My book – the back story

This time next week my book will be released. So now seems a good time to share the back story; how this book came to be. Because, you see, I’m not a writer.

I’m a mummy with two pre-school daughters. I’m a marketer with twelve years’ experience in the corporate world before babies arrived. And I’m a motivator: I thrive – literally, it makes me fizz – to know that I’ve assisted in someone’s development and to see them flourish. This started with working on myself – I’m talking years of courses, coaching, mentors… I love this stuff!

Setting goals is part of my psyche and part of my everyday life (the big ones have included 2.8km ocean swims, a half marathon – and then another to beat my time…). But writing a book never featured in my bucket list. Giving up sugar did though, and that’s how this book, and Dear Mummy, came to be…

2 years ago, I quit sugar (well, for a good 6 months anyway; the wagon was a bit small and the road a bit rocky and I fell off). During my sugar-free days I baked up a storm and always treated my mummy visitors to the latest creation. My dear friend Renee suggested I write a cook book. “No way” I said, plenty already out there and I’m not a chef.
“How about one for busy mums”, prodded Renee.
“Nope” says I.
“How about you add your parenting tips in there”: another prod.
“Definitely no way” I said, I’m no expert.

Then again, we don’t need more experts; we’ve got enough of them (too many, I think) with the hundreds of how-to parenting books and blogs out there. So a seed was sown. A few months later I was taking time out for me. The girls were at creche and kindy. I was at a cafe. It was peaceful, calm; one of life’s lovely interludes when everything slows down and you have time to just be with yourself and your thoughts. And so I did. I thought: well, why don’t I just start writing and see what happens? What happened is my thoughts tumbled out, the writing flowed, and the words I wrote on that very first day, are the words you’ll read on pages 4 and 5 titled ‘In the Beginning’. And so it began.

And so I continued, but I only wrote when I wanted to write, after all this was just for me – my intention was to put the book together myself and give it one day to my daughters. But along the way I spoke with so many mums who kept saying “we need this”, “there’s nothing like this out there”, “when will it be finished”, “can I have a copy”. So I decided to do it properly. And it turns out: I am a writer!
18 months, over one thousand hours, 1x professional editor, designer and proof-reader later, and I am self-published. (And in need of a holiday!). The book is now ready, for you.

‘Dear Mummy, You’re Important Too’:

Unlike other parenting-related books, this book has mummies as its priority – at its heart. It understands that you want to be the best mummy you can, but that who you are encompasses so much more… motherhood is a journey, and so is finding oneself again after becoming a mum. This book can help you reclaim yourself by offering helpful and inspiring new ways of thinking about the challenges of motherhood, motivating you to take positive action with a wide assortment of quotes, tips, tactics and practices, and recipes for feel-good sustenance on your journey.

The challenges are ones all mums can relate to, like other people’s expectations; demands on your time; mother’s guilt. It also includes the less obvious ones like remembering who you are and what lights you up, because this isn’t a book about you solely as Mummy. This book is about fulfilling your best potential – to be both an incredible mummy and an incredible woman.

My vision is to inspire a new breed of mothers: women who understand that being the best mummy you can be means being the best you you can be; mums who are empowered to unapologetically put themselves first; women who are nurtured and wholly fulfilled as mothers; women who know themselves better and so mother (and live!) with pride and confidence in themselves.

If that sounds like you, please join me –
Start your journey with my book,
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