Unfinished Business by Melanie Smith (Review by Stephanie Rowitz)

Rating: 3/5

Melanie Smith is not only an accomplished actress, she also knows a thing or two about grief and trauma. Through her personal experiences and her training to become both a PCC-level and an ICI-master-level coach, she created an eight-step program to help others heal from their own experiences of heartbreak, grief, trauma, and transition. Through the anecdotes and steps outlined in this book, the hope is that you, too, can work through your trauma and live a lighter, more fulfilling life.

I liked that this book featured simple steps with a lot of instruction on how to go about something like figuring out if our trauma is acute or chronic, and how to take responsibility for the different personas of ourselves we cast out into the world. Each of the eight lessons contain personal stories from Smith’s coaches relating to that lesson’s theme, a description of the lesson and why it matters for moving on, and then a homework section to guide you through it.

It’s a thorough step-by-step guide for becoming more aware of your issues, and it can be a great jumping-off point if you’re considering psychotherapy. I don’t think any one book has the power to heal someone by itself, but it can guide you in the right direction. I think the first step in restoring one’s mental health is awareness, and that’s what this book offers: an opportunity to become more cognizant of your hang-ups.

While I don’t think this book offers a viable alternative to therapy, Unfinished Business can help you figure out what your stumbling blocks are in order to move forward, ideally with a trained and affordable therapist, and work through the things that are perhaps keeping you from moving on with your life. A practical how-to with a lot of homework so take your time with this one!