Jennifer Pastiloff & Gertrude Lyons

Join us in welcoming Jennifer Pastiloff & Gertrude Lyons for a special evening of conversation celebrating their books, Proof of Life & Rewrite the Mother Code.

About Proof of Life:

An urgent rallying cry to stop holding back and start living life on your terms.
Jen Pastiloff convinced herself My life is fine and fine’s enough, until the whisper that something was missing turned full-on scream.
This is Pastiloff’s account of how she reclaimed her voice and desire by radically changing her life. She did this despite believing that change equaled death ever since her beloved father died when she was eight. (Much to her shock, change did not equal death.) She shows us it is never too late to begin again, or to let go of stories like: I don’t deserve this; I don’t get to be happy; no one will love me; I’m too old, to name a few.
Through this book, you’ll quiet your Inner Asshole, participate in the cathartic process of Shame Loss, ignore the Imaginary Time Gods, use creativity as a portal into healing and connection, and become your own permission slip. Complete with takeaways in Jen’s signature style, creativity prompts, and poetry, Proof of Life is funny, inspiring, and full of love. This book is a reminder that your birthright is not stress or shame and that you don’t have to show proof that you are worthy or deserving. You are your own proof of life.

About Rewrite the Mother Code:

In Rewrite the Mother Code, Dr. Gertrude Lyons challenges the limiting beliefs and expands the concepts around what it is to be a mother. Through the pages of this book, Lyons blurs the lines that pigeonhole women into limited roles that ultimately disempower them. Rather than operating within a narrow conception of what mothering is, she invites readers to open themselves up to what is possible and see the truth: that all women mother, and that mother energy is accessible to all of us-including men. Rewrite the Mother Code is a celebration of motherhood, bringing spirituality and community back into the experience and empowering women to be what they truly are, the ultimate creators.
What it would be like if it was a commonly held tradition for the wise women in our Western culture to support women through the mothering process? What if children were raised by the community and not the isolated responsibility of one or two caregivers? What if all women were united as mothers and gave their full support to each other’s mothering choices? Rewrite the Mother Code not only envisions this world of conscious conception, pregnancy, and motherhood, but it also takes the reader into a movement that fulfills the ideals of a matriarchal-led mothering experience.
These ideals can open the doors for women to not only take part in the abundance of the world, but also make sure everyone else experiences it. Rewrite the Mother Code explores a world in which mothers feel valued and intrinsically aware that fostering their well-being is the keystone for conscious and harmonious living on earth—a world where there are enough resources for everyone, all life is valued, and decisions are made with everyone's best interests in mind, not just a few. It's a world where mothers are revered for their abilities to create (even ones without their own children, who journey through motherhood in many creative ways), a place where we can tap into our intuition and truly follow it.
Rewrite the Mother Code blurs the lines that pigeonhole women into limited roles that ultimately disempower them. Rather than operating with a narrow conception of what mothering is, it invites you to open yourself up to what is possible when you realize that all women mother, and that mother energy is accessible to all of us—including men.
In Rewrite the Mother Code, Dr. Gertrude Lyons shares her vast expertise, using her doctoral degree in education, combined with her degrees in psychology, transformational leadership, and her two decades as a coach for families, couples, and individuals. She has traveled the world and had spiritual experiences across the globe, which she brings into her work and writing.
Each chapter of Rewrite the Mother Code has thoughtfully tailored reflections, meditations, and rituals to help women get in touch with their innate mother wisdom and strength. This book is a ceremony and celebration of all forms of motherhood, one that collectively births a new revolution of empowered and embodied living.

Jennifer Pastiloff trots the globe as a public speaker and to host her retreats to Italy, as well as her one-of-a-kind workshops, which she has taught to thousands of people all over the world. The author of the popular Substack, also called Proof of Life, she teaches writing and creativity classes called Allow, and workshops called Shame Loss, when she isn’t painting and selling her art. She has been featured on Good Morning America, and Katie Couric, and in New York magazine, People, Shape, Health magazine, and other media outlets for her authenticity and unique voice. She is deaf, reads lips, and mishears almost everything, but what she hears is usually funnier (at least she thinks so). The author of the national bestseller On Being Human, Pastiloff lives in Southern California with her son, Charlie Mel.

Dr. Gertrude Lyons has dedicated her professional life to exploring the transformative capacity of all people. Dr. Lyons received her Ed.D. in 2017, and has given workshops at Google, International Coaches Federation, Hey Mama, and more. She has been published or appeared in Demeter Press anthologies, The Guardian, Thrive Global, The Bump, Motherly, Business Insider, and MindBodyGreen, and on Fox Chicago, Good Day LA, and WGN radio. She is the host of the podcast, “Rewrite the Mother Code,” and lives in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago, where she and her husband Rich raised their own family.

In her coaching, retreats, workshops and book, Rewrite the Mother Code: From Sacrifice to Stardust – A Cosmic Approach to Motherhood, Dr. Gertrude challenges the limiting beliefs and expands the concepts around what it is to be a mother. Rather than operating within a narrow conception of what mothering is, she invites people to open themselves up to what is possible and see the truth: that all women mother, and that mother energy is accessible to all of us. Rewrite the Mother Code is a celebration of motherhood, bringing spirituality and community back into the experience and empowering women to be what they truly are, the ultimate creators.

Accessibility: This event will be hosted at the bookstore, which is a wheelchair accessible space. Masks are strongly encouraged but not required. We have 3 air purifiers throughout our space. To request ASL-interpretation, please email [email protected] at least 14 days before the event.

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