Wild Mama: One Woman’s Quest to Live Her Best Life, Escape Traditional Parenthood, and Travel the World

by Carrie Visintainer

Description

When Carrie Visintainer became a mother at the age of thirty-two, she worried it was all over, that her adventurous life was done. Instead, she discovered a whole new adventure.

World travel? Adios. Solo explorations in the mountains? Ciao. Creative outlets? She wondered, are diapers my new white canvas? Immersed in a whirlwind of sleeplessness and spit-up, she was madly in love with her new baby, yet also felt her adventurous spirit and core identity crumbling.

So Carrie laced up her boots and set out on a soul-searching journey, with revelations near and far. Inside a local Walmart, she realized that new motherhood is like traveling to a foreign country, with a new vocabulary, unknowable customs, and extreme jet lag. Lying in a yurt in the Colorado forest, she came to terms with her postpartum depression. While sailing on a gulet off the coast of Turkey, she examined feelings of guilt about leaving her child in pursuit of adventure. And then, while perched in a handsome stranger’s motorcycle sidecar in the Mexican jungle, she found herself face-to-face with her central quandary: Domesticity vs. Wanderlust.

Finally, she discovered she could—and should—have both.

This book was produced by Mink Choi and Chris Lavergne, with cover photography by Noah Kalina and art direction by Mark Kupasrimonkol.

Product Details

Meet the author

Carrie Visintainer is the author of Wild Mama (November 2015) and the founder of Free Your Wild.

Reviews

  1. This book was a bit of a game-changer for me as a new mother. Carrie weaves together the first few years as a parent and addresses a topic that doesn't get nearly enough discussion: your personal sense of identity.

    In the book, the author tells us about her need to travel. It's something I can personally relate to and that need hasn't gone away even since having a baby. She's a caring mother who clearly wants to make it known that you don't have to lose yourself to your children, and that motherhood is similar to a job in that it doesn't define you. It also talks about the fragile balance between two partners and the particular strains that come from having children, wanting to be yourself, and trying to learn how to reconcile an old way of living with the new.

    This is a must read for anyone feeling a bit displaced after motherhood, or anyone who just wants to fan the flames of adventure as they dream about their next trip. It's well-written and she has a distinct voice.

    Ariana — Amazon

  2. This book inspires the reader to realize what speaks to “their wild”, or the core of who they are. It deepens an internal conversation around self awareness, strongly nudging the reader to identify that core, and honor it. The beautiful sentiment of this book is the permission this book gives to “redefine” traditional and classic, societal expectations. Carrie reminds us in doing so, the process isn’t always straightforward, but in the end, the reward, even if the learning curve is great, is worth the risk that comes with identifying with our true self. When we offer our authentic selves to the world, we all relate differently.

    Jodi — Amazon

  3. Everyone should this book! I LOVED it! Carrie Visintainer captures so beautifully (and humorously) what all new moms feel. I'm so impressed by her strength and her determination to find her inner "me" while dealing with the struggles of motherhood. Consider me inspired! Although I'm not a fan of camping (don't tell the author:)), Visintainer's narrative encouraged me to try some things outside of my comfort zone. I never thought I could manage solo travel as I'm uncomfortable waiting for a friend at a bar alone. But, after talking with my husband, we are checking the calendar to find a long weekend for me to visit a place I've always wanted to visit (location TBD) on my own. Honestly, once I picked up her book, I simply couldn't put it down. Buy this book, you won't be disappointed!

    jc2 — Amazon

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