For Roxie Nafousi, the journey to becoming “the manifesting queen” wasn’t paved solely with glitter and unwavering positivity. Instead, her journey from rock bottom to global phenomenon can be attributed to grit, gratitude and self-worth.
Today, Nafousi is the bestselling author of Manifest: 7 Steps to Living Your Best Life, Manifest in Action: Unlock Your Limitless Potential (Manifest: Dive Deeper in the UK), and Manifest for Kids: Four Steps to Being the Best You.
With over 1 million copies of Manifest sold, her teachings have sparked a global movement (it’s no stretch to say Nafousi played a major role in the term’s meteoric rise in popularity). In fact, “manifest” was recently named Cambridge Dictionary’s Word of the Year for 2024.
Manifest was a Sunday Times bestseller for 26 weeks and Irish Times bestseller for 30 weeks; it has been translated into 37 languages in 122 countries, cementing its place as a cultural phenomenon.
And in an exclusive date reveal that Nafousi shared with me yesterday, she will be releasing the title of her fourth book on December 27th. (The book will be released on March 27th, 2025 in the UK, and in the U.S. in the fall.)
After sold-out Manifest: The Live Show events in Dublin, Manchester and Dubai this year, Manifest: Live returns to London’s Alexandra Palace on February 8th, 2025.
The concept of manifesting has gone mainstream, with #manifest and #manifesting garnering billions of views on TikTok. Dua Lipa and Simone Biles have credited manifestation as playing a role in their success, and Nafousi’s iconic orange book cover has appeared in Instagram Reels by Anne Hathaway and Christine Quinn.
But Nafousi is quick to dispel misconceptions that can come with trending hashtags and viral posts: manifestation isn’t about wishful thinking. “It’s not magic, but it can make your everyday life feel magical,” she says.
“Manifesting has gained attention because people are searching for ways to feel more in control of their lives,” she says. “While there’s much we can’t control, the things we can—our mindset, our actions—are powerful tools for transformation.”
Manifestation, Nafousi explains, is a daily self-development practice. It’s about aligning your actions with your goals, healing limiting beliefs, and cultivating gratitude. “Manifesting isn’t just about having more—it’s about making the life you already have feel as good as possible,” she says.
Her seven-step framework, outlined in her books and live shows, is a modern guide for achieving transformation.
Consider it a blend of The Secret and the classic business book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People—it’s designed to empower individuals to dream big while staying grounded in self-worth and aligned action.
Cynical about manifesting?
Spoiler alert: Many successful people embody the principles of manifesting—clarity of vision, self-belief, action-taking, resilience, gratitude, channeling envy into inspiration, and trusting the process—even if they don’t consciously recognize it as such.
Nafousi’s journey to becoming a global thought leader started at rock bottom. In 2018, she struggled with addiction, depression, and a lack of purpose. After years of battling cocaine and alcohol dependence, she felt utterly lost.
Nafousi was attending Narcotics Anonymous meetings, while relapsing back and forth into addiction. With no career mission or purpose, she went to India for a yoga teaching retreat, hoping to inspire a newfound goal. There were glimmers of hope — like when a monk read her palm and told her she was meant to teach — but once back home, she fell back into addiction.
“I was 27 and thought I should have figured out my life by now, but hadn’t,” she recalls.
A friend suggested she listen to a podcast on manifesting, and everything clicked. “Manifestation is about self-worth,” Nafousi realized. “I was manifesting all along, but in the wrong direction.” That shift in perspective became her turning point, setting her on a path to reclaim her life. Nafousi realized her low self-worth was what led to her own period of darkness and despair.
Today, she’s proof that manifesting isn’t just about thinking big—it’s about doing the work to create a better future. And it’s what gives her the credibility that it works.
Gratitude and Self-Worth: The Pillars of Manifestation
Central to Nafousi’s teachings are gratitude and self-worth. “To manifest anything, you must believe you are worthy of having it,” she emphasizes.
Self-worth and cultivating self-love (part of step four, “Remove Fear and Doubt”) is the tool that will help amplify your manifestation, and is a major unlock to manifesting.
“When we give ourselves full permission to dream, our fears and doubts have nowhere to hide,” Nafousi says.
Another necessary step to witnessing the wonder of manifestation is in gratitude (step five of Nafousi’s seven steps).
Nafousi’s positivity journal encourages people to notice the magic in everyday moments. “By focusing on the ordinary and mundane joys, you can shift from a negative mindset to a positive one,” she says. Gratitude amplifies abundance, making room for more of what you want in life.
Resilience: Turning Setbacks into Growth
Resilience is another cornerstone of Nafousi’s framework. “Rejection is redirection” is one of her favorite quotes. Setbacks are opportunities to realign and demonstrate trust in the universe (step seven). For Nafousi, learning to let go isn’t failure—it’s a power move.
“Accepting that something isn’t working frees you to spend your energy elsewhere,” she explains.
This willingness to experiment, pivot, and embrace change is a powerful driver of success and personal evolution.
Today, Nafousi also shares her tools at corporate workshops with companies like Meta, Google, The Business of Fashion, and Estée Lauder.
“Work is such a big part of our lives. Reigniting purpose and motivation leads to better productivity and life satisfaction,” she says.
For Nafousi, making manifestation accessible is key. From her books to affirmations and mantras shared on her Instagram broadcast channel, she ensures the tools are available to everyone. Her channel, “Manifest – The Community,” is one of Meta’s top lifestyle broadcast channels, and a place where she also encourages dialogue with her community. (Sometimes, Nafousi opens up about common struggles like imposter syndrome and burnout, drawing inspiration from Brené Brown’s teachings. She embraces vulnerability as a superpower and a profound way to foster connection with others.)
Championing others is also important to her: she’s an advocate for small businesses, regularly sharing founder stories and products on her platform.
“My work has become about creating abundance for others. For me, that is a really special thing—and I feel proud of that.”