In addition to parenting her 12 children, Dr. Jodi (J.D.) Vermaas is the Chief Leadership Officer of BASE4 where she provides executive coaching and talent management for her international team using the servant leadership model. Jodi is a quantitative researcher, published author, and double Ph.D. in the field of counseling and counselor education. She provides executive leadership for Priority One Worldwide and co-founded STONEPILE, a new institution of higher education, which she directs with her husband of 23 years, Dr. Garry Vermaas. Determined to use her resources and experiences to change the world, J.D. Vermaas hopes Get Money Do Good will inspire you to share your story with her at www.getmoneydogood.com.
WOW! There aren’t adequate words to describe how amazing this book is.
The entire story comes across as humble sharing and a thought-provoking conversation without judgment, accusations, or proclamations telling you how YOU should be doing things. Read this book, ponder the issues, come up with a way to do good yourself!!
~ Sabrina Sheerer, on Goodreads
Read the full review here.
This delightful book is must reading for successful business people who wonder if they are “giving enough back” to the world. It contains a ton of inspiration (and oodles of love). I commend it and hope other wealthy men and women follow in the admirable footsteps of its author J.D. Vermaas and her husband.
~ James O’Toole, Best-selling author of The Enlightened Capitalists, Professor Emeritus at USC’s Marshall School of Business, founder of Neely Center for Ethical Leadership.
Though their mission and adventures have been rocky—some of their experiences seem right out of a Lifetime movie, but they really happened—they stuck to their ideals, which in turn will inspire you to be the hero in someone’s life. Come along to meet this special family. “Get Money Do Good”, by J.D. Vermaas, is more than a memoir. It’s the story of calling.
~ Tammy Ruggles for Reader Views
Read the full review here.
Through moments of blood, sweat, and tears, Dr. J.D. Vermaas reveals the broken, global issue of lost and orphaned children. Brilliantly written memoirs through the eyes of one powerful woman on a mission to change the world–one messy story at a time.
~ Tom A Dutta, #1 International Best-Selling Author, BestCEO KRE-AT(R)
It is a rare and wonderful experience to read a book that discloses the highly personal, highly candid inner family life of relentless change-makers seeking persistently to find their life’s purpose. This inspiring journey, colorfully and creatively written, touches the heart and quickens the imagination for ways normal, middle-class American families can change the world–one child at a time. Powerful.
~ Robert D. Lupton, PhD, veteran urban activist, Founder of Focused Community Strategies Urban Ministries, and author of the revolutionary Toxic Charity and Charity Detox
J.D. Vermaas brings the beautifully messy world of adoption, missions, and real-world challenges to life. It is beautifully written–even more is the amazing legacy she has created by remaining faithful in her pursuit to help just one at a time, (and sometimes a few more). From the perspective of one who has experienced and worked with the “unadoptable,” I fully resonate with the journey, pain, hope, and restoration that comes from the unconditional love of those who come alongside. Truly, a wonderful accomplishment and a beautiful story!
~ Amy Joy, MPA and author of Human Trafficking 101
Get Money Do Good is an inspiring read about an amazing family, alternating between the voices of four of its family members. There is honesty, heartache, and above all—love. Their home can be summed up as: “You are loved. You are wanted. You are safe.” This was such an amazing, powerful, and inspirational read.
~ Julia Wilson, Christian Bookaholic
Read the full review here.
When most of us think of Christian missionaries, or other sorts of crusading do-gooders, we envision people who are squeaking by on the bare minimum because their charity work takes up all of their time and resources. We don’t immediately think of Ivy-league educated, mega-wealthy couples, who helm financially successful corporations. But maybe we should– doesn’t it make quite a bit of sense to become as financially successful as possible if your ultimate goal is to change the world? The unpleasant reality is that changing the world costs money…lots of money.
~ Meghan, The Lit Buzz
Read the full review here.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
I was amazed by this story! I really liked how the perspectives switched between the different members of the family.
I loved the heart of this story, I loved the passion to help the vulnerable children. I really admire people who go out and DO something!
I understand the frustration of the red tape that many people face who want to help.
