June, 2025 – Author Nicu Carter-Baldwin makes a powerful literary debut with Lessons Not Regrets, a deeply personal memoir that explores identity, grief, and growth through the lens of his extraordinary life. In tandem, Nicu is also releasing Unleash Yourself, a guided self-reflection workbook designed to help readers process their own stories and reconnect with their inner truth.
In Lessons Not Regrets, Nicu shares his journey with heartfelt honesty—from being abandoned by his birth mother and adopted by two loving gay fathers, to navigating a learning difference, losing one of his adoptive dads at twenty-four, and supporting his fiancé through serious health struggles. His story is not only one of surviving trauma but of transforming it into wisdom and strength.
“I didn’t want to write a survival story—I wanted to write a thrival story, I hope this book gives others the courage to look within, confront their truth, and come out stronger.”
Nicu Carter-Baldwin
With themes of adoption, LGBTQ+ family dynamics, mental health, and the journey toward self-acceptance, Lessons Not Regrets speaks to anyone who has faced adversity and longs to turn pain into power. It’s a memoir for adoptees, seekers, and those on a path of self-discovery.
To further that mission, Nicu—along with collaborators Aubrielle Ledgerwood and Juan Latuf—introduces Unleash Yourself, a transformative workbook that invites readers to go beyond the pages of the memoir and into their own inner landscape. More than a journal, Unleash Yourself is a guided experience of self-inquiry, healing, and liberation. Through thoughtful prompts, creative exercises, and powerful reflections, readers are encouraged to shed societal expectations and rediscover the self they may have hidden away.
“This is for the dreamers, the feelers, the seekers,” Nicu explains. “It’s not about fixing yourself—it’s about remembering who you’ve always been.”
Together, Lessons Not Regrets and Unleash Yourself offer a compassionate, empowering toolkit for those seeking to grow through what they’ve gone through. Whether you're in the midst of a life shift or simply yearning for deeper connection, these two works provide a powerful roadmap for reflection, resilience, and renewal.
