Peace can feel like an impossible ask in 2026. For South County residents already stretched thin by national division, economic uncertainty, and the smaller pressures that stack up in silence, inner calm can feel largely unattainable. Best-selling author Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino invites readers to rethink what peace actually means and, more importantly, how to practice it.
Hamilton-Guarino is a master life coach, founder of the Best Ever You Network, and host of the “Best Ever You Show” podcast, which has earned more than five million downloads since its launch in 2010. Based in Falmouth, Maine, the St. Ambrose University graduate left a career in financial services to dedicate herself to personal development and has authored several books, including “The Change Guidebook” and “The Success Guidebook.” She has also co-authored award-winning children’s books with Sally Huss and has built a social media following of more than 500,000 across platforms.
Her latest, “The Peace Guidebook: How to Cultivate Hope, Healing, and Harmony for the Good of Humankind” (Health Communications Inc., April 2026), is co-authored by Katie Eastman, a licensed psychotherapist and grief expert based in Anacortes, Washington.
Eastman holds a doctorate in clinical child psychology from Antioch University and has spent more than three decades helping individuals and organizations navigate loss and transition. She is also the author of “Uplifting: Inspiring Stories of Loss, Change, and Growth.” The two previously collaborated on “Percolate: Let Your Best Self Filter Through.” That partnership eventually grew into the Percolate Peace Project, a global initiative with a goal of helping one million people practice and share peace.
“The Peace Guidebook” features a moving foreword by the Rev. Mpho A. Tutu van Furth, daughter of the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and includes personal accounts from more than 20 contributors. Each contributor shares their experiences in parenting, leadership, loss, life changes, and community building, bringing depth and authenticity to every chapter.
The book introduces readers to the 10 Principles of Peace, among them Healing, Patience, Passion, and Positivity. Hamilton-Guarino and Eastman infuse every concept with remarkable transparency and depth, offering a perspective so expansive and sincere that readers will likely find their own journeys mirrored within the pages.
Each chapter ends with thoughtfully designed worksheet pages featuring reflective prompts and exercises, offering readers a practical way to connect their own experiences to the text and, ultimately, to grow in peace.
Given the current level of unrest in this country, it would not be surprising to find this book on a bestseller list.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Hamilton-Guarino about the book and its message.
Q: What’s the one-sentence heart of this book?
A: “Peace is something we practice moment by moment, choice by choice, in the way we live our lives every day.”
Q: Of the 10 Principles of Peace, which one do you personally revisit most often?
A: “Presence. It’s everything. When I lose my sense of peace, it’s almost always because I have drifted out of the present moment and into worry, fear, or overwhelm. When you pause, breathe, and choose, it resets everything. This practice brings clarity, compassion, and the ability to choose differently.”
* ‘Between the Lines’ is a monthly book review column from freelance reporter Stephanie Bernaba. For the full story, pick up a copy of this week's Independent on newsstands now or purchase a subscription to our E-Edition by clicking here.