'The Naked Mom' by Brooke Burke

You probably know her as a former Dancing With The Stars champion and the show’s current co-host. Perhaps you remember her stints on the travel adventure show Wild On! and the reality shows Rock Star: INXS and Supernova. Or maybe you just recognize her face from the countless swimwear and modeling campaigns she did in her early career. However you came across her, you’ll be surprised to learn Brooke Burke’s not what you’d expect a Hollywood celebrity to typically be.

In her book "The Naked Mom," Burke peels away the glitz and glamour to give you an unfiltered, real-life account of her day-to-day happenings. She appears to juggle four kids, her fiancé, superstar friends, a television career and two thriving companies with ease, but she says that’s far from the truth. In the book, Burke doesn’t pretend to know everything, nor does she attempt to give advice like an expert. Rather, she explains what works for her and discusses her mistakes, epiphanies and cherished memories very candidly. From admitting she once accidentally left her daughter in the car while having coffee with friends to confessing she pretended to be someone she wasn’t in a marriage that couldn’t be saved — there’s nothing off-limits in this memoir.

Although the title implies the book is about mommyhood, "The Naked Mom" offers valuable life lessons that will resonate with single women — and even men — who can’t seem to understand us. She encourages women to stand up for themselves and not tolerate disrespect or mistreatment, as she witnessed with so many of her father’s girlfriends. She challenges women to find what makes them feel beautiful and not worry what others think.

And this is something men will definitely appreciate: Burke says it’s important that women ask themselves what they need and then communicate that to everyone else. She admits that when she was young, she just went with the flow, never wanting to rock the boat. But now that she’s older, she wishes she could have spoken up more and not been afraid of (healthy) conflict. She’s had to learn not to suppress her feelings to the point where she gets into a huge argument with her man David, only to end with her packing her things and announce she’s leaving him. Relationships are not quite the happily-ever-after myths we were read at bedtime, but they require a lot of work, even if your connection is as powerful as hers and David’s.

Another thing she’s stopped doing is guilt. She talks very openly about her years of therapy and how she beat herself up after leaving her first husband, thus throwing her two older daughters into a sometimes confusing, but mostly amiable joint custody arrangement. Instead of comparing herself to other “supermoms,” she emphasizes dancing through the chaos, meaning she lives in the moment, finding solutions when it’s necessary, but not sweating the fact that the basement is messy with toys strewn about. She also credits the community of moms on her website ModernMom.com as being a constant source of support to her.

Whether it’s helping you harness your inner bitch or abandon your inhibitions to get in touch with your sexuality, Burke provides an honest and funny account of her experiences that anyone can easily identify with. Truly a great read!