Jules Moves the Rug: A Story About Courage, Hope and New Adventures

What if the things we trip over are the things we need to face?

In the middle of a small, busy house lies a big, bright, bumpy rug. Everyone steps around it: Mom, Dad, Grandma, Big Brother, and Little Sister. No one likes it, but no one dares to move it.

Until one day, Jules, curious, brave, and tired of stumbling, finally says, "That's it. It's time to move the rug."

As Jules leads her family to lift the rug for the very first time, they uncover more than anyone imagined-reminders of moments lost, lessons forgotten, and something quietly waiting to be found.

Jules Moves the Rug is a tender, thought-provoking story about courage, curiosity, and the power of facing what has been hidden. Inspired by the leadership book RUG: Move What You Are Tripping Over and Lead with H.E.A.R.T., this beautifully illustrated picture book invites children and families to talk about:

• The feelings we hide and the healing that comes from sharing them
• The importance of asking questions and being brave enough to listen
• How love grows when we stop stepping around what's uncomfortable

TOPICS OF CONVERSATION

• About the book: Jules Moves the Rug uses a simple household problem to show how avoiding issues doesn’t make them disappear

• The central metaphor: A rug in the middle of the home represents problems people keep stepping around instead of fixing

• Why problems linger: Familiar discomfort often feels safer than change, even when it causes repeated frustration

• The power of small voices: Jules, the youngest in the family, speaks up and shows that clarity doesn’t depend on age or authority

• What’s under the rug: Hidden messes symbolize unresolved feelings like missed apologies, forgotten dreams, and tension

• The core message: Facing problems together turns overwhelm into connection and healing

• What’s next for the author: The “move the rug” idea continues through leadership work and future stories focused on honest conversations and growth

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sherry Whitaker Budziak is a speaker, writer, and entrepreneur who encourages leaders and families to find the courage to move the rugs that hold them back. Her children's book Jules Moves the Rug grew out of her own journey of resilience and personal transformation. Through this story she hopes to spark meaningful conversations that help children and the adults in their lives talk openly about change and emotional growth.

Sherry is also known for her long career guiding organizations through moments of transition. After serving in executive roles within the medical association community she founded .orgSource in 2005. Since then, she has advised hundreds of organizations as they work to strengthen strategy embrace innovation and build cultures where people can thrive. At the heart of her work is a belief that growth begins with honest reflection and the willingness to imagine new possibilities.

She is the co-author of two books on leadership and entrepreneurship and is currently writing her third. When she is not writing or speaking, she enjoys traveling trying new recipes and spending time with her family.

CONNECT WITH SHERRY WHITAKER BUDZIAK

https://rugthebook.com/

https://orgsource.com/

https://www.facebook.com/sherry.budziak

https://www.instagram.com/orgsherry/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherryb

In 2009, at the height of the economic crash, Elizabeth Zwelland loses her prestigious Manhattan publishing job in the fallout from Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. Forced to move to Colorado, the home of her Beat-poet father, she takes a minimum-wage job at an indie bookstore, shelving the very books she once edited. Bitter and adrift, Elizabeth scorns her coworkers and customers—until a shocking confrontation forces her to reckon with herself. Her journey takes her through the shadows of the Columbine shooting and JonBenét Ramsey case, leading to an awakening forged in hardship and a deepening connection to the city Jack Kerouac once called Holy Denver.

• About the Book: Holy Denver – An introduction to the novel, its second-edition release, and the story of a woman forced to rebuild her life after the 2008 financial crash.

• Loss, identity, and starting over – How the sudden loss of career, home, and status exposes resentment and forces a personal reckoning.

• Unlikable protagonists and emotional honesty – Why beginning with a deeply flawed main character makes meaningful transformation possible.

• Privilege, class, and intellectual armor – How education and status become shields that distance people from empathy and connection.

• Family legacy, neglect, and the Beat Generation – Growing up in the shadow of a famous poet father and grappling with inherited creative identity.

• Compassion, shame, and self-forgiveness – Confronting harmful behavior and learning to change with honesty and empathy.

• What’s Next for Florence Wetzel – Backlist re-releases, AI-narrated audiobooks, and an upcoming novel set in Crete.

Florence Wetzel was born in Brooklyn, NY. She writes in different genres, including the memoir Sara My Sara: A Memoir of Friendship and Loss. Her novels include the thriller The Woman Who Went Overboard; the Swedish mystery The Grand Man; and Dashiki: A Cozy Mystery. She has also authored horror short stories, a book of poems and memoir essays, and co-authored jazz clarinetist Perry Robinson’s autobiography. Aspasia is her latest novel, published in July 2025.

You can learn more about Florence Wetzel and her work at https://linktr.ee/FlorenceWetzel

FINDING HER VOICE

Set in the volatile early days of Christianity, this sweeping historical novel centers on three fearless women determined to claim their place in a faith that keeps trying to shut them down. Junia fights for acceptance in a divided church while protecting her biracial son and facing the possibility of new love, Susannah wrestles with the pull between motherhood and ministry as danger and expectations collide, and Mariamne challenges rigid gender roles as she confronts what true authority demands. Against a backdrop of real biblical events and rising tension, their stories intertwine in a bold exploration of faith, identity, equality, and resistance, delivering a powerful, feminist, LGBTQ+-affirming tale of courage and conviction. Finding Her Voice is Book Three of the From Broken to Bold trilogy, bringing the series to a defiant, unforgettable conclusion that proves silence was never an option. Consider this your official invitation to holy troublemaking.

Learn more about Elaine Ricker Kelly and her work at www.elainekelly.ca

TOPICS OF CONVERSATION

• Spotlight on early female apostles and the overlooked leadership roles of women in the first-century church

• Junia and Susanna as powerful yet imperfect figures pushing back against religious and societal silencing

• Parallels between ancient gender oppression and modern struggles around women’s rights and equality

• Faith, identity, and inclusion, including challenges to traditional Christian views on women and LGBTQ+ individuals

• Emotional themes surrounding motherhood, worth, infertility, and how women’s value has been historically measured

• The author’s personal journey of reclaiming voice and confronting ingrained beliefs within Christianity

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elaine Ricker Kelly is an award-winning author writing about women in the Bible and the early church. As a mother of three daughters, Elaine knew the harm of being considered secondary. She thought fiction would help others see how Jesus equipped women as disciples and empowered women to speak and lead. Her research-based approach and empathetic tone were developed during thirty years as a financial advisor. Since Jesus engaged women as financial advisors, Kelly felt betrayed as a Christian when she saw the church speaking against women leaders, and she felt it was important to show how the Bible empowers women and endorses equality for all. She hopes to bring healing and hope to those sidelined or silenced by the church by writing blogs on biblical equality, church history, and affirming LGBTQ+ people. She and her husband live near Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and worship in the mainline Protestant Christian tradition. They have three adult daughters and enjoy hiking, nature, tennis, pickleball, music, history, and travel.

Learn more about Elaine Ricker Kelly and her work at www.elainekelly.ca

CONNECT WITH ELAINE RICKER KELLY!

Instagram: @elaine_kelly_author

Facebook: elainekellyauthor

Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/ERK4Canada/playlists

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elaine.kelly.author