space to exhale awards & recognition
celebrating a 14-time award-winning book on rest, healing, burnout recovery, and soft living
Space To Exhale: A Handbook for Curating a Soft, Centered, Serene Life by Lisa Hurley has been recognized by multiple literary, social impact, and nonfiction award programs for its contribution to conversations about rest, emotional wellness, burnout recovery, self-care, and soft living.
Published by Wiley, Space To Exhale offers readers a gentle yet powerful invitation to pause, breathe, reflect, and create a life with more peace, alignment, and presence. This recognition reflects the heart of the book: helping readers, especially Black women and other overwhelmed people, move beyond survival mode and reconnect with themselves.
featured recognition
-
The Anthem Awards 2025
Winner, Gold Anthem Award: Anthem Community Voice
Space To Exhale received a Gold Community Voice Award, honoring work that advances purpose, impact, equity, and meaningful social change. This recognition affirms the book’s role in expanding conversations about rest, healing, burnout recovery, and emotional wellbeing.
-
The Anthem Awards 2025
Winner, Bronze Anthem Award: DEI Book
Space To Exhale was recognized with a Bronze Anthem Award in the DEI Book category, celebrating work rooted in purpose, equity, inclusion, and positive cultural impact. This honor reflects the book’s contribution to deeper conversations about rest, healing, burnout recovery, emotional wellbeing, and more sustainable ways of living.
-
Living Now Book Awards 2026
Winner, Gold Award: Relaxation/Mindfulness
Space To Exhale earned a Gold Award in the Relaxation/Mindfulness category of the 2026 Living Now Book Awards. The honor celebrates the book’s invitation to slow down, reconnect with oneself, and cultivate a gentler way of moving through life. Through reflection, practical guidance, and intentional rest, Space To Exhale offers readers a path toward greater calm, clarity, and emotional wellbeing.
-
Literary Global Book Awards 2025
Winner, Best Début Nonfiction
Space To Exhale was named Winner for Best Début Nonfiction by the Literary Global Book Awards. This honor recognizes the book’s powerful arrival as Lisa Hurley’s first traditionally published work and its impact as a guide for readers seeking a softer, more centered life. -
Nonfiction Book Awards 2026
Winner, Gold Award, Self Help
Space To Exhale received the Gold Award in the Self-Help category from the Nonfiction Authors Association, recognizing the book's excellence in helping readers navigate burnout, embrace rest, and create lives rooted in greater peace, self-awareness, and wellbeing.
-
International Impact Book Awards 2026
Winner, Self-Help/Stress Management
Space To Exhale was recognized as a winner in the Self-Help / Stress Management category, honoring its meaningful contribution to helping readers navigate stress, burnout, and emotional wellbeing with greater intention and compassion. This award celebrates the book's practical guidance, restorative approach, and lasting impact on individuals seeking a softer, more sustainable way of living.
-
North American Book Awards 2025
Winner, Bronze Award: Inspirational Nonfiction
Space To Exhale received a Bronze Award in Inspirational Nonfiction from the 2025 North American Book Awards. The recognition honors the book’s compassionate, encouraging approach to helping readers move beyond burnout, reconnect with themselves, and create lives rooted in greater ease, intention, and emotional wellbeing.
additional honors
-
NYC Big Book Awards 2026
Distinguished Favorite, Self-Help: Inspirational
-
Non-Obvious Book Awards 2025
Honoree, Book Trend: Take a Break List
-
International Book Awards 2026
Finalist, Self-Help (General)
-
International Book Awards 2026
Finalist, Multicultural Non-Fiction
-
American Writing Awards 2025
Finalist, Best New (Début) Non-Fiction
-
American Writing Awards 2025
Finalist, General Nonfiction
-
Author Shout Book Awards 2025
Winner, Gold Award: Reader Ready Top Pick
frequently asked questions
-
Space To Exhale: A Handbook for Curating a Soft, Centered, Serene Life has received national and international recognition across categories including self-help, stress management, inspirational nonfiction, multicultural nonfiction, début nonfiction, social impact, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The book has been named a winner, gold recipient, bronze recipient, finalist, honoree, and top pick by a range of literary and impact-focused awards programs.
-
The awards recognize different aspects of the book’s quality, purpose, and impact.
Some honor excellence in writing and publishing. Others recognize the book’s contribution to conversations about rest, burnout recovery, healing, equity, emotional wellbeing, and sustainable success. Together, they reflect both the literary strength of the book and the relevance of its message.
-
The recognition listed on this page includes honors selected through different processes.
Some awards were determined by juries, judging panels, publishing professionals, or literary organizations. Others included a public-voting or community-choice component. Where relevant, the type of recognition is identified on the page.
-
Each awards program uses its own terminology and selection process.
A winner has received the top honor or one of the program’s designated awards in a category. A finalist has advanced to the final stage of consideration. An honoree has been formally selected for recognition by the awarding organization. A community or audience award reflects public support or voting.
All are meaningful forms of recognition, but they do not represent the same level or type of distinction.
-
Space To Exhale crosses traditional genre boundaries.
It blends memoir, manifesto, personal development, cultural commentary, and meditative practice. Because of that, awards organizations have recognized it in categories such as self-help, stress management, inspirational nonfiction, multicultural nonfiction, début nonfiction, and social impact.
That range reflects the many ways readers and judges experience the book.
-
Space To Exhale has been recognized across categories including self-help, stress management, inspirational nonfiction, multicultural nonfiction, début nonfiction, social impact, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
That range reflects the book’s broad appeal and the many ways readers, judges, and organizations connect with its message. Some are drawn to its personal-development tools, others to its cultural commentary, storytelling, healing practices, or invitation to rethink rest, burnout, and success.
-
The awards and recognitions listed on this page are based on official notifications, announcements, certificates, award listings, or published results from the organizations that granted them.
The page is updated as new verified recognition is received.
-
Yes. Verified awards and recognitions may be referenced when introducing the book or Lisa Hurley in media coverage, event materials, book-club information, organizational communications, or speaking engagements.
For official bios, headshots, media materials, and additional information, please visit the press & media page.
-
The Impact page shares more about how Space To Exhale has reached readers and expanded conversations about rest, burnout recovery, healing, emotional wellbeing, and sustainable success.
It includes selected milestones, reader responses, media coverage, speaking, podcast conversations, and other evidence of the work’s growing reach.
-
Yes. Lisa’s broader body of work has also received recognition in podcasting, storytelling, community impact, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Those honors reflect the larger Exhale ecosystem, including Lisa’s work as a Creative Director, cultural commentator, and community builder.