Acknowledgments

I am incredibly grateful to so many people who supported me and encouraged me throughout this process. It’s been a very long road, and my friends and family never wavered in their belief that I could achieve my goal of writing this book and achieving my dream of becoming a published author. Special thanks to my husband, Matt; my children, Quin and Scarlett; my mom, Jan, and my step-dad, Mike; my dad, Brian, and my step-mom, Jenifer; my brother Steve and my sister-in-law Deni; my other brothers and sisters, Sean, Caitlin, Jenny, Brian, Melissa, and Ali; my mother-in-law, Mary; and my great friends, especially Traci, Kristi, Carolyn, Karleen, Barb, Jen, Andria, Gabby, Kathryn, Joanne, and Laura, who have all cheered me on over the years.

I am grateful to all of the moms who gave their time to share their experiences with us and with our readers. Each of you is an inspiration to me and our book is better than it would otherwise be thanks to your words of wisdom.

Moms Mean Business is an extension of the work I do, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the special group of women who were in my coach certification class way back in 2006. We have all kept in touch and witnessed each other’s trials and triumphs these past eight years, and I hope it will continue for many more. Thank you to Akasha, Barb, Constance, Erin, Katherine, Kathy, Kathy, Jane, and Martha.

Thank you to our agent, Jill Marsal, for believing in the book and in our ability to write it. Your input was invaluable. Thank you, also, to our two interns: Emily Ross, who worked with me several years ago before I even started the manuscript; and Shannon Duffy, who did some great research for us as we were finishing it up. Jacqueline Ernst at www.ernstconnected.com created our graphics, and we couldn’t be more grateful. And, to Carley Knobloch, thanks for introducing me to Lara and unknowingly setting us up for this journey together.

Lastly, to my coauthor and now friend, Lara: Thank you for saying yes, thank you for making me laugh, thank you for your intelligence, determination, and grounded-ness, and most of all, thanks for being an amazing partner on this journey.

—Erin

It takes a village. I consider myself so lucky to be surrounded by the family and friends I have. First and foremost, I’m grateful to my biggest fans: my dad, Justin; my mom, Cecilia; and my little sister, Jessica, who believe that I can do whatever it is I try to do, even when I’m not sure I can. Your support and love mean everything to me. To my in-house team: thanks to my husband, Richard, for putting up with me when this book project took over my life; and to my littles, Charlie, Paul, and Ellie who give the best hugs and encouragement a mom could ever ask for.

I appreciate so much the powerful friends in my life who have helped shape my thoughts on what it means to be a mom, but also what it means to be me. Much love to Shelagh, Nicola, and Caragh for all the hours we have collectively spent together working out solutions to a woman’s greatest challenges.

Thank you to all my clients, my social media buddies, and my podcast listeners for teaching me what it looks like to be a mom entrepreneur. This book is a collection of your stories and your lives, and I am truly in awe of all the good you do every day.

I’m so grateful to our agent, Jill Marsal, for seeing the value of our project and then helping us get it out into the world. You started the ball rolling for us. We’d like to give a huge shout-out to all the talented women who endorsed our book. It means so much to have your support. Thanks to Jacqueline Ernst for helping turn our words into graphics and for putting up with dozens of tiny tweaks to make them just right.,

Finally, thanks to you, Erin, for having the vision for this book so long ago and for asking me to join you in it. I’ve had to pinch myself many times wondering how I got so lucky. Who knew writing a book together could be so much fun? This is just the beginning of a long friendship.

—Lara