My memoir is coming April 29, 2025, International Dance Day
To be published by She Writes Press and distributed by Simon and Schuster.
PRE-ORDER NOW from your favorite retailers below.
An inspirational book club read of one woman’s journey of taking the bold step to leave her disabled—and volatile—spouse and moving across the country in search of adventure, tango, and love.
At the tender age of twenty, Jenn faces a pivotal moment when her boyfriend, Morey, proposes marriage after only a few weeks of dating. Her intuition urges her to say no, but she’s spent the entirety of her teenage years caregiving for family; she yearns for adventure, and she thinks relocating to California with Morey will give her the freedom she craves.
So she says yes—only to find herself back in the caregiver role after he becomes disabled a few years into their marriage. But it’s Morey’s volatile personality that ultimately leads Jenn to make a brave decision: it’s time to leave.
Dancing on My Own Two Feet takes a poignant turn as Jenn relocates to New York City after her divorce. Here, she rediscovers a long-forgotten passion for dance and embarks on a transformative journey that transcends the physicality of movement. Each dance becomes a channel to tap into her inner wisdom, providing the courage to explore the world and embrace new adventures.
Then Jenn encounters Gable, a potential suitor, prompting new questions to arise for her: Is she better off on her own? Or could Gable be the love and dance partner she’s been longing for?
How it started
I always knew I wanted to write a book. After my divorce, I moved to NYC, and the first journal I bought became home to all the ideas I longed to share with the world—life lessons, guiding principles, and the beginnings of book chapters. One of the moms I used to nanny for often reminded me that my time to write a book would come when I was truly ready.
During the pandemic, I had a moment of clarity: publishing, writing books—it was my destiny. Something inside me ignited. I realized I did want to tell my story, and for the first time, I felt like the timing was right.
In March of 2022, while my husband was visiting family abroad, I decided to keep my daughter in school and take a staycation. I wrote during the day and gave myself permission to play. I’d never written scenes before, but I dove in, recreating moments from my life. I found myself laughing at mishaps and feeling warmth in the tender moments after my divorce. By the end of the week, I had several chapters written, including the epilogue—a final chapter that hasn’t changed much since that very first draft.
Over the next year, I committed to the process. I enrolled in a memoir-writing course with Brooke Warner and Linda Joy Myers, and by year’s end, I was determined to finish my memoir. The women in my cohort became invaluable—reading drafts, offering feedback, and pushing me forward. But with a full-time career and motherhood in the midst of a pandemic, writing didn’t follow a strict schedule. Instead, I wrote in bursts—late-night hours between 10 p.m. and midnight, or in snatches of time between work calls and lunch breaks.
Towards the end of the year, I felt an urgency to complete that first messy draft. I asked my husband to take over family duties, and I retreated to our mountain cabin, fully focused on finishing. And I did.
Turning that raw draft into a polished manuscript was a lesson in vulnerability. It’s one thing to have someone critique your writing; it’s another to have them question your life choices. But I leaned into the process. Within six months of focused editing, I submitted my manuscript to She Writes Press. A few weeks later, I got the green light.
Birthing a book is an act of bravery. And learning to own your story in the process is the sweetest reward. I hope you enjoy the mishaps, the lessons, and the moments of transformation as I share what it truly means to be Dancing on My Own Two Feet.
What others are saying
“Jenn paints for us a gorgeous picture of how dance can be a vehicle for building a life and exploring the world. Her courage in sharing this story is a gift to all of us.”
Lori Mihalich-Levin, JD, author of Back to Work After Baby: How to Plan and Navigate a Mindful Return from Maternity Leave
“This book inspires us to let go of self-sabotaging emotional choreography, freeing ourselves to dance into our own light and dreams.”
Margaret Ghielmetti, author of Brave(ish): A Memoir of a Recovering Perfectionist
“A sometimes-harrowing but ultimately inspiring remembrance of recovery and creative self-expression.”
Kirkus Reviews
Highlights of the memoir in pictures
A sample scene
From my 30th birthday
I felt something shift inside me. I didn’t know how, but I knew I was ready to make a change. I opened a new journal, a birthday gift I had given myself, and started to imagine the life I wanted to live one day. Inspired by the colorful spiral-bound notebook with passport images plastered across the front, I pictured myself drinking champagne under the lights of the Eiffel Tower and traveling the world. I closed my eyes and imagined each detail until it was impressed upon my heart. I envisioned myself dancing a new dance in every city I visited, charming all the men with my savoir faire, speaking new languages. I would allow myself to get caught in mishaps in search of adventure.
As my eyes opened, words spilled onto the crisp white pages like birthday champagne, capturing every delightful sensory detail that flowed through my pen. I reminded myself that one day, I would make these dreams come true. For the next month, I revisited this sweet little journal daily, allowing myself a small reprieve from the rote drudgery of caregiving and work. New adventures and explorations poured forth from years of darkness with volcanic force as I imagined myself exploring a new country and dancing my way through life once again. Tingles filled my body, electrifying me with joy. Was a different life possible?
I allowed myself to envision the life I would have one day. A life of love, dance, children, and adventures…I couldn’t wait to get started, but my heart tugged and tightened at the thought of making these dreams a reality. As much as I longed for freedom, it felt fragile and delicate, like a newborn baby with a soft spot and a weak neck that needed delicate care and support to avoid injury. My heart had been bruised by past experience, and I was hesitant to risk it being trampled. The thought of leaving my disabled spouse for good brought on a subtle sense of guilt and that familiar pit in my stomach, cramped with unease. I knew I needed time to navigate my conflicting emotions to find a safe way forward.