In The Parlay Effect: How Female Connection Can Change the World, Anne Devereux-Mills uses her insights as Founder of Parlay House to show how small actions can create a cascade of positive change -- in your life and in the lives of others.

A former advertising agency CEO, Devereux-Mills tells the inspiring story of how, just short of her 50th birthday, she lost her health to cancer, her last child to college, and her job to the recession.

Stripped of everything that had been her identity, she set out on a path to rediscover herself and recreate her life. Recognizing that she was missing authentic relationships that were not based on what she “did” for a living, but what she cared about as a person, in 2012 she founded Parlay House, a now-international series of salons that brings together diverse groups of women to talk about topics they rarely discuss. As the gatherings grew, she saw how they triggered small actions among participants and resulted in waves of connection and support well beyond the live gatherings. She dubbed that cascade “The Parlay Effect.”

Through a combination of personal stories and scientific research -- conducted in collaboration with Dr. Serena Chen, a tenured Professor of Social Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley -- The Parlay Effect will help you reframe your relationships, and in turn:

- Feel stronger in your ability to help others

- Feel empowered at a time when many of us feel helpless

- Know how to be part of creating communities that are shaped by personal values

- Feel more empathy, joy, energy, confidence, and clarity.