Don't Try This Alone

How to Build Deep Community When You Want to Hide from Your Pain

By: Toni Collier

Narrated by: Toni Collier, Jackie Hill Perry

Read by the author.

Discover how to find healing from the pain and heartbreak in your life when you allow God and His people to come alongside you.

Author and founder of Broken Crayons Still Color, Toni Collier shows you that it's not only possible to heal from the things that have broken you but that you can build a strong, life-giving community to support you, be with you in the valleys, and speak love and truth into your life as God puts you back together again.

There's no avoiding pain in this world. Whether it's in the form of betrayal, trauma, illness, grief, or abandonment, we've all experienced the kind of pain that completely consumes us and transforms how we show up in the world. Whatever pain is felt, we're often left feeling alone, ashamed, and unsure where to turn for help. We're not sure we can trust others again, we pull back from social engagement, and we feel as if our hearts may never recover. But it doesn't have to be this way.

In Don't Try This Alone, Toni Collier shares how you can have hope in the midst of your most difficult days when you let others in. Opening up about her own experiences of walking through heartbreak, betrayal, and suffering, she shows you the importance of being vulnerable and allowing others to come alongside you as you heal—instead of trying to do it on your own—and gives you practical advice for how to actually heal.

Don't Try This Alone will encourage and guide you to:

• Discover that healing is a hard, nonlinear, but worthwhile journey
• Understand why being alone in your pain is dangerous
• Identify problematic thoughts and the misguided responses from others that keep you trapped in toxic patterns
• Recognize the qualities of safe people

Toni teaches you that in every tough circumstance, the way forward is always with God and his people. The hard stuff is coming, but we can get through it if we don't do it alone.

A template can be found in the audiobook companion PDF download.

Everything mostly healing with community

I loved how it opened up my mind and heart to the idea of confessional groups/work. Disliked that it wasn’t longer!

Community is powerful and Holy. Strategic in this spiritual war!

One of the most impactful parts of this audiobook is hearing it told in Toni's voice. Her authenticity and willingness to be honest is moving and powerful. It translates her sincerity. God can use that.
Reading this book has awakened the reality that there is a war going on for our souls. We are in a real battle and need each other. We need community to confront, heal and take ground. It can be done together by showing up, loving God and loving each other.
Reading this book has ignited faith in me that everything we go through can be used by God to refine, purify and establish us to love him and others. Toni, none of your pain was wasted!

Loved everything about this book

Very relative and practical! Love the transparency and genuine truth of it. Learned what to look for in Godly friends.

I Needed to Hear/Read This

As a community builder and one who is a part of others communities, I know sometimes I will run and hide before I lean in. Toni’s stories resonated in more ways than one - being a single mom of two, one after divorce, and other after a long term relationship, financial issues, chasing God…and finding new community.

I purchased this book for a few folks I thought would need it before I got it for myself. Then decided, it’s probably for me too so I purchased it as a gift to myself for my birthday and I’m so glad I did.

Her vulnerability and simple walk through Godly community and self reflection made the concept of friendship come to life…forreal. Get this book!

great for understanding why we should always seek community.

I love the fact that it point us to knowing that we are not alone and that we need community.