There are so many people and events that shaped my life and somehow contributed to the writing of this book. I have to thank Maureen Kedes of Vertex Communications for forcing me to realize that there was a book inside of me and Boris for believing in my talents and sticking by when others would not even look my way. I also have to thank Mary for her incredible devotion, enthusiasm, warm words, and most of all for helping my written words to become a true manuscript. A huge thank you to Uwe Stender, my agent, for unbridled enthusiasm and for wanting to show “the big guys how a book deal gets done.” To Glenn at BenBella Books, thanks for taking on this project and making me feel like my book was the most important book you were handling. To Leah, thanks for some fine editing and some very funny comments along the way, and to Jennifer, thank you for keeping me in the loop on how a book gets reviewed by the best. To Laura, thanks for hearing my anguish and responding. To the whole team at Krupp Kommunications, thank you for helping me spread the book’s message near and far. To Paul, my lawyer and close friend, thank you for doing what most lawyers don’t do: giving me more for my money. To Zahava, a special thanks for recipe inspiration and to Barbara, thanks for your cover contributions and your artistic input. To Judy, a client and friend who embraced the HFL program and never looked back, and who constantly gave me words of support, thank you. Finally, to my husband Eli and my children Melanie and Stephen, thank you for making my journey your journey as well.