Awakening the Five Champions, Second Edition: Helping Young People Build the Strengths Technology Can’t Give Them

About

Young people can ask AI to do almost anything. But can it make them brave? Creative? Compassionate? Connected? Curious?

It can’t. They can get an answer in seconds, entertainment in a swipe, and company at any hour. What they can’t download is the strength that comes from doing hard things themselves.

In this revised and updated second edition of the Nautilus Silver Medal–winning Awakening the Five Champions, clinical psychologist Dr. Brian E. Razzino gives young people a practical framework for building the inner strengths technology can’t supply.

Meet the Five Champions.

The Warrior: resilience in the face of fear and setbacks
The Wizard: creativity and thinking for themselves
The Healer: empathy for themselves and others
The Lover: real connection, online and off
The Seeker: curiosity about who they want to become

Each Champion faces a rival from the Dark Legion: inner voices that take useful instincts like caution, comparison, and rest, and turn them into fear, inadequacy, and avoidance.

Inside, readers will find:

Relatable examples drawn from more than twenty-five years of work with kids, teens, and families.
Practical exercises that turn ideas into habits.
A clear-eyed look at smartphones, social media, and AI: how to use them without giving up the experiences that build a self.

Written for readers 12 and up, and for the parents, teachers, and counselors who want to help them grow.