Enough

A collection of powerful, fiercely brave, and funny personal essays from writer Shauna Ahern of Gluten-Free Girl on her transformation from a woman who never felt like she was enough - in body, romance, and popularity - to one who finally knows, deep in her bones, that she both is enough and has enough. At age 49, after a decade of running a successful food website, writing cookbooks, establishing a large social media platform, and starting a family, Shauna suffered a minor stroke. What happened? When her doctor reminded her that emotional stress can cause physical damage, she dove deep inside herself, determined to trace all the ways she had not felt good enough in life and let go of a lifetime of negative feelings. In Enough, Shauna traces the arc of feeling not good enough, something that began in childhood and stayed with her well into adulthood. Pretending was a deep-seated habit that lasted well into her thirties. When she finally told herself, "Enough pretending!" she started down a road of healing. And though her authentic voice began asserting itself, like many women she still felt compelled to please. When the rage of years spent trying to do all the right things rose up inside her in her forties, she declared, "Enough of this shit!" With candour and humour, Shauna chronicles her journey to the point where she has finally found enough - in her friends, her rural island town, her husband and children, and in the small joyful moments of life. She has discovered the only "enough" that truly feels like belonging: believing in herself. Readers will be inspired by her story; after all, this journey of "enough" is one we all have to take.