By Sabrina Novacov
In a world where setbacks often feel overwhelming, Just Keep Going by Lynn Smith offers children—and their parents—a simple but powerful reminder: courage comes one small step at a time. Born out of the author’s own season of hardship and a life-changing text from a friend, this book equips families with practical tools to face challenges head-on, turn fear into resilience, and see obstacles as opportunities. With faith, family, and community at its core, Just Keep Going isn’t just a children’s book—it’s a movement to raise kids who grow curious about what comes next. We sat down with author and journalist Lynn Smith to talk about her new children’s book Just Keep Going, the inspiration behind it, and how its message of resilience can empower both kids and parents.
Q: What inspired you to write Just Keep Going?
A: During an exceptionally challenging time in my life when everything felt like it was falling apart, I was paralyzed. I couldn't make decisions, couldn't see past the crisis, couldn't even imagine a way forward. Then I received a simple text message from a dear friend from college. She didn't have a rescue plan or a pep talk. She simply wrote "just keep going." Those three words felt like a wake up call that rewired how I think about challenges. It was exactly what I needed in that moment to just put one foot in front of the other, which, as we share in the book, is often the only solution you need. I have called upon those three words through subsequent challenging times, and I realized every parent, every child, every person has moments when they need permission to just take the next step. I felt the world needs this reminder right now more than ever. The question isn't whether your child will face challenges, it's whether they'll have the tools to handle them.
Q: Did writing the book help you personally live out its message?
A: It not only helped me live out this message but also mirror it for my children, and that is my hope for every parent who brings this book into their home. Before writing this book, I would rescue my kids from every disappointment. Now I teach them to rescue themselves. When my son doesn't make the team, instead of calling the coach, I can ask him, "What's your just keep going plan?" My youngest recently asked if I could bring the book to his classroom, and when I asked why, he shared that there was a boy in his class who had just started at the school and seemed scared. I thought, "This is exactly what I dreamed of for Just Keep Going," that children and their parents would find this to be a tool to live out the message for others as much as they do for themselves. I'm watching a generation of kids who don't crumble at the first "no." They get curious about what's next instead.
Q: How do you want Just Keep Going to encourage people in everyday life?
A: The Just Keep Going mentality is a daily mantra for life's little setbacks and disappointments as much as it is for life's hardest times. It's not about the big moments, it's about building courage muscle memory in small moments so you're ready for the big ones. When you get cut from the team, just keep going. When a friend is unkind, just keep going. When you're disappointed, just keep going. I want parents to stop saying "everything will be okay" and start saying "let's figure out how to keep going." When you live the Just Keep Going way, there's no looking back, which is unproductive. There's no longing for what's ahead in the unknown. There's only living in the moment and controlling what you can control, which is your choice to move forward. Imagine raising kids who see obstacles as puzzles to solve, not walls that stop them.
Q: Are there particular habits or mindsets you encourage?
A: Yes! We call it the courage toolkit. Most kids are never taught what to do with fear, they just freeze. We give them a playbook. There are a number of exercises in the book that we fold into a parent and educator guide. It includes exercises like deep breathing and jumping up and down, among others, to remind children that when they feel overwhelmed, these techniques can help calm their nervous system and, in turn, help them think more clearly to get back to the Just Keep Going mentality. One exercise teaches kids to physically shake off disappointment, literally. Another helps them rewrite the story they tell themselves about failure. The real magic happens when parents learn to model these tools instead of just teaching them. We're not meant to manage our children's emotions for them, we're meant to give them the tools to manage their own.
Q: What role does faith, family, or community play?
A: Everything. I used to exhaust myself trying to control outcomes. Faith taught me to control my response instead. Faith is the true belief that we are not in control of what happens to us, God has the steering wheel. Our belief that what's happening to us is happening for us helps reinforce the power of Just Keep Going. When we put our trust in our faith, it makes the Just Keep Going mentality all the more powerful. We're not meant to just keep going alone. Community reminds us we're not the first person to face this challenge. We are no longer trying to control a situation, which is a fool's errand. Rather, we are treating all challenges as gifts that teach us valuable lessons on this journey of life. Faith isn't passive hope, it's active trust that keeps you moving when you can't see the whole staircase.
Q: What was your favorite part in writing your first children's book?
A: The way I had to push myself to think differently. Adults overcomplicate resilience with psychology and theory. Kids just need to know what do I do right now when I'm scared? Presenting such a complex, adult topic like resilience to a young audience challenged all of my expertise. I had to think and write in a completely new way, which stretched me and helped me grow in spectacular fashion. Children are naturally resilient, we just need to stop accidentally teaching them to give up. The hardest part wasn't simplifying the message, it was unlearning all the ways I'd been making courage more complicated than it needs to be. We're raising a generation that gets participation trophies but not persistence tools. The kids who learn this early become the adults who change the world.
Bio: Lynn Smith is a media and communication expert who helps high-level leaders turn pressure into presence. A former anchor for NBC News, MSNBC, and CNN Headline News, she now coaches Fortune 500 executives, thought leaders, and entrepreneurs to become magnetic communicators. As founder of Lynn Smith Media & Communications, she helps leaders ditch robotic scripts and deliver messages that move people to action. Her signature framework, The Magnetic CODE, builds trust, clarity, and influence. Lynn is also a keynote speaker, host of the award-winning podcast Strollercoaster, and author of the upcoming children’s book Just Keep Going.
Website: https://www.lynnsmith.com/
Instagram: @lynnsmithtv
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