Press & Media Kit
Phoenix Uprising
What Survival Taught Me About Systems, Power, and Leadership
| Author | Danielle Holmes, MPA |
| Publisher | Abracadabra Consulting, Ltd. |
| Presale | Open now at abracadabraconsulting.com |
| Launch | December 12, 2026 |
| Formats | Paperback, $19.99 · Kindle |
| ISBN | 979-8-234-26918-8 (paperback) |
Short summary
Getting released and getting free are two different things. In Phoenix Uprising, Danielle Holmes traces her path from entering the system at twelve to a master’s degree, a home, and a career she built from nothing, and shows what survival teaches about how systems work and how to lead.
Extended summary
Danielle Holmes entered the system at twelve. She was locked up at fifteen, imprisoned at twenty-five, and walked into a domestic violence shelter barefoot in her thirties. Phoenix Uprising follows what came next: a scholarship, a move across a state line, a master’s degree, a home, and a hard fall from a career she built from nothing.
Each of the fifteen chapters opens with a poem or piece she wrote at the time. The book is also a practical guide for people still inside, covering intake, grievances, exit plans, and finding support, and for the caseworkers, officers, counselors, and board members who serve them.
Author bio
Danielle Holmes, MPA, is a Boulder, Colorado, consultant, educator, and author whose work draws on both lived experience and professional expertise. She has navigated the juvenile and adult justice systems, housing instability, and domestic violence, and went on to earn a BA in Political Science and Sociology from MSU Denver and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Colorado Denver. She has managed an $8 million state grant portfolio across 19 organizations, directed shelter and navigation services, and taught criminal justice at the college level. She founded Abracadabra Consulting and Phoenix Uprising Project. Phoenix Uprising is her first book.
Story angles
- The difference between getting released and getting free
- How systems work on the people inside them, from intake to exit
- Survival as strategy, and strategy as leadership
- What caseworkers, officers, and board members can learn from the people they serve
Praise
Endorsed by Ann Rick, Community Activist; Edwina Salazar, MSW, ACSW; and Dr. Mitch Peritz, Founder and Executive Director of Youth Rising-Up Initiative.
Press contact and assets
Interviews, review copies, and excerpts
Danielle Holmes · danielle@abracadabraconsulting.com · (720) 526-2363 · Boulder, Colorado
For an author photo, an excerpt, a review copy, or an interview, email Danielle.
Download the front cover