Picture a woman whose hopes and goals have faded to the bottom of her to-do list, though she does a great job of fulfilling everyone else’s dreams. She devotes hours of emotional and physical energy to social commitments and the needs of others. She feels as if she is drowning in a never-ending flood of responsibilities. As she reads these words, Joan Anderson is about to throw her a lifeline. The woman in crisis may be you, or she may be someone close to you. In either case, A WEEKEND TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE will set in motion a beautiful makeover of the soul.

The story of Joan Anderson’s year on Cape Cod has become legendary. After her sons left home and her husband took a new job, she made a truly radical move: She decided to spend some extended time alone, tending to her needs rather than her family’s. In those months of seaside solitude, she slowly cast off years of insecurity and artifice, revealing a strong, centered, and completely authentic woman who would never allow herself to become emotionally depleted again. A Year by the Sea, her memoir of this sojourn, soon became a major bestseller, and she realized that her previous exhaustion and emptiness were feelings shared by countless women from all walks of life. Since the release of A Year by the Sea in 1999, she has also shared her transforming wisdom with the thousands of women who attend her weekend workshops. A WEEKEND TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE now gives every woman a chance to experience the healing joy of these two-night retreats. Full of liberating exercises and Joan’s rousing words of truth, this powerful little book will unlock a new world of fulfillment.

You may wish to work through the book by yourself, with your best friend, or with a group. You might choose a faraway locale or one close to home. And you don’t even have to process all of the exercises in a weekend–following rules is definitely not part of this program. No matter which approach you choose, we hope that the following topics and questions will enhance your experience of this exhilarating guide to freedom.