By Julie Tourangeau | julietour.com
Six years ago today, I became a bestselling author.
On October 15, 2020, my first book, Free Yourself from Grief: The Secret to Moving on with Life after the Death of a Parent, launched and became a #1 Amazon bestseller in two categories.
What began as a deeply personal journey through the grief of losing my father evolved into something much greater: an exploration of consciousness, divine timing, synchronicity, and the extraordinary possibilities that emerge when we learn to trust the unfolding of our lives.
At the time, I thought I had witnessed some pretty incredible things.
Six years later, I can hardly believe how much more has unfolded.
And the most fascinating part?
The experiences I once considered monumental now seem relatively small compared to everything I’ve witnessed since.
The synchronicities haven’t stopped. If anything, the momentum continues to build.
And sometimes I find myself looking back at the woman who wrote that book, realizing that even with everything I thought I understood about consciousness and divine timing, I had barely scratched the surface.
When Life Rearranges Itself
When I wrote Free Yourself from Grief, I had already experienced what I could only describe as a complete transformation of my life.
Losing my father at a young age was devastating. But what followed was an entirely different kind of grief.
Family relationships fractured. Financial security disappeared. The life I had known was suddenly unrecognizable.
I went from living comfortably to experiencing homelessness, having my car repossessed, and wondering how I would afford my next meal.
Yet somehow, through circumstances I never could have anticipated, those experiences led me down an entirely different path.
I found myself working in the natural foods industry, discovering the transformative power of nutrition, exploring consciousness, and eventually sharing my experiences through writing.
The very circumstances I once feared would destroy my future became part of the story that inspired my first book.
I certainly wouldn’t have planned it that way.
But looking back, I couldn’t imagine my journey unfolding any other way.
Sometimes the circumstances that appear to be taking everything away are also creating space for opportunities we never knew existed.
Six Years Ago, I Said Something That Still Resonates Today
Recently, I revisited an interview I recorded with Dr. Angela Lauria, founder of The Author Incubator, around the time of my book launch.
During our conversation, I reflected on the extraordinary changes I’d experienced:
“I never would’ve dictated any of the change I’ve had this past year in my own finite human understanding, but when the shift happens, when shift is happening in your life, just have to buckle up, trust it, let the universe rearrange…”
Watching that interview six years later was surreal.
I still believe in the message I shared.
If anything, I believe in it more passionately today.
Because while I thought I understood how extraordinary life’s unfolding could be back then, the years that followed have challenged and expanded that understanding in ways I never could have imagined.
And perhaps one of the most remarkable examples happened almost immediately after my book was published.
The Next Chapter Was Already Unfolding
Just one month after my book launched in October 2020, I was presented with an opportunity to interview for an insurance agency in Traverse City, Michigan.
I ultimately turned down the interview because the timing wasn’t right.
What I couldn’t have anticipated was that this very connection would lead me to an entirely different opportunity: the possibility of opening my own insurance agency in my hometown.
And when was that interview scheduled?
On my birthday in December.
You genuinely cannot make this stuff up.
For anyone who has read my book, you’ll understand just how significant this opportunity was.
My father was a successful insurance agent, and his life, his death, and the experiences that followed became the foundation of my first book.
In fact, Chapter 2 is titled Death of an Insurance Salesman.
I had written extensively about how losing him ultimately led me down a path I never could have anticipated.
And now, just weeks after sharing that story with the world, another unexpected opportunity was unfolding that would allow me to follow in his footsteps.
Not just any opportunity, either.
A multimillion-dollar business opportunity, right in my hometown.
In July 2021, I officially opened my own insurance agency.
The daughter who wrote a book about losing her father, an insurance salesman, had become an insurance agency owner herself.
I had already found peace with his passing long before this opportunity arose. I didn’t need to become an agent to fulfill his legacy or feel connected to him.
But being given the opportunity to honor his life’s work while building something of my own was incredibly meaningful.
And the timing of it all?
It’s something I still reflect on with gratitude.
When I spoke with Dr. Angela Lauria in 2020 about allowing the universe to rearrange our circumstances, I had no idea that I would soon be presented with such a personally significant opportunity.
Sometimes the path you decline becomes the connection that leads you somewhere you never could have imagined.
And sometimes the next chapter begins before you’ve even finished celebrating the last one.
