Queer Voices. Bold Stories.

A Life Made From Scratch is a brutally honest, frequently funny memoir about Marie Newman’s rise to “controversial” congresswoman, mother of a transgender daughter, antibullying activist, and CEO. Marie shares the stories of her hard-fought business and political wins and losses, while managing her family’s transitions and mental health struggles. At its heart, this is the story of a woman who has moved mountains and built movements. 

Her invaluable lessons illustrate how movements, life solutions, careers, and families are built from a person’s motivation to solve a problem.

Completely unvarnished, she shares the inside story of congressional life, her unsuccessful bid for reelection, ever-present misogyny throughout her career, and the devastating sequence of events that would crush her political career and, paradoxically, be the fire that would finally free her.

JD Miller, PhD, is a seasoned executive leader specializing in sales transformations for PE-backed and pre-IPO firms. With decades of experience in multinational tech companies, he excels in building high-performing teams and implementing growth strategies. As an Operating Advisor for Five Arrows Capital Partners, JD leverages his expertise at the intersection of business, technology, and humanity to strengthen the companies he works with. 

A prolific author and conference speaker, he serves on multiple boards and actively supports philanthropic causes. JD's work in empowering underserved communities earned him recognition as one of Chicago's Most Inspiring individuals and as one of the city’s Notable LGBTQ Executives.

As a seasoned keynote speaker and nonprofit executive with over two decades of experience, Nancy brings compelling storytelling, subject-matter expertise, and deep audience connection to every stage they step onto. Nancy's work lives at the intersection of trauma-informed care, brain health, and LGBTQ+ youth advocacy—areas where they not only have lived experience but also lead with clinical insight and organizational leadership.

Urban Tidepool explores the background of a social services professional through the lens of reclamation and forgiveness. Interjected with dark humor, the majority of this gritty manuscript chronicles the time frame between the deaths of my parents. Supplemented with stories of young people with whom I’ve worked, Urban Tidepool leads readers through moments of desperation, paralyzing fear, and high-risk behavior to acceptance and then to connection, healing, and creation.