NEW YORK, September 20 – Simon & Schuster announced today that it will publish Be Fearless: Five Principles for a Life of Breakthroughs and Purpose by Jean Case. Mrs. Case is the first female Chairman of the National Geographic Society in its 130-year history and CEO of the Case Foundation. Be Fearless will be published in January 2019.

Be Fearless is a call to action to aspiring changemakers to overcome fear, take bold risks, and live lives of urgency. Weaving together real-world stories from dozens of ordinary people who ended up doing extraordinary things as well Jean’s own transformational life experiences, this deeply personal and inspiring book provides a clear roadmap for individuals and organizations to ignite change at work, in life and in communities.

Be Fearless is built around five principles that Jean and the Case Foundation have identified as being at the center of transformational change and innovation, past and present: (1) Make a Big Bet, (2) Be bold and take risks, (3) Make failure matter, (4) Reach beyond your bubble, and (5) Let urgency conquer fear. She vividly illustrates these principles with storytelling—from her own transformational experiences to John F. Kennedy’s history-making moonshot, to Jane Goodall’s remarkable breakthroughs in understanding and protecting chimpanzees and other endangered species, to AirBnB’s tale of starting from scratch to transform the hospitality industry, to Bryan Stevenson’s ambitious efforts to end incarceration inequities, to celebrity chef José Andrés’ decision to be a “first responder” and take his kitchen to the sites of devastating hurricanes to feed the hungry—and much more. In recounting these stories, Jean appeals to readers to ask themselves, “What can I do?” and she provides the tools to help them get started.

Be Fearless comes at a critical time of rapid societal shifts, technological innovation and political upheaval and provides the inspiration and guidance needed to make big changes, making it a must read for everyone from business leaders to entrepreneurs to individuals and non-profits—anyone looking for a spark to take audacious steps and to Be Fearless.

“Jean brought her fierce determination to the question of what makes an effective changemaker, and she found a surprising answer. As a result, her book has the power to change people’s lives,” said Priscilla Painton, Vice President and Executive Editor of the Simon & Schuster imprint.

Early impressions of the book have been overwhelmingly positive, with New York Times bestselling author Adam Grant calling it, “an inspiring book by an inspiring leader,” and philanthropist Melinda Gates raving, “if you need a dose of courage, I recommend this powerful collection of stories, evidence, and optimism.” Former Executive Chairman of Google and Alphabet Inc. Eric Schmidt notes that, “with legitimately surprising research and compelling stories, Be Fearless inspires us all to take risks we usually wouldn’t, conquer the fears that get in our way, and lead a fulfilling life of clear purpose and maximum impact.” And Designer and CEO Tory Burch observes that, “Be Fearless stresses one of the most critical components of successful entrepreneurship: discomfort. Her very useful roadmap shows budding entrepreneurs how to think independently and move beyond their comfort zone.”

Case has spoken about the five Be Fearless principles at SXSW, the Aspen Ideas Festival, Fortune Most Powerful Women and numerous businesses, non-profits, universities and conferences. The Be Fearless Facebook Watch show has received more than 1 million views across 11 episodes and she has written columns for Forbes and Time. Her leadership as a philanthropist and investor have been praised and profiled in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNBC, Washington Post, Forbes Magazine, Fast Company, and Fortune Magazine with appearance on networks like CNN and CNBC.

Mrs. Case is a philanthropist, investor and internet and impact investing pioneer who advocates for the importance of embracing a more fearless approach to innovate and bring about transformational breakthroughs. Her career in the private sector spanned nearly two decades before cofounding the Case Foundation in 1997. Before the Case Foundation, she was a senior executive at America Online, Inc. where she directed marketing and branding as AOL brought the internet to the masses.

In addition to her role as CEO of the Case Foundation, Jean is Chairman of the Board of the National Geographic Society and currently serves on the boards of Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure (ABC2), the White House Historical Association, and BrainScope Company, Inc., as well as on the advisory boards of the Brain Trust Accelerator Fund, Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society and Georgetown University’s Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation. She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2016 and has received honorary degrees from Indiana University and George Mason University. Be Fearless: 5 Principles for a Life of Breakthroughs and Purpose is her first book.

 

Mrs. Case was represented by Robert B. Barnett of Williams & Connolly. Simon & Schuster acquired world rights and audio rights.

 

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Amanda Lang, Simon & Schuster
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Amanda.Lang@simonandschuster.com