DAWNA MARKOVA
Living A Loved Life COVER12.jpg
The discovery of how you can live a life you love is found hidden in the stories you tell about that life.
Photo by Joyce Chin

Photo by Joyce Chin

In her newest book, Living A Loved Life: Awakening Wisdom Through Stories of Inspiration, Challenge and Possibility, Dr. Dawna Markova braids together inspiring stories drawn from her precious grandmother’s wisdom, her own life challenges and from the thousands of people with whom she has worked. In this fragmented Humpty Dumpty time, when all the king’s horses and all the king’s men are trying to convince so many that they really don’t and can’t make a difference, she asked herself three evocative questions to find and follow her own wisdom: How do I find a way to live a life I can love now? How do I help make it possible for those who will come after me to do the same? How do I re-collect the wisdom earned through my own and others’ challenges? She explains, “Grandma taught me that there is wisdom hidden in your greatest difficulties. It can help you realize how you matter as well as what really matters to you. This is the essence of living a life you can love.” 


“Dawna Markova’s delightful and illuminating Living a Loved Life is a deep dive into the Wisdom of the Grandmother, not merely Dawna’s grandmother, but through her to the Grandmother each of us carries in our hearts. Read this book to hear Grandmother’s Wisdom echo in your heart.”

—Rabbi Rami Shapiro (author of Surrendered, the Sacred Art: Shattering the Illusion of Control and Falling into Grace with Twelve-Step Spirituality)

“Dawna Markova is one of the great wisdom teachers of our time. She touched countless lives with I Will Not Die an Unlived Life, and many more will be touched by Living a Loved Life. This beautifully written book was shaped by three questions: ‘How do I find a way to live a life I can love now? How do I help make it possible for those who will come after me to do the same? How do I re-collect the wisdom earned through my own and others’ challenges?’ I don’t know anyone who would not benefit from exploring those questions, especially in the company of a master mentor, a true companion on the journey toward the human possibility. That’s Dawna Markova, and this book is her gift to you and me.” 

—Parker J. Palmer (author of On the Brink of Everything, Let Your Life Speak, Healing the Heart of Democracy, and The Courage to Teach)

“Internationally renowned thought leader and personal growth expert Dawna Markova Ph.D.’s book Living A Loved Life challenges us to listen to the heartfelt lessons necessary to create the most loving life possible. She inspires us with stories and keen insights into discovering our truest purpose on earth. Her teachings reflect the wisdom of our elders and empowers us to live a fuller life. In her irresistible, poetic narrative style, the author insightfully shares how it is possible to braid our strengths from even our most difficult life lessons. Her teachings guide us to reclaim our voice, redefine our story and create the life of our dreams. Buy this insightful book today and gift it to everyone you care about. It’s a rare jewel and a life-affirming literary masterpiece.”

—Robyn Spizman, Author of Loving Out Loud - The Power of A Kind Word, Media Personality and New York Times Bestselling Author, www.robynspizman.com

“I’m sure I’m not alone in my life-long yearning for a gramma who was wise, taught me the most important life lessons, who adored me, and whose ‘believing eyes’ would bring forward my gifts for the world. Dawna Markova, in her touching book, Living a Loved Life, is kind enough to loan her exquisite grandmother to us to reaffirm that which is necessary for each of us to live life in its depth and fullness.”

—Linda Bloom, co-author of 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married: Simple Lessons to Make Love Last

“I love this book. After reading it, I’m inspired to be a grandfather but also an elder. I wish I had a chance to meet Dawna’s grandmother … but I think I already have…because as Dawna wrote, “she passed into me”. Now her grandmother has passed into me too and I can use all the help I can get!” 

—Al Carey,  CEO emeritus PepsiCo North America, Chairman of Unifi, Inc.

“Modern neuroscience is catching on to the ancient wisdom that Dawna—and her preternaturally wise grandmother—transmit with such grace through luminous stories that ring the doorbell of the heart. When we savor what is and find possibility in life’s inevitable challenges, our nervous system is reprogrammed from self-protection to sweet connection with the astonishing miracle of life.”

— Joan Borysenko, Ph.D.
New York Times bestselling author of Minding the Body, Mending the Mind