West Liberty resident, former corporate executive shares ‘hope without fluff’ in new book
Bethny Ricks breezed through high school and college, graduating from Bellefontaine High School in 2002 and Bluffton University in 2006, earning a degree in sociology and criminology.
Her determined work ethic, zest for life and leadership, and aptitude for taking on a challenge soon made it a natural fit for her to begin climbing the ranks of the corporate ladder. At the young age of 27, she was promoted to a corporate vice president role. Bethny was typically the youngest person in the room, with most of her colleagues in their 60s, so she would pretend to be “just a little older,” she related.
Throughout her distinguished career spanning about two decades, Bethny was recognized twice as one of the top 100 African Americans in business and honored one of Ohio’s Most Influential Women in Business,
In the midst of this success, the West Liberty resident was navigating her marriage and life with two young children, when her seemingly picture-perfect life began cracking under all the pressure.
Fast forward a few years to 2020 and Bethny was working overtime as the head of Human Resources for a global company, helping to lead the corporation through the many challenges of the COVID pandemic on the international level. She also was a newly single mother after her recent divorce.
During that pandemic year at the age of 37, she said she woke up one day in a hospital bed and learned that she had suffered a mini stroke or TIA (trans-ischemic attack) brought on by all of the stress.
Her doctors told her that the TIA was a “warning signal” that something needed to change.
“God, how did I get here?” she writes in her newly published book, Face Forward: Reclaiming Hope When Everything Falls Apart. “This wasn’t a part of the plan, not even close. I was in the middle of a work crisis and living through a global pandemic. This was not a part of my plan and it could not be a part of God’s plan.”
However, Bethny said this serious medical issue helped her to take a step back and recalibrate her life, with the help of her Heavenly Father. What did she want to do with the rest of her life?
Toward the end of 2021, the BHS graduate stepped down from her corporate position and set to work on her new book, which was published in October 2024 by Zondervan Reflections.
After previously publishing a book of poetry, “An Inconvenient Journey,” she was been approached by her literary agent, who was interested in Bethny sharing her deeply personal experiences and penning a book about fear and failure.
Writing the book was a major change of pace from the previous rhythm of Bethny’s corporate work life.
“When you’re used to leading a project and a team, sitting down to write 50,000 words by yourself is quite daunting. It’s just you and a computer screen,” she said.
“Through this writing process, I gained a deep appreciation for what I’ve been through. God has been so faithful.
“I wanted to expose not only what I got wrong, but how to overcome fear and failure and make it relevant for the reader. I call it ‘hope without fluff;’ it has substance.”
Bethny rose to that challenge, and said in August of 2023, she completed the manuscript for her book. Now since its release last month, she has been busy promoting Face Forward through various interviews with magazines, podcasts and booking conferences.
She also has been enjoying some of her days working from home and spending time with her son, Zion, and daughter, Londyn, both of whom attend Calvary Christian School, and her husband, Joseph, whom she married in January.
“It’s so exciting to now have it (Face Forward) out in the world,” said Bethny, a daughter of Robin and Sheila Ricks of Bellefontaine. The book is dedicated to her parents, along with her siblings, Norlin, Collin, Dayna and Jamie.
“I hope it emboldens people to face forward when they’re looking at chaos.”
Throughout the book, Bethny shares particularly trying times and pivotal moments in her life, and applies God’s truth, invaluable insights and practical steps to propel the reader forward.
For instance, Chapter 2, “Hurdles: Overcoming,” opens with the author’s experience on a business trip to Oregon, where her former colleague made some some jaw-dropping comments to her shortly after they arrived.
“Who invited you? I don’t even know why we need you here,” he said.
“Well, I guess you’re about to find out,” Bethny said in response.
The author noted while each hurdle we face is different, it’s imperative that we are able to answer three key questions: Who am I? Do I belong? and Who decides my worth?
“We all face situations where we feel like we don’t belong or measure up,” she said. “But you have to put yourself back in place and believe in yourself and what God says about you.”
Face Forward is available at local retailers and many online booksellers, including Amazon.com, Target, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook.com and Churchsource.com. Bethny enjoys signing books for local readers while she’s out and about in Logan County, including her frequent stops at Sweet Aromas Coffee in Bellefontaine.
