are printed and distributed to booksellers and even where the book is displayed in the bookstore.

So I am asking you today to preorder a copy of Story Work and help me start building its momentum. ♥

✨An Exclusive Virtual Event for Story Work Preorders✨

✨Book Clubs and Author Chats✨

If you run, belong to, or know of a book club that reads nonfiction—especially books on healing, personal growth, or creative self-discovery:

I’m currently booking free virtual author chats and book club visits for the remainder of the year to celebrate the release.
These sessions are informal, reflective, and can be tailored to the group’s interests.
I’m looking forward to talking with readers about the themes in the book and hearing how it resonates with their life experiences.

If you’re part of a club or community that might be a fit, you can get in touch by contacting me here.

✨Story Work Launch Team✨

I’m also looking for a few more readers to join my book launch team.

As a member of the team, you’ll receive a signed, complimentary copy of the book from Broadleaf about a month before the November 4 release.
You’ll also be invited to an intimate virtual pre-launch book club discussion, where we’ll gather to reflect, connect, and discuss the book together.

About a month before launch day, I’ll send a suggested week-by-week breakdown of how you can help spread the word leading up to publication.

👉🏾 Please note: I have a limited number of complimentary copies to give away. If those spots fill up before you reach out,
you’re still warmly invited to be a part of the launch team and join us for the virtual book club discussion.

I’d be so grateful for your help getting this book into the hands of those who need it most. You can express interest here.

🌟EDITORIAL REVIEWS🌟

“GG Renee Hill’s Story Work is about breaking the chains of limiting beliefs by creatively reframing one’s internalized personal stories.

Conversational, thoughtful, and encouraging, this book explores how one’s identity, beliefs, and concepts of “good” and “bad” are formed and shaped by stories rooted in cultural, family, and religious histories, serving as templates for human behavior. Housed in the unconscious, these socially sanctioned narratives become stories that can stifle personal authenticity and autonomy. The text argues that inner exploration, overcoming the fear of vulnerability, using creativity as a tool for healing, and reframing limiting internalized stories are the keys to wholeness and authenticity. Supporting its arguments with research in fields as diverse as neuroscience, psychology, and spirituality, the book also includes personal anecdotes of struggle and triumph. It illuminates the complex and long-lasting issues that arise from dysfunctional early family life and includes insights into cultural expectations specific to Black women. Its practical and accessible suggestions for self-care include thought labeling and taking an unflinching look at one’s personal values. Prompts for reflection are included at the end of each chapter. Satisfying and hopeful, the book asserts that vulnerability is not a weakness to be feared, but a strength that can help forge connections with others. Rather than being “selfish,” it claims, self-care is essential for well-being. Most of all, it emphasizes that the internalized stories that lead to limiting beliefs and negative self-image are not written in stone; they can be rewritten and revised at any time to reflect one’s personal truths. Story Work is an empowering self-help guide about using creativity as a tool for healing, authenticity, and wholeness.”

— Foreword Reviews

“We tell ourselves stories in order to live”; Joan Didion’s famous line takes on new meaning in Hill’s latest self-help book (Story Work). We also tell stories about how we live, and though those stories feel inevitable, Hill proposes that they can be rewritten. In this series of contemplative essays, the author guides readers in using narrative techniques in service of self-discovery. For example, uncovering one’s own self-deceptions is paired with the concept of the unreliable narrator. One exercise has readers arrange events of their lives, experimenting with plot structures to reexamine self-perception. How can a person reinterpret a tragic arc so that it becomes instead a story of rebirth or a quest? Each exercise emerges from the author’s own transformative life story; Hill came from a loving home, but her mother’s schizophrenia had profound effects on the adult she would become. Through story work, Hill has built a life that centers self-care, creativity, and empowerment.

VERDICT: A self-help tome that could benefit anyone seeking a path to self-healing.”

— Library Journal

❤️endorsements❤️

“Let me say this... I thought I understood the power of storytelling before reading Story Work but this takes it to a whole different level. GG doesn’t just tell a story — she invites you in, pulls up a chair, and makes you feel like you’re right there with her. Every chapter feels like a look into GG's heart — intimate, vivid, and so vulnerable. The way she shares her relationship with her mother and navigates the complexities of mental illness? Whew. It transcended the pages. I saw my own family, my own memories reflected back at me. I know there are so many of us who will see ourselves in these stories too. 

