Inspired
Bridget's
Story
I didn't set out to become a
New York Times Bestselling Author...
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What I did have was the clear intention to assist people to get their powerful stories into the hands of those that needed them--literally to save lives.
Sure, I work hard, but I’ve been inspired...I love to pass that on.
Honestly, it’s even a bit uncomfortable for me to have this ‘About’ page because I love it when the focus and attention is on YOU. However, since I preach how critically important it is for you to
own the power of your story
in all of its vulnerability, I’m sharing what’s inside of me here.
I have been a lover of the written word since before I can remember. Truth be told,
I paid more library fines than should be humanly possible.
Raised by two amazing intellectuals with huge hearts, I learned the power of words in relationships, history, debate, politics, and spiritual curiosity. Because of their encouragement, I became well-educated. Still, on my own, I made a lot of dumb decisions.
In my early 20s, a near-death experience changed my life, and my focus. It presented to me the craziest juxtaposition of light in the darkest places.
I learned the human soul has the capacity for so much more than we give it credit for--and that people can change their stories.
I discovered if you change your story, you change your life. That's how I changed mine.
Since then, I have been writing people’s stories, which has taken me on a whirlwind tour of this gorgeous and amazing planet, meeting so many of our people--black, white, and every color in between; rich, poor, famous, and infamous.
I’ve been collecting stories in my heart, on paper, in my keynotes, and even my trainings for the boardroom and the prison.
Stories for me, are that powerful.
TJ's Story
From his youth, TJ Leyden was taught to fight, to hurt, and to hate. Cunningly brilliant and deceptively clean-cut, TJ found that life with the Skinheads was exactly what he – and they – needed. Quickly rising to the top, TJ recruited members for the Skins, and in return he earned a name and a reputation as one of the most powerful men in the White Power movement.
With a skill for fanning the fires of hatred and an ability to elude the law, it seemed that nothing would stop TJ – that is, until he became a father.
As his own children grew, so did TJ’s uncertainty about the cause he’d endorsed for so long. One fact finally emerged from all the racist propaganda: white power wasn’t about being white; it was simply about having someone to hate. And once he realized this truth, TJ knew his life could never been the same.
Skinhead Confessions takes you on an unbelievable ride through a dark world of violence to one of openness and faith in the future. TJ’s honesty and courage – even in the face of death – have inspired people across America to take action against gang violence and hate crimes. A book unlike any other, this is the amazing true story of one person’s journey from hatred to hope.
Melissa's Story
Melissa always knew that her family wasn’t perfect, but she never suspected the shocking truth.
What would you do if, as a teenager, you found out that someone you loved had committed the most horrific of acts? Worse, what if he had done it again and again? Could you ever learn to forgive him? Would you even want to?
In Shattered Silence Melissa Moore shares the true story of her life as the daughter of the notorious Happy Face serial killer. In this inspiring story, Melissa grows from a confused child to an outraged adolescent to an accepting adult. As she slowly connects the dots and realizes the full extent of the terrifying and gruesome crimes her father has committed, Melissa also begins to realize that she cannot change her father all she has control over is her own life and deciding how she will react to everything that has happened.
Told with heartbreaking sincerity, this uplifting story of optimism and discovering joy, even in the face of overwhelming adversity, will inspire you to face your own challenges with a similar attitude of hope.
Rebecca's Story
Rebecca Musser grew up in fear, concealing her family’s polygamous lifestyle from the “dangerous” outside world. Covered head-to-toe in strict, modest clothing, she received a rigorous education at Alta Academy, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints’ school headed by Warren Jeffs.
Always seeking to be an obedient Priesthood girl, in her teens she became the nineteenth wife of her people’s prophet: 85-year-old Rulon Jeffs. Finally sickened by the abuse she suffered and saw around her, she pulled off a daring escape. The church, however, had a way of pulling her back in-and Rebecca had no choice but to take the witness stand against the new prophet of the FLDS in order to protect her little sisters and other young girls from being forced to marry at shockingly young ages.
Rebecca’s subsequent testimony would reveal the horrific secrets taking place behind closed doors of the temple, sending their leaders to prison for years, and Warren Jeffs for life.
THE WITNESS WORE RED is a gripping account of one woman’s struggle to escape the perverse embrace of religious fanaticism and sexual slavery, and a courageous story of hope and transformation.
Gary's Story
In Divine Turbulence, little six-year-old Gary loses his mother and stepfather to murder-suicide on a U.S. Army base in Germany. Shipped back to the States, he’s launched from the frying pan into a fiery den of torture, abuse, and enslavement.
Can Gary, a victim of unthinkable evil, become better instead of bitter? The answer places the rising artist and sculptor on a miraculous quest to fulfill Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl's dream with a symbol of responsibility at a time when the world seems to need it most.
Gary Lee Price’s memoir proves that even amid tragedy and terror, choices upon choices shape our destinies. A greater call resides within each of us. The only question . . . will we answer it?
Written with New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author Bridget Cook-Burch, this unforgettable story reveals how remarkably the past shapes the present but does not have to dictate the future of any life . . . or that of the planet.
Rebecca has never stopped being a great advocate for others. In addition to being an outspoken leader for change in the FLDS, she has also continued to be a light in the courtroom, to those having to give sensitive testimony, teaching them how to own their truth and remain empowered despite pressure from ugly defense attorneys.
Where are they now?
TJ LEYDEN
MELISSA G. MOORE
REBECCA MUSSER
TJ's story has been saving lives as he has rescued young gang members on the street and in prison, out of white supremacy gangs. TJ has spoken on White House crime panels, and worked extensively with The History Channel on the Gangland Series. He worked with the Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance, and the Southern Poverty Law Center to diminish hate crimes.
Melissa has become a producer in Hollywood. She has directed and produced several successful series on A&E, and Lifetime. Melissa established the reputation of being the first producer in Hollywood to bring compassion to true crime. She has become a prolific author and speaker and continues to inspire the world with story.
Rebecca's story was recently featured in the hit Netflix documentary,
Keep Sweet, Pray, & Obey
There are few
authors who write with a level of quality that is awarded both New York Times & Wall Street Journal Best-selling Author, and over 5000 5-star reviews.
(A designation only 1% of authors achieve.)
Bridget is that level of author & mentor.
“Stories transform people, move people, inspire people, and sometimes save people. If there is a story inside of you that can do that for someone, I really would encourage you to talk to Bridget . . . It just might change everything. It did for me.”
~ Heidi Totten
“I love to awaken people to their possibilities! Every experience can be used as a stepping stone to their most glorious life.”
-Bridget Cook-Burch
That’s my story, now what’s your story? I’m ready to help you with yours!
