when we
reach for
brave...
What happens when... we risk real talk
& stop hiding behind nice?
You, too, can OVERCOME ANXIETY
and
live a bigger
more carefree life.
Find your Strength. Power. Connection. Purpose.
BECOME
A New and Better You!
"In this hilarious and candid memoir, a mayor’s wife shares the adventures and lessons of her unconventional life and family — from spending a summer abroad to being banned from her husband’s office at city hall!" —BookBub Review



Funk calls her “a skydiver afraid of heights”—someone who figures out how to spend a cost-free summer in Europe, arranges it all, but when it’s time to leave, has an anxiety attack walking out the door.
In this first volume of her humorous, sharp-witted, and brutally honest memoir, Gloria pushes past her fears, spends the summer abroad with her family—living far outside her comfort zone—before setting up a campaign office, and eventually, without any experience, helps Funk cross the finish line—only to learn that being Kansas City’s First Lady will be more difficult than she could’ve ever imagined (but those stories are saved for later print & ebooks).
In sharing her story of courage and becoming her New and Better Self, Gloria hopes to inspire you to also step out in confidence, to make a difference where it counts, and to stand up for others … and yourself.
Despite spending years in Nashville, Kansas City, and Washington, DC, Gloria Squitiro is still a New York Italian girl at heart, who can’t—AND WON'T—stop voicing what most of us know but are unwilling to say.
"Gloria puts into words what's in our heads at 4 a.m." —Reader Review
Later in the Series: In 2008, Gloria Squitiro was legally banned from the Kansas City, MO City Hall, where her husband, Mark Funkhouser (“Funk”), was mayor. Good Morning America, Fox and Friends, NPR, The Wall Street Journal, NY Times, USA Today, The Washington Post—even Great Britain’s left-wing The Guardian and America’s right-wing Rush Limbaugh—did stories about her.
WHAT
IS
Reaching
FOR
BRAVE?
Dreams that you have while sleeping just happen to you
But dreams that begin as a stirring in your soul are meant for action
Even if the actualization seems out of reach
OR WORSE
Within reach, but too crippling to anticipate taking the first step
My head told me I was a neurotic homebody and I better play it safe
My heart wanted a big life
How to resolve the CONFLICT?
I stopped getting caught up in the logistics and started planning for my dreams
Reaching for Brave...
DOESN'T MEAN YOU STOP BEING AFRAID
IT MEANS YOU DO IT ANYWAY
AND COME OUT STRONGER ON THE OTHER SIDE

