Did you ever wish you could Google something and realized that you can’t? Some questions have no answers, and life doesn’t come with a guide to help you through. However, we’re all trying to figure out how to navigate through our lives. Once we reach adulthood, we like to break down our lives by decades. Author Laura Sgroi has pondered on the changes that come with women turning 30 and has gathered this information into a book that’s part memoir, part essay collection from a variety of voices who weigh in on life in your 30’s. Check out my interview with Sgroi below along with links to buy her book, In Our Thirties: Insights and Expert Advice for This Decade and Beyond.
About the author
Author Name: Laura Sgroi
Author Links
About the book
Book Title: In Our Thirties: Insights and Expert Advice for This Decade and Beyond
Genres: Creative Non-Fiction, Memoir, Personal Essays
Link to buy:
Book summary
Many of us dread our thirties, but they show up no matter what we had planned. Drawing on nearly a decade of research, In Our Thirties is an insightful hybrid—part memoir, part anthology—featuring the insights of certified life coach and speaker Laura Sgroi and expert contributors on topics such as: People, Health, Spirit, Work, Money, and Living, together with more than fifty personal essays by thirtysomethings from around the world. In Our Thirties is an innovative guide to embracing the 30+ life and devoting ourselves to what matters most.
Book excerpt
Every woman I know has told me some version of this same story. We come from all kinds of families—loving, difficult, complicated. We fall in love like crazy, but it’s a lot harder than we thought. We travel the world, we move to new cities and countries. We start careers. We adapt and adjust. We’re told that thirty is a major milestone. But I turned thirty without having what I “must” have, without having done what I “must” do. At thirty, I was uncertain about everything in my life.
But it felt more like a beginning than an ending. It was a clean slate: take three. I wasn’t afraid so much as confused. Did thirty have to be so filled with pressure and expectations? Why couldn’t our thirties be positive and even fun?
Some of my friends had turned thirty, and I was honored to be part of their celebrations: driving convertibles through the desert outside of Las Vegas, enjoying surprise Mariachi serenades at sport bars, hiring John Mayer impersonators for home parties, eating pastelitos and croquetas at a Cuban quinceañera-themed office party. Later on I met a woman who decided to move to New York on her thirtieth birthday, another who climbed Kilimanjaro to raise funds for the hospital that saved her from cancer at age six, and another who took the year off from her real estate career to learn how to sew, work at an antique store, and take ballet classes.
I wanted to know what women and men were thinking, feeling, and doing at this age. I wanted to hear everyone’s story. And I wanted to get my own story straight. After the photo shoot, after another move to another country and culture—what was I really going to do with this decade?
Review excerpts
“Engaging, makes tough topics for women easily accessible… empowering voice. Humble, unlike many books in this genre.” – Emily K.
“Laura Sgroi takes us through a journey of a beautifully written and inspiring time capsule filled with life experiences of a woman evolving in her 30s.” – Wendy Galindo, Fox Sports Sun
“Loved reading it, it felt like catching up with an old friend! It couldn’t have come at a better time! Raw, honest, an easy read and totally relatable with lots of practical applications for living MY best life in MY 30s!” – Judith Leon
“After spending her twenties, “prepping for surgery,” In Our Thirties, author, Laura Sgroi, created a collection of insightful stories on how to truly embrace and explore this decade, without the rush and expectations entailed. From forming more in-depth relationships to managing your money wisely, living in the present, and finding your path in life, the author cross-examines her contributors, experts, and herself (alike) to make the most of this time.
Part memoir. Part insightful. In this book, Laura shares how she navigates different life decisions, and in turn, shows us the value of discovering our own choices. The book resonates regardless of what age you are in. It’s full of insights.” – Ingrid Vega, ILV Communications
“Very educational, thank you for sharing your story. I felt like I was reading your diary. Loved it!” – J.E.
Talking Shop
What do you want readers to take away from your book?
I would love readers to recognize and embrace the beauty of aging as a journey of self-growth and transformation. In Our Thirties is a celebration of reaching the big 3-0 and celebrating life itself at any age. We are all different human beings at thirty years old and beyond, with different goals and aspirations, passions and priorities, achievements and failures. Reading In Our Thirties will help you understand that there is no list of requirements you should have fulfilled by the time you enter your thirties other than those you set for yourself and are valuable to you.
No more gloomy faces at thirty, no more dreading thirty or any other milestone birthday. Every age is beautiful and special because we are paving our own path to wisdom and growth.
Name a fact or detail about your story that readers will never know is there.
Readers will never know that in the Money section I confess the fact that I am in financial debt. Other than my husband nobody else knew this before. It took me time to open up, in an honest and humbling exercise, allow myself to be vulnerable, write this truth, and share it with readers near and far. I am glad I did, as I now have learned how I got into debt, what to do to pay it off while readers can relate and learn from my experience.
How long did it take to write your book from the day you got the idea to write it to the day you published it?
It took eight years and four months to publish In Our Thirties. When I got the idea in March 2012, I simply intended to collect and publish the stories of women and men in their thirties on my blog. I never imagined such an overwhelmingly positive response. Within three months I had received dozens of touching personal essays by contributors from all over the world. Though a book was not on anybody’s list, it emerged as part of this inspiring collective breakthrough.
The only story missing was mine. I sat down and started typing with the speed of a talented pianist. But then I started to realize how hard it is to write a book. I am not a natural writer and English is my second language.
Distractions came in many shapes and forms. I spent four years cemented to a chair, leaving everything else I wanted to do for later. I asked myself: Why can’t I just finish it? Who am I to write a book anyway?
