Family Gap Year
How We Moved to Brazil, Dropped Our Overscheduled Lives, and Created a Sustainable, Happy Future for our Family
Sheila Maloney reads an excerpt from Family Gap Year to an audience at Bookie’s Bookstore in Chicago, IL on January 22, 2022.
Family gap year
by Sheila maloney
In Family Gap Year, Sheila will tell you about her adventure and what she learned when she stopped listening to what society told her she should do, and started listening to what her soul was calling her to do instead. Part memoir, part self-help, part travel guide, and all heart, Family Gap will show you how you can:
Slow down and escape the exhausting cycle of go-go-go
Reconnect with your family, nature, and your authentic self
Revive your marriage
Reveal the splendor of the world to your children
If you want Eat Pray Love but for families, Family Gap Year is the perfect book for you. Escape the daily grind and follow your dreams!
“The writing is captivating, and by the end of the book, you’ll find yourself planning a trip to Brazil.”
Bruna Venturinelli, Founder and writer at I Heart Brazil
About sheila & Family
From June of 2018 to July of 2019, our family moved from the hustle and bustle of Chicago, IL to the Vitória region of Espírito Santo, Brazil. We left behind a life of regimented schedules and joined a life of greater freedom and simplicity. Read our story, see our pictures and join our Family Gap Year movement.
Family Gap Year
“Heartwarming, down-to-earth…Funny…speaks with love & compassion”
In Family Gap Year, Sheila Maloney not only shows us Brazil’s culture, food, architecture, and history but also leads us through some unparalleled places and experiences in the country. It is a heartwarming and down-to-earth memoir of a family craving to live life and find their authentic selves in a culturally and naturally diverse place.
Bruna Venturinelli
Founder and writer at I Heart Brazil
iheartbrazil.com
Family Gap Year fully captures the life, thoughts, and daily stressors of modern working moms. I was cheering from the sideline as this family made the journey of a lifetime by redefining who they are and deliberately choosing to live without all of the busy. Reading about their beautiful adventures allowed me to live vicariously in Brazil and reflect on what lessons I can apply to my own life here in the U.S. Family Gap Year is touching, funny, and a great reminder to always prioritize family, relationships, and spirituality over the never-ending to-do list. This book touched my heart and left me smiling and finding more joy in my day-to-day.
Arwen Pokorny Lyp
High School Principal
Wife and Mother of three boys ages 12, 10, and 8
Family Gap Year paints a beautiful, honest picture about the families that shape us, and the families that we create in turn. Sheila Maloney speaks with love, compassion, and a clear-eyed view about her father’s life, debilitating illness, and death. While trying to reconnect with her family and homeland, Sheila integrates her grieving process into her experience of living intentionally. Anyone caring for or who has cared for a sick parent will find comfort in these pages.
Claire Bidwell Smith,
Author of Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief
QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? REVIEWS?
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