{"id":1175,"date":"2026-08-01T05:38:45","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T12:38:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usflashgazette.com\/?p=1175"},"modified":"2026-08-01T05:38:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T12:38:46","slug":"in-new-jersey-ten-brazilian-women-turn-their-stories-of-resilience-into-a-book-and-a-blueprint-for-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usflashgazette.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/01\/in-new-jersey-ten-brazilian-women-turn-their-stories-of-resilience-into-a-book-and-a-blueprint-for-change\/","title":{"rendered":"In New Jersey, Ten Brazilian Women Turn Their Stories of Resilience Into a Book \u2014 and a Blueprint for Change"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Collection launched in Riverside brings together stories of depression, fresh starts, and personal transformation among Brazilian immigrant women, with each chapter named after a life-changing decision<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n


RIVERSIDE, N.J. \u2014 Standing before an audience of nearly 100 people, co-author Vanessa Alencar shared one of the most difficult chapters of her life: her battle with depression, the period when she contemplated suicide, and how therapy and faith helped her rebuild her life. She ended her speech by turning to her husband, Daniel Alencar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


“Thank you for not giving up on me and for not letting me give up on myself. This book is also our story.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The emotional moment took place on Thursday evening during the launch of Decisions That Can Change Anyone’s Life, a collection published by Flecha Books in partnership with the Institute Chaves.
The book features the personal stories of ten Brazilian women living in the United States, recounting experiences of abandonment, financial hardship, childhood trauma, troubled marriages, and mental health struggles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Rather than following the traditional format of a book launch with a moderator-led discussion, the event gave each co-author equal time to tell her story live before the audience. A book signing followed, drawing together family members, church leaders, and members of New Jersey’s Brazilian community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Decisions as the Foundation<\/p>\n\n\n\n


The book is built around a simple yet powerful concept: each chapter is titled after a personal decision written in the first person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


“I Decided Not to Give Up on Myself.”
“I Decided to Break the Cycle.”
“I Decided to Accept Myself as a Daughter of God.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n


This approach shifts the focus away from what happened to the authors and toward the choices they made in response to life’s challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


It also distinguishes the book from traditional testimonial collections. Instead of ending with a story of overcoming adversity, each chapter begins with the decision itself, allowing the events that came before to serve as the journey leading to that turning point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


“Publishing this book has been an emotional experience, and I’m deeply grateful,” said Vanessa Alencar, an executive manager. “Once again, I see how God uses our pain to transform our own lives\u2014and now He is using our stories to transform the lives of other women.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The collection also includes chapters by Elisangela Dutra, Nanda Souza, Rosana Silva, Luciane Atizorio, Tatiane Ramos, Kamila Souza, Brunna Dutra, Italoama Lana, and Ariely Mendes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


The foreword was written by Priscilla Tansey-Chaves, who leads the Institute Chaves alongside Wallace Chaves. She believes the initiative extends far beyond publishing a book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


“This project is much more than a book. It is an activation of women who have far greater potential than they ever imagined. These are stories of resilience, life lessons, and faith. This journey has awakened dreams, careers, and ministries. It has been a privilege to walk alongside these courageous women who chose to soar higher.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n


The introduction was written by bestselling author and communication mentor Daniel Brunet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


A Different Perspective on the Immigrant Experience
For Brunet, founder and CEO of Flecha Books, the project offers a unique look at the immigrant journey.
“This book tells the stories of Brazilian women living in the United States who built or strengthened their families, created businesses, and overcame challenges that often leave people feeling stuck,” he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“These are stories filled with life lessons.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Without explicitly stating it, the book documents the Brazilian immigrant experience from an often-overlooked perspective\u2014that of women. Alongside stories of entrepreneurship, stable families, and professional success, readers also encounter the emotional costs that are rarely visible in public narratives of immigration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Flecha Books was founded in 2023 by Daniel Brunet. The Institute Chaves, which partnered with the publisher on the project, focuses on leadership development and personal growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Decisions That Can Change Anyone’s Life is currently available at the Institute Chaves headquarters in Delran, New Jersey, and will soon be available on Amazon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide or experiencing an emotional crisis in the United States, help is available by calling or texting 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.<\/em>
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Collection launched in Riverside brings together stories of depression, fresh starts, and personal transformation among Brazilian immigrant women, with each chapter named after a life-changing decision RIVERSIDE, N.J. \u2014 Standing before an audience of nearly 100 people, co-author Vanessa Alencar shared one of the most difficult chapters of her life: her battle with depression, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1177,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1175","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-daily"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usflashgazette.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1175"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usflashgazette.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usflashgazette.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usflashgazette.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usflashgazette.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1175"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/usflashgazette.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1175\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1180,"href":"https:\/\/usflashgazette.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1175\/revisions\/1180"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usflashgazette.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usflashgazette.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usflashgazette.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usflashgazette.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}