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Fearless: Finding the Power to Thrive

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How do you find hope when all is lost? How do you find strength when you feel broken? How do you find your voice when you feel worthless and scared?

In Jelena Dokic’s first bestselling book, Unbreakable, the former world No. 4 revealed her incredible survival story; how she overcame adversity, poverty and violence to rise to the top of the tennis world. Jelena’s revelations about her father’s shocking abuse stunned the world.

Fearless is about how you reclaim life when all feels lost. It’s about learning to reach out for help and healing. It’s about speaking up and the power of sharing our stories. In past years Jelena has dealt with disordered eating and reclaimed her body; she has stood up to body shaming and online abuse. She has faced her mental health demons head-on to find stability in the chaos of life. She has endured a devastating relationship breakdown.

This book is about starting at the bottom and building yourself back up. Jelena opens up on how she has survived trauma and heartache to establish herself as a leading tennis commentator and motivational speaker.

The past years have taught her many tough and important lessons, and now she is ready to share them to help you find your voice and the power to thrive.

245 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 12, 2023

About the author

Jelena Dokic

4 books29 followers

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5 stars
215 (33%)
4 stars
256 (39%)
3 stars
145 (22%)
2 stars
29 (4%)
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2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
Profile Image for Stacy Nicholson.
25 reviews6 followers
October 8, 2023
Congratulations Jelena,

Jelena Dokic wrote an emotional and powerful reflection of her life. She was a tennis superstar who was physically mistreated and mentally abused. In her story Fearless she opens to the most devastating moment of her career and personal life after she lost this status as a tennis superstar. With her own example Jelena shares how treating mental illness is important in order to get better and gain self-worth, again. Through self-confessions she sends important message that there is not any shame in treating mental illness, it is otherwise. It is courageous thing of every individual in other to get better.

Jelena suffered enormously not only for being mistreated in family and abused by her father then her constant longing for a family environment and feel of love and secure that is basic and the most important need of every human. Through her book she sends messages of the importance of kindness in human life, in general.

I wish Jelena all the best in future life and in this challenging personal and professional task in empowering people who emotionally and mentally struggle. Because of mature themes I strictly recommend the book for mature audiences.

Congratulations Jelena once more for managing to embrace your own self and pulling yourself from the depth of darkness!
Profile Image for Sharon.
1,214 reviews233 followers
October 3, 2024
There are so many things I want to say about this book, but I think the title of the book sums it up perfectly and Jelena Dokic is one incredible woman. I attended an author talk at my local library where Jelena was the guest speaker and not only did she speak so well, but her passion for calling out bad behaviour towards women including physical, mental and verbal abuse was phenomenal.

If you have not read this book or Unbreakable I recommend that you do as they are both extraordinary reads, by a woman who went through so much abuse as a child into womanhood and somehow she found the strength and determination not only to become a remarkable tennis player, but to be the beautiful woman she is today. Jelena you are an inspiration to so many women and I hope your stories will help others to speak out and know they are not alone. Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Claire.
1,097 reviews285 followers
April 24, 2024
A very interesting reflection on the challenges Domic has faced largely since the end of her playing career and the strategies she has put in place to work towards overcoming them. Definitely some self-help/gratitude vibes, but not overly so and they didn’t detract from the experience for me. It probably would have made more sense to read Unbreakable first but also not a deal breaker. Dokic is vulnerable and reflective and her resilience and honesty is admirable.
198 reviews
September 21, 2023
Thank you Jelena for sharing your journey, experiences and guidance. May we learn something from your experiences and apply it to or life as needed.
Profile Image for Melissa (Mel’s Bookshelf).
508 reviews307 followers
December 30, 2023
Great book to finish out the year.

I feel as though I should have read the first one though. I didn't realise that this one was a follow-up. I feel that my experience of her complete story suffered because of it. Although she briefly revisited the terrible things that her father put her through, I assume that she went through more detail in the first one.
This was a great read (or listen as I grabbed the audiobook), but was mostly made up of events after the previous novel, her break up of a nearly 20-year relationship, and becoming a commentator. It was also made up of a lot of posts and comments from Instagram. Still very interesting, but I will grab the first one for a bit more context.

