Gripping, insightful, relevant, and human, this book reflects a powerful interconnection of topics– how altruism can go wrong, the limitations and opportunities found in privilege, the importance of small acts of kindness, and the wisdom found in our natural world. Light Through the Cracks explores how our personal healing directly relates to our ability to make a difference in the world at large.

In April 2015, Lydia Dean, Co-Founder of GoPhilanthropic Foundation, was on a work trip to Nepal when a deadly earthquake hit the region. Returning home to her family and facing the effects of PTSD, Lydia began a painful transformation that had her listening to and seeing the world through a new lens.

“I had learned in an incredibly roundabout way that in order to help others find their greatness, I had to find my own.”

With a distinct blend of raw truth and vulnerability, Lydia takes us on an intimate and thought-provoking journey to the frontlines of human trafficking in Nepal and India, the indigenous Mayan communities of Guatemala, Mother Teresa’s Home for the Sick and Dying in Kolkata, and the earthy fields of Provence where she lives. Her awakening forces her to strip herself of the safe identity she hid behind and find strength inside the pain she had been running from. Lydia explores deeply relevant topics of our time—healing, philanthropy, the wisdom within nature and spirituality, and the inner work required of each of us to contribute fully to the world.

These powerful stories of change have us reimagining the process of giving and receiving—both within and outside ourselves.