‘Get Out of the Rabbit Hole’ debuts

By Deb Silverthorn

When Alla Bardov steps out, she does so with a force of nature and great intention. That force, that intention has her debut publication, “Get Out of the Rabbit Hole,” hitting the top 100 in several Amazon book categories.

“No matter what field you are in, it’s almost impossible to succeed without confidence,” said Bardov. Her book, available on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble, is about “helping people transform their lives — personally and professionally — and it fulfills my purpose,” she said. “The book, and its accompanying workbook, provides insight into becoming a better overall person. A better self, spouse, child, parent, friend, employee or business owner — better overall.”

Bardov, a Plano resident, is the founder of Sell Yourself for Success and the creator of the Ignite Your Sales Results program. Through her expertise, she supports organizations, entrepreneurs and individuals in improving their results through more efficient and effective daily activities.

Bardov was born in Kyiv, Ukraine. She is the daughter of Roza and Daniel Groys and sister of Gene (Maya) Groys. Her family immigrated to Austria, where they connected with HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), which further assisted them with the move to Italy and ultimately to Dallas when she was 15. “The ‘American Dream’ was a motivator for my parents,” said Bardov. “My family arrived with a few suitcases, speaking no English but with lots of hope.”

Her aunt and uncle, Linda and Lenny Comess (Linda was then a Jewish Family Service [JFS] volunteer), helped the Groys family get situated in the JFS-supported apartments at Coit and Spring Valley. A new life began.

“I knew that Jewish was a word and I was ‘it,’ but that’s all I knew. I didn’t even know what a ‘synagogue’ was. My Aunt Linda took us to Shearith Israel and not long after, I learned what kosher was,” said Bardov.

Sol Prengler, who later in life married Bardov’s grandmother Masha, both of blessed memory, became a role model and teacher, shaping much of her connection to her Jewish religion. The Prenglers taught first, and supported always, Bardov and her family in practice and education.

A Richardson High School alumna, where she was on the swim team, Bardov took a while to learn the language. She worked part-time in various sales jobs during high school, including at Larry Sayah’s Lights Fantastic. There she showcased products and smiled, building a rapport with customers.

While a University of Texas at Arlington accounting student, Bardov held down two accounting jobs and sold vacuums door-to-door. “That was when I knew I had to believe in myself if I wanted others to give me a chance to let me in their homes and showcase my products,” she said.

“I had to learn how to become confident fast,” she said, “because if you can sell yourself first, then you will have a chance to sell the product.

“However, what I realized is that if you wanted to learn to cook, there were cookbooks. If you wanted to learn how to drive, there was driving school. But there were no manuals on how to become confident.” At that time, she began her quest to define confidence-building fundamentals, some of which she shares decades later.

Bardov is an international speaker, sales acceleration trainer and direct sales expert. Her resume spans retail, network sales, corporate training and over 30 years in corporate accounting at a top Fortune 100 company.

Lasting community connections are meaningful for her. She and her husband, Louis, met at an Aaron Family JCC singles event and were married 11 months later at Congregation Shaare Tefilla by Rabbi Howard Wolk. Thirty-three years later, as JFS community chaplain, Wolk participated in the ribbon-cutting of the 2021 Nancy Lieberman Charities Dream Court donated by the David Family.

Bardov first met Nancy Lieberman more than 11 years ago, when Bardov’s son attended the Olympian and two-time Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer’s summer basketball camps. The years that followed became the foundation of friendship and professional mutual respect, shared in Lieberman’s writing of the foreword for “Get Out of the Rabbit Hole.”

“The Lieberman family, on and off the court, have become friends-turned-family for us, and that friendship is one of my life’s greatest blessings with a great purpose,” said Bardov. Serving as director of fundraising for Nancy Lieberman Charities, Bardov helps the charity change the lives of economically disadvantaged youth.

Bardov’s impact is seen firsthand through her children — Matt, Alexa (David) Lisch and Gabriel — and her connection to Jewish life through the Jewish Community Center and Jewish Family Service as well as, over the years, affiliation with Chabad of Plano and Congregation Anshai Torah.

Bardov said that since her book hit the stands in March she’s heard from readers of all ages about the impact it has had on them.

“Through the pages, I share stories of my life, lessons learned and strategies on how to build confidence. Stories are important because we are transformed through relating in our similarities and differences. Strategies alone fade, but stories stay,” she said.