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Motherhood Reimagined

When Becoming a Mother Doesn't Go As Planned: A Memoir

Published by She Writes Press
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

About The Book

At the age of thirty-nine, Sarah Kowalski heard her biological clock ticking, loudly. A single woman harboring a deep ambivalence about motherhood, Kowalski needed to decide once and for all: Did she want a baby or not? More importantly, with no partner on the horizon, did she want to have a baby alone? Once she revised her idea of motherhood—from an experience she would share with a partner to a journey she would embark upon alone—the answer came up a resounding Yes. After exploring her options, Kowalski chose to conceive using a sperm donor, but her plan stopped short when a doctor declared her infertile. How far would she go to make motherhood a reality? Kowalski catapulted herself into a diligent regimen of herbs, Qigong, meditation, acupuncture, and more, in a quest to improve her chances of conception. Along the way, she delved deep into spiritual healing practices, facing down demons of self-doubt and self-hatred, ultimately discovering an unconventional path to parenthood. In the end, to become a mother, Kowalski did everything she said she would never do. And she wouldn't change a thing.
A story of personal triumph and unconditional love, Motherhood Reimagined reveals what happens when we release what's expected and embrace what's possible.

About The Author

Sarah Kowalski, Esq., is a fertility doula, family building coach, postpartum doula, and author, as well as the founder of Motherhood Reimagined. She is a regular contributor to ESME.com, YourTango.com, and ChoiceMoms.org. As a single mother by choice who conceived her son via sperm and egg donors, she is a go-to guide for women who are contemplating single motherhood, having fertility issues, raising donor-conceived children, or navigating life as single mothers. Kowalski has a BA from UC Berkeley, and she graduated magna cum laude from Santa Clara University Law School in 1998. She left the practice of law to pursue her interests in alternative healing and the mind/body connection by becoming a Guild-Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner, Qigong instructor, and Certified Integral Coach.

Product Details

  • Publisher: She Writes Press (October 17, 2017)
  • Length: 272 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781631522734

