Books

What if taking care of yourself was the first step to helping your family thrive?

If you’ve parented long enough, then you’ve learned firsthand why your personal wellness matters. You’ve felt the pain (or consequences) of devaluing yourself. Whether your wake-up call came from a diagnosis, a breakdown, an issue with your child or spouse, anxiety, or simply feeling depleted and numb, it most likely unveiled this truth:

Mothers are humans too. We require love, compassion, rest, and renewal. Taking care of our needs strengthens us and equips us for the road ahead.

In More Than a Mom, bestselling author Kari Kampakis offers a practical, approachable, and attainable framework to stay on a healthy path. You can take your kids only as far as you’ve come–and since their strength builds on your strength, you must take time to focus on you. More Than a Mom is about unleashing God’s power in your life and standing on timeless truths that will help you

  • know your worth and embrace your purpose,
  • build strong, uplifting friendships that you can model for your children,
  • quit the negative self-talk and make peace with your body, and
  • learn to mother yourself by resting and setting boundaries.

The world that’s shaping your children is more callous and complex than the world that shaped you. Kids need to be stronger, smarter, and more rooted in what’s real. Empower your son or daughter by tending to your heart, soul, body, and mind. Give them a vision of a healthy adult–and know that as they launch into the real world, they will build on what you started.


These 10 simple truths will make one big change in your life.

It’s not easy to be a teenage girl. Dealing with cliques, bullying, rejection, and social media fiascos can be overwhelming and disheartening.

Thankfully, there’s a way to rise above it. There’s a way to find love, acceptance, and security without compromising your integrity, faith, or your future.

In 10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know, Kari Kampakis offers practical advice, loving support, and insightful discussion questions that will stir your soul and move you to action. As you begin making important decisions about life, from peer pressure to dating to academics, you can count on this book for guidance and reassurance that God is always with you.

God’s plan for you is much bigger than you dare to dream. And once you recognize that truth, only a life with Him will do.


Everybody tells girl moms, “Just wait until she’s a teenager!” It’s time we change that narrative.

For many women, having a baby girl is a dream come true. Yet as girls grow up, the narrative of innocence and joy changes to gloom and doom as moms are handed a disheartening script that treats a teenage girl’s final years at home as solely a season to survive.

Author and blogger Kari Kampakis suggests it’s time to change the conversations and mind-sets that lead moms to parent teen girls with a spirit of defeat, not strength. By improving the foundation, habits, and dynamics of the relationship, mothers can connect with their teen daughters and earn a voice in their lives that allows them to offer guidance, love, wisdom, and emotional support.

As a mom of four daughters (three of whom are teenagers), Kari has learned the hard way that as girls grow up, mothers must grow up too. In Love Her Well, Kari shares ten ways that moms can better connect with their daughters in a challenging season, including:

  • Choosing their words and timing carefully,
  • Listening and empathizing with their teenager’s world,
  • Seeing the good and loving their daughter for who she is,
  • Taking care of themselves and having a support system, and more.

This book isn’t a guide to help mothers “fix” their daughters or make them behave. Rather, it’s about a mom’s journey, doing the heart work and legwork necessary to love a teenager while still being a strong, steady parent. By admitting her personal failures and prideful mistakes that have hurt her relationships with her teenage daughters, Kari gives mothers hope and reminds them all things are possible through God. By leaning on him, mothers gain the wisdom, guidance, protection, and clarity they need to grow strong relationships with their daughters at every age, especially during the critical teen years.


Would you rather be liked online – or loved in person?

Social media is great. But for girls growing up in a generation saturated with social media, getting enough “likes,” comments, and online friends can become an unhealthy obsession.

In Liked, Kari Kampakis offers positive and powerful insights to help girls navigate the digital age. Applying God’s timeless truths to modern realities, this unique resource dives deeply into topics like social media, friendship, identity, and faith – while ultimately encouraging habits that lead to real and lasting relationships.

Liked can help girls think through those questions that may stir wildly in their mind and heart, such as:

  • Who am I?
  • What is my purpose?
  • How can I change the world and make an eternal difference?
  • How can I love myself when I feel unlovable?

For anyone tired of the quest to impress – and ready to rest in God’s unconditional love – Liked is the answer. This book is a conversation-starter that will quickly unite mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends by speaking to the female heart and addressing the need for approval with wisdom, hope, and grace.

Hear what readers say:

“A smart and solidly written guide to life as seen through stained-glass windows.” Kirkus Reviews

“Kampakis does not talk down to her audience, making this a highly readable guide, and no doubt the many readers of her blog will be eagerly awaiting this release.” Booklist

“I am such a fan of this book that I ordered more than a dozen extra copies after reading it – and have already handed them all out.” Amazon Review

“This book is a must read for tweens and teens. Kampakis writes about growing up in our current culture with amazing clarity and wisdom. Truly it is like receiving advice from a wise older sister who has been through it all and wants to save you the heartache. Moms will benefit as much as daughters. This is by far the best book I have read on the subject of raising daughters.” Amazon Review

“We purchased this Bible study for our high school volleyball (ages 12 to 18) team to read and discuss. It is delightfully written and covers so many topics that today’s young ladies need to think about and how to rely on our Lord to lead them. We’ve had many discussion lead by this book that would have been difficult to start…It is an easy read for girls, not to heavy and right to the point with modern stories to demonstrate the point. I recommend this to your girl or to a whole group!” Amazon Review

