‘Strength and Solace’

Palisadian Nora Plesent Releases Book to Comfort and Help Others

By COCO MERRITT | Intern

Following her great success in the founding of multiple organizations such as The Gathering (a retreat to enhance women’s wellness) and The New Girls Network (a network to support and connect females in law), Palisadian Nora Plesent has continued to aid the hearts of many women through her recently published book, “Be Still and Soar: Finding Strength and Solace in Any Storm.”

Similar to many, Plesent faced various challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic—however, she chose to cope with her difficulties in a unique way.

As writing has always been such a crucial aspect of Plesent’s life, she began with a newsletter, sharing her experiences and connecting them with world topics that “touched the hearts and minds of many people struggling to deal with the obstacles we were facing,” Plesent said.

Plesent’s goal in life has always been to help women in some capacity, whether it is advocating for women and children who have been abused, or helping women create a flexible work schedule for their lives.

“I created a network of women who really were trying to balance family and career,” she explained to the Palisadian-Post. “When I was figuring out what this third chapter of my life was going to be, I realized that what women really want is a community and a sense of belonging, and a place to connect with each other and feel the support of other women. So, I started The Gathering.”

Plesent used The Gathering to share her love and support through meditation and wellness, and created a group for women to feel connected. It became a mini retreat that touched the lives of so many women. Following the beginning of the pandemic, Plesent wanted to continue this connection.

“I began to send out a newsletter at the beginning of COVID that talked about what I was going through and what I thought a lot of people in my life were going through,” she said. “The uncertainty, the anxiety, the depression, the loss, the lack of connectedness … I would send out newsletters and they just became a source of a lot of comfort for people.”

As readers began sharing Plesent’s newsletters with others, the connection grew—and so did a new community. Readers began asking Plesent to turn the newsletters into a book form, and that is exactly what she did.

“It’s a book that really speaks to everyone because we had a lot of historical events that year … the outpour of activism that was happening, there was so much going on,” Pleasant explained. “I would take what was happening politically, what was happening in my life or in the world, and combine it with a lot of the lessons of the great masters and of common people and of thought leaders.

“It’s a book that incorporates personal essays and stories with the teachings of wonderful spiritual leaders and my personal heroes.”

After losing family members of her own, Plesent included her grief in the final chapters of her book. She also shared that the grief experiences she added were not only to connect with people on the loss of a family member, but the grief of not being able to go to school, work and dealing with isolation.

Plesent’s goal with the book was to “instill in others a feeling of ‘I am comforted,’” she said. “That’s my role in life, to be a nurturer and to take care of people.”

After reading an Amazon review someone left on her book, Plesent realized that she had done just that. She created a “friend” for people to have, to leave on their bedside table, to feel better about what was happening and to feel inspired.

Many companies have asked Plesent to speak and hold workshops on connection, as they see their employees struggling. Plesent realized the importance of holding these workshops, as connecting is not something that is taught in the workplace. She shared that she is looking to start them soon.

Plesent is now back to doing gatherings and is holding a “Be Still and Soar: Finding Strength and Solace in Any Storm” retreat in November.

Coming out of isolation, Plesent finds it crucial that she passes on her teachings of meditation and inner guidance so individuals are able to connect with oneself followed by others.

“The creation of bringing people back together—in real life, not on Instagram, not in the perfect world, but in peoples’ real worlds—is very, very important,” she concluded. “And it is really that connecting to oneself and others that I am hoping to spread.”

For more information, visit noraplesent.com.