Testosterone-fueled self-help isn't for everyone - and isn't usually my thing, either - but I liked this book. Gleeson's Navy SEAL combat veteran status earns him a bit of bravado leeway with me, and ultimately his writing is more substance over style. The "leave your comfort zone" and "change your mindset" mantras are familiar ones, but Gleeson gives them a somewhat fresh take with his 3 Ps (Persistence - Purpose - Passion) and 3 Cs framework (Challenge - Commitment - Control) - and quite a few F-bombs - I warned you. As someone who has weathered a lot of challenges over the past year, I don't think I'll ever embrace his "pray to God to make it worse" tip, but I did add a few new resilience-building and reframing strategies to my repertoire - both as an overcomer of adversity and as a practicing integrative life and wellness coach. For those who appreciate the tough love approach to navigating difficulty, I recommend it. A true "extraordinary life" consists of much more than the lessons in this book, but if the suck is embraced, you'll be at least halfway there.

Gleeson is a great storyteller. This book is a quick and easy read, but it does dive deep enough to get you thinking. If you're ready to make some changes in your life, this book will definitely help. Absolutely recommend!

This is an interesting book, similar in theme to David Goggin's book about mental strength and just pushing through. Fans of Goggin's book will likely enjoy this one, although I don't think it's for everyone..

Embrace the Suck by Brent Gleeson is a non-fiction title that encourages the reader to appreciate the process and all the difficulties accompanying it, rather than being miserable throughout the process and only enjoying the end goal. The author is a Navy SEAL so the writing tends to cater a bit more to men and has a very disciplined, hard tone throughout, which is good for anyone looking for a kick in the butt. I thought it was interesting that the author encouraged you to reconsider your assumptions in life such as the assumption that you have good values. Most people like to think that they have good values but it is possible you may not or you are at least living a life very different from what your supposed values are. At the end of each chapter there are a variety of questions for reflection, many of which were helpful. The stories in this book were not quite as compelling as other books (i.e. Can't Hurt Me) but there are still valuable tidbits in this book. I really enjoyed the temptation model in this book as well. An important note is that there is some language that some may find vulgar but is to be expected with anyone in military. Overall this is a quick, enjoyable read!


Many thanks to the publisher Hachette Go and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This book reminded me about many other books I have read on Navy Seals. It is all ultimately about personal accountability, responsibility and commitment. If you need a little kick in the pants, this is a good book for you.

Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy of this book via netgalley!

This book is a must for 2020! The reading is quite different...thru stories recalled by the author, the author teaches you about resilience. To view hardships as challenges instead of giving up. To simply accept that there will be good things and sucky things in life...and when sucky things occur...embrace the suck and face it as a challenge!

4 stars!

A useful guide to assist anyone who has struggles. We can all use a reminder of ways to strengthen ourselves.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

It seems like the daily mantra during COVID-19! Embrace the suck. We’ve all been doing that for months and it doesn’t feel like it’s going to end anytime soon. This is an excellent book to help you get through tough times or even to reach your highest goals!

From the perspective of a Navy SEAL, Brent Gleeson shares some experiences that most of us will never go through. Many of us wouldn’t even dare to try! Yet, he willingly put himself through it and has these stories because of it. It’s about sticking to your goal, the reason you started this mess to begin with.

While reading, I thought a lot about my business. I haven’t really been putting much effort into it. But what if I embraced the suck and did a few things every day? Would my business grow? Or would it stay the same? There’s only one way to know, right?

This is an easy to get through book. I do recommend doing the exercises and answer the questions at the end of each chapter. I love how it relates his experience in the Navy SEALS with life in general. It’s very relatable and the key points are great for anyone who feels like they’re in a struggle.

A digital copy of Embrace the Suck was provided by Hachette Books via NetGalley with no expectation for a review. I give this book 5 out of 5 tiaras because it’s so relatable and stings my heartstrings all at the same time. My best to the families who have lost loved ones in combat and those who are struggling through emotionally. Thank you for your service, Brent Gleeson!

While this book isn't perfect it does give readers great nuggets that can help in everyone personal life. the author is a Navy Seal and he likes to remind readers how physical and mentally strong than the average person.

The author uses his background to create and help people in their every day lives. Yet at the sometimes at times the author gives unrealistic ideas or goals for people to take on. Embrace the Suck can and will help individuals figure out to deal with the crap that is thrown at them.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of Brent Gleeson Embrace The Suck

Embrace the Suck is part memoir, part self-help and a whole lot of kick-in-pants inspiration.

It's a book about mental toughness, resiliency and perseverance.

It would be a great read for athletes and those who don't read the typical leadership style business books. It is short, to-the-point and has actionable questions and takeaways at the end of every chapter.

I enjoyed learning about the amazing (yet insane) life of a Seal, and chose this book as I'm a fan of David Goggins who wrote the foreward.

A book like this deserves its own category. Embrace the Suck is a book about resilience, personal development, and self-mastery. Each chapter is full of engaging stories of Navy SEAL missions complemented with real-life application for readers. This book screams, take action with your life. Indeed a work of art that I won't soon forget.

I enjoyed seeing the "big picture" of what brought Brent Gleeson to Crossfit and his overall approach to excercise. The concept of pushing yourself past your limits and believe in yourself would resonate and be applicable for many.

There were some great life nuggets in this book and it served as a great reminder that Navy Seals are ridiculously badass. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Hachette Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

ok, wow. Gleeson doesn't hold back, is in your face with truth bombs, and so many practical applications that I will be getting a hard copy. There were so many inspiring lines and truths that I will be keeping a copy of this in my high school classroom (with fair warning about the amount of F bombs) that if they noticed the title they will learn so much from the information inside about how to live and Embrace the Suck.

I was not disappointed after going through this book.

There were a lot of gold nuggets that I will be applying to my life.

Would recommend you give it a shot.