Underestimated: The Surprisingly Simple Shift to Quit Playing Small, Name the Fear, and Move Forward Anyway

by Mary Marantz; Sharon McMahon

Publisher:

Revell

, 2025

Overview

It’s all been done. I can’t start until it’s perfect. What if the critics come? What if I start and then can’t follow through? What if my voice doesn’t matter? What if I don’t actually matter? What if it’s already too late?

Sound familiar? Do you find that year after year you stay stuck in the same tired, broken scripts fear uses on all of us?

It’s time for a wake-up call. Because so often when faced with the choice between creating nothing and creating failure, we choose nothing. Another year goes by. The clock goes on ticking. And the world is worse for our absence. It’s time to move from stuck to start.

This book does the heavy lifting to dismantle all the lies fear uses, move you out of an endless spiral of your own excuses (not to mention other people’s opinions), and bring you right up to a threshold of no return--this place where we become people who feel the fear and move forward anyway. With equal parts powerful prose and tactical action steps, Underestimated will become the essential go-to field guide for anyone who is ready to once and for all quit playing small.

From the Back Cover

"Underestimated is an absolute delight. Marantz invites you on a wisdom-soaked journey of self-discovery, helping you face your fears while keeping you laughing out loud, all while empowering you to embrace your unique purpose and finally show up for yourself. A must-read!"--Dr. Alison Cook, bestselling author of I Shouldn’t Feel This Way and The Best of You

"Mary has that rare gift of words to say exactly what she wants to say in a way that is equal parts funny and smart, poetic and razor-sharp. This is the best of what happens when EQ meets IQ. If you are fed up with fear having the final say in your life, I dare you to read just the first few pages of this book. You won’t be able to stop when you do!"--Jon Acuff, New York Times bestselling author of Soundtracks

"If you’ve ever struggled with fear, doubt, insecurity, or impostor syndrome, this book is for you. In Underestimated, Mary Marantz gives you the encouragement you need to get back up and try again, and she gives you the kick in the pants you need to stop making excuses and playing small. I’m so thankful for Mary and this powerful book."--Christy Wright, bestselling author of Take Back Your Time

"Underestimated delivers a knockout punch to playing small. Chapter by chapter, Marantz goes toe-to-toe with all the different faces of fear that keep people stuck and emerges on the other side as a trustworthy guide for all of us. Mary is the real deal. This book will change lives!"--Steven Pressfield, New York Times bestselling author of The War of Art

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Product Details

• Title: Underestimated: The Surprisingly Simple Shift to Quit Playing Small, Name the Fear, and Move Forward Anyway
• Authors: Mary Marantz, Sharon McMahon
• Publisher: Revell
• Print Publication Date: 2025
• Logos Release Date: 2024
• Pages: 272
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Ebook
• ISBNs: 9781493448562, 9780800738495, 0800738497, 1493448560
• Resource ID: LLS:9781493448562
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-06-13T16:43:21Z

About the Authors

Mary Marantz is the bestselling author of Dirt and Slow Growth Equals Strong Roots, as well as the host of the popular podcast The Mary Marantz Show. She grew up in a trailer in rural West Virginia and was the first in her family to go to college before going on to Yale for law school. Her work has been featured on CNN, MSN, Business Insider, Bustle, Thrive Global, Southern Living, Hallmark Home & Family, and more. She and her husband Justin live in an 1880s fixer-upper by the sea in New Haven, Connecticut, with their two very fluffy golden retrievers, Goodspeed and Atticus. Learn more at MaryMarantz.com.