GG is a remarkable storyteller — the kind that makes you smell the Blue Magic hair grease, hear the soundtrack of the 90s, and feel the weight of every moment. What stayed with me most was her invitation to lean into curiosity — one of my top character strengths — and her gentle observations that don’t force, just allow you to be. With each prompt, I could feel myself peeling back the layers of my own story and it felt really good to my soul. There are books about self-help and development… and then there’s this one. Those books are like chicken broth. Warm and will hold you over. This book is like a hot bowl of good Southern chili with a side of grandma’s cornbread. You will leave filled with healing and it’s going to stick to your bones.” 

– Chianti Lomax, executive coach and author of Evolving While Black: The Ultimate Guide to Happiness and Transformation on Your Own Terms

…

"Story Work is a beautiful guide for turning pain into power; into story. GG Renee Hill empowers us into self-discovery, reminding us that we can use our barriers as fuel for transformation. With poignant stories of life with her mother as an engine, Hill illuminates the room: We can reclaim our voices and shape our own paths."

--Chelene Knight, author of Let It Go: Free Yourself from Old Beliefs and Find a New Path to Joy, and Safekeeping: A Writer's Guided Journal for Launching a Book with Love

…

"With her vivid and vulnerable writing, GG Renee Hill gently guides us to our own inner sage. By sharing her own story of how writing led her back to herself, Hill offers generous and insight-inspiring journal prompts that give us permission to do the same. A treasure of a book."

--Karen Walrond, author of The Lightmaker's Manifesto, Radiant Rebellion, and In Defense of Dabbling

…

"GG Renee Hill's vulnerability is both courageous and contagious. She shows us how we can all cast off the burden of shame by spilling our secrets onto the page, wrapping our wounds in words, and finding healing in the power of storytelling."

--Javacia Harris Bowser, founder of See Jane Write and author of Find Your Way Back: How to Write Your Way Through Anything

…

"In this heartfelt and deeply personal book, GG Renee Hill offers invaluable strategies for transforming pain into power. A must-read for anyone seeking to reclaim their strength and heal the wounds of past trauma."

--Monique Rainford-Bourne, MD, MBA, author of Pregnant While Black: Advancing Justice for Maternal Health in America

…

"In Story Work, GG Renee Hill does more than teach the art of storytelling; she embodies it. With raw honesty and heartfelt reflection, she models the very method of story work she invites you to explore. With intimate personal narratives, carefully crafted reflection questions, and guided exercises, this book is not just something you read--it's something you experience. Bringing intention and care, GG Renee Hill gently moves alongside you, helping you uncover, shape, and honor your stories. I paused in each chapter to breathe in its beauty, depth, and invitation to step more fully into my story. Whether you are a writer, an artist, an activist, or someone longing to understand yourself more deeply, this book is a gift. Those who journey through its pages will not only witness the power of storytelling--they will emerge transformed by it."

--Cierra Kaler-Jones, storyteller, teaching artist, cultural organizer, and director of Unlock Your Story

…

"Story Work is a book anyone who has ever felt like an outlier can count on to feel seen and understood. Hill's poignant perspective around the possibility that awaits on the other side of telling our stories is a liberating message of second chances and new beginnings. Gentle, thoughtful, and relatable, her stories are honest and vulnerable as Hill crystalizes what it means to reframe your past and your path--without judgment and with deep care."

-- Chloe Dulce Louvouezo, storyteller, creative strategist, author of Life, I Swear: Intimate Stories from Black Women on Identity, Healing, and Self-Trust

…

"Story Work is a soulful, truth-telling companion for anyone ready to examine the stories they’ve been told—and the ones they’ve been telling themselves. With tenderness and clarity, GG Renee Hill invites us to witness her journey of rewriting a painful past and reclaiming her power through the page. Her words are both balm and blueprint, reminding us that healing is not about having the perfect story, but about having the courage to keep writing new chapters. This is the kind of book you return to again and again—dog-eared, highlighted, and held close."

— L'Oreal Thompson Payton, award-winning journalist and author of Stop Waiting for Perfect: Step Out of Your Comfort Zone and Into Your Power

Self-Care Check in has been featured in Bustle, Buzzfeed, and PopSugar as a highly recommended tool for wellness and personal growth.