I loved the messy truth of the adoption stories, I loved the raw honesty of how hard it can be to love a child that fights you, and continue to fight for them. This world needs more people like this, who are willing to go out and help kids even when it isn’t pretty.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are honest and completely my own.
~ Net Galley Reviewer
It blends memoir with social inspection as it follows the efforts of Drs. Garry and Jodi Vermaas as they personally commit to changing not just their world, but the lives of others. This charts a course for social engagement and individual rescue that serves well as a navigation point through the often-challenging world of international adoption and anti-trafficking efforts.
Get Money Do Good is very highly recommended reading for anyone who would receive a revised connection between money-making, profit, and using money to change lives and foster good in the world. Its adjunct insights on adoption, children’s issues, and nonprofit world organizations committed to similar goals are invaluable.
~ D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
Disruptors, entrepreneurs, and unconventional do-gooders, Drs. Jodi and Garry Vermaas are not the people you would expect to parent 12 children.
From the child-trafficking slums of Manila to the barren corners of China to the baggage compartment of a long-distance train to Mumbai, each of their children has a tale to tell––if only they could find the words.
Follow Dr. Jodi Vermaas and her husband, CEO, and multi-millionaire Dr. Garry Vermaas, on a ten-year journey across the globe to discover what really matters. After living the American success story, they traded in all of their belongings to embrace a life of true purpose. But their race to adopt a dozen children wasn’t won easily. Governments opposed them. Children vanished. Persecutors campaigned against them. And how could they have anticipated encounters with the Taliban, deadly snakes, and––worst of all––alarmingly misbehaving kids?
Face-to-face with fierce opposition, wild success, and unthinkable heartbreak, author Dr. Jodi Vermaas takes you on a life-altering journey that challenges everything you know about altruism. Written from the perspectives of herself and her husband, their first-born son with autism, and their eldest daughter from the Philippines, this action-packed memoir shows you one family’s attempt to change the world one messy story at a time.
Get Money Do Good confronts child trafficking, capitalism, and autism in this brutally honest adoption memoir. In an age where society demonizes capitalists as the antagonists, Drs. Garry and Jodi Vermaas become anti-heroes to expose the startling costs of rescuing and loving 12 children. With alarming vulnerability and shrewd humor, Get Money Do Good upsets everything you know about getting money and doing good— and reveals the legacies that live at their crossroads. Debut author, J.D. Vermaas, invites you to count the cost of doing what matters most in life as you join her in this epic journey of unapologetic capitalism, extreme altruism, and reckless love.
Biography Author
Born in raised in South Florida, Dr. Jodi (J.D.) Vermaas was raised to work hard and do more. At 18, she relocated to New York City to attend Columbia University where she majored in English. While there, she also volunteered and later worked at a local church, earning ordination status in women’s ministry in 1995. During the first twelve years of ministry, she counseled and taught thousands of women and children in New York and Florida, as well as in Africa, the Caribbean, Canada, and Europe. During the numerous unexpected journeys that blossomed from that faithful commitment to full-time service, she met and married fellow Columbia graduate, Dr. Garry Vermaas.
Her experiences with diverse and hurting people alerted her to the need for trained mental health clinicians. She went on to earn her MA/Ph.D. in Clinical Christian Psychology, and later, her MS/Ph.D. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Counselor Education and Supervision. She pursued counseling while growing her family, which was frequently relocating and visiting various parts of the world. In Qatar, India, Haiti, and China, she counseled and served women and children in crisis. She adopted four of her children from orphanages in these locations and founded the non-profit organization, Priority One Worldwide, to meet the needs of missionaries, orphans, and widows.
Over the past four years, Dr. Jodi Vermaas has joined her husband to provide executive coaching and leadership development in his rapidly expanding and global firm, BASE4. In that capacity, she has transformed the leadership structure of the organization using a servant leadership model and promoting the values-based skills of the firm. In 2018, Garry and Jodi traveled to the Philippines and brought home six children, aged 5-12. With this growing family of 14, she and Garry settled in Franklin, Tennessee, where they are building a 22-acre farm (The Farm at Stonepile Manor) to provide a therapeutic respite for family and friends alike- while striving to do good.
Included below are some of my family’s most recent reads, some classic, others new, and all important. We will post reviews as noted.