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Raves and Reviews

“A debut memoir traces one woman’s pregnancy quest…..An insightful read for single-by-choice mothers interested in alternative therapies.” —Kirkus Reviews
"Sarah has provided a gift to all women considering becoming a single mother with a beautifully written book that is both achingly painful and humorously honest. In her description of all that she had to go through to ultimately achieve her dream of having a child, her book reads like a novel that you can’t put down. In the end, you realize that the peaks and valleys that she went through were in many ways a metaphor for life, one that she had no idea at the time would prepare her for her new role as a loving and patient mother." —Toni Weschler, MPH, author of Taking Charge of Your Fertility
"In Motherhood Reimagined, Sarah Kowalski speaks to a generation of women who were told that they could have it all—only to discover that career success often comes at an emotional and physical cost. This honest, often heartbreaking, but ultimately uplifting memoir chronicles Kowalski’s race against the ticking clock of infertility. The discoveries she makes about her body and mind translate into a compelling and poignant read . . . This book is a must-read for any women who hears the ticking of her biological clock.” —Marika Lindholm ,CEO and founder of ESME.com (Empowering Solo Moms Everywhere)
"'In the end, life dashed every expectation I had about how I would become a mother.' And yet, Sarah Kowalski did become a mother—just not in the way she had imagined. In this powerful, timely, and important memoir, Kowalski reveals how difficult it is to become a mother in your forties, and yet also how the journey has served as a beautiful and transformational process for her. Best of all, she helps anyone interested in becoming a parent who might be struggling with infertility, confused about reproductive options and technology, psychologically and emotionally distressed, and/or lost in the vast jungle of online information about IVF, adoption, sperm/ egg donation, and so on to navigate their way to motherhood. This book fills a gap in the literature on modern parenthood by offering wisdom, insight, and practical advice that will help you realize your dreams—one way or another." —Mei Mei Fox, New York Times best-selling author and contributor at Forbes
"Motherhood Reimagined is a courageous journey through familiar life lessons. Using her embodied spiritual practice, author Sarah Kowalski faces her demons with vulnerability, humility, humor and insight." —Elena Brower, author of Art of Attention and Practice You
“This very readable story of the author’s journey to single motherhood by choice is a must-read for anyone contemplating becoming an SMC. It feels like a good friend is letting you join her on the trip as she shares her ups and downs, disappointments and celebrations. Informative, emotionally moving, and hard to put down.” —Jane Mattes, psychotherapist and Founder Single Mothers by Choice (SMC), author of Single Mothers by Choice
“Brave pioneers come in all sizes, shapes, ages and genders. Make no mistake, Sarah Kowalski is one of them. In her courageous memoir she opens up new territory, illuminating fresh possibilities for what it is to be an authentic dignified human being in the midst of probably the most profound life-changing event, becoming a mother, (in her case while being a single woman). She warmly, confidently and firmly draws the reader into the felt experience of all she faced, physically relationally, psychologically, financially and so on. Funny, inspiring, thought-provoking all at once. Sarah holds nothing back and opens up the chance for us to do the same in whatever we are facing in our own lives. A book for anyone living in our time and place.” —James Flaherty, author of Coaching, Evoking Excellence in Others and Founder of New Ventures West, Integral Coaching
"Motherhood Reimagined is a fascinating and intimate look inside the world of becoming a modern-day mother. An honest look at the emotional labor and physical challenges that arise on one woman's path to motherhood. Kowalski is relentless in her pursuit of becoming a mother, and grants us passage through her very own thick jungle of neuroses and tangles of self doubt while she bravely sharpens a machete of insight and truth to carve out her own path. A heroic and emotional journey that pulls you in and won't let you go until both the author and reader have found complete surrender." —Madison Young, author of Daddy: A Memoir and The Ultimate Guide to Sex Through Pregnancy and Motherhood
“In the years that I've been communicating with Choice Moms, there are two things that stand out as true: 1) We don't realize how difficult it might be to conceive, which is exhausting to discover in our late 30s and 40s; 2) We underestimate our ability as strong-minded women to "get it done," whatever it takes. Sarah is admirably able to openly capture both the vulnerability and the strength of her story of becoming a mother — a journey that never goes according to plan, and that teaches us more about ourselves than we can ever detail on our To Do lists.” —Mikki Morrissette, founder ChoiceMoms.org, and author of Choosing Single Motherhood: The Thinking Woman's Guide
“In Motherhood Reimagined Sarah Kowalski has accomplished what most memoir writers can never do. She has written two memoirs seamlessly woven together. One is an amazingly informative story about infertility and what one woman did to get pregnant. You will laugh and cry at Sarah's ability to capture the ups and downs of this saga. But she has also written a narrative about her spiritual struggles that is as interesting as her journey toward motherhood. This is one of those rare books that is not only replete with important information but it might even slip you onto your own path toward enlightenment.” —Roy M Carlisle, Senior Editorial Consultant, The Crossroad Publishing Company
“From the moment we meet Sarah Kowalski, a successful corporate attorney ignoring her biological clock, through her passionate quest to overcome infertility, to her early days of solo motherhood, one thing is for sure: nothing will go as planned. But Kowalski proceeds with determination, dissolving every physical and emotional barrier that dares stand in her way. This book is a must-read for anyone charting an unconventional path toward parenthood.” —Cheryl Dumesnil, author of Love Song for Baby X: How I Stayed (Almost) Sane on the Rocky Road to Parenthood
"Motherhood Reimagined is a beautifully written book about one woman’s journey to have a baby on her own. It’s an insightful and moving story that will inspire other women who face similar obstacles to becoming a mother. Well worth the read." —Jacqueline Mroz, Journalist and author, Scattered Seeds: In Search of Family and Identity in the Sperm Donor Generation
"Kowalski’s emotionally raw descriptions of her struggles will strike a familiar and comforting chord with other would-be parents.” —Clarion, 5 out of 5
"As a fellow single mother by choice, I really enjoyed this memoir. For so many women, we think the road to motherhood will be easy . . . This is an honest book about the path you never think you’ll take, but it’s the one that’s just right." —BookRiot, "Books About Parenting That Tell It Like It Is"

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