Greetings Everyone, Welcome to the podcast “Close to the Bone.” I’m Carl Vreeland, your host. This is episode #61, it’s called, “How To Get Out of Your Own Way.”

Well, it’s been quite a while since I published my last episode; and there’s reason for that; I was going through the final stages of finishing my new book. Yes, a book I started ten years ago. It’s titled, The Unself-Help Book: How To Get Out of Your Own Way and Start Being Happy. It was released on February 15th, 2026. And we had a great start.

On release day and the following days we hit #1 in five different categories on Amazon’s Hot New Releases List: We hit #1 in Spiritual Self-Help, Alcoholism Recovery, Health Recovery, Alcoholism, and in Drug Dependency and Recovery. And we did a local book tour, which started at the Wainwright House in Rye, New York. Video clips of the book launch event are slowly being uploaded to my new YouTube channel @carltvreeland. I’m also starting to post other book related videos. Please have a look and subscribe.

The reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Nobles and other stores are starting to come in, and they’ve all been wonderful. Readers are loving the book and finding it to be immensely insightful and helpful. And just as note-worthy, they are recommending the book to others, which is helping the book reach a wider audience.

So, with that said, this podcast episode, in part, will include some readings from my book, “The Unself-Help Book.” But let me explain the idea of unselfing first, which entails, what I like to call, the unself work.

Here is the definition, as written at the top of the book. . .

To “unself ” refers to the act of removing oneself from a rigid focus on the self and ridding oneself of self-centeredness. In essence, unselfing promotes a deflation of the ego so as to deepen one’s connection with others and the world.

Now before I read following sections of my book, let me first introduce to you, Gerry. He is a character through-out the book. He is my guide, teacher,