Winter is coming, and Herb the hedgehog can't seem to get ahead - no matter how hard he works.
While ruthless, selfish Frank thrives without even trying, Herb digs up something unexpected in his search for food: a wise, unbothered old earthworm who isn't afraid of being eaten. The worm makes Herb an offer - teach him a secret that changes everything, if Herb is willing to test it. Skeptical but desperate, Herb agrees, and their unlikely friendship sends him on a search for the answer to a question he's never let himself ask: Who am I, and how should I live?
As Herb wrestles with loss, love, and the hidden triggers driving his own worst moments, he keeps wondering if he should be more like Frank - but it never quite feels right, and he's about to find out why.
The Hedgehog and the Worm is a modern fable about self-mastery and purpose, built around the worm's secret: living a SPICY life. Through Herb's journey, you'll discover:
Why your search for who you are has probably been backwards from the startWhy life's "emptiness" is actually your greatest freedomHow the hidden triggers in your brain keep you stuck - and how to take back controlFor readers of The Alchemist and The Tao of Pooh, this is a story about trading the exhausting chase for a life you actually love.
From the author of The Alignment Quotient and Psychological SAFETY, Christopher Ancona brings decades of research on human potential into this unlikely fable.