The Synchronicities Haven’t Stopped
Anyone who has followed my writing over the years knows I’ve long been fascinated by consciousness and the mysterious interconnectedness of our experiences.
In Free Yourself from Grief, I shared moments that profoundly influenced my understanding of life and death.
From unexpected encounters to meaningful coincidences and experiences I interpreted as communication from my late father, I began questioning whether our conventional understanding of reality tells the entire story.
I explored the possibility that consciousness exists beyond the limitations of our physical bodies and that love connects us in ways we may not fully comprehend.
And here’s what’s so fascinating to me.
The synchronicities have only multiplied.
Over the past six years, I’ve experienced countless additional moments that have made me reflect on the interconnectedness of people, circumstances, and timing.
The experiences that once seemed almost unbelievable to me now feel like the beginning of something much larger.
The more I experience, the more I recognize patterns unfolding in ways I never could have anticipated.
Sometimes I find myself laughing at the circumstances because they seem so extraordinary.
Other times, I’m simply overwhelmed with gratitude.
And occasionally, I find myself right back where I started, questioning everything I thought I understood.
But one thing remains consistent: my desire to keep learning, expanding my awareness, and exploring the mysteries of this incredible existence.
Perhaps the greatest gift of awakening isn’t believing you have all the answers. It’s discovering just how much more there is to understand.
The Woman Who Wrote That Book
Something I find especially meaningful about revisiting Free Yourself from Grief is recognizing how much of myself I already understood when I wrote it.
I wasn’t writing about a transformation I hoped would happen someday.
I was documenting one I had already experienced.
I had found purpose in my pain, discovered a renewed sense of faith, and embraced an understanding of life that brought me tremendous peace.
Six years later, that foundation remains.
Of course, my life has changed considerably.
I’ve become a business owner, continued my personal and professional development, traveled internationally, formed new relationships, and experienced circumstances that have challenged me in entirely new ways.
Some chapters have been beautiful.
Others have been extraordinarily difficult.
But each has offered opportunities to examine my beliefs, grow in discernment, and better understand what freedom means to me.
And perhaps one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that trusting life’s unfolding doesn’t mean abandoning your own judgment, boundaries, or personal responsibility.
Sometimes trusting the journey means having the courage to change direction.
Sometimes it means saying no to something that looks wonderful on paper because something within you knows the timing isn’t right.
And sometimes, as I discovered just weeks after publishing my book, that decision can open a completely unexpected door.
From Grief to Freedom
When I wrote my first book, I wanted people who were grieving to understand that their lives could still be beautiful.
That experiencing profound loss didn’t mean they had lost their ability to experience joy, love, abundance, or purpose.
I wanted readers to consider the possibility that the love they shared with someone who had died could remain meaningful and present in their lives.
And I wanted to share the experiences that had helped me find peace.
Today, I still believe that finding meaning in our most difficult moments can transform how we experience the world.
But I’ve also come to appreciate that transformation isn’t a single destination.
Life continues unfolding.
We continue learning.
And sometimes the experiences we once considered the pinnacle of our understanding become the foundation for something entirely new.
It’s one of the reasons I’ve been working on my next book, The Lost Path to Freedom.
Because freedom, in all its forms, remains a subject that fascinates me.
From freeing ourselves from grief to freeing ourselves from limiting beliefs, expectations, and the circumstances that keep us from living authentically, I believe there is so much more to explore.
And after everything I’ve experienced since 2020, I have more to write about than ever.
A Sixth Anniversary Gift to My Readers 🎁
To celebrate six years since the launch of Free Yourself from Grief, I’m making the digital Kindle edition completely FREE on Amazon for October 15, 2026, only!
The promotion begins at midnight Pacific Time, which is 3:00 AM here in Michigan, and runs for 24 hours.
Whether you’ve followed my journey since the beginning or are discovering my writing for the first time, I hope this book offers you a new perspective on grief, love, and the extraordinary possibilities that remain ahead of you.
Thank you to everyone who has supported my work, shared my writing, purchased my book, or reached out over the years.
I’m deeply grateful.
And to the woman who sat down six years ago to share her story with the world?
You had no idea how much more there would be to write.
The story is still unfolding.
And I have a feeling the most extraordinary chapters are still ahead.
With love and gratitude,
Julie Tourangeau 🦋✨
Author of Free Yourself from Grief: The Secret to Moving on with Life after the Death of a Parent
