ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

So many extraordinary goddess women have shaped my life, from my mother, grandmothers, aunts, and cousins to my magnificent friends. Their examples, their support, and their camaraderie mean the world to me. All that divine feminine energy in my life is a big part of why I do what I do.

I am grateful to my medicine teacher Levity Laughing Star, who provided a sound foundation upon which I could build my own medicine work. The words for the seal and protect part of the Goddess Meditation for Protection were based on something shared with me by Levity. I am also thankful to Levity’s teacher Twyla for the experiences I talk about in Chapter 5.

My good fortune continues in the form of my executive assistant, Karen Nino. This lovely goddess functions as everything from a marketing assistant to a research assistant and everything in between. It is with the support of this lovely goddess and so many other wonderful women that this book was created.

In seventh grade, my life was graced by a nurturing teacher named Mrs. Broussard. She ignited my imagination with stories of mythology and ancient civilizations and started a lifelong love affair with mythological goddesses for me. What a gift! She also had all of us in her class write a letter to our eighteen-year-old selves, seal it, and write our home address on it. Six years later, when we were seniors, those letters showed up in the mail. Mrs. Broussard is the definition of what it means to be an exemplary and dedicated teacher. She got a learning-disabled, distractible dreamer engaged in class with her teaching talent.

The adage that it takes a village to rear a child also applies to the process of creating a book baby. I have been incredibly fortunate to partner with such an exemplary village as the team at Sterling. With a commitment to excellence, they have made our works of art. I am so grateful to the design team at Sterling who makes every book gorgeous, including Gina Bonanno. All the committee members who say yes to my projects, please accept my gratitude.

A big part of that Sterling good fortune is getting to work with Kate Zimmerman. She is an editor extraordinaire, and more than that, it means the world to me that she’s been able to see my vision and has worked with me to create something so much better than what I originally conceived every time. Ashten “Luna” Evans has been a joyous addition to the editorial team. She continues the tradition of greatness and quality that Sterling brings. Working with her is an absolute dream.

I am fortunate to have a bunch of powerhouse goddesses, including Krystin White, Carolyn Joyce, and Sarah Hall at Sarah Hall Productions, getting the word out about my books.

The woman who makes this all possible and makes my dreams come true again and again is my sweet, kind, and gently badass literary agent, Lisa Hagan. She is certainly an embodiment of the goddess walking among us. I’m not sure how I got so lucky. Lisa is kind of like Lakshmi, opening doors and paving the way for golden opportunities. Thank you, Lisa.