The Book
Never be afraid to fall apart because it is an opportunity to rebuild yourself the way you wish you had been all along. Rae Smith
Kristin Tierney was that girl. The girl other girls wanted to be like. And guys wanted to be with. Beauty, intelligence and a quick wit opened up a hundred different doors. But for as far back as she could remember, Kristin felt she lived a lie—so convincingly, even she wasn’t sure where the lie stopped and the truth began. Some days she felt like a really great actress, other days, an exceptional fraud. Regardless, Kristin never believed she, alone, was ever enough. Worthy. Or lovable.
Cracked . . . Not Broken recounts how, after years of relying on self-destructive behaviors and unhealthy coping mechanisms, Kristin blew her seemingly perfect world into a million pieces when she picked up a crack pipe. With unparalleled transparency, she describes how emotional trauma from her early childhood, left unchecked for decades, drove her down a road that dead-ends in her early thirties where she hit one bottom after another. She was dying a slow death. Physically, emotionally, psychologically. It would take seven years for Kristin to embrace the courage to surrender and find the strength to reclaim her life from addiction.
Cracked . . . Not Broken is a testament to fact: regardless of one’s particular experience, and despite feelings of profound hopelessness, there is always an individual path leading a way out. The depiction of Kristin’s journey from darkness into light is a glorious illustration of accountability and authenticity. Faith and forgiveness. Grace and gratitude.
"I felt like I was watching a fast-paced move that teaches you how to shatter a personal glass ceiling. This book inspires you to free yourself from who you don't want to be right now all while turning your struggles into strengths. Every page inspires you to look beyond your shortcomings and power all the way through the finish line simply to help you live your best life!"
- Shaun T, world-renowned health and fitness expert, TV host, motivator and best-selling author of the self-help memoir, T IS FOR TRANSFORMATION
“Kristin Tierney is a force to be reckoned with. Her story of where addiction took her and her hard-fought journey back will inspire both those who struggle with these issues and those who are fortunate enough not to experience them.”
–Lisa Smith, author of Girl Walks Out of a Bar: A Memoir
Kristin shares her story with a rare sense of vulnerability and honesty, accepting responsibility for her choices and sharing the lessons she learned from them. A fascinating tale of loss and life, I thoroughly enjoyed reading her work and finished in just two days! She shares hope, reminding the reader with her story that at any time we can turn our poor choices around and create the life we love by proactively responding to what happens in life. Five stars!
–Ria Story, Motivational Speaker and Author
No matter what journey of life you are on, you can relate with the author’s crippling and heart-wrenching pain that drowns self-worth and maybe even more humbling is comparing the vices used to numb one’s inner struggle.
–Eric, September 2018
Unbelievable voice of a generation. The ease in which Kristin tells her story is amazing.
– Jane, September 2018
The author was a crack whore in my neighborhood. She now is a mentor and motivational speaker in my neighborhood. It is so hard to reveal so much about the train wreck that was your life- but she does not flinch. But from all that she weaves some life lessons that really are applicable to all of us.
–Chris, October 2018
Want a powerful book? Read this. Think you got it all together? Read this. Think your friends got it all together? Read this. Got kids? Read this.
–Amy, October 2018
I found Ms. Tierney's account of her life compelling and a profound insight into one of our society's biggest challenges. There is hope for us in her testimony.
–Paul, October 2018
Miss Tierney tells a story that is both compelling and terrifying at the same time. Not so much for the lifestyle or poor choices, but a poignant reminder that we are all just a step or two removed from the same fate.
–James, November 2018
What I learned about homelessness, substance use disorders, relapses, and exploitation I will take with me and try to help others who are struggling. The author also helped me believe that everyone is capable of change, and every one of us is capable of falling down the same path that befell the author for so many years. An inspiring, engaging, can't-put-down, can't-stop-thinking-about book.
–Lynn, January 2019
An amazing view into the pain of an intelligent accomplished woman who becomes a crack addict. Clear insights to the worldview that drove her recovery.
–Katherine February 2019