Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive

The author of Self-Compassion follows up her groundbreaking book with new ideas that expand our notion of self-kindness and its capacity to transform our lives, showing women how to balance tender self-acceptance with fierce action to claim their power and change the world.

Kristin Neff changed how we talk about self-care with her enormously popular first book, Self-Compassion.

Now, ten years and many studies later, she expands her body of work to explore a brand-new take on self-compassion.

Although kindness and self-acceptance allow us to be with ourselves as we are, in all our glorious imperfection, the desire to alleviate suffering at the heart of this mindset isn't always gentle, sometimes it's fierce.

We must also act courageously in order to protect ourselves from harm and injustice, say no to others so we can meet our own needs, and motivate necessary change in ourselves and society.  

Gender roles demand that women be soft and nurturing, not angry or powerful.  But like yin and yang, the energies of fierce and tender self-compassion must be balanced for wholeness and wellbeing.

Drawing on a wealth of research, her personal life story and empirically supported practices, Neff demonstrates how women can use fierce and tender self-compassion to succeed in the workplace, engage in caregiving without burning out, be authentic in relationships, and end the silence around sexual harassment and abuse.

Most women intuitively recognize fierceness as part of their true nature, but have been discouraged from developing it.

Women must reclaim their power in order to create a healthier society and find lasting happiness. In this wise, caring, and enlightening book, Neff shows women how to create balance within themselves, so they can help restore balance in the world.

"In this brilliant new book, Kristin Neff empowers women to combat patriarchy by shining a light on the true nature of compassion-both nurturing and fierce. She gives us potent tools for healing our own wounds and creating a more just, equitable and loving world." — Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance and Radical Compassion

"The authoritative guide to self-compassion for women by the field's pioneering founder and leading spokesperson. Through her science and compelling personal story, Kristin Neff shows us how and why to be kind to ourselves." — Angela Duckworth, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, author of Grit, and CEO of Character Lab

“Fierce Self-Compassion encourages anyone who identifies as a woman to claim the strength that comes from caring for ourselves.  Kristin Neff has put together a wonderfully woven book, powerfully bringing together the threads of current events, research, personal stories, and #MeToo to create an easy-to-follow guide for ultimate acceptance and action." — Sharon Salzberg, author of Real Happiness and Real Change

"I am so grateful to Kristin Neff for doing the research, study, and teaching that it took to write a book as clear and profound as Fierce Self-Compassion. It's no small feat to weave threads from brain science, psychology, gender studies, history, and spiritual practice into a user-friendly guidebook for women who want to step boldly into their full selves--fierce and tender, kind and powerful, compassionate toward themselves and devoted to healing our world. I recommend this book to everyone." — Elizabeth Lesser, cofounder of Omega Institute, and bestselling author of Cassandra Speaks and Broken Open