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  • Published: 3 November 2026
  • ISBN: 9781761354700
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 288
  • RRP: $36.99

Live Free

Let go of perfection and shame, embrace vulnerability and build lasting self-worth




Stop surviving, start living free.

'My mission is to clear the path ahead just a little, so that you won't have to endure it alone. I want you to be free to live the life you deserve.'

Former world No. 4 tennis player, bestselling author, Logie Award winner, commentator, presenter and motivational speaker Jelena Dokic shares the insights and tools that helped her reclaim her voice and her life – and shows you how you might be able to do the same.

No matter where this book finds you – on your darkest day or in the messy midst of healing – know that you are not alone. If you feel stuck, lost, overwhelmed or held back by your past and your life, there can be a way forward. Jelena’s approach is built on four essential pillars:

- Finding self-worth
- Vulnerability as a superpower
- Shattering the myth of perfection
- Finding peace and healing

Grounded in lived experience, she draws on her journey through hardship in her early life, adversity in her tennis career and the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father, which led to trauma and mental health challenges. She also reflects on dealing with doubters and shaming.

Through honest guidance, personal lessons, and practical tools and exercises, Live Free helps you to break old patterns and move forward with confidence. To lead with self-belief. To find strength in vulnerability. To let go of perfection and build a sense of self-worth so you can live free from shame.

  • Published: 3 November 2026
  • ISBN: 9781761354700
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 288
  • RRP: $36.99

About the authors

Jelena Dokic

Jelena Dokic was a prodigious tennis player who made the quarter-finals of Wimbledon at the age of just 16. She was heralded as Australia’s greatest tennis hope since Evonne Goolagong. She had exceptional skills, a steely nerve and an unrivalled fight on the court. At 17 she reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon. By September 2000 she became an Olympian and finished fourth at the Sydney Games. By 18, she was in the world’s top 10. By 19, she was world No.4, holding her own against Monica Seles, Martina Hingis and Lindsay Davenport. She was the world No.9 in doubles. She went on to win her first WTA singles title at the Rome Masters in May 2001. She was also a French Open doubles finalist the same year. A shoulder and wrist injury prematurely finished her tennis career in 2013. One of the only female players to have won a WTA title on all four surfaces Jelena now spends her time mentoring young players. She has a vast amount of knowledge to share - her other career highlights include making her Fed Cup debut as a as a 15 year old - the youngest player ever – and winning both matches. She also won the Hopman Cup with Mark Philippoussis at 15. As well as mentoring she also enjoys doing media work. She has worked as a commentator on both Fox Sports News and Channel Seven’s tennis coverage. She currently lives in Melbourne.

Hannah Vanderheide

Hannah Vanderheide is a journalist who came to health-writing through her own lived experience. An eating disorder survivor and rare disease advocate, she writes about health, identity and resilience with equal parts curiosity, compassion and scepticism for wellness hype. Her bylines appear across The Age, the Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian Women's Weekly, Marie Claire, Body+Soul, Mamamia, ABC Lifestyle, Escape, Harper's Bazaar, Fashion Journal and the Herald Sun, with her features regularly landing among the mastheads' most-read lifestyle stories.

Praise for Live Free

A remarkable book. It is so warm and approachable and I had a smile on my face much of the time I was reading it. A fantastic piece of work.

Janelle Booker, Clinical and Counselling Psychologist