American actor, stand-up comedian and impressionist Darrell Hammond is well known for his 20-year career on Saturday Night Live where he entertained audiences with impressions of political and public figures such as Donald Trump and Bill Clinton. While his clever humor and apt impersonations are well-known to audiences, Hammond kept his 30-year battle with mental illness hidden from view... until now. With an unusual candor and honesty, Hammond delivers a story of perseverance and hope that touches the heart and mind. 

jumping the railing, he stood on a 4 inch narrow cord about 220 feet in the air. For 96 minutes, with nothing to stop him from falling except a listening ear, Kevin spoke with a first responder who eventually talked him back over the railing. The photo of Kevin standing on the cord was front page of the San Francisco Chronicle, placed on the 75 most iconic photos of the 21st Century, and has since gone viral on social media.  Kevin speaks both individually and with the officer who saved his life: Sgt. Kevin Briggs (Ret.), The Guardian of The Golden Gate.

For over a decade, Amy N. Elmore lived a life of glamour, fame and financial freedom of an international celebrity. By the time she was seventeen, she had appeared on the covers of Seventeen, Elle and Cosmopolitan. It seemed like she had it all, but in her darkest moment she

experienced a psychotic break. This led to depression, a near-fatal suicide attempt and a diagnosis of bi-polar disorder. Amy has overcome her past to realize that her life's purpose is to help others to live freer, richer, more fulfilling lives.  She shares her years of struggle and how she reclaimed her life--and found recovery--by discovering her voice.  

~Emmy Award Winner; Best Newscast and Individual Reporting

~2013 Jefferson Award Recipient

~Outstanding Officer Award

~2014 TED Talk (viral video/ 2.1M+ views)

~3 time Author Blackout Girl, Leave the Light On and Picking Up the Pieces

~Author; Once a Warrior, Always a Warrior

Nancy speaks frequently about women's leadership at conferences, literary festivals and universities across the nation. Currently Nancy is an appointee on the Los Angeles County Commission for Women, where she chairs the policy and legislation committee. Cohen introduces us to the inspiring women who have brought us to this threshold, and to a dynamic group of young leaders who are redefining how we think about leadership, feminism, and roles in achieving gender equality. Breakthrough takes on our cultural assumptions to show that barriers that once blocked a woman's ascent to the presidency have fallen, even more than we realize.

In her fourth book, Cohen, a frequent writer and commentator on women's political leadership, draws on some 125 interviews with elected officials and strategists of both parties to survey the history of women's experience in politics, chart the changing political climate, and assess the current prospects of a female candidate for the country's highest office.

 

"Intellectually, Nancy L. Cohen convincingly makes the case for why it is essential that our democracy include women at the table, not just for representation's sake, but for the better outcomes that come from involving all perspectives. Emotionally, Breakthrough reignites the passion and optimism of those who have been fighting for this for so long, too long, and simultaneously inspires those who are new to this fight." - Sandra Fluke, Social Justice Attorney.