The Book Marketer Announces: Are You Living a Story You Never Chose? A Psychologist's New Workbook Explores How to Change That

Psychologist and award-winning author Dr. Lidia Lae launches a practical companion to her No. 1 Amazon bestselling book, Own Your Life Story, helping readers examine the stories shaping their lives and make intentional choices about their future.

Melbourne, Australia, Oct. 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Career changes, migration, loss, retirement and other major life transitions can prompt a deeper question: Who am I now, and how did I come to see myself this way?

Lidia Lae

Psychologist and author Dr. Lidia Lae explores these questions in her newly released Own Your Life Story Workbook: Map Your Cultural Identity, Reframe Your Narrative, & Create Your Life of Joy, Meaning, & Legacy. The companion to Own Your Life Story guides readers through practical exercises to examine how culture, family, relationships and lived experiences shape their identities, beliefs and choices.

While many personal development approaches focus on changing habits and mindsets, Dr. Lae's Life Framing process examines how the underlying beliefs, cultural expectations and personal narratives were formed.

"How you frame your life shapes how you live it," says Dr. Lae. "Our beliefs about ourselves are shaped by the cultures, relationships, and experiences we've lived through. Yet we rarely question the stories we've inherited or the expectations we've accepted. Understanding those influences allows us to make more conscious choices about who we are becoming."

Created by Dr. Lae through her research into culture, self-narratives, autobiographical memory and semiotics, alongside more than two decades of clinical experience, Life Framing incorporates two original frameworks, StoriCompass™ and CulturAlign™. The workbook helps readers move from self-understanding to intentional action through guided reflections and structured exercises.

For Dr. Lae, these questions are deeply personal. Born in Timor-Leste, she spent part of her early life seeking refuge with her family before settling in Australia. Growing up across cultures shaped her interest in identity, belonging and the stories through which people make sense of their lives.

"Understanding your story is only the beginning," says Dr. Lae. "I wrote this workbook because insight alone doesn't necessarily change how we live. We need opportunities to question what we've come to believe and practise making different choices. That's how we move beyond understanding our story to actively shaping the life we want to live."

Dr. Lae's debut book, Own Your Life Story, reached No. 1 in seven Amazon bestseller categories across the United States and Australia and received a Bronze Medal in the Biography: Cultural & Regional category at the 2026 Global Book Awards.

The workbook offers readers, leaders, psychologists, and practitioners a structured approach to exploring cultural identity, navigating change and living in greater alignment with their values.

International Launch and North American Tour

A free international online launch takes place on Thursday, 29 October 2026, at 8:00 pm AEDT, featuring practical insights, giveaways and bonuses. A replay will be available to registrants.

Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/imY1DznVQAC9AXvmm75cHw

The release precedes Dr. Lae' s North American visit in November 2026, including speaking engagements and planned book-related activities in Toronto, Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Dr. Lae is available for media interviews on identity, culture, belonging, life transitions and meaningful change, both virtually and during her North American visit.

Book Availability

Own Your Life Story Workbook is available in paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon from 27 October 2026. A seven-day introductory Kindle promotion at US$0.99 is planned, subject to availability on Amazon.com.

Amazon: https://a.co/d/0bB1a00E
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-7641326-4-0
Paperback list price: US$25.99

About Dr. Lidia Lae

Dr. Lidia Lae is a psychologist, award-winning author, speaker and founder of Life Framing. Drawing on her research in social and cross-cultural psychology, more than 25 years of clinical experience and her lived experience across cultures, she explores how the stories we carry influence who we are, how we relate to others, and how we live and lead. She is the author of Own Your Life Story and its companion, Own Your Life Story Workbook, and the developer of StoriCompass™ and CulturAlign™.

Interviews, author photographs, review copies and further information are available upon request.

Own Your Life Story Workbook.

About The Book Marketer

The Book Marketer (thebookmarketer.pro) is a support service for new writers, run by established authors. We have a network of seasoned authors, skilled book marketers, publishers, copy-editors, designers, and social media experts who work together to guide authors just starting out. We offer training and online coaching sessions to help writers navigate the world of self-publishing, organise book launches, develop marketing strategies, and build their author platforms.

Press Inquiries

Nicky Blewitt
nicky [at] thebookmarketer.pro
https://lidialae.com

A video accompanying this announcement is available here: https://youtube.com/watch?v=YRv6SyK5p-c