Finding Strength through Unexpected Pregnancy is a stunning collaboration between 16 women who daringly share their stories of unexpected pregnancy, adoption, pregnancy loss, natural childbirth, and more! These women reveal the life-altering changes they walked through and offer words of encouragement and advice for women who are on similar journeys.

If you are ready to be inspired by stories of courage, strength, and perseverance, then this book is for you. May these stories remind you that you are not alone. They stand with you as a guiding light, leading the way through troubling times and shining light on the beauty that comes from unexpected pregnancy.




                                             

                   Meet the Authors!



Kaycia Ellingsen
Kaycia is a wife of 12 years, a mom of three, an adventurer, moving coach, bestselling author, and course creator! 
 
Kaycia and her family have moved 10 times and lived in 6 different states. With all that moving experience, she helps women gain confidence and embrace the adventure that life has to offer, even if they are in a new area. Kaycia teaches about topics that relate to relocating, loneliness, creating friendship, connection, confidence, personal value, adventure and more!
Before her first big move, she got some news that changed her life.
Kaycia was pregnant. Kaycia and her boyfriend went from happy college kids to being unexpected parents wading through a sea of unknowns, judgement and advice from peers who did not have kids. She walked through one of the hardest seasons of her life bearing judgement, change, and the insecurities that she held in her heart, searching for who she was.
Through the trials and triumphs, Kaycia realized she was stronger than she thought she was. The memoires of being unexpectedly pregnant sparked a fire within her soul and a need to share her story so other women would know, they are not alone!
She shares her story with one thing in mind, to tell the reader “I’ve been there too. I’ll walk with you.”
 
Connect with Kaycia at www.kayciaellingsen.com  







Lynda Bennetts 
Lynda Bennetts is a retired ESL teacher who was raised in St. Cloud, MN. She attended Saint John’s/Saint Benedict’s University where she later became an Academic Advisor to International students and received a degree in Education, specifically English. She also developed and taught an American Culture course to newly arriving international students by laying the groundwork for familiarization and adaptation to our country. She later received her Master’s Degree in teaching English as a Second Language at St. Cloud State University. Lynda spent a substantial portion of her adult life between Minnesota and Tokyo with her husband who ran an Asian Studies program through Bunkyo University in Tokyo. She assumed the role of instructor and mentor to hundreds of Japanese students and American students alike. With her benevolent spirit, she has also explored the third world as a missionary in Africa. Lynda is living proof of the resiliency, compassion, and selflessness that humans are capable of and an inspiration to others to rise up with altruistic integrity and kindness towards others. A recent widow, Lynda currently resides in Northern Minnesota where she and her husband spent an abundance of time making memories with their 3 children and many international students. Together, they enjoyed fishing, swimming, water skiing, and simply being in the presence of each other’s company. She is a proud grandmother of 11 grandchildren.


Lindsey Bubnich 
Lindsey Bubnich is a wife, mama to twin angels, and kindergarten teacher who has a passion for helping others. She has been teaching her students to love learning through play, community, and fun for 10 years and loves every minute of it. She loves the outdoors, spending time hiking and camping with her husband and dog, Tucker. She loves to spend quality time with close friends and family. She also loves traveling to the family cabin in Hayward, Wisconsin, boating, snowshoeing, and having campfires.









Melissa Calo-oy 
Melissa Calo-oy lives in Texas with her husband and their two boys. She is a pediatric nurse and a medical consultant to a daycare. This means along with knowing the parameters of vital signs for littles and the signs and symptoms of most everything that should keep you home from daycare, she can quote extensively from animated as well as Marvel movies. In her spare time, Melissa loves to cook and share recipes with people, take naps, and is working on turning her front yard into a spot that has something blooming during each season of the year. Her heart of hearts is that women would understand they have a purpose and a story tell, even if they need a little help finding the time to put it to words. If you want to follow Melissa and her family’s adventures as well as new project she takes on, be sure to visit her web site at www.melissacalooy.com 



Rebekah Clay 
Rebekah Clay is a Registered Nurse with fourteen years of experience working on a Labor & Delivery unit of one of the busiest birthing hospitals in Indiana. Born and raised in the Hoosier State, she continues to live there with her husband of 19+ years and 5 children. She is also a childbirth educator, birth doula, certified aromatherapist, and lover of all babies. 
Rebekah has a passion for informing mamas of their options and helping them have the birth they desire. She has a heart for normalizing birth and supporting the mother in her choices. So many women fear childbirth when they should be excited and feel empowered. This is what fueled Rebekah to teach mamas how to be confident during pregnancy, labor, delivery and postpartum thru her Facebook Group, Pregnant & Confident Mama’s, as well as courses she has created. In her free time, Rebekah likes to explore the outdoors, make pottery, DIYs, and remodel houses.









