Lived experience and the science of healing tell the life-changing truth: unlearning is the key to setting yourself free

In an inspirational, practical self-help book, bestselling author of A Good Wife Samra Zafar weaves together research and personal stories to share how she has broken free of beliefs that held her back, and how readers can too.

After escaping an abusive marriage in her twenties with her two daughters in tow, Samra Zafar thought the biggest challenges she would face would be supporting her family, putting herself through school, working in the corporate world, and rebuilding a support system for herself and her daughters. But she discovered the hardest challenge of all was within her own heart. Her childhood conditioning to criticize her every move paralyzed her from pursuing what she truly wanted, landed her in relationships that held her back rather than lifting her up, and constrained the way she wanted to mother her children. Finally, when she couldn’t take it anymore, she sought help.

In Unconditional, Samra shares everything she has learned, as a woman, physician and mother, about unlearning the harmful beliefs we store deep within ourselves. Through the hard work of digging out past trauma, unpacking faulty ideas that no longer serve you, creating healthier neural pathways, and embracing who you truly want to be, you can learn to love yourself—unconditionally.

SAMRA ZAFAR is an international speaker, human rights activist, scholar, author and social entrepreneur. After arriving in Canada as a teenage bride in a forced marriage, Samra faced more than a decade of oppression and opposition to her dream of getting an education. Today, she is the youngest alumna serving as a governor for the University of Toronto and has a rewarding career in commercial banking. Her impressive speaking portfolio includes platforms such as Amnesty International, Women in Leadership, and major universities, banks and corporations.

Samra’s story is one of Brave Beginnings, the name of the non-profit organization she founded to support abuse survivors in their journey to build lives of respect and freedom. Her story and work have been featured on prominent media platforms, including Toronto Life, CTV, CBC, Global News, Yahoo Canada and many others. Her free time is dedicated to her two daughters and her passion for empowering others through advocacy and non-profit work.

Samra Zafar's profile page

KIM PITTAWAY is a writer, editor and educator with over thirty years of experience telling the stories of survivors of trauma and injustice. She is co-author (with Toufah Jallow) of Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #MeToo Movement, which the New York Times described as “riveting . . . harrowing and propulsive.” She is a multiple National Magazine Award finalist and winner of the National Media Awards Foundation’s Outstanding Achievement Award. In addition to her writing and editing work, she has consulted on communications strategies for human rights in Canada and abroad. Kim Pittaway is a cohort director in the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Non-Fiction program at the University of King’s College in Halifax.

Kim Pittaway's profile page