Above all else, guard your heart.

If you’re tired of powering through, performing, and pretending you’re fine while your soul drowns, it might be time to examine the condition of your heart. Brian Freise looked like he had it all together—on paper. Strong faith, physical health, thriving businesses as an entrepreneur, and a solid family. But inside, his neglected heart lay exposed and screaming for attention. The result? Panic attacks that seized him and refused to let go. What followed was a brutal, beautiful war for his heart—a Great Awakening that forced him to confront decades of numbed emotions, hidden shame, and the lie that what he did mattered more than who he was.

Above All Else offers a Christian perspective on emotional health rooted in Proverbs 4:23: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Drawing from The Compassion Method—a framework developed by emotional health consultant Laura Duncan—Brian guides you to bridge the painful gap between the freedom Christ promises and the reality you’re actually living. With vulnerability and compassion as your weapons, he equips you to recognize your triggered self, comfort the pain driving it, and rediscover the person God created you to be.

This book invites you on a courageous journey—one that will lead you up steep, rugged mountains you never thought you could climb.

If you’re ready to stop managing the pain and start claiming the freedom Christ died to give you, it’s time to learn how to guard your heart above all else.