By Ellen Vaughn
Review:
Becoming Elisabeth Elliot demonstrates the courage it takes to follow those subtle but unyielding cries to go forth unknowing to make a difference in this world. Without meandering purposelessly through documented life events, Ellen Vaughn uses journal entries, interview data, and historical accounts to paint a vibrant portrait of a woman who did just that—and changed the world through her tenacious obedience to her life’s calling.
Unlike modern missionary movements and people, Elisabeth Elliot, her husband, and colleagues immersed themselves in another culture, both violently different and linguistically foreign from the one from which they came. After her husband was killed, she and her daughter, Val, relocated into the lives and community of these remote people, the same people who took her husband’s life. She did not force her beliefs on them, but rather, lived among them as they grew to know both her faith and her life—a combination that both startled and impressed her onlookers.
What fascinated me most about this biography are the very personal notes shared amid a much bigger public life story. Moments of fear, desire, frustration, loneliness, and anger pop up throughout the accounting, making Elisabeth Elliot a figure with whom we can relate. That is the power in this book—that readers can see themselves in her shoes, and by seeing it, move closer to living a similar life of impact.
Most profound to me was the account of Elisabeth’s friendship with the man who murdered her husband. He called her “sister,” and she accepted his claim. Although struggles with fellow missionaries, political and academic division, and the physical trials of living in remote Ecuadorian land could have derailed her mission, she pushed on to overcome the greatest divide of all: the hatred that leads to revenge. Through the detailed reporting and retelling of Ellen Vaughn, we hear of a woman who closed the gap on this vengeance, paving a way for progress, understanding, and faith. Of all the people who could have gone to the Waodani, Elisabeth was the most unlikely. In that strange and other-worldly decision is where truly amazing change occurred—both in herself and her hearers.
I recommend this book to anyone searching for greatness, and I thank Ellen Vaughn for her painstaking work to document Elisabeth Elliot’s extraordinary life in an objective, entertaining, and inspiring read.
By Kristin Hannah
Review:
This astounding historical fiction brought on tears of meaning and many moments of deep thought. Set in the backdrop of occupied France from 1939-1945, Kristin Hannah tells the story of two sisters—so different yet similarly, bravely determined to love—even through the ghastly cruelty of Nazi Germany. During the intermittent chapters told from a future perspective looking back, the reader understands the fate of both sisters and longs to see them through to a happier ending; still, the majority of the book keeps its WWII setting as both women struggle for self-identity, courage, and loyalty through the war’s progression. The book’s characters achieve immense personal growth, reaching self-actualization as they wrestle with their past’s familial disconnectedness, later brought into harmony through the clarifying lens of suffering and accomplishment. This book is hard to put down and equally difficult to forget. The Nightingale will stay with you and ask you to consider the depths of sacrifice you would endure for love, family, and country.
By Jake Burt
Review:
Greetings from the Witness Protection Program is about a girl who has to go through many challenges just so she can protect the Trevor Family. This book is unique because it shows the bravery of a child who is willing to be part of a family who needs protection. Even though Nickie Demere (aka Charlotte Trevor) has to face hard challenges, she comes through the ordeal while discovering the surprising rewards of incredible new friends. Young adult readers will connect with the fears of doing something beyond what you ever thought possible–while confronting the feelings and questions that define being family.
By Jordan Raynor
Review:
My best friend sent me this book and told me I had to read it. She was right! For someone who does a lot of stuff, this book resonated with me deeply, challenging me to pinpoint my strengths and pursue greatness in a focused way. This book makes you think hard–and Jordan Raynor relates with you each step of the way. He is like a friend walking with you through a dark forest, shining a light on the narrow path. A definite read for anyone looking to change the world.
By Tom Dutta
Review:
This book surprised me. Not the typical leadership manual, this creative, reflective work weaved together numerous stories of real people making their way in an unkind (or at least untamed) world. The book grabs your heart with gut-punching stories, then relates the stories in a phased understanding of the journey to success and full life. As a full-life junkie, I really appreciate Tom Dutta’s passion, as well as his nod to leadership psychology and personality assessment as tools that can improve the speed and accuracy of our individual journies.
