A love letter to the friends, family, and faithful few who showed up at Painted Horse Farm and Winery
I have to be honest with you. In the weeks leading up to the launch of Live in Your Wheel House, I wasn’t sure I was ready. The book felt so personal, so much of my story, my pivots, my late-blooming courage, that sharing it felt a little like opening the front door of my soul and inviting people in for a walk-through.
And then the night arrived. And they came.
Painted Horse Farm and Winery was glowing. There’s something about that venue that just holds people well. The warm light, the open air, the sense that you’re somewhere a little bit magical. It’s always been a special place to me, and on this night, it became even more so.
“The room was full of the people who had cheered me on before they ever read a single page.”
Friends who’ve known me since my Crabapple days. Family who’ve watched this dream take shape over years of conversations, false starts, and finally a finished book. My husband Rocky, who has been my steadiest supporter through every chapter of this journey (the literal ones and the life ones). My children Lauren and Zack, who inspire me to keep doing the hard, beautiful work of living intentionally.
There were toasts and tears and a lot of laughter. There were conversations I didn’t want to end. There were people who pulled me aside to say, “This is exactly what I needed,” before they’d even cracked the cover, just because the idea of it had already started something in them.
That’s the Wheel House at work, friends. That’s what happens when we give ourselves permission to ask: does my life actually look like me?
“A book launch is really just a beginning wearing a party dress.”
The real work, the beautiful, life-changing work, starts now. In your home. In your heart. In the quiet moments when you pick up this book and start to wonder what alignment might actually feel like for you.
I am so grateful. Not in the performative, hashtag-grateful way. In the deep-breath, tear-in-my-eye, I-can’t-believe-this-is-my-life way.
If you were there that night, thank you. You made it everything I hoped it would be. If you weren’t, know that I wrote every page with you in mind too. The seeker, the striver, the person who’s been quietly wondering if there’s a more intentional way to live.
There is. And I’d love to show you.
Live in Your Wheel House is available now. Grab your copy, pour a glass of something you love, and let’s find your Wheel House together.
With so much love and gratitude,
Kim
