Author Description

1:5 women in the UK/USA, Canada & Australia are currently turning 45 without having had a child. Although some are childfree by choice, many others are childless-by-circumstance and are struggling in a life they didn't expect and for which there are no roadmaps. Most people think that women without children either 'couldn't' or 'didn't want' to be mothers. The truth is much more complex. A mixture of autobiography, social history and self-help, "Rocking the Life Unexpected" is a book that blends the personal, the political and the practical to support childless-by-circumstance women to move forward with their lives. Its British author, Jody Day, is the founder of Gateway Women, the global friendship and support network for childless-by-circumstance women. Reading this book feels like sitting on the couch with a good friend, a bottle of wine, and a box of Kleenex. Yes, there'll be tears, but there'll be laughter and camaraderie, and at the end of the book, there'll be the feeling that it's all going to be okay in the end. Lisa Manterfield, author of the award-winning "I'm Taking my Eggs and Going Home" and the Founder of LifeWithoutBaby.com Each of the 12 chapters has a specific focus and contains exercises to help you look at your personal situation. The book can be read alone or as part of an online or local Gateway Women reading group. Week by week, this book will guide you as you work through the distress, confusion and isolation of your situation and towards your very own Plan B for a meaningful and fulfilling life without children. Now in her late 40s, Jody realised at the age of 43 that her quest to be a mother was finished. She presumed that she was through the toughest part but over the next couple of years was hit by waves of grief, despair and isolation. At times her reality felt almost unendurable, as was the way that her situation was trivialised by others. She looked in vain for recognition and support amongst her d