Writing a book can often be a very solitary experience, but in my case I had twenty-two amazing interviews to keep me company along the way. A special thanks to all of those people who took the time to answer my questions and who inspire the rest of us to dream a little bigger. I can’t wait to see what you do next.
I want to thank the team who helped to create this book. My in-house editing team of Lindsay Brown and Emmalisa Sparrow—you make everything you touch so much better. To the rest of the team, Sara Blum, Devon Smith, Bill Brunson, Whitney Diffenderfer, Ruth Hook, Jackie Hooper, Ali Shaw, and Ashley Van Winkle—your contributions to this book were invaluable.
I would like to thank my grandmother, Joan Baker, who is always cheering me on from Belleville, Kansas. And to Bruce Freshwater for planting the seed for me to write a book even before I knew I was a writer—you are missed every day! To my neighbors and friends who treat me like family—your graciousness is more inspiring than any book I could ever write. To my in-laws, Gary and Jeanette, and my brother-in-law, Nick, you are the definition of kindness. A special thanks to my brother Scott and his wife Sarah, who are raising the most amazing kids.
A special thanks to my mother, Cheri Freshwater, who’s always willing to jump on a plane to take the boys to ball practice, fold laundry, and make sure we are fed. To Max and Jack who are my biggest source of inspiration and the reason I wrote this book. And the biggest thank-you to my husband, Scot, for always encouraging me to focus on my dreams. Every year I feel more blessed to be standing by your side.
