Get Off the X: CIA Secrets for Conquering Obstacles and Achieving Your Life’s Mission

Former CIA intelligence officer and popular author Michele Rigby Assad knows better than anyone what it means to venture into uncharted territory. Now, in her second book, she's using her experience to help you embrace the often uncomfortable path to success. Get Off the X emboldens you to escape your comfort zone and realize your full potential!

In her first book, Breaking Cover, Michele introduced the concept "get off the x." In CIA terms, this is how officers are trained to survive deadly situations: get out of the kill zone as fast as possible. While working in counterterrorism in the Middle East, every day brought a life-or-death situation for Michele. She faced countless obstacles and dangers and had to forge ahead despite fear and uncertainty--or risk death, literally.

After learning to "get off the x" and use determination and discomfort to fuel a thriving life, Michele calls upon you to do the same. With stories of her time in the CIA and the lives of those whom she encountered, as well as everyday people who found ways to get unstuck in their own lives, she encourages you to stop feeling stuck and take charge of your situation, much like an agent in the field would.

Get Off the X guides you to:

• Diagnose what's holding you hostage in your 'X'
• Learn from real-world examples how to escape your 'X'
• Nurture a new mindset that thrives in the unknown
• Discover methods to help you overcome barriers
• And help others scared to leave their comfort zone

While it's hard to leave the comfort zone, it's even more dangerous to stay there. Every day we make the choice: Will we embrace challenge and hardship for a chance at something greater, or will we stay on the X and face the certain death of our dreams? With Get Off the X, Michele Rigby Assad equips you to make your escape.

Praise for Get Off the X

"Profoundly important...Michele reminds us that obstacles are not our problem, but how we respond to those challenges will define our future success.

The ideas in this book challenge popular narratives that if the path is hard, it hurts, or is unclear, it's not worth it. But I have seen in my own life, in Michele's life, and others around me, that success has more to do with perseverance than anything else. It doesn't matter if you are a singer, a CEO, or someone who has yet to find their way in the world. You can find purpose and meaning if you are willing to go where others won't go and challenge yourself to live with uncertainty until the right door opens. Waiting for that breakthrough and surviving the "in-betweens" is a crucial part of that process.

Michele provides not only the inspiration to move through anxiety and fear, but the tools necessary to fight whatever is holding you back. It's time to stop waiting and wondering and time to Get Off the X and work for your dreams!"

--Howie Dorough, Singer in Backstreet Boys and Real Estate Developer

"Get Off the X is the perfect book to change the way you think about obstacles in your life. Michele's personal stories and advice for achieving your goals will make you motivated, happier, and more productive. I can't recommend this book enough."

--Eric DeCosta, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Baltimore Ravens

"Michele Rigby Assad's Get Off the X: CIA Secrets for Conquering Obstacles and Achieving Your Life's Mission is an inspiring and practical guide for overcoming life's toughest challenges. Drawing from her experience as a CIA officer, Michele offers actionable advice through a compelling mix of personal stories and strategic insights.

After reading Get Off the X, readers will have a clear roadmap for confronting their fears, breaking free from stagnation, and achieving their goals. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking to navigate life's uncertainties--whether in personal growth, career advancement, or spiritual development--with resilience and purpose."

--Brittany Butler, Former CIA targeting officer and author of The Syndicate Spy

MICHELE RIGBY ASSAD is an international corporate advisor and keynote speaker. She parlayed a ten-year career as a CIA operative in the Middle East to consulting for multinational companies facing complex geopolitical challenges. Her extensive experience in the Arab World drives her ability to interpret and navigate risk to design safe and effective operations.

Michele has played a pivotal role in high-stakes missions both as a counterterrorism official and as a human rights defender in the civilian world, culminating in the 2015 airlift operation and relocation of 149 persecuted Iraqi Christians. Michele also provides security advice to nonprofit organizations working against human trafficking and in support of women rebuilding their lives.

Hailing from a small town in Central Florida, Michele determined that her simple beginnings would not define her future. She quickly learned how to push through fear and other obstacles to defy her own expectations and live a life of meaning and purpose. Her early pushes off the X to serve on college mission teams and study abroad in Egypt, Israel, Russia and Ukraine, resulted in a lifetime of travel to over 52 countries.

Michele holds a master's degree in Contemporary Arab Studies from Georgetown University and a political science degree from Palm Beach Atlantic University. Get Off the X is her second book. She is also the author of Breaking Cover, her memoir. Michele lives in Florida with her husband Joseph.