A great listen though, and I have no doubt it will help many people in similar circumstances, which is a major part of the purpose. I wish her all the best on her journey.
Profile Image for Donna Howard.
140 reviews1 follower
June 10, 2024
What an amazing lady! Having read Jelena’s first book and followed her on Instagram for a while I did find this book a little repetitive however the powerful messages were not lost on me.
Profile Image for Ari (Head in a Book).
1,165 reviews119 followers
September 29, 2023
Jelena's journey is utterly heartbreaking, she is a true inspiration.
I enjoyed this book just as much as her previous.
Profile Image for Ashley.
28 reviews1 follower
March 1, 2024
Dear Jelena, I love your book! It presented information in an easily digestible format, which is so helpful when making challenging information accessible to people.

Love and thanks to you! X
Profile Image for Lucinda.
78 reviews
April 7, 2024
Love Jelena and her story but chucking in 20 instagram post captions is just lazy writing
Profile Image for Dylan Todd.
27 reviews
March 27, 2024
A solid 4.5 from me - a great follow up on Jelena's journey since Unbreakable with some useful tips for trauma survivors that are readily available to return to. A true inspiration!
Profile Image for Ari Damoulakis.
193 reviews5 followers
May 18, 2024
Why aren’t authorities or anyone taking action against the father? She should at least prosecute him for damages?
13 reviews
June 20, 2024
Thank you Jelena for your honesty and bravery and constantly speaking out . A book of hope with clear practical advice.
Profile Image for Alice Scott.
2 reviews
August 20, 2024
Such a harrowing but powerful book. I would recommend this to anyone, especially if you are interested in women’s tennis, the WTA and the pressures that comes with being a top athlete alongside abuse and mental health challenges.
Profile Image for Shane Hart.
61 reviews3 followers
November 7, 2023
Well done Jelena! We all have dark days but you captured resilience, gratitude and love in her journey out of the darkness. I’m glad she’s doing well. I’m glad her work is helping others.
Profile Image for François Thurston.
568 reviews16 followers
September 30, 2023
FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, THANK YOU JELENA! THIS BOOK, IS DEFINITELY, WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS RIGHT NOW.

PREMISE: In past years Jelena has dealt with disordered eating and reclaimed her body; she has stood up to body shaming and online abuse. She has faced her mental health demons head-on to find stability in the chaos of life. She has endured a devastating relationship breakdown. This book is about starting at the bottom and building yourself back up. Jelena opens up on how she has survived trauma and heartache to establish herself as a leading tennis commentator and motivational speaker. The past years have taught her many tough and important lessons, and now she is ready to share them to help you find your voice and the power to thrive.

THOUGHTS: A truly remarkable book! As a huge fan of Jelena's from the moment I first saw her at the Hopman Cup in 1999, to her win over Martina Hingis as a Wild Card at Wimbledon, to her leaving Australia, to her coming back to Australia, to her 2009 Quarter-Final run at the Australian Open and, most importantly her coming out about what really happened behind closed doors with her father. Unbreakable, Jelena's first book was fantastic in seeing a reflection on Jelena's past, the reality of what was and the postive hope for the future. FEARLESS is Jelena's story of that future - showing that how, despite not being fully recovered from everything she's gone through, a frank depiction of how her life has turned around and how that has not only managed to help others, but in my opinion, how it has served to help her and to help her lead a life she is so deserved of. Congratulations Jelena on an amazing book. I can not wait to see more books from you in the future.

5 Stars!
xoxo.
2 reviews1 follower
January 8, 2024
Jelena Dokic’s book “Fearless” is a poignant reflection on her life as a tennis superstar who faced physical and mental abuse. She candidly shares the most challenging moments of her career and personal life after losing her tennis superstar status. Through her own experiences, she emphasises the importance of addressing mental illness for self-worth and recovery. Jelena’s story highlights the courage in seeking help for mental health. Her narrative delves into the impact of family mistreatment and the longing for love and security. The book conveys messages about the significance of kindness in human life. Wishing Jelena success in her endeavors to empower those facing emotional and mental struggles. Due to mature themes, the book is recommended for mature audiences. Congratulations to Jelena for embracing herself and overcoming darkness.
Profile Image for Karen.
1 review
March 24, 2024
I listened to Jelena read this herself & loved it!
Hard to listen to at times, but what an amazing strong & kind woman. A very articulate advocate for DV, mental health, body diversity, self confidence and so much more. Congratulations Jelena, keep up the amazing work, you deserve so much happiness and more.
Profile Image for B.P. Marshall.
Author 1 book18 followers
March 13, 2024
[My Review for Tasmanian Times]

There are those rare people who have been through hell, and walk out of the flames carrying buckets of water for those still burning. Jelena Dokic’ second book, Fearless, goes beyond her early years (told in her first, Unbreakable), to find a path forward, not just for herself but for everyone struggling with abuse. This engaging book is about more than survival against the odds, it’s about her efforts to thrive and to help others.
Her journey through hell isn’t over, and in some senses never will be, but Dokic is doggedly determined. She’s also sufficiently self-aware to know that healing, like grieving, is an endless process.

