When Left Turns Go Right by Jere Stille

Finding The Good When Bad Things Happen

The Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): Everyone has the ability and power to turn the unexpected into great outcomes.

Executive Summary

Life presents challenges that we must confront with a choice: to face the difficulty and turn it for good or to give in and live a life that’s not meant for us. In When Left Turns Go Right, author Jere Stille shares his life story, filled with achievements and struggles, joy and shame, and a sense of purpose to fulfill God’s plan for his life. The book was written to share a message that every reader can relate to: embracing the unexpected for the unimagined. Time and again, year after year, Jere’s life faced “left turns,” but through faith and resilience, those turns became the right ones.

The Content

Divided into five parts spanning 19 chapters, Jere Stille takes the reader through his life from birth to the present and begins by acknowledging the harsh reality that not everyone is born into a life of privilege or safety.

In part one, Jere also introduces his family dynamic, which includes his three older sisters, Robin, Dawn, and Melanie, who suffers from a severe form of autism. He describes his upbringing in a broken home, raised by a single mother who often rented out part of her home to help make ends meet and hired live-in babysitters to ease the financial burden of being a single mom and to ensure care for Jere’s sister, Melanie. In part one, Jere shares the pain he experienced as a young child from the abusive bullying at the hands of another, older child living under the same roof, a child of a live-in babysitter. This early experience shaped him to believe that people were evil, and it affected him for nearly the rest of his life.

As Jere matured, however, he found comfort in the company of others and began to build confidence. Yet, his surroundings made him vulnerable to unproductive behaviors, which he engaged in to fit in and, by doing so, kept company with many within the wrong crowd. In Part One, Jere also shares his early experiences with his father, who, from the start of his life, outwardly expressed disbelief in Jere’s abilities, deeply affecting him for years to come. The book’s first four chapters are ultimately summarized by reminding readers that believing in ourselves and our worth, and choosing not to let bad circumstances weaken us, but instead, make us stronger.

In the second part of the book, titled “Rewriting Your Story,” Jere introduces readers to a man named “Bill,” who is close to his mother and becomes a father figure in his life. Through Bill, Jere’s life starts to improve, and he gets a ticket to an event in Los Angeles called the Landmark Forum. At the event, Jere feels overwhelmed, and a transformation begins because, until then, Jere saw people as evil and mean, the world as unsafe, and struggled to find his place. But through the event, his mindset shifts, and he walks away with renewed hope.

To illustrate the power of hope, Jere shares a compelling story of an experiment that demonstrates how rats will prevail on hope. Jere acted on the same premise; he began to radically transform his life through achievement, enrolling in junior college and starting an entry-level retail career. During the early stages of his transformation, Jere also began to seek God, and on a fateful encounter on his 21st birthday, he met an old high school classmate named Julia who introduced him to a deeper relationship with God, and as a result, realizes a deeper relationship with Julia. In furtherance of his transformation, Jere struggled to decide whether to continue his promising career in retail versus pursuing full-time education to complete his bachelor’s degree. Seeking counsel from his father, he was left disappointed, but after further consideration with his mentor, Bill, he was convinced that his limits are meant to be pushed and decided to pursue full-time studies.

Part two also introduces more trauma when Jere shares the loss of his older sister, Robin. An accomplished actress, she succumbed to suicide. Later in part two, after becoming engaged to Julia and moving in with her parents, their house is burned down, and his future father-in-law dies of cancer. But through the trauma, Jere relies on his faith to navigate life’s “left turns” — the events that are unexpected, unwanted, and unimaginable — and offers several steps to help those dealing with loss get through it. After marrying Julia and settling into their new home, they began to invest their time in their church, where they served as youth pastors and watched their careers grow. For Jere, that meant stepping away from the retail business to pursue a career at Boeing. Though it involved less money, the payoff of taking the leap of faith to pursue his career interest paid immediate dividends, but not before disappointment could set in.

Part four is where the book leaves its deepest impression on the reader, and readers should be warned that its chapters are tear-jerkers. Jere shares the gut-wrenching and unthinkable 20-day process he experienced in learning he was suffering from an acute and rare form of leukemia, with an unpromising outcome and a strong likelihood that survival meant he and his wife would never be able to have children. Barely surviving the chemotherapy journey, simply put, his faith is rocked to its core, and one night in his hospital bed, Jere closed his eyes believing he’d be resting for the final time. But God’s will prevailed, and his body survived, and with a renewed perspective on life and an even stronger spiritual faith, Jere’s major left turn had become a right one. Later, after a divine encounter with a stranger where he saw the potential for his future in a new light, the hope that he and Julia would eventually become parents began to manifest, but not without moments of struggle, including failed pregnancy terms. Despite the constant left turns of post-cancer survival pregnancy woes, Jere and Julia welcomed their son, Kyler, on Jere’s birthday, which was also the same anniversary day that he became reacquainted with his wife so many years earlier.