By Tara Westover
Review:
As a mother of 12, I often arrive at the book party late. Usually several years after print, I read books that I need to read at that moment–rather than the “hot new releases.” Educated was one of these books on my list to read for a while, and it does not disappoint. In addition to the heart-wrenching story, Tara Westover details growing up isolated, indoctrinated, and–yet–still desiring to live a life of great learning, open roads, and untold adventure. Her immaculate writing moved me to deep imagination as I stepped into her journey and rooted her on. Each person will find lessons, possibilities, and hope in this insightful work. Thank you for writing it, Tara Westover!
By Katie Davis, Beth Clark
Review:
Katie has 14 adopted girls–so this book makes me smile. In fact, I read a little each day, devotional-style, because of the enormous encouragement I received from a fellow mother of many. Laughter, tears, conviction, and fear are evoked by her courageous telling of the terrifying decision to leave everything she knew and everything she new to answer a divine calling. Through the many challenges, she documents pure joy and deep love that makes readers want to do more. This book is not new, but its message is timeless.
By Suzanne Collins
Review:
I know I am the last person on earth to read this, but my daughter insisted I add it to my list. Of course, I could not put this one down, completely enthralled by the relationships built through a harrowing and violent set of experiences. Since all the reviews have already been written, I just want to say that reading this book along with my daughter made it much more important than anything I have read alone. Read together and share!
By Elizabeth Flock
Review:
I chose this book because I love India and have spent much time there with fabulous people and awesome couples. I have friends who experienced the “love marriage” and many who have an arranged marriage–with full disclosure about the challenges and satisfactions of both. This book tells the story of three such couples and their true stories, which span several years, shedding light on how our choices, and that of our cultures and families, can dictate one of the most important decisions of our lives. Entertaining, heart-felt, and uncomfortable at times–this book makes this old question resonate with new perspectives: Whom should I love?
By Lysa TerKeurst
Review:
We all start off with meaningful hopes, dreams, and goals–then life happens! Everyone relates to the idea resonating in this well-titled book about learning to accept and face great disappointments, pain, and loss. Lysa Terkeurst hits the nail on the head with this spiritual guide. With humility, self-awareness, and truth-seeking, she discusses the pain and fragility of daily life while offering hope and camaraderie. A thoroughly rich, helpful, and encouraging read.
By Kristin Hensley, Jen Smedley
Review:
I am so thankful for this book! Actually, I listened to it on Audible, which made it even better for me. In the midst of parenting woes, nothing is needed more than to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley serve moms everywhere by their honest assessment of parenting, marriage, friendship, and everything else in between. The Audible recording read by the authors feels like being at a stand-up club for hours of humor and light-heartedness, interjected with wisdom and kindness to all of us who feel like failures in doing what we seek most to do well.
By Charlotte Bronte
Review:
My favorite book of all time, Jane Eyre is a must-read for everyone seeking to be better people amid great challenge. First published in 1847, Jane still lives on, showing us what it means to hope and strive, endure and suffer until we find true joy through selflessness, courage, and self-control. I just love Jane, and this book makes my heart happy and more resilient. If you are looking to reread some of literature’s greatest gifts, Charlotte Bronte’s classic does not disappoint.
By Angie Thomas
Review:
This book predates the protests of 2020, and Angie Thomas captures the heart of the issue with this prophetic book. My son, James, read The Hate U Give while listening to it on Audible to help him learn to read English. He talked to me about it every day he read, as it resonated across cultures and languages to speak to his heart about identity and belonging. Because James has only been in the United States since he was 13, his accounting of the story meant more to me than anything I could have read on my own. I am grateful for the book, and James’ interpretations of such an important story.
By Nicholas Sparks
By Kelly Harms
By Amy Tan
By Chip Gaines, Joanna Gaines
By Renee Linnell
By Rainbow Rowell
By Laura Ruby
By Louisa May Alcott
By Rick Hanson, Forrest Hanson
By Lisa M. Cini
By Brené Brown
By Temple Grandin
By Lucy Maud Montgomery
By Erika L. Sánchez
By Instaread
By Bessel Van der Kolk MD
By Leo Tolstoy
By Jane Austen
