If the book series “Chicken Soup for the Soul” and Vogue had a baby, it would be the new book called “Women Gone Wild.” Among its diverse co-authors, the youngest is a teenager and the oldest is in her 70s. These women live in half a dozen countries on half the continents around the world and come from all walks of life. So, what exactly is the one thing they all have in common? These ladies have “gone wild.”
Rhonda Swan, one of the original founders of the movement, defines “wild” as fearless living, while another co-author Jodi Vetterl attributes it to being a free spirit. Regardless of their personal takes on the concept, all 22 co-authors behind the No. 1 best-selling book “Women Gone Wild: The Feminine Guide to Fearless Living” share an unapologetic approach to living life on their own terms.
The book features an eclectic cast of women writers, from Sandra Tremper O’Brien, a retired attorney and self-described country club wife working on her second act as an artist and thought leader, to Ondi Laure, a Wyoming rancher overseeing hundreds of cattle who has recently married and just released her first novel after discovering her inner writer.
There’s also Isabel Fagan, a onetime California pageant queen and aspiring actress who turned editor-in-chief of her own magazine and publisher of books, including this one, as well as Diana Wentworth, a New York Times best-selling author who was the first co-author to ever publish with Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield in the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book series.
Not only is Swan the owner of the Unstoppable Branding Agency, and the founder and driver of this book, but she is the proud mother of Hanalei, who also co-authored the book at just 14 years old, exhibiting wisdom beyond her years as a regular speaker in front of hundreds and even thousands.
Whether it’s Kathi Tait, who has been branded the bald woman warrior with tattoos in several places (including her head) and has helped women love themselves unconditionally, or Yamilca Rodriguez, a world traveler, adaptation expert and freelance builder of businesses, these women are all overachievers in every sense of the word.
You may be intrigued and rightfully so. In a recent interview, Leah Steele, another co-author, spoke about what being a wild woman meant to her. She said, “As women, we are programmed and conditioned to contain our wild feminine nature. We are continually told to be quieter, less emotional and more ladylike. This creates fear around showing our authentic selves. I have spent years deconstructing my programming and conditioning around what it means to be a woman. Today I am free from the social constructs that attempt to contain me and extinguish my flame. I show up fully and unapologetically.”
Kendra Davies, another co-author of the book, said, “We rarely start out as wild women and I am no exception. My story is the most powerful tool I have in serving others. From an eating disorder to addiction to homelessness, my life was going up in flames fast. Still, that fire forged something different as I let it burn something newer and brighter. Sober for 21 years, I’m now a wholehearted mother and successful business owner living without fear knowing I can rise again and again from the ashes like the phoenix of old.”
In each of their respective chapter, co-authors share their stories and inspiring insight, including Kathy Gibson on “Discovering the Path,” Loretta Wetzel on “Giving Gratitude” and Celinne Da Costa on “Courageous Not Fearless.” Anniece Acker offers words on “True Awareness,” while Vetterl takes on the “Reclamation of Discovery,” and Allison Lewis explores “The Authenticity Effect.”
Among the other fascinating reads, there’s Bella Lane’s “Purity Consciousness,” Katrina Sawa’s “The Power of Focus,” Camille Robb’s “Education Is Opportunity” and Allison Larsen’s “Fem-Intuition.” Lilith Moon, a shamanic healer and teacher, is also featured in a chapter that talks nothing short of saving the world, and Doria “DC” Cordova wrote the chapter “The New Definition of Wealth,” which has been turned into her own book releasing soon.
As luck would have it, when David T. Fagan called to pitch Wentworth to write the foreword for the book, she was working on a personal passion project behind the scenes coincidentally called “Women Writing Wild.”
Speaking about her involvement, Wentworth said, “I don’t usually write forewords for books, nor have I co-authored in any major capacity since the ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ series, but when David, a close friend, told me what Rhonda, Isabel and all of these women were doing, I was fascinated. When I heard the name of the book and I knew I was meant to be a part of this. As a matter of fact, I haven’t been this excited about a book series since ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul.’ There really is something special about it and I’m excited to be a part of future editions as well.”
Another interesting side note was the original name of this women’s anthology was supposed to be “Design to Lead: The DNA of the Feminine Leader.” It wasn’t until Swan and Fagan had rounded up the first few chapters that he pitched the controversial title, “Women Gone Wild,” to capture the free-spirited and unapologetic outlook each co-author exhibited.
Although Swan loved it, the two knew the title could potentially be a little too edgy. The first meeting for the book had more than a few women co-authors questioning the direction, but in the end, they gave Swan their trust. And, thank goodness they did. “Women Gone Wild” is now a series of events and a network — with more books in the works.
To find the book, search “Women Gone Wild” on Amazon or visit www.gonewildbook.com.
Isabel Donadio
Isabel Donadio-Fagan is the Founder of Talent Support Services, LLC, DBA Top Talent Agency that includes TopTalentPublishing.com, TopTalentMag.com, TopTalentJV.com, TopTalentMembership.com, is the best selling author of Finishing is Happiness: 7 Ways Big Idea Entrepreneurs Can Become Big Business Finishers, Co-Author of Women Gone Wild: The Feminine Guide to Fearless Living and Becoming Significant: How to Invoke Sacred Words That Unlock Real Power, and the winner of the 2019 TWC Most Outstanding Rising Star Award.