Former Good Morning America anchor Janai Norman shares the story behind the smile—from balancing fame and motherhood to the mental health reckoning that saved her life—in this profound memoir of breaking down, breaking open, and breaking free.

At the height of her success, Janai Norman experienced a mental health episode so consuming that one evening—while alone with her two small children—she locked herself in her office, called her husband back home from the grocery store, and ordered an Uber to the hospital where she was admitted to the psychiatric ward. There, she was given a diagnosis: Borderline Personality Disorder.

What follows is an interrogation of self that takes the reader from the shiny veneer of daytime television into the murky spaces of buried trauma, self-doubt, the challenging demands of juggling career with motherhood, and self-care. But it also breaks through to the clarity and the hope that comes from self-discovery and self-acceptance.

Breaking is a triumphant story of honoring one’s whole self and choosing to live more fully.