"A turtle does not seek her shell from fear, hesitation or shame. She simply found a place to rest inside of herself."

Former high-tech executive Neelam Patel torched her 22-year career to pursue her creative passions. In her poetic debut, Burning It Down: Dancing in the Rubble, Neelam renounces the story of transformation as a glamorized "before and after." Instead, her raw poetry carries you through subtle layers and complex emotions, uncovering the deeper truth that the light is not at the end of the tunnel but somewhere in the messy middle. Burning it Down offers fresh perspectives on friendship, anger, the South Asian-American experience, sensuality, shame, and dreams. It illuminates how opposing forces, like the feminine and masculine, or gratitude and rage, can coexist.

In a world of overthinking, Neelam welcomes you to sink into wherever you are in your own journey and celebrate the rich, messy middle: the uncomfortable, honest feelings that create space for deep love and vulnerability - ultimately un-shaming the shame. Dive into Burning It Down: Dancing in the Rubble and watch old paradigms burn. Neelam's got the fire covered.