Grab Life By the Goolies

... and other strange ideas, including a surprise new book!

If you have read my book ‘A Rosie Life In Italy’ you may remember that back in 2013, I was living in the cheapest house in Ireland with a colander for a roof, rats scrabbling above my bedroom ceiling, and not enough money to pay for my kids’ school bus fare. Life was, to put it bluntly, a bit of a shit show.

I was 40 years old, and the previous ten years had felt like a relentless game of emotional Whac-A-Mole; Miscarriages. Losing my big sister. My partner battling and then rehabbing from chronic alcoholism. The collapse of my business and income. Our dream of moving to Spain—gone. Every time I thought things might turn a corner, life threw another curveball, and I was exhausted. The chaos in my life was attracting more chaos.

I needed something to shift the trajectory of my life. I wanted to step away from the chaos. I wanted an instruction manual, a step-by-step guide to get out of the rut, to stop spinning in the same downward cycle. But I couldn’t find one.

So, I decided I would create my own.

I knew I wanted to follow my dreams and live life to the full. More importantly, I wanted other women who were feeling the same—trapped, stuck, waiting—to rise with me and grab life by the goolies. Because let’s be honest, we know by now there is no knight in shining armour coming to rescue us. If we want to shake things up, we have to do it ourselves.

Grab It By the Goolies Academy

I knew how to build a website, so I started Life Is Short Magazine. It was an online magazine filled with interviews of inspirational women who had followed their dreams, despite life’s challenges. I wanted their stories to give me and others hope and inspiration and to be proof that it was possible to change course, no matter what life had thrown at you.

I wanted to develop a community of women so we could encourage and learn from each other so alongside it I launched—Grab It By the Goolies Academy—an online space to encourage people to take tangible steps toward their dreams. And, because I don’t do things in halves and I believe in the power of a good book, I decided to write a non-fiction book to kick off the academy and website, called; How To Have A Fabulous Midlife Crisis: A User's Guide to Dusting Off Your Dreams and Making Them Happen.

Then something I always wanted to happen happened.

I was being interviewed on a podcast about Life Is Short Magazine and I happened to mention my book idea. By chance, a publisher was listening and reached out, they were very interested in my book idea—dream come true!

They were very enthusiastic and I spent weeks fine tuning a proposal for their consideration. However, when I sent them the outline, they came back with a long flowery response which boiled down to; Great idea but we have decided the market is too small. We don’t think there are enough women over 35 who want more from life.

I nearly choked on my tea.

What a load of bollocks. Of course there were women over 35 who wanted more. I knew because I was one of them. I knew because I had met so many others through the magazine, women who were feeling lost, restless, and desperate for change, and they had made it happen.

I was going to self publish the book but the rejection knocked my confidence and the timing wasn’t right for me. Life was still throwing clangers my way, and my own midlife wasn’t feeling remotely fabulous. My someday dreams kept me going, but the thought of trying to inspire others when I was still drowning myself felt overwhelming.

And what if I failed?

What if I put myself out there, told people they could change their lives, and then fell flat on my face? I’d be a hypocrite. I’d let down the women who believed in me. I knew I had to practice what I preached before I could stand in front of anyone and say, “Here’s how you do it.”

I let Life Is Short Magazine fade away as I told myself it was a stupid idea and I should be focusing on a money-making business. I never launched Grab It By the Goolies Academy even though I had poured myself into the branding and articles for months.

However, I kept pushing forward, trying different methods to create the life I dreamed of and keeping note of what worked in my Fabulous Midlife Crisis Instruction Manual.

Fast-Forward Ten Years…

While digging through an old laptop, I found my original How to Have Fabulous Midlife Crisis Instruction Manual. Reading through it, I realised I had done it! It had worked!

Today, I’m writing this from my villa by a lake in Italy, a home I renovated with my wonderful, sober husband. I make a full-time income writing books and I am debt free. My life isn’t perfect—because no one’s is—but I wake up every day living the dream I once scribbled down in my homemade manual.

I had followed my own roadmap, step by step, and built the life I wanted.

However after finding the files I closed them back down as I am a memoir and fiction author, so there was no way I was going to publish a non-fiction self-help book. It would confuse my brand and I had huge imposter syndrome. But I found myself dipping into it and redoing some of the exercises and they are so good! Well done younger me!

Since publishing my memoirs about moving to Italy, I do get emails from people asking how to get the motivation to have their own fabulous midlife crisis. So I think it’s time to share the techniques, that worked for me, with you.

What This Book Is—And What It’s Not

This is not some woo-woo book about manifesting and hoping the universe will do the heavy lifting for you. This is about taking control, getting clear on what you want, and giving the universe a good shove in the right direction.

It’s about figuring out how to make the most out of the second half of your life, making forgotten dreams—or brand new ones—a priority, and actually taking action.

I’ve used the method to:

• Become a successful full-time author

• Move abroad for a better lifestyle

• Buy and renovate a home I love

• Start and run businesses

Even though my teenage daughter wasn’t in need of a fabulous midlife crisis, I shared the same ethos I outline in this book with her.

She wanted to be a screen actor, but not famous. There were no acting schools where we lived in Ireland, so the odds weren’t exactly in her favour. But at 17, without drama school, she landed her first TV role.

Having reached that goal she set another; To be on HBO by the time she was 26. This girl, living in the arsehole of nowhere in Ireland, landed a lead role in a HBO series at 22. Getting clear on what you want is an essential part of what I share in this book.

It’s Time to Start Your Own Fabulous Midlife Crisis

This book is a roadmap to help you get from where you are now to where you want to be. But you won’t just be reading—you’ll be writing, listing, and mapping out your own path.

How To Have A Fabulous Midlife Crisis: A User's Guide to Dusting Off Your Dreams and Making Them Happen will be out on 6th May 2025. Get it at a reduced pre-order price here.

HOWEVER, the great news is I am giving this book away FREE to my Paid Substack subscribers in April as a thank you for your support!

If you are not a paid subscriber you can become one in March and you will get How To Have A Fabulous Midlife Crisis: A User's Guide to Dusting Off Your Dreams and Making Them Happen, in April. Once you get the book you can cancel your subscription if you wish, no problem!