ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First and foremost, I am grateful to each one of the women whose stories are featured in Dare, Dream, Do—on the blog and in this book. These stories are deeply personal and it took courage to share them. Without their stories and their derring-do, Dare, Dream, Do would not exist. It is a privilege to have dreamed with you, the inaugural Dare to Dream girls.

Thank you to Erika Heilman and Jill Friedlander at Bibliomotion, to my agent Josh Getzler, to publicists Barbara Henricks and Rusty Shelton, to social media expert Becky Robinson, and especially to Carolyn Monaco, my book manager and mentor—you have made my dream of getting a book to market all that I could have hoped for.

I am so profoundly grateful for the encouragement and know-how of my initial Dare to Dream Team: Laurel Christensen and Jana Erickson at Time Out for Women, who in November 2009 said, “I need a book by June 2010,” and then expected me to deliver; Melissa Stanton, whose early line editing and truth telling were invaluable; Vickie Sullivan, who when I first started blogging pushed me to really say something, to speak my truth; Amy Jameson, my conceptual editor, who provided everything from tough love to tactical support to sunshine; Brandon Jameson, who for over a decade has brought to life my ideas with his excellent design sensibility; and LaNola Kathleen Stone, whose photography always captures truth.

Thank you to those who were willing to review Dare, Dream, Do. You truly were consequential strangers, offering me just what I needed when I needed it—generosity in reading, writing, and lending your name.

And to many dear friends—including Rachael Hutchins, Julie Berry, Liz Economy, Sally Harker, Julie Marriott, Bob Moesta, Kathleen Peterson, Stacey Petrey, Macy Robison, Diane Pritchett, Lori Richards, and Jen Thomas—thank you for reading early drafts and for your willingness to walk that difficult line between criticism and encouragement. I am also deeply indebted to my lifelong friend and teacher Leslie Feinauer—thank you for daring me to dream.

Finally, I am brimming with gratitude and love for my husband, Roger, and our children, David and Miranda: you are the strawberries, sunshine, and sweetness of my life.

We only really dream when we dream together—thanks to each of you daring and dreaming with me.