Acknowledgments

What started out as a “good idea” over dinner one night has turned into our full-blown mission to help positively impact future generations. As the idea grew and we began to work on our project, we realized what an enormous task we’d undertaken in order to truly bring this information out into the world. To manifest our vision, we’ve had a lot of help from an amazing group of people.

We’d like to first acknowledge Celeste Fine, our incredible literary agent. Without her, this book would not be in your hands right now. She believed in the niche market of this book and that it could start a revolution, easing the pain and fear around fertility for women everywhere.

Celeste helped us find the perfect publisher—one who totally understands and believes in our mission. We are so grateful to have the privilege to work with the amazing team at Grand Central and feel so blessed to have such a gifted editor as Sarah Pelz to work her magic in bringing our vision to life.

Evelyne Lambrecht, we thank you for your targeted proofreading, additional ideas, and for truly caring about our work and the health of our readers. You are one special person and we are glad to know you. Meredith Watkins, our editor, polished our words, fastidiously fact-checked our research, and tirelessly took on every new idea and task we seemed to endlessly present to her. Thank you, Meredith, for being a key player all the way to the end.

Christa

I want to thank my amazing clients for their courage to go through what they did, and to come through the other side successful. It’s your journey and perseverance to implement caring for yourself that birthed my portion of this book. You maintained your optimism through adversity and came out shining (and with a baby of your own).

Thank you to my loving parents, Linda and Rick, my boyfriend, Robby, and my awesome friends for your support and encouragement every step of the way, even during all of those nights and weekends when I couldn’t spend time with you or call you back.

A special thank you to Evelyne Lambrecht, Meredith Watkins, Celeste Fine, Sarah Passick, and Sarah Pelz, and to our additional editors for all you’ve done to help bring this book to life.

And a special thanks to my co-author, my dear friend, and an amazing human, Willow Buckley. Thank you for being who you are and for living your life the way that you do. There is truly no one else like you. You are full of integrity, intellect, wisdom, love, humor, and inspiration. Writing this book with you has been a privilege and a joy.

Willow

I would like to thank my village of family and friends. Most importantly, Marcus, my husband, my everything, my other half, my best friend, and my partner in life. You supported me through this journey, and my own journey into motherhood. You took care of our family many days and nights so I could work on this book, and I am forever grateful. Thank you to my children, Grayson and Emerson, who I am lucky enough to learn from every day and whose births changed my life. You both fill my days with laughter, love, and a mirror for my own reflection to stay grounded and light at the same time. And thank you to Meme, my mother. You always paved your own way, and I am forever grateful that you’ve encouraged me to pave mine. Your relationship with your grandkids is a gift, and this endeavor would not have been possible without your endless, drop-of-a-hat support of Grayson and Emerson.

Thank you to my clients, for your commitment to your own health and the health of your families. We each learn from one another and I’m inspired by every one of you.

I would also like to thank all birth workers. It’s not a glamorous profession, but your impact upon the world is immeasurable. Each of you is someone’s angel.

I would particularly like to thank Jolie Cash, who introduced me to a community of birth support like no other. And Debra Bochinski and Andrea Meyer, who have been my midwives, my guides, and my angels.

And, of course, thank you, Christa, dear friend and the best partner. Your infectious zest for life is matched only by your inspiring ideas, and your ability to bring them to fruition. You are a gracious, driven, thoughtful, wise, and courageous woman who I am grateful to know. Spending the countless hours with you working on this book was a gift, as it was filled with laughter, fun, and adventure.

Thank you to all mothers, fathers, and all those who support and encourage them. It takes a community to fulfill our mission of helping as many people as possible find and maintain true health so that they can nourish themselves and their next generation to thrive and fulfill their mission of what they came here to do.