Quest: 121 questions to liberation from the prison of self-domestication

In a world that is doing everything in its power to tell you what and how to be, this is a time to ask questions. To answer questions. To question answers.

Quest - 121 questions of liberation from the prison of self-domestication, Cristina Gallegos and John E. Kobara, simply deliver a map that will take us from where we stand, to the kind of existence we have always wanted, removing the obstacle of confusion. Quest is a book of questions, essential questions for life offered as tools to make the reader's next decision easier and cohesive.

Quest aims to positively disrupt and dislodge the darkness from life's stuck corners. It beckons with humor, hard-core insights, and the fresh voices of youth. An accessible invitation for the reader to become an essential co-author by answering the 121 questions that span the spectrum of life's existence.

And because it is easy to ignore the pain of not knowing who we are or what we actually want in life, Gallegos and Kobara make it even easier for the reader to follow the map, helping to reach that clarity by answering any or all of 121 questions. While there is no pressure, there is nevertheless guidance and a gentle handholding, as the questions are structured in seasons of life (Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter), as well as indexed in quest categories such as "Change", "Identity", "Goals", "Pain", "Self", "Path", "Time" and "Legacy".

It's all first person, unvarnished, and jaunty. To spur the reader along, Gallegos and Kobara add mature insights to the questions, sharing from their vast and, at times, humorous life experiences in both philanthropy and corporate sectors. Blended with a selection of unfiltered younger voices ranging from 6 to 19 years old, curated out of thousands of direct interviews answering to prompts such as "what have I always dreamt of doing?", "what is God to me?", "what is my relationship with money?" or "what is my blind spot?"

The 16th book from Gallegos and Kobara's debut, Quest is both a reading book and a writing book with a blank page allocated to every question to dare the reader to jot down their own insights, to become a co-author. In the end, the book is a simple sequence of steps that once put together, become part spiritual journey, part pragmatic voyage. All one needs to do is begin.

​​​​​​​Answer the Quest!

Author: John E. Kobara,Cristina Gallegos
Publisher: Skylarx
Published: 09/27/2024
Pages: 380
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.22lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.85d
ISBN: 9798330431540

About the Author
Gallegos, Cristina: - Cristina M. Gallegos, born in communist Romania as the daughter of an entrepreneurial woman and a Renaissance man, wrote short stories as a 10-year-old and started her first business in high-school, at the time when having a business was illegal. She won her first literary award at the age of 17, capturing first prize at a national competition for emergent young artists with a mid-century centered novella on love and loss across two generations. She moved to California in the late 90's. An eclectic writer with a wide range encompassing poetry, essays, fiction, and business writing, Gallegos is equally at home when coalescing words in short or long form, as long as the result instructs, provokes, and entertains. When not a writer, Gallegos is a consumate entrepreneur. She is a 6 times Founder and has 30+ years of experience in business, with more than two decades spent in philanthropy. As such, Gallegos' sweet spot sits at the intersection of the for-profit and non-profit worlds bridging the gap through deep understanding of what makes people tick, and fueling her business writing with rich and useful content. Gallegos is the CEO of Skylarx, a Triple Bottom Line consulting firm with a presence in the US and the EU, working to align public, philanthropic, and business efforts to strengthen the global society and the people who make it great. She often shares insights from the trenches, writing and speaking publicly about the art and science of change.Cristina Gallegos is the author of 16 books, including travelling and activism essays volumes "The Soaring Always Pays for the Thud" and "Chasing the World", feminist poetry volumes "Be f*cking brave" and "Songs without music", and the business tome of leadership intelligence "Ferocious intent".Each year, a robust percentage of Gallegos' time is allocated for Pro Bono work and a portion of Skylarx profits are donated towards social change. As an immigrant and a Latina from Eastern Europe married to a Chinese/Mexican man, Gallegos lives "diversity" to the bone. She is an art collector, a particle physics aficionado, a philosopher, painter, gardener, and passionate photographer. She has traveled to 90+ countries and territories on 6 continents.Kobara, John E.: - Whatever wisdom John shares comes from the dreams of his great-grandparents who were killed by the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, and from the hopes of his grandparents and parents who were imprisoned in the internment camps of Poston Arizona during World War II. Their sacrifices inspire John's quest to become his best self.He headed to Los Angeles to earn degrees from UCLA, USC, Occidental College and a post-graduate Coro fellowship, igniting his 45-year love affair with the imperfect paradise of the City of Angels. His education, both formal and experiential, have humbled him and empowered his curiosity. His quest took him on a career traversing all sectors with an emphasis on education, equity, and equanimity. He survived three start-ups in three different decades. He worked in what he calls the "for-purpose" field, interrupted by for-profit and public-sector jobs. He held many big titles and important positions but usually not at the same time.While he was a frequent public speaker, John started conducting workshops for executives about managing careers and organizational change taking him all over the world. These conversations led him to start blogging in 2008. John has written more than 1000 posts. His current iteration Your Weekly Ass Kicker is going into its 5th year.In 2022, John and his wife Sarah became Executive Producers of the award winning documentary film: Race Epidemic-The Resurgence of the Yellow Peril.His asymmetrical career sculpted his point of view. It taught him the great power of asking questions. All of this conspired to help John write his first book. It is the story of his ancestors that energize these pages with the hope they might energize you.