“Perfect book at the perfect time. Our daughter is going through a tough time at school – 9th grade…Our daughter really enjoyed it (devoured it) and we have seen a real difference in her behavior. She seems more patient, stopped the desperate search for a homecoming date, and generally seems to feel better about herself. I love her with all my heart, and anything that can help her get through the teen years with less angst is awesome!” Amazon Review

“Kari Kampakis writes this book in a fun way where your daughter can read one chapter a day…She starts each chapter off with a story of a girl and what they are dealing with, she then goes into what God says about the issue. She writes it in a way that encourages you to be better than what you are. She concludes each chapter with discussion questions and if you are using this book on your own you can use these questions to journal your answers.” Amazon Review

“This book is solid, deep and full of loving words which will help teenage girls…It caused me to reflect on the hurts of my teenage years and wish I had dealt with them more victoriously.” Amazon Review

“Kari Kampakis obviously understands tween/teen girls, and this shows clearly in her concise, clever, and straight-to-the-heart writing. I love how she diagnoses that in striving so hard for approval, girls ‘often fail to feel loved and known.’ Wow. So true…There wasn’t one part of this book that didn’t make me want to cheer.” Amazon Review

“I was very impressed with this book! While it is geared toward teens, it is definitely appropriate for adults as well. Some of the points she made in the book were convictions to me and prompted change on my part.” Amazon Review

“This is the second book by Kari Kampakis that I have used with my Jr/Sr High youth group in small group…We couldn’t wait for this book to be released and it has exceeded our expectations! Great read and wonderful discussion questions at the end of each chapter to use in small groups!” Amazon Review

“After divorce, it is a challenge to lead teens, when one wants to do the Lord’s will. However, I’ve learned to ‘father from a distance,’ which means to acknowledge my teens keep their eye on their dad from a distance, so I believe the Lord still has me as a role model even when we’re apart. With that said, I’ve looked for creative ways to stay in touch via social media, and providing relevant reading and faithbased material for my daughters. My youngest, who just turned 13 astonishingly said during our daddy-daughter time at a restaurant, ‘You know, thank you so much for the book. I read it on my summer trip, and it’s got dog ears now. I realize a lot of my thinking has been shaped by social media, and it is helping me to realize I need to think more about morals…’ Of course, I started laying the groundwork since before my daughters were born and continued cultivating an environment that supported loving and guiding faith, with a commitment to being a faithful dad. So, I’ll be looking for more books like this one. My heartfelt and prayerful thanks to the author.” Amazon Review

“During a time when girls tend to feel alone and misunderstood, Kari empowers with Scripture that these girls can cling to. Finding your identity and being confidant in who you are created to be is just one of the many great points Kari addresses. I’m excited to share this book with the girls on my Christmas list!” Amazon Review

“My daughter is really excited about reading this book, and I’m thrilled that I can give it to her with full confidence in the message and the way it’s crafted. Definitely worth adding to your Christian Living book arsenal.” Amazon Review

“Liked is one of those books that should be required reading for anyone working with girls in ministry. It really helps to have this guide to help me better understand the realm of social media and the impact it is having on our girls.” Amazon Review

“I bought this book for my 10½ year old for Christmas this year, she’s just now started to read it but she’s having a difficult time putting it down. She’s asking me lots of questions and I just couldn’t be more thrilled.” Amazon Review

“This is definitely a great read for mamas and their tween or teen daughters to read together. How great of a book to bond over – one packed with truth from the Word about how we should view ourselves. Rejection is hard at any age and this book helps us tackle that issue.” Amazon Review

“This book was outstanding! I gave it to my admittedly mature-for-her-age 11-year-old for her birthday. She blew through it in four days. She thoroughly enjoyed the book and as I pressed her for the things that stood out to her, I realized she was getting from the text exactly the things I hoped to hear her say about not bowing to peer pressure, about being kind to other girls, about only having one chance to make a first impression, about how to present herself around and interact with boys. These are things we’re teaching her as her parents, but it’s great to have another voice echo ours to reinforce what we’re saying.” Amazon Review

“GREAT BOOK! My 11-year-old daughter said it gave her new perspective on a lot of things she hadn’t thought of. I think it’s something so important that I’m going to use it to lead a ‘home group’ for my church and read it as a group for 12-year-old girls.” Amazon Review

“We used Kari’s book as a 6-week study for girls in grades 7-12 at Fairhope United Methodist Church in Fairhope, Alabama. I found her book inspiring and easy to understand. The girls in the study loved the book as well and came back each week with questions and excitement. Kari uses relative stories that the girls identified with. She creates a comfort level that opens the door to discussion. I love this book and can’t wait for the next!” Amazon Review

“10 ULTIMATE TRUTHS is the single most applicable book on the market for moms & daughters today! Kari Kampakis is truly in touch with the current landscape for teenage girls. Her wisdom comes from both first-hand experience and biblical knowledge. I was so encouraged by this book; I invited Kari to come speak at our church. Over 250 moms & daughters attended and the feedback was 100% positive. Teenagers have an intense desire to belong. Their peers will begin to influence your children and this book is a great roadmap full of applicable advice and encouragement for both moms and daughters alike to live for God and not for the approval of the world. (Galatians 1:10) Hearing Kari cover the 10 TRUTHS with my daughters group of friends and their mothers is undoubtedly one of the most beneficial decisions I have ever made as a mother!” Amazon Review