Nick HutchisonFounder and CEO, BookThinkers

Most people want to skip pain. Pretend it didn’t happen. But what if the pain is actually the point?

6 Apr 2026 · 2 min

Watch on YouTube

1:33

In this YouTube monologue, Nick Hutchison reviews Ashley Ondryk’s forthcoming book Speranza: How Pain Became the Path to Hope. Hutchison frames the central thesis that pain is not merely trauma but a responsibility: while we cannot control what happens to us, we can control how we respond. He highlights the author’s decision to embrace her own suffering rather than flee from it, using that experience to serve others who are encountering trauma for the first time. Hutchison points to the biblical passage Luke 12:48—"to whom much is given, much will be required"—as a lens for understanding the duty that comes with personal pain. He notes Ondryk’s distinctive use of food as a healing metaphor, describing how she “feeds” people emotionally and spiritually. The review concludes with an enthusiastic recommendation, noting that the book is brand‑new and will be released next week, positioning it as a nourishing alternative to typical trauma literature.

Chapters

Your pain isn't your trauma. It's your responsibility. Most people want sympathy for what they've been through, but this book helps to reframe it. You don't control what happens to you, but you do control what you do with it. And I think that's one of my favorite lessons from all of personal development, but it's very true within this book. You see, the author Ashley has been through a lot, but instead of running away from that pain, she decided to embrace it and use The pain to inform how she can help other people. She references Luke 12:48 in the book, which says, when someone has been given much, much will be required in return. And when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required. We usually think about that with a blessing, but it's also very true with pain. She says, my pain was a convenient reason to stall figuring out my life. And again, I think that's what happens to most people who lean on their pain as part of their identity in a negative way instead of using it to say, hey, I'm powerfully positioned to serve the person who's going through that trauma for the first time today. Speranza: How Pain Became the Path to Hope by author Ashley Ondryk was a really fun read, especially because she's a foodie. She uses food to help people heal. And if you're looking for a book that addresses trauma but leaves you feeling nourished, then this is definitely the book for you, and it's brand new, comes out next week.