Bustle — The 8 Best Mindfulness Journals You Can Start Any Time Of Year

Buzzfeed — 32 Products To Help You Focus On The Future

PopSugar — The Best Self-Care and Gratitude Journals For Starting Your Day on a Positive Note

Book Authority — 20 Best Self Awareness Books of All Time

Yours — 20 best self-care books to help guide and inspire your life

…

“GG is a transparency, a beautiful space for light to shine through into this world. I saw it when we first worked together nearly a decade ago, and I see it now, in full splendor! Let GG and her Self-Care Check-In guide you to that same brilliant, transparency, to an inner peace that nothing can shake.” 
― Nikki Walton, licensed psychotherapist, spiritual teacher, and author of Wake Up to Love: Meditations to Start Your Day

“This is the perfect book for people who want to care for themselves beyond the stereotypical bubble bath. With exercises for self-reflection and suggested action steps, GG Hill makes it easy for you to not only care for yourself in tangible ways but also shift habits and behaviors that aren't serving you. If that's not the ultimate goal of self-care, I don't know what is!” 
― Jennifer Sterling, MS, CNS, R-DMT, LCAT-lp, Dance/Movement Psychotherapist

“If you want a self-care practice that goes beyond the hashtag, beyond the aspirational value, and beyond the cute spa day surface, this book of GG’s will give you just that. With gentle but penetrative guidance, GG allows her readers to not only tour their past experiences but also decide and put into movement how they’d like to shape their new ones. GG is an authority for showcasing how the written word can be a magnificent tool for healing and manifesting. This journal is absolute nourishment.”
― Tracy G., wellness artist and founder of She's Beauty and The Beast

“There are seasons in life when we feel supported, and there are seasons when we feel untethered. It's in the untethered seasons that we feel the urgency to connect with ourselves and find meaning in our stories. Curious to understand our purpose and impact in the world, we turn to many things, but the most powerful thing we can do is sit with pen and paper and listen as our stories silently unfold. A Year of Self-Reflection Journal is your beautiful invitation to come home to self, activate your stories, and find meaning in a life full of uncertainty.” 

— Nicole Annette, journal keeper, writer, coach, and publisher

“GG Renee's thoughtful journal offers a place of solace, self-reflection, and focus in a world moving at an impossible pace. The prompts give readers the opportunity to do the transformative work necessary to see a better and brighter version of themselves. It's an essential tool for daily writing.” 

— Ashley M. Coleman, author of Good Morning, Love and Founder, Permission to Write

“A valued and trusted self-care practitioner, GG Renee Hill has curated a perfect daily resource to help us re-center and reflect on what matters most—ourselves!” 

— Christine Platt, author of The Afrominimalist's Guide to Living with Less and Less Is Liberation: Finding Freedom from a Life of Overwhelm

“I cannot think of a more compassionate and intentional way to move through the year than with this journal. GG has created a journal with prompts meant to reveal to you the very best of yourself. GG's reflections ask you to recall your essence, what makes you special, and tune in to your own voice in a way that GG has been facilitating for years. This journal is truly a beautiful offering and any faithful user will walk away seeing themselves in a more loving light.” 

— Jessica Jamese Williams, contributing essayist in New York Times best-selling anthology You Are Your Best Thing, empowerment educator and CEO of Golden Peaches, LLC

“This is the second journal from GG Renee Hill that I've purchased and absolutely loved. A Year Of Self-Reflection is an integral part of my morning routine. It's gentle and thoughtful prompts help me to stay grounded, especially in times of transition. I adore GG's work and it has a lasting positive impact on my well-being.”

— Rachel Nusbaum, Founder, Orchid Story

“During the isolated year of 2020, I took the online "Memoir & Motherhood" workshop with GG, whose skilled and motivational guidance elicited some of my best writing. So, I was excited when her daily reflection journal arrived in 2021! As usual, her writing prompts encourage rich self-inquiry and inspire thoughtful writing. The weekly themes progress keenly, from simple reflections (discovering your unique approach to cultivating happiness) to detailed assignments (creating a vision board), and beyond to goal setting for bigger-picture themes. I have been doing the exercises in my own time, having discovered that - for a daily journaling practice - a more simple book format works best for me (i.e. a page-a-day gratitude journal). Still, I'll always look forward to workshops with and writing prompts from GG!”  

— Holly Meyers, workshop participant and Founder, Urban Yoga Den