Guest Author, Review & Giveaway with Kip Kreiling

Do you think that people can change? I have to say that I personally didn't think so, that was before I read The Imposter by Kip Kreiling.
Today I am happy to have author Kip Kreiling to Book Junkie. Kip has written a book called The Imposter which I had the honor to review. Please welcome Kip today and enjoy the review and Interview, also don't forget to enter the Giveaway!

The Imposter tells a story of Kip's life journey so far, but it is more than that, and it isn't a memoir. Kip was arrested 3 times by the age of 10, 11 times before he was 14, now when I hear that I think, "Oh boy, this kids' in for a life of crime, bad, bad news". Kip's childhood was filled with frequent moves, a serious lack of stability, drugs, being kicked out of schools, jail and abuse. In reading all that you would never imagine the success that Kip has had in his life, the power of change? Most definitely! Kip is now a successful businessman, a corporate and educational speaker and founder of the nonprofit foundation TransformationHelp.org. With his honest and raw accounts of his past and how he made it through, surviving on the streets, selling drugs and ultimately turn your life around. Step one, realize you can change and make that your #1 goal. Kip teaches you that the obstacles that are in your own mind are what holding you back, you have to believe in yourself .We are all responsible and accountable for our own lives, take ownership and control of your life, transform your life.

Within the book Kip recounts with complete honestly and detail a story about a pivotal point in his life in which he also in tandem relates one of his 8 principles. He also uses historical facts to help exemplify his 8 Principles, which actually helped put his story in perspective. In reading Kip's story I started to recognize my own negative attitude about certain things going on in my life, bringing me to the point where I knew that no one was going to help me unless I started to help myself and work towards a more productive and positive attitude. Absolutely enlightening if not startling at times, Kip's story gives hope to those who feel that they are sinking into life's black whole or know someone who does!


I am a fly on your wall today, what would I see in the day of Kip Kreiling?
You will not be able to miss the frenetic chaos. Your first thought might be “what did this idiot get himself into.” Looking past the craziness that is my life today, I hope I hope you would see happiness. I believe that everyone wants to be happy and the most effective path to leadership is finding happiness yourself. If you are truly happy, people will follow you. I particularly pay attention to this principle with my 5 children and a recently adopted 17 year old (which is another story). Too many people have worked hard to raise their children with good values only to have their children take a destructive path. One of the questions you must ask yourself if you want your children to follow you is “Are you happy?” Frankly, I do not expect my children to follow me unless I am. A couple of years ago a cousin stayed at my home for a week. After being with us for a couple of days, he approached me one morning and said “do have to be so happy all the time?” He delivered the statement as an accusation, but it was one accusation that I was proud of. I hope you would see the same thing.

Can you tell the readers a little about The Imposter?

I was arrested three times before I was 10 and 11 times before I was 14. At 13, I was taken out of 2 schools, a shopping mall, and a bank in handcuffs. Because of my criminal activity, and the resulting chaos in my life, I moved 34 times from the young age of 11 to the age of 26. On average, I moved every 5 months for 15 years, in and out of jails, group homes, and street shelters, while my mother and father moved less than 4 times each. Today, I am an executive at the UnitedHealth Group, one of the largest and most respected companies in the US. I have also worked for Ford Motor, Hewlett Packard, and Vodafone. I have provided transformation and business leadership services to over 40 companies in more than 20 industries. Between my corporate, consulting, educational, and speaking engagements, I have had the opportunity to travel to nearly 200 cities in 21 countries on 4 continents. The Imposter outlines the principles that I used to completely transform my life.

What inspired you to write a The Imposter?
I had to write it. Such an amazing change has occurred in my life that I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I have simply run into too many people, including many people of faith, who do not think major human change is possible. Too many people who think they have to accept what their environment randomly gave them. Too many people who are held captive by some destructive habit or another that controls their life. I have not only kicked one nasty habit, I have kicked many of them. I had to share with others how they can experience major positive changes in their life as well.

Can you tell the readers a little more about the 8 principles of human transformation that you described in your book?
I do not want to outline the principles in this interview and spoil the reading experience for those who have not read the book. Instead, I will provide some general insights to the principles. Some of the principles seem obvious, but the most powerful ideas in life are the ones that feel self-evident after you learn them. The ones where you say to yourself “well, of course that’s true.” Principles that are self-evident are more likely to impact your life because they are easy to accept. One of the principles in the book is “by changing our ideas we change who we are.” Many who have written Amazon reviews about the principles in The Imposter have said “these ideas can change your life.” The principles certainly changed mine.

You use historical facts to help exemplify your points in reference to your 8 Principles, what influenced you to go in that directions compared to a strict memoir style of writing?
The last thing that I want people to think after they read my book is that I am somehow special. I want them to visualize that what I experienced can happen to them. One of my favorite Amazon reviews of The Imposter says this “Kip doesn't seem to believe that he is extraordinary, and is intent on sharing his thoughts behind how this transformation was accomplished. Indeed one thing which comes across in the book is a great deal of humility. He seems to say, ‘I am not special. You can change your life too.’” I want readers to finish each chapter of my book by thinking “I could do this too.” To accomplish this purpose, I use historical accounts from the lives of other people as well as psychology studies that prove my experiences are not unique.

As you do a lot of public speaking, what is the most surprised reaction you have received once your audience learns about your story?
Many people are surprised because there is nothing about me today that would suggest that I had a severe criminal history. For example, at the beginning of this month, my boss met with me to tell me he was leaving the company (which made me sad because I loved working for him). I told him that I also had a secret. I told him about my book and my difficult youth (I had not yet found a reason to tell him about either). He responded “Of all the people in the company, you are the last one that I would have suspected to have such a horrific background.” He also went to Amazon and bought my book that very day. His comment is more dramatic because I work for UnitedHealth Group, which employees 80,000 people. Many people respond to me in this way – because I have completely changed.

Can you tell the readers a little about TransformationHelp.org the nonprofit foundation you founded?
I set up TransformationHelp.org to advance the science of human transformation. Eventually, the foundation will focus on multiple aspects of human transformation. Today, we focus on teaching personal transformation classes in prisons, on a volunteer basis.

What do you have in the works, are you planning on another book or are you focusing on your foundation and speaking engagements?
My life is currently too frenetic because I am doing all three, in addition to my corporate leadership roles, caring for my family, and other community commitments. I am looking forward to a time that is less crazy, but feel compelled to do all of these things right now. To some degree the following quote applies to me “find a job that you love and you will never work a day in your life.” While my life is currently too frenetic, I love most of what I am doing and I am energized by it.

If you could ask the readers one question, what would it be?
Which of the transformation principles from The Imposter is having the biggest impact in your life and why? I would be grateful if readers of The Imposter emailed their answers to this question to me @ Kip@KipKreiling.com.

***GIVEAWAY***

Kip has been generous enough to offer 5 readers copies of The Imposter

Please leave a comment for Kip or about the Interview and you will be entered to win.
Open to US and Canada
Winner picked 04/16