Lilyanna Edie

Lilyanna is a Jesus-loving, tiny-home-living, fervent encourager. She is passionate about prayer, exercise, and essential oils, and loves using them to help empower others to lead healthier, more joy-filled lives. 
 
She grew up on a farm in northern MN and is currently living in the mountains of Utah with her husband and lots of chickens. 
 
She and her husband Josiah got married in 2020 and delivered their first son Tobias in March of 2021. From that journey of grief to growth that she is still on today, a heart and desire to walk beside women as they process and heal from the pain of miscarriage sparked. 
 
They are living in a cute little tiny house they’ve remodeled from an old camper and are preparing to buy a homestead to build their dreams on. 
 
Lilyanna shares more of the details of her miscarriage on her Instagram, they are saved in her “miscarriage” highlights if you would like to watch them.
https://www.instagram.com/godsgirllvo


Carrie Fischer 

Carrie Fischer, wife, mama, life coach, budgeting guru, and crunchy woman, is the creator of Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck, a free 30-day challenge to move individuals to the life of their dreams. 

Carrie works with her clients via one-on-one coaching and has a passion for helping busy mamas find a way from debt to freedom. Carrie’s mission is to help women break the chains that hold them back from fulfilling their dreams.

Connect with Carrie at https://getoiling.com/CarrieFischer







Kali Fox 
Kali Fox is a freelance writer and aspiring author who was raised in St. Cloud, MN. She attended the University of MN, Minneapolis, MCTC, and Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. Her enthusiasm for writing began at a young age with daydreams and creative schemes always declaring a need to be written down, but she meandered through a lifetime of adventures and ordeals hesitantly before actualizing her dream. International travel, immersion in diverse cultures, and ascetic examination of self, motivated Kali to find inspiration in every experience livable whether it be the current of the river while kayaking, the green of the golf course, the lyric of a song, the glow of the moon in a summer night sky, or the sunset over the horizon. Her adversities of bereavement, trauma, and misjudgment in purpose have only captured Kali’s perseverance and storytelling ability. She is also a sketch artist. Kali currently resides in Central Wisconsin with her fiancé and their circus of five teenage monkeys… or clowns? Or both. Either way, it’s her big-top show and she delights in it. 





Sara Gama
Dealing with Crohn’s disease for over 10 years and reproductive issues for over 15 years, the idea of Sara having a family of her own became a distant dream. The Lord blessed her with four beautiful children that she carried past 40 weeks gestation.  

Sara Gama has over eight years of experience educating preschool and elementary age children. Her experience includes teaching in both preschool and Sunday school environments. She also teaches her own children at home. 

Sara is the author of “Alphabet Manuscript Tracing” found on Amazon.  In her free time, she loves to spend time with her family and helping in various areas in the church.  
https://www.amazon.com/author/saragama

Rebekah Haren  

Rebekah Haren is a LEO wife and mother of three who was born and raised in Texas. 

She is a certified personal trainer, CPR instructor, health and wellness advocate and Women's Ministry leader. Rebekah is an avid runner and endurance training enthusiast who has jumped into the world of triathlon. She is currently training for her first full Ironman. 

Born into a family of Law Enforcement officers and now married to one, Rebekah is a fierce supporter of men and women in blue. She proudly and courageously walks alongside her husband as he serves and protects his community. She loves her man and believes in fighting for marriage when things get tough. Three children in three stages of life has kept her on her toes. She works hard to point her children to the Lord and help equip them to walk out the individual calling God has on their lives.

 Her passion in the fitness industry is to teach others to approach health and fitness with a holistic and healthy balance. Instead of attempting to attain perfection, Rebekah teaches those around her to seek a healthy balance in diet and functional exercise so their bodies will operate the way they were created to. She believes God has placed her in this profession and allows her to serve him in this area.

 Rebekah's leadership in Women's Ministry is driven by an overwhelming desire to see women fall in love with Jesus and find the freedom we all long for that only a relationship with Christ can provide. When her husband's job brought her to a small town with no women's ministry, Rebekah courageously stepped out in faith and started one. It’s been ten years since that leap of faith, and every year, her ambitious spirit grows the ministry in new and exciting ways. Rebekah's thirst for knowledge and hunger for the Lord are evident in all she does with Women Connect.


https://www.facebook.com/godlywomenconnect 




Kara Johnson 

Kara Johnson is a Lutheran Laestadian Wife, Mother, Registered Nurse and Entrepreneur. Kara, her husband and six children reside in Wasilla, Alaska. Kara and her husband both have roots in central Minnesota and were raised there as well as five of their six children. 

 In late 2019 their family took a leap of faith and moved across country to the Last Frontier and currently have no plans of moving away from this vast beauty!

 Kara became a new mother in 2010 unexpectedly and struggled through the postpartum, newborn and breastfeeding “era”. She especially struggled with breastfeeding and decided to become a registered nurse to help others with breastfeeding. 