‘I don’t think I will ever get over what I have been through. But I won’t be defined by it; I am now determined to grow from it and to be stronger and wiser because of it.’

Though she touches on some of the same ground as Unbreakable - her life as a refugee, of childhood poverty, of being an outsider as a young Eastern European in a predominantly Anglo-Australia, her passion for tennis, and of the wounds inflicted by her notorious and abusive father, Dokic’ focus here is on helping those still in the hell of others’ making.

Fearless, co-written by colleague and friend, Jessica Halloran, uses plain and unpretentious prose that articulates clearly Dokic’ hurts, her shame, her mental illness, and what helped her stand back from that final act of hopelessness, suicide.

‘I wanted my pain to be over.’

On her journey, though doing her best to do right by everyone, including her abusive father, Dokic has received the vilest of online trolling, body-shaming and sneering media abuse. Though living in fear, it’s her honesty, courage and character which have crucially won her friends that count – who offer and deliver encouragement and genuine support. While media have often failed Dokic, and many other high-profile women in sports, she credits positive changes. There is, perhaps arguably, a growing awareness within media of the duties and responsibilities which journalists and editors share beyond generating click-bait.

The institutions of sport too have played a role in enabling abuse of young players, mostly young women, but they too are realising what they must do to protect and defend children from those who would exploit them, whether they be coaches, fellow players or family. Her advice?

‘Don’t dismiss, silence or disrespect women in any field or any part of everyday life.’

Dokic never really vents at those who have attacked her, only reprimanding them on their moral failure - unkindness. The hate-generating trolls and media grifters whom she refrains from calling out directly may deserve to be publicly named and shamed, but Dokic takes the high road. This book isn’t revenge. It isn’t for her, it’s for others like her. Venting at her abusers would only generate hate, not healing.

Dokic is still, daily, binding her mental and physical wounds, holding her head high to offer of herself, quietly and bravely speaking truth to power, and giving hope. For Dokic, all that really counts in a person is being honest and kind to oneself and others.

‘Kindness is giving someone else your strength, your smile, your generosity.’

We need to listen to conversations about mental health and recognise the strongest of us may sometimes need professional support, medications or just to be heard. We need to know that we aren’t defined by our mental illness. We need to recognise that speaking of our vulnerabilities gives us strength, even the strength to hope.

‘Speaking up creates change, saves lives.’

As they say, strong women stand up for themselves, stronger women stand up for others – Fearless is Dokic revealing every last vulnerability to do just that.
Game, set and match, Jelena Dokic.

Lifeline: for anyone experiencing a personal crisis – 13 11 14 – lifeline.org.au
Suicidecallbackservice.org.au – counselling for people affected by suicide
1800RESPECT – 1800 737 732 – domestic violence or childhood abuse counselling.
Kids helpline – 1800 551 800
Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636 – for advice on anxiety, depression or suicidal thoughts.
Headspace.org.au – for young people struggling with mental health
Profile Image for Liisa.
357 reviews14 followers
June 20, 2024
In her compelling book, “Fearless,” Jelena Dokic shares her journey from adversity to empowerment. Drawing on her own experiences, she offers insights on reclaiming life when it feels lost and finding strength amidst chaos.

Dokic’s first bestselling book, “Unbreakable,” revealed her remarkable survival story—how she overcame poverty, violence, and her father’s shocking abuse to become a world-class tennis player. Now, in “Fearless,” she delves deeper, exploring how to navigate life’s darkest moments.

The book tackles crucial questions: How do you find hope when everything seems lost? How do you regain your voice when you feel worthless and scared? Dokic’s candid reflections provide a roadmap for healing and resilience.

“Fearless” isn’t just about personal triumph; it’s about collective strength. Dokic discusses disordered eating, body shaming, and mental health battles, emphasising the power of sharing our stories. She also recounts her devastating relationship breakdown, demonstrating that even at rock bottom, we can rebuild.

As a leading tennis commentator and motivational speaker, Dokic’s journey has taught her invaluable lessons. Now, she invites readers to discover their own voices and thrive. Whether you’re facing trauma or seeking inspiration, “Fearless” offers hope and guidance—a testament to resilience and the human spirit.

