CHERRY PIE
Chasing Love and Finding
Compassion
What happened to me?
Our stories shape the way we understand love, belonging, and ourselves. Sometimes it takes
distance - and compassion - to see what those stories have been asking us to notice.
In Cherry Pie, Lisa M. Gunshore shares a personal journey through love, relationships, loss, and
spiritual awakening.
In "Cherry Pie: Chasing Love and Finding Compassion," the author invites readers into an intimate exploration of their personal journey-a voyage marked by love, loss, and profound spiritual awakening. From the bustling streets of Berkeley to the tranquil shores of Long Beach, the narrative unfolds with raw honesty and deep insight, revealing the author's encounters with love, heartbreak, and the enduring wisdom of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Through poignant anecdotes and reflections, the author delves into the complexities of human relationships, navigating the turbulent waters of romance and self-discovery. As they traverse the landscape of their own heart, readers are drawn into a rich tapestry of emotions, from the exhilarating highs of newfound love to the depths of despair and longing. At its core, "Cherry Pie" is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the boundless potential for growth and transformation that lies within each of us. Through the author's journey, readers are reminded of the profound interconnectedness of all beings and the transformative power of love to heal and transcend. With the grace of His Holiness the Dalai Lama as a guiding light, "Cherry Pie" offers readers a touching and inspiring exploration of forgiveness, empowerment, and the enduring quest for inner peace. Through the author's courageous vulnerability and unwavering authenticity, readers are invited to embark on their own journey of self-discovery and embrace the transformative power of love in all its myriad forms.
about the book
THE STORY
Every story leaves an impression.
The relationships we enter, the families we come from, and the experiences we carry can shape the way we see ourselves long after the moment has passed.
Cherry Pie is an invitation into my story—and an opportunity to reflect on your own. Through experiences of love and heartbreak, spiritual exploration, and the search for compassion, I share the questions that led me toward a deeper understanding of myself.
Beneath the story is a question we can each ask:
What happened to me—and how has it shaped the way I live and love?
Read an Excerpt
-
As I delve into the depths of my life through introspection and journaling, I'm struck by the profound changes in my understanding of healing. Initially, I believed I had conquered my challenges, only to watch old patterns resurface time and again. Through this process, I've come to realize that healing is not a destination but an ongoing journey of self-discovery and growth.
Detoxifying my emotional and mental landscape has reshaped my understanding of myself and my relationships. I've learned that alignment is not static but dynamic, requiring continuous attention and inner work. Like the ebb and flow of the tide, my periods of boldness are interspersed with moments of diminished energy. It's during these fluctuations that I remind myself of the validity of each cycle of my experiences and relationships.
— Excerpt from Cherry Pie: Chasing Love and Finding Compassion, Lisa M. Gunshore
Continue the story → Get the eBook
turn towards yourself
A moment to reflect
The stories we carry can shape the way we experience love, belonging, and connection.
Take a moment to consider:
What is one experience that shaped the way you see yourself?
What did you come to believe about yourself because of it?
You might write a few words, sit quietly with the question, or simply notice what arises. There is no answer you need to reach today.
FROM STORY INTO PRACTICE
What happens after we begin to understand our story?
Recognizing what happened to us can be a powerful beginning. As we reflect on our experiences, we may also begin to notice patterns in the way we relate, respond, and care for ourselves.
But awareness is only the beginning. How do we bring that understanding into the way we live?
An invitation to The Living Practice
The Living Practice: A Year of Cutting Into It is a guided, year-long journey of reflection, embodied practice, and grounded self-leadership.
Rooted in my book Cutting Into It, this experience builds on the questions explored in Cherry Pie and offers a way to practice what you discover—in your relationships, your choices, and the ordinary moments of daily life.
What if the patterns exhausting your relationships are not proof that you are broken — but signs that you have learned to abandon yourself in order to maintain connection?
Cutting Into It is a transformative guide to recognizing the unconscious relational patterns that keep many people trapped in cycles of over-functioning, emotional burnout, anxious attachment, avoidance, people-pleasing, and self-abandonment.
Blending personal reflection, nervous system awareness, contemplative practice, and practical self-leadership tools, Lisa M. Gunshore (Sundara Rishika Devi) offers a compassionate framework for learning how to remain anchored within yourself while navigating relationships, conflict, intimacy, family dynamics, work, and everyday life.
Inside, you will explore:
Attachment patterns and relational survival strategies
Emotional labor and over-functioning
Boundaries, nervous system regulation, and self-trust
How to interrupt reactive patterns in real time
A grounded path toward embodied self-leadership
At the heart of this work is one guiding principle:
I stay anchored. I don’t manage others.
This is not simply a healing journey.
It is a return to yourself.
the journey continues
From story to healing
Cherry Pie begins with a question:
What happened to me?
As we come to understand our stories, another question can emerge:
How do I heal?
In Enlightenment Pie: A Natural Process for Healing, I explore healing as an ongoing relationship with the body, mind, and spirit—and invite you to continue the journey of self-discovery.
Ready to begin with the story?
In "Cherry Pie: Chasing Love and Finding Compassion," the author invites readers into an intimate exploration of their personal journey-a voyage marked by love, loss, and profound spiritual awakening. From the bustling streets of Berkeley to the tranquil shores of Long Beach, the narrative unfolds with raw honesty and deep insight, revealing the author's encounters with love, heartbreak, and the enduring wisdom of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Through poignant anecdotes and reflections, the author delves into the complexities of human relationships, navigating the turbulent waters of romance and self-discovery. As they traverse the landscape of their own heart, readers are drawn into a rich tapestry of emotions, from the exhilarating highs of newfound love to the depths of despair and longing. At its core, "Cherry Pie" is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the boundless potential for growth and transformation that lies within each of us. Through the author's journey, readers are reminded of the profound interconnectedness of all beings and the transformative power of love to heal and transcend. With the grace of His Holiness the Dalai Lama as a guiding light, "Cherry Pie" offers readers a touching and inspiring exploration of forgiveness, empowerment, and the enduring quest for inner peace. Through the author's courageous vulnerability and unwavering authenticity, readers are invited to embark on their own journey of self-discovery and embrace the transformative power of love in all its myriad forms.