Breaking Boxes

Dismantling the Metaphorical Boxes That Bind Us

De: Betsy Pepine

Narrado por: Betsy Pepine

What Boxes Define You?

“I thought I’d figured out boxes early in life. From the anticipation of the puppet leaping out of my wind-up jack in the box to constructing castles from oversized cardboard containers, I thought I understood their boundaries. Yet, as life unfolded, I realized boxes aren’t always square, and some are cleverly designed to keep us confined.”

Boxes are a part of our lives, following us wherever we venture, whether we acknowledge them or not. They provide structure, safety, and security and often help identify similarities between us. We live in boxes (houses), receive boxed gifts, and pack our belongings into boxes to move into a new “box.” We use boxes to express things: “Think outside the box,” “She’s boxed into a corner,” or “Be sure to check all the boxes.” Some people base their identity on the box they put themselves in.

Boxes can also be scary. By nature, they divide and separate. Unseen, metaphorical boxes of expectations of our families, religions, communities, employers, and others can evoke intense emotions and trap us.

Serial real estate entrepreneur Betsy Pepine has lived in her share of boxes. From growing up with the expectation of becoming a doctor through creating a successful real estate business—one of Inc.’s 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in the USA multiple times—her compelling stories shared in Breaking Boxes will help you:

• Understand the labels and stereotypes associated with boxes, so you can step outside societal expectations
• Recognize the boxes that contain you, so you can unpack what’s keeping you stuck
• Discover your true identity, so you can live free of the expectations of others

Whatever box you are in, it’s time to unpack and step into your authentic self today!

©2024 Betsy Pepine, MBA (P)2024 Betsy Pepine

A great, helpful and easy read

This beautiful book is both a gentle reminder of how to live authentically and a practical roadmap for getting there. Betsy Pepine writes with remarkable courage and honesty, addressing gender, racial, socioeconomic, and spiritual biases while acknowledging her own privileges and blind spots along the way.
What makes this book so powerful is how she speaks truth to the limitations we place on ourselves and each other—the misogyny, ageism, and old wounds we carry that keep us trapped in patterns that no longer serve us. She invites us to choose love over fear, showing us what it truly means to show up for our children with love-centered parenting and how to navigate the complex relationships we have with our own parents and family traumas.
The great spiritual teacher Ramana Maharshi once challenged us to ask "Who am I?" Betsy naturally found her way to these profound truths as a child, understanding that we are so much more than our physical selves. She weaves together these insights with mature, unfiltered honesty that feels both bold and deeply comforting. Her writing creates an elegant tapestry of hard-won wisdom that feels like sitting with a trusted friend. Perhaps most beautifully, she reminds us of a liberating truth: that others' perceptions and opinions have nothing to do with who we really are. She encourages us to let it all go and embrace authentic living. This thoughtful, well-crafted book isn't just written by a smart, successful woman — it's written by a complete, powerful human being sharing her journey with love and intention. Well done, Betsy Pepine. Thank you for this gift.

Breaking Boxes

I enjoyed hearing the book, you have the opportunity to hear that leaders and successful people lives, sometimes are more complicated of what you see. I love the idea to hear about women empowerment, and their passion for education and family, the writer showed us this in a honest and sincere way. Congratulations!!!

Amazing Role Model

This book really opened my mind to perspectives I hadn’t thought to consider. I’ve looked up to and respected Betsy’s business acumen for a long time having done business with her and in her market. However, I never got to know her on a personal level, and this book shifted my perspective on a lot of issues I hadn’t previously thought about. It put me in her shoes, and allowed to me see the world from a different point of view. Highly recommend for anyone who keeps an open mind and wants to take an introspective look at the boxes they have been conditioned to accept, and learn to think outside those boxes!

Fun Read, Deep Life Lessons Learned

Betsy Pepine’s smooth reading style makes this an easy, entertaining listen. But don’t be fooled into thinking this is just another formulaic “how to whatever the trending words are in five easy steps”.
Through sharing her own experiences of differing parental expectations, failed marriage, single parent child rearing and learning about her own “boxes”, Pepine provides useful insight and tools to understand labels and unsaid expectations so that we can break free of our own “boxes“ and live true to our authentic selves.

Opens your eyes

The book really opens your eyes to the boxes you may have unintentionally been putting others in as well as yourself. Good read.

Transparency that can hurt…

Writing like nobody will read your book opens up a level of honesty that many books lack. Being committed to supporting the journeys of both strangers and loved ones with transparency that can hurt has my respect. This book builds perspectives from both inside and outside of boxes that many of us have moved in or around all our lives without acknowledging our agency. What we recognize, we can interact with more honestly - there are a lot of boxes awaiting your awareness! Move forward and don’t box yourself out of a more self aware future…