#1 Best Seller #1 Best-selling new and future releases (all formats - Kindle, paperback, and hardcover) From Tomatoes to the Boardroom: A Journey of Grit, Grace, and the Courage to Rise From a barefoot child selling tomatoes in a rural Philippine market to the executive boardrooms of America's most respected healthcare institutions, Dr. Mila D. Sprouse's story is a powerful testament to resilience, leadership, and purpose.
In this inspiring memoir, Dr. Sprouse shares her journey of growing up in poverty, enduring colorism, and navigating the storms of migration, racism, and loss-only to rise as one of the most influential nurse executives in the United States. Along the way, she learns that courage is not only about surviving life's storms but daring to walk into the open sky after they pass.
Through vivid storytelling and honest reflection, she introduces readers to the unforgettable people and moments that shaped her:
- A volleyball coach who said no-teaching her the discipline to rise after failure - A dean who doubted her-fueling her determination to excel in nursing - Patients who revealed the deeper meaning of service - A daughter born with a heart defect-reminding her that resilience is lived, not taught - Colleagues who became family in the crucible of a global pandemic
At the heart of this book is UCTR: Unstoppable Courage to Rise, the platform Dr. Sprouse founded to empower underrepresented and underestimated leaders. Her story is not only a memoir-it is a masterclass in courageous leadership, showing how grit, grace, and courage can turn adversity into influence and impact.
From Tomatoes to the Boardroom is for nurses, women in leadership, immigrants, and anyone who has ever been underestimated or told they don't belong.
If you've ever wondered whether your story is enough, this book will remind you: you already carry the courage to rise.
Through every chapter, From Tomatoes to the Boardroom honors the art and science of nursing-celebrating the discipline, compassion, and innovation that define healthcare's most demanding settings. From the intensity of critical and cardiovascular care to the evolving roles of nurse leaders shaping modern medicine, Dr. Sprouse offers an intimate look at what it means to serve with courage and lead with heart.
Her reflections reveal the human side of healthcare: the decisions made in silence, the lives forever changed, and the legacy carried by those who rise to lead others. This book invites readers to see nursing not only as a profession but as a calling-one that blends intellect, empathy, and resilience in pursuit of healing and hope.