In Part five’s “Living With Purpose — We All Have a Role,” Jere guides readers through his and Julia’s ongoing adventures as parents, at Boeing, in Chicago, Seattle, and Charleston, South Carolina, and as they welcomed their second child, Kaiylen, into the world 14 years after Julia’s father passed away. Their work in the church also continued, and their love for God, along with unwavering faith, led to exponential growth at home, at work, and in their spiritual journey. While more left turns involved losing both his mother and father, Jere’s life seemed to be filled with right turns. But there was one area he still struggled with, even though he hadn’t acknowledged it: the abusive bully who lived in his home as a child. In chapter 18, he dedicates a paragraph to forgiving the bully, Sammy, and in doing so, finds the closure his life has needed for over 40 years. And in Chapter 19, the book’s final chapter, you’ll find a powerful call to action where Jere first thanks readers and then invites them to give their lives to Christ. It’s a powerful moment that captures the entire message of the book: that there’s a higher purpose for our lives, and we have the power to choose to see the good in everything, even when bad things happen, and to turn left turns into right ones.

Ten insightful quotes from the book

1. On uncontrollables: “We don’t get to choose the life we’re born into, but we do get to choose how we manage it.”

2. On choices: “You will either have obstacles or obstacles will have you.”

3. On mentorship: “A mentor will support and encourage you, offering valuable feedback and advice while helping you define and achieve your goals.”

4. On hope: “Hope is activated when coupled with belief. Belief is a choice activated by a decision.”

5. On perspective: “Great things happen twice, but always first in your mind.”

6. On drive: “Do not dwell on the disappointments; instead let them fuel your faith.”

7. On difficulty: “The most important things in this world are never easy.”

8. On failure: “Failing is not failure. Quitting is.”

9. On integrity: “At the end of the day, the only thing you have left is your integrity, and no one can take that away except you.”

10. On character: “What you do in private when you think no one else is watching is your character.”

The wrap-up: why you should read When Left Turns Go Right

I’ll start by saying right from the beginning that this book is both very powerful and very personal to me, for reasons that go beyond what this review can fully express. Not only did I see my own upbringing reflected in Jere’s, since we were raised in the same general rough area, but the similarities go much deeper than just location and our early life choices. Both of us were raised by single mothers, and Jere was treated at the same hospital where my mother retired. We’re runners, cyclists, and swimmers who’ve pushed our bodies to the limit. We follow Christ, are committed to doing the right things, and preach purpose and legacy. On a more personal, vulnerable level, we’ve both faced doubters — those whose actions and words cut deeply.

But the real reason this book is so personal is because it’s not just a coincidence that he wrote it to tell his life’s story; it’s his purpose. And when a God-guided purpose is involved, it has to be personal. This book wasn’t just written for me; it was written for everyone, because everyone faces adversity. Everyone faces “left turns,” the ones we don’t expect, imagine, or want to face. But we face them, and what this book offers is hope that when we do, there’s a higher power at work, and it’s called Jesus Christ. This book is therefore written for believers — you need to be reminded of its message just as I was. It’s also written for those who are lost, unsure of their purpose, unclear whether they belong, and for those who have been told they’d never amount to anything. I speak for the author in saying that if this book reaches and saves one soul, Jere Stille has achieved his purpose.

If you’ve survived cancer or any other life-changing scare, let this book remind you that your best days are right in front of you. If you’ve lost a loved one, follow this book’s steps for grief. If you’ve faced bullies and abuse, let this book show you how you can prevail. And most importantly, if you’ve faced resentment and unwillingness to forgive, let this book’s final chapters be a light unto your path. Because if you open your heart and allow your mind to receive, you will experience growth through Jere Stille’s journey. I promise.

About the book’s author

Jere Stille is a seasoned executive and passionate leader with decades of experience driving operational and financial transformation. He currently serves as a Chief Operating Officer at Meeting Street Schools, where he oversees daily operations for a network serving over 1,300 students across South Carolina.

Jere spent 26 years at Boeing, holding senior leadership positions including CFO of Boeing South Carolina. He led large teams, managed multi-billion-dollar budgets, and directed major efficiency and growth initiatives. Jere holds a Bachelor of Science from Chapman University, an MBA from Pepperdine University, and is a 2011 graduate of the Executive General Management program at Harvard Business School.

In 2003, Jere was diagnosed with Stage 4 Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma, T-cell, and given just five to seven days to live. Against all odds, he survived. That experience reshaped his perspective on life, purpose, and identity — insights he shares throughout his book.

Outside of his professional career, Jere is deeply committed to community service. He serves on the Board of Trustees at Seacoast Church and on the board of Shared City, a nonprofit focused on poverty alleviation. He also mentors cancer patients and regularly speaks on leadership, career development, and work-life balance.

After retiring from Boeing in 2024, Jere founded Stille Consulting to help organizations grow and improve performance. He’s a proud husband, father of two, a martial arts black belt, and an Ironman 70.3 finisher.

Jere lives in Charleston, South Carolina with his wife and two children. When he’s not working, reading, or writing, he enjoys family time, vacationing, eating great authentic Mexican food, and cheering alongside his wife at their son’s baseball games, daughter’s volleyball matches, horse shows, and music recitals.

Follow Jere Stille on LinkedIn

Book details

When Left Turns Go Right
Publisher: Jere Stille (April 4, 2025)
ISBN-13: ‎ 979–8218525637

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