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At the peak of his career, Barry Michels was a psychotherapist who treated Hollywood’s creative and power elite. Along with his colleague Phil Stutz, he went on to write The Tools, a buzzy New York Times bestseller. Michels was driven, a type A personality who found his work tremendously rewarding. And then he was blindsided by a diagnosis of Lewy body dementia, a degenerative disease that would, in a matter of years, erode his physical and intellectual abilities. The same illness that had taken his father’s life would take his own.
At first, he was plunged into an abyss of despair, finding respite only in his practice and on long, defiant hikes. And then Stutz gave him life-changing advice: He told Michels to walk the karmic path before him, to write in order to find meaning, and to fight like hell. He challenged him to transform pain into purpose and claim inner freedom.
In the weeks and months that followed, Michels reached out to friends and patients about his diagnosis. And in this process of making himself vulnerable, he activated community. In his persistence, he found inspiration, even joy. His heart opened, his relationships grew deeper, his creativity was unleashed. He connected with his Life Force. He began writing poetry—an unstoppable outpouring from his soul. His capacity to love was unfettered. Beauty—in nature, in a piece of music or art—could move him to tears. And most surprising of all, this lifelong atheist embraced the divine.
Ahead of All Parting is the inspiring story of Michels’s spiritual, emotional, and creative transformation. It offers lessons on living a more meaningful life, written with the exquisite clarity conferred as the end comes into focus.
“I’ve always believed that optimism isn’t about ignoring what’s difficult, it’s about finding what’s still possible. Barry Michels embodies that idea. Drawing on his experience as a psychotherapist, devoted father, and trusted guide to countless patients, he shares a story of resilience, gratitude, and grace in the face of an unexpected chapter of life. This book is a reminder that even when life changes course, meaning, purpose, and joy can still be found along the way.”—Michael J. Fox
“Read this transcendent work—of memory, of courage, of metamorphosis—and find yourself, as I did, filled with hope and possibility and an eye turned toward beauty. After a lifetime of helping others, this profound man unlocks the deepest secrets of his own heart and leaves us a roadmap by which we can do the same.”—Stephen Gaghan
“In sharing his story, Barry Michels shows us what it looks like to wrestle with karma and purpose, the finite and the infinite, the stubborn and the transcendent. This remarkable book has much to teach us about courage, faith, beauty, and love. It is a treasure.”—Gwyneth Paltrow
“In my life, Barry Michels has taught me that there are ways in which to reframe anything. Now in this extraordinary book, Barry shares the story of his own struggle and gives us the tools to make change. But as he shows us, there is no greater lesson than this: You are the changemaker. This book is nothing short of a gift to those seeking growth.”—Drew Barrymore
“This gripping personal story of self-discovery amid loss soon becomes something far more unexpected—a deeply spiritual journey, an outpouring of poetry, a soul cracked open. Ahead of All Parting is loaded with wisdom and is as useful as it is inspiring.”—Maria Semple, author of the New York Times bestsellers Go Gentle and Where’d You Go, Bernadette