1. Following Your Passion 7

Call of the Wild • Juliette Watt 7

From Executive Assistant to Master Chef • Debbie Frangipane 13

Not Too Late for a New Degree • Babette Gladstein 16

Homing In on a Hobby • Suzi Renehan 17

A Sea Change • Claudia Espenscheid 21

Skills from the Past Can Create a Future • Elinor Griffith 26

The Sheep Farmer • Rebecca Denhoff 29

From Wags to Riches • Mimi Darr 32

The Beekeeper • Marina Marchese 35

2. Tapping Your Creativity 38

Fashion Saved Her Life • Jane Pennewell 38

A Headhunter Rediscovers Painting • Linda Holt 41

From Entrepreneur to Best-Selling Novelist • Karen Quinn 44

How a Beading Class Set Her Free • Pam Older 47

Handbags Helped Her Heal • Jayne Dearborn 51

Giving Up Money for Music • Kim Cameron 54

She Ditched the Corner Office • Lalita Tademy 57

A Dream Built on China • Alexanne Albert 62

Her New Life Was in the Cards • Kathy Davis 65

Write What You Know • Alexandra Kathryn Mosca 69

3. Finding Your Place in the Limelight 73

A Suburban Mom’s Road to TV Stardom • Kathryn Joosten 73

The Cop Who Became a Comedian • Gina Scarda 76

She Discovered She Was a Leader • Grace Diaz 78

Mika’s Do-Over • Mika Brzezinski 81

Becoming Mrs. Oregon at Fifty • Debra Gilmour 88

Soul Survivor • Sharon Jones 92

4. Doing Good 97

Her Restaurant Breaks All of the Rules • Denise Cerreta 97

The Book Farmer of Botswana • Pam Shelton 103

Crisis Is Her Business • Elisabeth Schuler Russell 109

The Earthquake Avenger • Marla Petal 118

She Dreamed of Africa • Vivian Glyck 124

Her Artful Business Plan • Willa Shalit 131

She Saves Wild Cats • Kay McElroy 137

Shipping Help from America • Danielle Butin 142

5. Discovering Your Business Sense 152

She’s a Wrap Star • Jill Boehler 152

The Egg Banker • Diana Thomas 157

She De-stressed in a New Career • Mary Robbins 163

Furnishing Her Life with Meaning • Shelly Leer 166

Wife for Hire • Kay Morrison 168

From Flight Attendant to Fashionista • Sandy Stein 173

The Million-Dollar Coupon Clipper • Teri Gault 175

Cancer Wigged Her Out • Sheril Cohen 177

She Found Her Inner Publicist • Carrol Van Stone 182

Discovering the Art of Instruction • Patty Palmer 184

Miracle in the Ladies Room • Stefanie Ziev 187

Reinventing via Inventions • Holly Tucker 190

The DNA Detective • Colleen Fitzpatrick 193

The MBA Who Became a Matchmaker • Rachel Greenwald 201

A Chocolate-Coated Life Change • Shelly Mortensen 205

6. Seeking Adventure 209

Finding Fulfillment in a War Zone • Shelby Monroe 209

Sell Your House, Find a Life • Liz Ward 211

A Path in the Wilderness • Mary Emerick 215

7. Transforming Your Sense of Self 219

The World’s Unlikeliest Weight Lifter • Lisa Fisco 219

A Bike Brought Her Confidence • Diane McAleer 222

From Nonathlete to Triathlete • Dani Phillips 225

8. Reinvention Tips for You from the Trenches 228

Ten Steps to Jump-Starting Your Change 228

Five Tips from Masters of Change 232

How to Afford Your Next Chapter 233

Moonlighting Tips 236

How to Write a Great Business Plan 238

Mastering the New Job Hunt 242

The Ten Best Jobs for Women Now 251

Contributors 262

Acknowledgments 264