“Second Bloom is an inspiring and practical book for any woman who wants to reassess her values and vision to create a more joyful life.”
-- Marci Shimoff, NY Times bestselling author of Happy for No Reason

“Thank you for your book Second Bloom: 10 Steps to Reinvent, Rejuvenate, and Realize a New Life. I so enjoyed the inspirational stories and practical approach to taking on your future. I applaud you finding such strength to turn your own life around and write a manual on how others can too.”
~Maria Shriver, First Lady of California

"Answering the big questions of life is always a challenge. Anne Marie Smith and Michelle Gamble-Risley have taken much of the anxiety out of this journey. In their warmly written book, they lay out the road map to discovering what you want and value in clear, thoughtful progression. You also get to follow the journeys of several different women -- one may be just like you. This is book is not only helpful, it is a lovely book you will want to revisit whenever you have a big issue to unravel."
~ Bonnie Price, Founder, Silver Vixens

"The inclusion of real life stories from real life women made the process and the book more believable – more doable. It shows that others have been in this gut wrenching situation and lived to tell about it.  (I’m really NOT alone!) The process is logical and very helpful. It brings order to an otherwise disorderly situation. It allows one to step back, look at the whole situation and then take small steps forward. For some, the whole picture can be very overwhelming. “Second Bloom” breaks it down into those small steps which make the process manageable."
~ Cathy Johnson

"Loved it: The issues the book touches on concerning women—specifically self-esteem and selflessness (sacrificing needs and wants for the good of the family, children, husband, etc.)—were so very on target. As I read, I felt the authors were very knowledgeable and attune with these roadblocks women so often put down in front of themselves. This gave me confidence in trusting what they were telling me in the rest of the book about creating a plan. It was very easy to relate to many of the personal stories. The book includes a variety of situations and issues. This makes it easy to find at least one that sounds exactly like “you”, the reader."
~ Sue Nesin

"I loved the line about “That’s what you get for bringing a rat to school” and plan to incorporate it into my repertoire. The quotes and cultivation clues are great. I loved the list of qualities and spent an entire dinner discussing the difference between knowledge, wisdom and growth. Do we need a list of qualities we don’t value or do those come from the same list? Overall it was a wonderful exercise."
~ JT Long

Read More >>