When a Brazilian-born mother began writing to overcome a dark time in her life, she never expected to become a best-selling Christian author.

Stefania Leão began reading the Bible while struggling to support her family in the San Francisco Bay Area.

She wrote down her thoughts as a way to think clearly about her problems, and to draw closer to God.

Russian-born American Alexander Debelov illustrated her devotions and helped them get published independently.

WRITING DEVOTIONS HAD POSITIVE IMPACT ON STEFANIA’S MINDSET AND MENTAL HEALTH

Stefania began to write about what she read during her mornings as a way to better understand them and draw closer to God.

When she noticed this had a positive impact on her mindset and mental health, she attributed it to the Holy Spirit working through her.

But God moved her not only to write about her reflections on Scripture, but to see how sharing them could help other people like her.

She was struggling to support her son at the time and was debating whether or not to leave California and return to live in Brazil.

“HEY THAT BOOK IS AMAZING. IT CAN HELP MANY PEOPLE”

“I realised when you are in a very hard time in your life, even to read the Bible, it’s complicated,” Stefania explained.

It’s unclear how she connected with Alexander Debelov who lived in the same area, but when she shared her original writings in Portuguese, he immediately recognised the potential for them to become a publishable work.

After initially viewing her work, Stefania revealed: “Within a few minutes, he came back to me and said: Hey, that book, that’s amazing. That can help many people.”

Alexander took the drafts, edited them, translated them into English, and created the watercolour illustrations that accompany each daily devotional.

Each one is meant to inspire quiet contemplation and positively connect the reader to God.

TURNING STEFANIA’S DEVOTIONS INTO A COMMERCIAL SUCCESS

The Russian-American knew how to turn Stefania’s writings into a publishing success.

The tech entrepreneur is a member of Forbes’s 30 Under 30 list for his multiple business ventures.

The duo decided to publish their book independently through Amazon Kindle Direct.

Advertising came through word of mouth and social media reviews.

BOOK MARKETED ON TIKTOK AND SOCIAL MEDIA

“Word of mouth for us is TikTok videos,” Stefania explained.

“Because it’s real, the people could see the reviews of people saying: You can feel the energy.”

TikTok reviews came from people overcoming addiction, handling grief from the death of a son and those recovering in a hospital.

The collection of devotions entitled:The Prayer: Rise with Jesus —30 Days to Transform Your Life became a bestseller in the US, Brazil and Italy.

Another version is entitled: Morning Prayer Book: 30 Days of Christian Devotions and Prayers for Spiritual Growth with Jesus.

DEVOTIONS ALSO RECOGNISED WITH AWARDS

Stefania’s devotions have been translated into six languages.

She has won awards such as the Best Indie Book Award of 2025, The Readers Favorite Badge and the Storytrade Award,

She is now a social media content creator and influencer with a slick looking online platform called Stefania Hub which focuses on fashion, beauty and lifestyle as well as prayer.

She has tens of thousands of followers and millions have viewed her prayers and other posts.

PROFITS GO TO HOMELESS MINISTRIES IN THE U.S. AND AFRICA

Stefania and Alexander never set out to profit from their book, so every cent made from Rise with Jesus has gone toward helping homeless outreach in the San Francisco Bay area where they both live.

That includes supporting ministries such as Pastor Edward Mikwamba’s church in Blantyre, Malawi.

“We’re set up with one mission, which is to bring light to everyone, but especially those who need it,” Stefania said.

That also includes people of all kinds of faiths, because the devotional was not written to push one idea of Christianity onto readers.

“It’s strongly for everybody who needs to be closer to God,” Stefania added.