How Are You, Really?: Living Your Truth One Answer at a Time

Goal Digger podcaster Kutcher encourages readers in her upbeat if clichéd debut to ditch received wisdom and pursue their callings. Mixing personal anecdotes with lifestyle advice, the author advocates for listening to “tiny pings” of intuition and being honest with oneself about what one wants: “Cut the crap and stop with the niceties.” Kutcher offers strategies to get in touch with one’s desires, including spending five minutes per day playing and nurturing creativity, as well as picturing oneself as a five year old and asking, “What does she need today?” Kutcher recommends taking risks and emphasizes that fear of failure shouldn’t prevent one from pursuing one’s dreams. To illustrate, she describes her podcasting process as an “imperfect action” that allows for mistakes because getting started is more important than getting things right on the first try. Platitudes (“Falling down is so much better than never rising up”) and frequent entreaties to check out her podcast and website grow tiresome, but Kutcher’s discussion of her miscarriages brings an affecting vulnerability to the proceedings. Kutcher’s optimism and candor buoy an otherwise uneven guide. Agent: Margaret Riley King, WME. (June)