Hooman D. Tavakolian, Author
NEW YORK, United States, Sept. 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — New Book Challenges the Idea of the Self-Made Success and Calls for a Progression from Gratitude to Stewardship
Hooman D. Tavakolian, financial industry executive, wrestling leader and philanthropist, today announced his upcoming second book, The Myth of Being Self-Made.
The book confronts a phrase most successful people use without thinking that they are “self-made.” Tavakolian’s argument does not dismiss hard work. He believes deeply in hard work, discipline, sacrifice, and personal responsibility.
His distinction is clear: You can earn your success without having achieved it alone.
“You may have earned your success. That does not mean you achieved it alone,” Tavakolian said. “Almost everyone who reaches a meaningful place in life can identify people who helped them along the way: a parent, coach, teacher, mentor, colleague, friend, or even someone who simply opened one door at the right moment.”
From Building Back Up to Looking Around
The new book follows Tavakolian’s first, Building from Rock Bottom: The Warm, Relentless Rise of Hooman D. Tavakolian, which focused on adversity, discipline and service.
Tavakolian frames the evolution between the two books simply: Building from Rock Bottom was largely about getting back up. The Myth of Being Self-Made is about recognizing who was standing there when he did.
“Book one asks: How do you rise? Book two asks: Once you have risen, what do you owe?” said Tavakolian.
From Mentorship to Stewardship
Tavakolian wants the book to move beyond a traditional mentorship or gratitude book by introducing stewardship as the central theme. He describes the progression as: Grit → Recognition → Gratitude → Stewardship → Service.
Mentorship means someone helped you. Gratitude means you remember and appreciate what they did. Stewardship means recognizing that what was given to you knowledge, opportunity, access, encouragement, relationships now comes with a responsibility to carry some of it forward for someone else.
Tavakolian points to his high school wrestling coach, Coach Thomas, as one of his earliest “invisible builders.” After failing to qualify for the state tournament, Tavakolian was devastated. He went to see Coach Thomas, a deeply religious man, searching for perspective. His coach told him: “The Almighty has a bigger plan for you.”“I couldn’t see any bigger plan at that moment,” Tavakolian recalls. “I could only see what I had lost. But Coach Thomas saw beyond that moment when I couldn’t. Years later, I understood that sometimes the person who changes your life isn’t the person who removes your disappointment. It’s the person who helps you believe your story isn’t over.”
That is what an invisible builder does. They see beyond the moment that has convinced you there is nothing beyond it.
“I believe deeply in hard work. I believe in discipline, sacrifice and taking responsibility for your own life. But the older I get, the more uncomfortable I have become with the words ‘self-made.’ I can point to people at almost every important turn in my life who taught me something, believed in me, opened a door, challenged me or simply refused to let me quit. This book is my acknowledgment of that debt and my argument that the best way to repay it is to become a door-opener for someone else.”
Grit and Gratitude, and What Comes Next
Gratitude runs through the book and builds on Tavakolian’s personal philosophy of “Grit and Gratitude.” For him, grit is about continuing to climb. Gratitude is about remembering who helped you climb. The new book adds the next element: what you do for others once you are in a position to help.
Where the Book Leaves the Reader
Rather than ending with a simple thank you to the past, the book leaves readers with harder questions: Who helped build you? Have you acknowledged them? And now that you have experience, influence, access, knowledge, or resources whose life are you helping build?
“That is where mentorship becomes stewardship and gratitude becomes action,” Tavakolian said.
About Hooman D. Tavakolian
Hooman D. Tavakolian is a Global Chief Compliance Officer & executive with experience in investment advisory and asset management, a wrestling leader, and a philanthropist focused on youth, education, and opportunity, including sports diplomacy and cultural exchange initiatives.
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- Hooman D. Tavakolian, Author
CONTACT: Hooman D. Tavakolian Hooman@Hoomanities.org
