Author Talk: Proof of Life, Quieting the Inner A$$hole with Jennifer Pastiloff

Drawing on two decades of sold-out workshops, bestselling books On Being Human and Proof of Life (Dutton/Penguin Random House), and a life story that includes childhood trauma, grief, hearing loss, a life-threatening eating disorder, addiction, reinvention, and becoming a prolific painter as an adult, Jen moves readers with fierce candor, humor, and wisdom. While most of us are waiting for something: the right moment, the right credentials, someone else’s approval, to allow ourselves to fully show up, she dismantles the permission-seeking patterns that keep us small, while offering a radical reframe: you don’t need to prove anything, especially that you deserve your own life.

In her national bestsellers Proof of Life and On Being Human, Jen weaves memoir, humor, and exercises (including her beloved sticky note practice). Equal parts rallying cry and practical toolkit, Jen’s signature frameworks are learning "how to quiet the Inner Asshole" and practicing "Shame Loss" to become our own permission…