Then I realized what the problem was: I was just a few years into my thirties. I was trying to write about something I had not yet lived. Therefore, I decided it was time to break up with my outline and enjoy life instead. I needed to just be in my thirties, to explore them and then report back.
This book is a time capsule. I wrote it between the ages of twenty-nine and thirty-seven. The final draft is vastly different from the first. These years have left their mark on me, and on everyone else in the book. When writing was difficult for me, I told myself I owed it to these women and men to publish their words as I had promised.
If you don’t make a living exclusively writing, what is your day job? How, in any way, does it relate to your life as a writer?
I am a Certified Lifestyle and Mindset coach and speaker. I trained for this certification while I was writing In Our Thirties, and thanks to research done for this book and my own personal experience I became a natural fertility coach, as I saw the need of my readers for it and the successful ending to my challenging fertility journey.
What were your expectations for writing and publishing your first book? Have they changed since then?
I never expected for In Our Thirties to take me seven years to write and one additional year to publish. The one thing I expected was to have an amazing launch party. I have been dreaming about these days for a long time. I had “everything” planned: The festive atmosphere, our fabulous contributors reading their beautiful essays live, the playlist, our book trailer on a big screen, my thank you speech, the golden Sharpie I was going to use to sign books, even my outfit. The only thing I never imagined was launching in quarantine during a pandemic.
Oh well! I told myself: Corona will not stop our book launch! We launched In Our Thirties on Amazon on July 16th and celebrated a Virtual Book Launch Party on July 30th alongside all contributors, friends and family around the world and we all loved it.
“What If” Scenarios
If you could have one person that you admire, living or dead, read your book, who would it be?
If I could have one person that I admire read my book, it would be my mother. A Spanish & Literature teacher for forty-six years who instilled in me love and respect for the written word. She is alive and healthy, but she doesn’t speak English, therefore she has not been able to read In Our Thirties yet.
Your book becomes a best seller. What do you do next?
First, cheer loudly. And then, becoming a best seller would allow me to pay off my debt, donate money to charity, buy myself a new laptop, and start working on next projects such as recording the In Our Thirties’ audiobook, translating it to Spanish, launching a hardcover edition, and writing the next best seller!
Would you rather own your own book store or your own publishing house, and what would you sell or publish?
I would rather own my own book store. I would sell independent, self-published titles in the coziest and most inspiring environment. I know first-hand that self-publishing can be a tough journey and independent authors get frequent NO’s when they are asking for shelf space and/or reviews, therefore, I would be thrilled to be a source of support.
A wealthy reader buys 100 copies of your book and tells you to hand them out to anyone you wish. Who do you give them to?
I would give those 100 copies out to women and men about to turn thirty or in their thirties living in challenging or disadvantaged situations such as being in jail, hospitalized, not for profit. I would also drop copies off at random places such as airports, train stations, and hotels. Last, I would drop the rest of the copies off at hopeless places, trusting they will be found by the readers who need them the most.
You have final say over who reads the audio book version of your story. Who do you choose?
I would choose a Dominican voice over talent, with my accent, who understands and represents where I come from and provides the unique voice meant to tell this story. For the Expert and Guest Contributors, I would love for them t o read their own pieces each one with their voice, style, and character!
Just For Fun
Your trademark feature.
My trademark feature is my hair because it represents so many different stages of my life. Afro when I was growing up, relaxed as a teen in high school, wavy while in college, short and sleek while a young professional in the DR, naturally curly in the US for production gigs and now long and straight as a writer, coach and speaker.
What legacy do you want to leave behind?
My legacy is the good man I hope to raise, my son, who is now three years old. I also want to leave behind a legacy of transparency, truth, and valuable work which, beyond entertainment, leaves a positive mark in the world.
One bucket list item you’ve completed and one that’s still on your list.
Writing and publishing In Our Thirties was on my bucket list for years. Launching it as an audiobook, a hardcover, and translating it to Spanish are still items on my list.
Food you’d like to win a lifetime supply of.
Bananas. The perfect fruit, no need for utensils, no need to wash them, perfect snack as a writer on a deadline, and everyone in my house loves them, so we run out of them all the time.
Favorite Halloween costume ever.
Growing up in the Dominican Republic, we did not celebrate Halloween. However, we did put on costumes to celebrate carnival on our Independence Day, February 27th. My favorite costume was a cowgirl outfit I chose one year, and I made my own vest. It took me longer than expected to sew it. I could already hear the parade passing by my house when I was still working on it, but I finally finished and wore it with pride! Here in the States, I have worn a Halloween costume once, and I was a ketchup bottle and I loved it!
Buy it!
Buy a copy of In Our Thirties here, and help support local bookstores! This is an affiliate link, and I will earn a commission on any sales.
Enter the giveaway!
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A lovely post, this was a very interesting read. A great giveaway as well.
Thanks for reading!
Thank you, Lauren! I just discovered your blog, I am already reading and learning from you! Please keep in touch!
A great interview! As a woman in my 30s, I am definitely looking forward to reading this book. I used to feel like I had to achieve everything by the time I am 30, but we all know that is definitely not the case. It is so good to know that I am not alone.
Very true. I think we create these imaginary deadlines for ourselves, and it can really mess with our heads. Thanks for reading, and good luck in the giveaway!
Thanks D Walker for reading, commenting, and for your interest in reading the book! I am glad you enjoyed the interview, I loved Laura´s questions. You are not alone, and we keep growing together at every age. Please enjoy a free chapter of the book here: https://a.co/5sAGm38 and keep in touch!