 Kara now helps other new moms with postpartum, newborns, breastfeeding and beyond and enjoys working with mom’s and babies. She also enjoys spending time with her family hiking and exploring, reading, writing, teaching and helping others. 

 Kara comes from a family of six children, her husband a family of fourteen children.
Connect with Kara  @the.mom.nurse (Instagram) |Kara Johnson (Sturos) on Facebook| 



Michelle LeeAnn 

Michelle LeeAnn is a mom of five children, three boys and twin girls. She became a mother at 17 years of age. She has endured judgement, struggled with self-love, battled depression and health issues. It took her a long time to develop the mindset that in a world of worriers, she needed to be a warrior. 

After several years of personal growth, she is a Certified Life Coach and Finance Coach. Her hobbies include exploring the outdoors, going on motorcycle rides, gardening, and in the colder months you can find her curled up on the couch in front of a warm fire. She spends her time and energy creating a life she loves.

Connect with Michelle at https://mamabearlivingllc.com



Erika Harston Noll

Erika Harston Noll has had several health challenges that knocked her off her feet. 

It became clear to her early on in her adult life that natural medicine and alternative therapies were the path that she should take. Holistically approaching health has always led to the best outcomes for her and her family.  

Through the years, Erika has developed skills in advocating for herself and others, supporting health with natural medicine and nutrition, and creating a healing home.  She has made it her mission to help other moms do the same, sharing many of her solutions in her FaceBook Group, Holistic Super Moms.  Advocacy has become a passion project for her, and she enjoys helping others learn to stand up for themselves in many different situations. One of those ways is through her course:  Stress Free Birth: Your Guide to Less Pain and More Confidence For Your Natural Birth.  A discount code is included in the book!

Erika grew up in Illinois and is raising her family in California. She is happily married to her best friend and they have 7 children. Erika has a bachelor's degree in Comparative Literature, is a best-selling Author, a Certified Nutritarian Coach, and has spent many years researching, implementing, and teaching holistic approaches to health as a Wellness Coach. She loves baking sourdough bread, preparing delicious plant based meals, gardening, animals, music, dancing, reading, homeschooling, and playing board games with her children. 

https://holisticsupermom.com







Ginny Rogers 

Ginny Rogers has been the Executive Director of Lakes Area Pregnancy Support Center since 2014, having served on its Board of Directors for 5 years beforehand. She is a wife and mother of three adult children and two granddaughters, all of whom bring her a great deal of joy.

She is passionate about helping young families establish themselves in a way that allows both parents and children to thrive and live abundant lives. Ginny is a Certified Advanced Christian Life Coach specializing in relationships and a Crisis Pregnancy Life Coaching Specialist. 

 Connect with her at lakesareapregnancy.org.



Melissa Strait 

Melissa Strait is a wife of nearly 25 years, a mom of 3, and an avid nature lover, gardener, and blogger. She grew up in Central PA. She loves traveling, exploring interesting destinations, and making people laugh. She spends her days enjoying nature and tending to her organic garden. She loves writing, caring for animals, and helping struggling moms find balance in the chaos of their lives. 

            Several years ago she was feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, frustrated. She was barely holding it all together and battling depression and anxiety. She was desperately searching for answers to help her kids with their medical issues. She searched everywhere for answers and realized that loneliness, the lack of solutions and resources to help them made her feel like she was a failing them. 

            Since her children struggled with mental health and many medical diagnoses, she now chooses to help other parents with this issue using her FB group, Exhausted to Empowered Moms of Kids With Difficult Challenges. Encouraging them and providing them a safe place to support each other and educating them on all the issues she fought with herself. 

           She also teaches about saving money on groceries, time management, gardening, cooking, learning to value yourself so you can show up authentically, and honoring your mental and physical health. She loves encouraging moms to rediscover their passions, after losing their identity raising and caring for their families. She uses her downtime to get out in nature hiking, spending with her three older kids, husband, chilling with her two cats, crafting, blogging, and seeking new adventures.
   Connect with her at www.straitessentials.com 







Amber Winn 

Amber Winn is a life coach, mother of 4, wife, and a friend. People are her passion! Her mission is to empower others with the skills they need to start living a more amazing life no matter their circumstance. Drawing from her own personal experiences, she coaches on weight loss, self-love, relationships and confidence.

Growing up, Amber was her harshest critic and continually struggled with weight, depression, anxiety, and a lot of self-loathing. She linked her worth to her accomplishments which led to a downward spiral of thinking she was never enough. She was lost and unhappy.

Sparked by a desire for change, she gained a new perspective by learning tools to start living a more fulfilling life and get back to the fun, free-spirited person she is. Now she’s helping others in the same way.

Whether you’re looking for a total life makeover or just want to level up, Amber’s here to guide you through it. To learn more about her programs and schedule a free mini-session go to www.myinnerlove.com. She currently gives private and group coaching and you can follow her on social media.

www.myinnerlove.com