Patsy Clairmont, one of the founding speakers at Women of Faith conferences, is the bestselling author of numerous books. She lived with acrophobia for many years, and it wasn’t until she entered into a relationship with Jesus Christ that her long-held fears began to lessen. She discusses the emotional chains that bound her to her home, even to her bedroom, because her countless fears took such a hold on her life. Clairmont, who knows firsthand how debilitating panic attacks and consuming fears are to a person’s life, now writes about how to free oneself from these self-imposed prisons.

In YOU ARE MORE THAN YOU KNOW, Clairmont uses her characteristic self-deprecating comedic style to insert lots of “funnies” into an otherwise very serious topic. She opens her 11-chapter text with an introduction titled “Boo!” where she guides readers through the first steps of learning how to fight back against fears. Readers will soon realize that they are not alone in their struggles with fears of any and all sorts: Everybody is afraid of something (or someone).

"YOU ARE MORE THAN YOU KNOW is timely because folks everywhere believe they have something to fear. Whether they are correct or not is up for debate, but Clairmont knows firsthand how little of life can be truly lived (and enjoyed) when a person is constricted through unreasonable (or even reasonable) fears."

Readers can anticipate getting assistance in identifying, dismantling and protecting themselves from fears by way of intriguing and gently challenging chapters that deal with fear in a variety of facets. First of all, Clairmont thoroughly engages her readers through the written word because she is so welcoming and warm herself. Folks will feel like they are sitting down with a good friend who knows all the heartaches they are attempting to cope with as she pats them on the knee and assures them they will have victory if they keep trying. Which leads to Clairmont’s clarion call throughout this book: Change comes through a dogged stick-to-itiveness in practice and purpose. Since everyone takes a few steps forward, then falls back a couple on the road to truest freedom, Clairmont cheers readers on to never give up. Freedom will come if they commit to persevering.

Specifically, Clairmont discusses how giving up too soon is a fatalistic mistake; how control is one of the cruelest deceptions ever devised; how denial takes you nowhere fast; how setting up healthy boundaries is essential; and how to bring some sizzle and rowdiness into your life for all the right reasons. She also suggests some practical ways to “become your own best friend” in the most positive (never selfish) ways possible.

YOU ARE MORE THAN YOU KNOW is timely because folks everywhere believe they have something to fear. Whether they are correct or not is up for debate, but Clairmont knows firsthand how little of life can be truly lived (and enjoyed) when a person is constricted through unreasonable (or even reasonable) fears. As a Christ follower, Clairmont staunchly celebrates her freedom in Christ and generously opens her heart, inviting others to join her. She is positive about life and its possibilities, and wants others to feel the same way.