MY NAME IS...: Reclaiming Identity After A Public Fall

What happens when your worst mistake becomes the first thing people find when they search your name?For Michael V. Crismali, that question became painfully real when a public headline attached his name to the worst decision of his life.Once known as a volunteer firefighter, treasurer, father, brother, and friend, Michael suddenly found himself facing the weight of public shame, legal consequences, broken trust, and the quiet fear that one chapter of his life would become the only story people remembered.MY NAME IS… Reclaiming Identity After a Public Fall is not a book about excuses. It is not an attempt to erase the past or soften responsibility.It is an honest account of what happens when rationalization turns into wrongdoing, when accountability becomes unavoidable, and when a person must decide whether their worst moment gets to define the rest of their life.Through a deeply personal and reflective journey, Michael shares the slow slide into compromise, the crushing weight of guilt, the moment the truth became public, and the long process of rebuilding his identity after everything changed.At the heart of the book is the RECLAIM Framework, a practical path for anyone trying to move forward after failure, shame, or a painful personal reckoning:Recognize: Face the truth without hiding behind denial.Exhale: Stop running from reality and confront what is true.Claim Responsibility: Own your actions without excuses.Live with Integrity: Rebuild trust through consistent choices.Align: Bring your daily life back into agreement with your values.Invite Connection: Step out of isolation and allow support back in.Move Forward: Refuse to let one chapter become the title of your life.This book is for anyone who has made a mistake they cannot undo, carried shame they cannot outrun, or wondered whether they are still allowed to become someone better.Michael does not ask readers to ignore the past. Instead, he invites them to face it honestly, learn from it, and begin the difficult but necessary work of rebuilding from the inside out.Because your worst chapter may be part of your story.But it does not have to be your name.Start reading MY NAME IS… today and begin the work of reclaiming who you are. Read more