Last week, I was ‘off grid’ in Mexico in order to force myself to put my head down and write the first 3 chapters of my book that were due by the end of July.

 

My phone stayed on airplane mode for most of the trip, except when I was reaching out to you on Insta stories for your input.

 

Although I haven’t been able to personally respond to the hundreds of you who reached out in response to my questions with your heartfelt stories, I want to say this: 

I hit a low point on Tuesday night and sat in my car and cried.  I was having major writer’s block and I only had 6 hours left to write 1,700 more words (half a chapter).

 

And then I remembered that I needed to re-anchor myself in why I was writing this book in the first place.

 

I pulled up Instagram, clicked on the messages tab, and over the next hour, I re-read every last one of your messages.  You reminded me of why I set out to write this book in the first place, and your vulnerable words gave me the energy and clarity to finish strong.

 

So, what’s my book about?  

This book is for any woman that has ever felt less than.  It’s for any woman that’s ever felt alone in her struggles.  And it’s for any woman that’s felt like she’s living life with muted joy.

 

You’ll find below an excerpt of the Intro Chapter that hasn’t even officially hit the editing table yet.  I wanted to share it with you first because you’re the co-authors of this book.

Thank you for sharing your life with me.  It’s an honor and joy to take on this crazy life together with you!

 

 

Excerpt from Intro
…As it turns out, the store wasn’t on fire.  But there was a fire abrewin’.  The email I had hastily typed up that morning while sitting pantsless had ignited something in the hearts of women across America.

 

There were hundreds of heartfelt emails already piling up in our store inbox, and my phone was full of personal texts from friends.  These women weren’t just ready to find freedom with the unfollow button on social media.  They were ready to unfollow the messages of inner criticism that had been playing on repeat in their heads for so long.

 

This book is a follow-up to my ‘Unfollow Her’ email.  We’re going to explore personal triggers.  And we’re going to mute those messages playing on repeat in your head that prevent you from stepping into the woman you were created to be.

 

Why do the lives of other women trigger us?  Well, here’s one reason: you’re only seeing the highlight reel.

 

One of the most beautiful gifts of owning my shop has been the way our customers have entrusted some of their deepest struggles to myself and to our team.

 

With their backing, I am sharing their real life stories with you.  Each chapter of this book begins with a conversation that has taken place in our shop, and there’s a good chance it may hit close to home for you.  I’ll then take you into a flashback of a non highlight reel from my life where I’ve experienced similar emotions. I’ll show you how I’ve navigated re-claiming truth for myself, and how you can do the same.

 

I think you’ll find yourself in our customers’ shoes.  I think you’ll find yourself in my shoes.  But most of all, I hope you come out on the other side of this book seeing yourself come alive in your own shoes.

 

~ Unfollow Her (Coming Early 2020)

 

Although my book won’t hit bookshelves until early 2020, I’m excited for what the next year and a half holds for us together on this writing journey.

To coming alive,