Jelena Dokic’s “Fearless” is a powerful exploration of resilience, healing, and finding strength in adversity. Her personal journey—from surviving trauma to becoming a motivational speaker—inspires readers to reclaim their voices and thrive. 📚🌟



If you are triggered by the stories shared in this book, please reach out for support. Lifeline Australia: 13 11 14
Profile Image for MrsGsLibrary.
25 reviews1 follower
January 12, 2024
Jelena Dokic is a true fighter and an absolute inspiration. ‘Fearless’ is beautifully written and I loved the set out of the text. I enjoyed reading the quotes at the commencement and throughout each chapter. The use of subheadings allowed for Jelena’s story and message to be communicated in a clear and logical manner. I also really enjoyed reading the take-away points and mantras at the conclusion of each chapter. They were truly thought provoking and allowed the reader to reflect on their own life and personal experiences.

Jelena, thank you for once again opening up and sharing your story. You are a remarkable person and I applaud your determination to speak out, especially on those tough issues. Please continue to present, deliver workshops and write…the message you are spreading is so extremely important, now and well into the future. God bless xxx
194 reviews23 followers
March 8, 2024
I read this book because I love Tennis. I knew Jelena had been through a lot, but you really didn't know just how much until you read this book. However she exudes positivity, kindness and love for others, but most importantly, she gives a voice to the voiceless. For those who continue to live in fear and shame or are trapped, Jelena is your advocate, and if her book saves just one life, then every word she has written is worth it.

This book isn't just for those living in a relationship where domestic violence is their story; it is for anyone who likes a story of hope, positivity, and belief in yourself. It's never been my story, but if it is yours, there is help. In Australia: 1800RESPECT( 1800 737 732)
Profile Image for Elise.
45 reviews
January 22, 2024
Another amazing book by Jelena! Its so important the normalise a conversation about domestic violence and what its like to live recovering from this. There is so much I can personally relate to with Jelena's story, and complicated feelings around reconnecting with her mother and being pressured to forgive. Another ground breaking, and life changing book to read as a fellow survivor! We need more of these conversations and books!
Profile Image for Brad.
707 reviews
March 17, 2024
In her first book "Unbreakable", Jelana recounted her tennis career and struggling under the brutal attention of her father Damir. This book, is a more personal story, basically dealing with the trauma of her youth. So less about tennis, and more about self healing. She shows incredible bravery by baring her soul and will undoubtably be attacked by some (negative) people. Well worth a read even if you don't like tennis, and just want to read a real emotional truth baring.
Profile Image for Joan.
452 reviews
November 2, 2023
A story of positivity and resilience. I have nothing but admiration for this young woman who has experienced abuse, coercion, deceit, lies and so much more at the hands of her father - a person who should have loved and nurtured her. Her inner strength is amazing and she is such a wonderful advocate for those who have and are still enduring similar lives.
Profile Image for Amelia.
27 reviews5 followers
February 8, 2024
Listened to Jelena’s second autobiography and found it insightful into the trauma and abuse she experienced and the continued impact it has on her mental health today.
I have read similar autobiographies so most of the information I found repetitive to what I’ve read elsewhere, however, the inside information regarding the tennis world I found intriguing.
Profile Image for Serena.
21 reviews1 follower
June 8, 2024
This was quite full on to listen to for the first couple of hours (as I had the audiobook) and I nearly have up as it was quite hard to hear all Jelena has been through. I'm very glad I perservered though as I really enjoyed the rest and how she is trying to deal with the ongoing issues she has and try to help others.
16 reviews
April 14, 2024
It is always inspirational to read the thoughts of people who have overcome amazing adversity. There are times when I found the book a little repetitive but overall an easy and thought provoking book!
37 reviews
May 13, 2024
What an inspirational and generously shared story by Australia's daughter, Jelena.

There is much wisdom and helpful advice in Jelena's book.

One wish we all had done better in rescuing this child from her abusive father.
8 reviews
June 29, 2024
I listened to this as an audiobook. It's good, not great. I follow her on social media and didn't get much more out of it than was already available in the public eye. That being said it's an important story to be told. Even if it feels pop psychology-esq a lot of the time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Nina.
13 reviews4 followers
July 31, 2024
DNF
Her story definitely needs to be heard but she’s not a writer and as some already mentioned her the numerous instagram post chucked in is just lazy writing.

She should have head a ghost writer or just outsourced completely.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews

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