Kristin Hackman Authors Book Inspired by Personal Journey
Writer / Amy Adams
Photography Provided
In her new book, titled “Just Breathe, Mama: Finding Your True Self After Misplacing Your Identity in Motherhood,” Westfield author Kristin Hackman opens the pages of her life with honesty, humor and hope.
Though Hackman always wanted to be a mother, she could never have imagined that her difficult road to motherhood would eventually lead to having four children under age 3 – two-and-a-half-year-old triplets and a newborn.
However, she says it wasn’t until about a decade into her role as “mother, caregiver, nurse, chauffeur and housekeeper” that she decided to add author to her list of credentials.
While this is her first book, Hackman says “pen and paper have always been my outlet.”
Having graduated from Indiana University Bloomington with a degree in communications, Hackman began blogging before she and her husband started their family, and she has contributed to HuffPost and well-known blogs.
“When my kids were born, I felt like I needed to be all in, all ‘mom,’ and I forgot about me,” she says.
In her book, she compares this all-too-common maternal vanishing act to working hard to create “the most beautiful and delectable chocolate cake ever” and then offering a piece to everyone but herself.
Hackman felt inspired to write the book by the lessons she has learned in the process of rediscovering her authentic self.
“It was like something bigger than me saying that I needed to do this,” she says.
And so, in the autumn of 2019, she began writing a book. Although it was a bit stop-and-go with COVID-19 and some editorial challenges, her book debuted on September 29, 2022.
“It’s not meant to be prescriptive,” she says. “It’s not ‘This is how you do it.’”
Instead, Hackman invites readers into her own story. She prompts them, through thought-provoking “Reflect and Receive” sections after each chapter, to find “answers from within.”
“Although I’m a father rather than a mother, I could relate to so much of what Kristin says,” says fellow author Patrick Snow.
Hackman says she encourages all who are “so busy serving others that they forget to take care of themselves” to spend more time nurturing their “inner wild child.”
“I love the word ‘wild,’” she says. “I think nurturing your inner wild child means connecting back with who you are and what you want to do. It means getting outside of your four walls and trying new things.”
Though she acknowledges that it might feel uncomfortable at first, Hackman suggests people go on solo dates to spend time discovering who they are and what they enjoy.
“My real hope in writing this book is that someone who reads it will feel seen,” she says.
You can follow Hackman on Instagram @kristinhackman and on Facebook @kristin.richardshackman, and visit her website at kristinhackman.com. “Just Breathe, Mama” is available on Amazon.
