By: Rhiannon Frater
What if the very thing you dread—failure—could become the launchpad for the life and leadership you secretly crave?
That question lies at the heart of Melissa Manelli’s candid debut, Have the Guts to Fail: The Blueprint for Rising from Rock Bottom to Authentic Success. Part raw memoir, part neuroscience-backed manual, the book is already reverberating through boardrooms, book clubs, and therapy offices alike, redefining what it means to rise after everything falls apart.
A Story That Begins Where Success Narratives End
For years, Manelli appeared to live the kind of life many might admire from afar: an international consulting career, industry recognition, and the polished lifestyle often associated with “having it all.” Yet behind the airport lounges and keynote stages, there were challenges and struggles that few could see—emotional difficulties, experiences of hardship in her personal life, and the complex realities of single motherhood after leaving a difficult marriage.
“I lost everything the world told me would make me somebody,” Manelli recalls. “Yet in the ruins I discovered the one thing that can never be repossessed: my power to rebuild.”
That discovery became her hallmark framework, PROCESS – BUILD – RISE (also known in early workshops as Triple A: Analyze, Accept, Act). Born on sleepless nights and scribbled into tear-stained notebooks, the method blends trauma-informed psychology, neuroplasticity research, and age-old wisdom. It is the spine of the book and the scaffolding of Manelli’s thriving coaching practice today.
Why This Book Matters Now
The post-pandemic workforce is grappling with record burnout, silent mental-health struggles, and what experts call “success fatigue”—performing perfection while privately unraveling. Have the Guts to Fail meets that crisis with unapologetic honesty:
- Real and Raw: Manelli spares no details about panic attacks behind the podium or mornings she counted coins for rent.
- Intellectually Rich: Each chapter weaves cutting-edge findings on emotional intelligence and neurobiology with actionable exercises labelled “Let’s Reflect Together.”
- Culturally Deep: She honors her French heritage through proverbs and rituals that transform healing from a solo grind into a community act of resilience.
- Immediately Actionable: Readers finish with a personal manifesto, a 30-day self-leadership tracker, and a step-by-step plan to convert pain into strategic advantage.
The result is a book that lands with equal force on a CEO’s desk and a survivor’s nightstand.
The Heart of the Message: Failure Is the Birthplace of Success
Traditional business culture paints failure as a blemish on the résumé; Manelli reframes it as the raw material of innovation. “Your failures aren’t tombstones,” she writes. “They’re stepping stones toward the life you were born to live.” That idea has attracted thought-leaders from Forbes to Business Insider, who hail the book as “a survival guide for the soul” and “the missing MBA module on human resilience.”
Key takeaways include:
- Own Your Narrative—Without Shame
Self-leadership starts when you name, rather than numb, the chapters you’d rather delete. - Turn Emotional Pain into Authentic Power
Manelli’s PROCESS – BUILD – RISE charts how to convert cortisol-soaked flashbacks into competency, clarity, and compassion. - Lead Without Losing Yourself
Whether you’re scaling a startup or rebuilding after divorce, success that costs your peace is just another form of bondage.
Beyond the Pages: A Movement in Motion
The book is only Chapter One of a broader initiative. Through keynote stages, corporate trainings on emotional intelligence, and a fast-growing online community under the hashtag #GutsToFail, Manelli mentors leaders to build empires that never ask them to trade authenticity for applause.
Upcoming appearances include:
- Podcast Tours on resilience and purpose-driven leadership
- Corporate Workshops teaching PROCESS – BUILD – RISE to executive teams
- Live “Healing in Public” Conversations aimed at destigmatizing vulnerability in the workplace
Invitation to Rise
If you’ve ever stared at a shattered dream, a pink slip, or a therapist’s intake form and wondered, How do I come back from this?—Melissa Manelli hands you both a mirror and a map. Have the Guts to Fail is an unflinching reminder that breakdowns can be doorways, scars can be strategies, and the courage to fall might be the missing link to a life that finally feels like yours.
Because the story of your life isn’t over, it may be just about to begin.
Bio
Melissa Manelli is a French consultant and resilience coach working with entrepreneurs and executives worldwide. Have the Guts to Fail is her first book.
