This Is Not a Self-Help Book; It’s a Survival Guide for Change Makers in 2026

Burning Inside Out is a lot of things. It is a narrative nonfiction how-to book. It is a change maker’s guide to creating an impact in a world on fire. Against the backdrop of innovation, Burning Inside Out covers science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), fire ecology, data science, and psychology. Unlike other how-to books on innovation, it centers practical lessons through story telling.

The story arch follows the life of fireweed – a beautiful, bright pink flower that prospers after a fire has charred the landscape. It follows from seed to germination, growth, blossoming, burning, and regrowth. I tell the lessons of my 20 year career as a young woman in the man’s world of fire science and technology at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

I first documented NASA innovation processes by publishing the WKID (pronounced wicked) Innovation framework in the academic literature, but this only reaches a specific audience. Burning Inside Out is intended for a general audience.

I wanted to connect with people on a personal level, outside of an academic or intellectual pursuit. What we need today are change makers of all walks of life to take calculated risks for the high reward of changing the broken systems that are rapidly affecting every day life on Earth.

Story telling, especially the fireweed metaphor, is so central to the book because the basis of WKID Innovation is that change starts with understanding the wisdom of the system. Wisdom is applied understanding, often gained through experience. People can gain experience directly or through story telling. Stories are how humans have passed knowledge from generation to generation for millennia. By outlining the lessons of WKID Innovation through story, Burning Inside Out doesn’t just intellectually outline knowledge, but it embodies it’s origins.

Burning Inside Out is for you, if you are a…

• change maker in crisis dealing with burnout and emotional fatigue, feeling isolated or powerless against systemic resistance and looking for practical guidance beyond “how-to” tactics.

• woman in STEM or an underrepresented professional dealing with impostor syndrome, bias, and isolation, who is struggling to align personal values with your career path and who lacks relatable, authentic mentors.

• climate-conscious and justice-oriented reader who is overwhelmed and feel despair, skepticism of institutional solutions, and disconnected from impact that matters.

• fan of narrative nonfiction with a purpose, who is bored with shallow self-help and want lessons that respect your intelligence while fulfilling a craving for inspiration and application.

This book is honest and real. I have worried about burning bridges. There are about 10 people that I can think of off the top of my head who will grit their teeth and very likely hate me after reading this.

But, here’s the thing, they probably won’t read it. And if they do, it’s my story. I’m proud to feel empowered enough to write my own story. For a long time I’ve internalized other peoples’ narratives of me, and it’s burned me inside out.

Over the last 8 months now, I have revealed the last chapter through this Substack. I hope that readers walk away from this book empowered to make a change in their lives, especially after reading the final chapter: Lesson #30 Claim your Power – Lead with Radical Acceptance and Be the Change.