Don't Try This Alone
How to Build Deep Community When You Want to Hide from Your Pain
Published on 25. September 2025
Book
Hardback
240 pages
978-1-4002-3354-0 (ISBN)
Description
Discover how to find healing from the pain and heartbreak in your life when you allow God and His people to come alongside you.
Author and founder of Broken Crayons Still Color, Toni Collier shows you that it's not only possible to heal from the things that have broken you but that you can build a strong, life-giving community to support you, be with you in the valleys, and speak love and truth into your life as God puts you back together again.
There's no avoiding pain in this world. Whether it's in the form of betrayal, trauma, illness, grief, or abandonment, we've all experienced the kind of pain that completely consumes us and transforms how we show up in the world. Whatever pain is felt, we're often left feeling alone, ashamed, and unsure where to turn for help. We're not sure we can trust others again, we pull back from social engagement, and we feel as if our hearts may never recover. But it doesn't have to be this way.
In Don't Try This Alone, Toni Collier shares how you can have hope in the midst of your most difficult days when you let others in. Opening up about her own experiences of walking through heartbreak, betrayal, and suffering, she shows you the importance of being vulnerable and allowing others to come alongside you as you heal-instead of trying to do it on your own-and gives you practical advice for how to actually heal.
Don't Try This Alone will encourage and guide you to:
Discover that healing is a hard, nonlinear, but worthwhile journey
Understand why being alone in your pain is dangerous
Identify problematic thoughts and the misguided responses from others that keep you trapped in toxic patterns
Recognize the qualities of safe people
Toni teaches you that in every tough circumstance, the way forward is always with God and his people. The hard stuff is coming, but we can get through it if we don't do it alone.
Author and founder of Broken Crayons Still Color, Toni Collier shows you that it's not only possible to heal from the things that have broken you but that you can build a strong, life-giving community to support you, be with you in the valleys, and speak love and truth into your life as God puts you back together again.
There's no avoiding pain in this world. Whether it's in the form of betrayal, trauma, illness, grief, or abandonment, we've all experienced the kind of pain that completely consumes us and transforms how we show up in the world. Whatever pain is felt, we're often left feeling alone, ashamed, and unsure where to turn for help. We're not sure we can trust others again, we pull back from social engagement, and we feel as if our hearts may never recover. But it doesn't have to be this way.
In Don't Try This Alone, Toni Collier shares how you can have hope in the midst of your most difficult days when you let others in. Opening up about her own experiences of walking through heartbreak, betrayal, and suffering, she shows you the importance of being vulnerable and allowing others to come alongside you as you heal-instead of trying to do it on your own-and gives you practical advice for how to actually heal.
Don't Try This Alone will encourage and guide you to:
Discover that healing is a hard, nonlinear, but worthwhile journey
Understand why being alone in your pain is dangerous
Identify problematic thoughts and the misguided responses from others that keep you trapped in toxic patterns
Recognize the qualities of safe people
Toni teaches you that in every tough circumstance, the way forward is always with God and his people. The hard stuff is coming, but we can get through it if we don't do it alone.
Reviews / Votes
'This book isn't pretty or neat--and thank God, because life isn't pretty or neat. Don't Try This Alone is the bridge for every person who has felt stuck, silenced, or alone. It will get you back on your feet if you are having a bathroom-floor moment (metaphorically, but also maybe literally, because I get it). It's honest, it's gritty, and it's the best kind of unfiltered, just like my girl Toni. She's gone through hell and back to get this book to you (trust me), and if you let it, this book will be the beauty that came out of the ashes--for both of you.' * Elyse Mahan, author and speaker * 'I've watched Toni live these words in the trenches of real life. Don't Try This Alone is the book you didn't know your soul needed. It's raw, redemptive, and deeply pastoral. If you've ever felt like you had to be strong on your own, Toni gently and boldly reminds you that healing happens in withness--with God and with safe, Spirit-filled people. I underlined so much of this book I might as well have highlighted the whole thing.' * Kait Tomlin, bestselling author, dating coach, and founder of Heart of Dating * 'Rarely do I read a book with both the steadied wisdom and softhearted vulnerability that my friend Toni Collier brings to Don't Try This Alone. She could have kept her pain to herself. Instead, Toni brings her hard-fought healing to the pages to walk alongside you. This book is the friend saying, 'I see you' in the midst of our struggle, and 'I've got you' that helps us move on.' * Lisa Whittle, bestselling author, Bible teacher, and podcast host * 'Don't Try This Alone is a companion that leads you to real community. It's beautiful how Toni wrote this book--in the way she makes it sound like we are sitting across from her while encouraging us to sit across from others in our pain and theirs. Toni is giving us a road map toward healthy and safe relationships, and the advice is not pretentious but relatable. Throughout these pages, it is evident that Toni has run the race and fought the good fight toward healing, and now she's fighting on our behalf.' * Tori Hope Petersen, author of Breaking the Patterns That Break You * 'Toni and I went through divorce and single motherhood around the same time. Our stories aren't the same, but we both learned something vital: healing doesn't happen in isolation. This book not only challenged me, but I felt the loving conviction from the Lord. It reminded me of His design--that we were never meant to carry our burdens alone. What Toni does in these pages is rare yet so needed. Her honesty is the kind that heals. Her vulnerability gives those who struggle with isolation in suffering season space for a much-needed exhale. Don't Try This Alone is the invitation and reminder to come out of hiding. This book will impact lives, not just now, but for generations to come.' * Megan Ashley, host of In Totality with Megan Ashley *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Nashville
United States
Product notice
With dust jacket
Dimensions
Height: 161 mm
Width: 237 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
366 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4002-3354-0 (9781400233540)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
TONI COLLIER is the founder of Broken Crayons Still Color, a global organization that helps women and children process through brokenness and get to healing and hope. Toni has encouraged thousands through her vibrant voice and vulnerable storytelling. She is a speaker, host of the Still Coloring podcast, and author of two books: Brave Enough to Be Broken and a children's book, Broken Crayons Still Color. Toni is teaching people all over the globe that you can be broken and still worthy or feel unqualified and still be called to do great things.