Table of Contents
Introduction 1
1. Following Your Passion 7
Call of the Wild • Juliette Watt 7
From Executive Assistant to Master Chef • Debbie Frangipane 13
Not Too Late for a New Degree • Babette Gladstein 16
Homing In on a Hobby • Suzi Renehan 17
A Sea Change • Claudia Espenscheid 21
Skills from the Past Can Create a Future • Elinor Griffith 26
The Sheep Farmer • Rebecca Denhoff 29
From Wags to Riches • Mimi Darr 32
The Beekeeper • Marina Marchese 35
2. Tapping Your Creativity 38
Fashion Saved Her Life • Jane Pennewell 38
A Headhunter Rediscovers Painting • Linda Holt 41
From Entrepreneur to Best-Selling Novelist • Karen Quinn 44
How a Beading Class Set Her Free • Pam Older 47
Handbags Helped Her Heal • Jayne Dearborn 51
Giving Up Money for Music • Kim Cameron 54
She Ditched the Corner Office • Lalita Tademy 57
A Dream Built on China • Alexanne Albert 62
Her New Life Was in the Cards • Kathy Davis 65
Write What You Know • Alexandra Kathryn Mosca 69
3. Finding Your Place in the Limelight 73
A Suburban Mom’s Road to TV Stardom • Kathryn Joosten 73
The Cop Who Became a Comedian • Gina Scarda 76
She Discovered She Was a Leader • Grace Diaz 78
Mika’s Do-Over • Mika Brzezinski 81
Becoming Mrs. Oregon at Fifty • Debra Gilmour 88
Soul Survivor • Sharon Jones 92
4. Doing Good 97
Her Restaurant Breaks All of the Rules • Denise Cerreta 97
The Book Farmer of Botswana • Pam Shelton 103
Crisis Is Her Business • Elisabeth Schuler Russell 109
The Earthquake Avenger • Marla Petal 118
She Dreamed of Africa • Vivian Glyck 124
Her Artful Business Plan • Willa Shalit 131
She Saves Wild Cats • Kay McElroy 137
Shipping Help from America • Danielle Butin 142
5. Discovering Your Business Sense 152
She’s a Wrap Star • Jill Boehler 152
The Egg Banker • Diana Thomas 157
She De-stressed in a New Career • Mary Robbins 163
Furnishing Her Life with Meaning • Shelly Leer 166
Wife for Hire • Kay Morrison 168
From Flight Attendant to Fashionista • Sandy Stein 173
The Million-Dollar Coupon Clipper • Teri Gault 175
Cancer Wigged Her Out • Sheril Cohen 177
She Found Her Inner Publicist • Carrol Van Stone 182
Discovering the Art of Instruction • Patty Palmer 184
Miracle in the Ladies Room • Stefanie Ziev 187
Reinventing via Inventions • Holly Tucker 190
The DNA Detective • Colleen Fitzpatrick 193
The MBA Who Became a Matchmaker • Rachel Greenwald 201
A Chocolate-Coated Life Change • Shelly Mortensen 205
6. Seeking Adventure 209
Finding Fulfillment in a War Zone • Shelby Monroe 209
Sell Your House, Find a Life • Liz Ward 211
A Path in the Wilderness • Mary Emerick 215
7. Transforming Your Sense of Self 219
The World’s Unlikeliest Weight Lifter • Lisa Fisco 219
A Bike Brought Her Confidence • Diane McAleer 222
From Nonathlete to Triathlete • Dani Phillips 225
8. Reinvention Tips for You from the Trenches 228
Ten Steps to Jump-Starting Your Change 228
Five Tips from Masters of Change 232
How to Afford Your Next Chapter 233
Moonlighting Tips 236
How to Write a Great Business Plan 238
Mastering the New Job Hunt 242
The Ten Best Jobs for Women Now 251
Contributors 262
Acknowledgments 264
