If you met Kelly O’Shea, as I did a few years back when I was editor of Worth magazine and she was handling public relations for private aviation clients, you would never know. Kelly was thoroughly professional, deeply knowledgeable, and utterly composed. She had a warm laugh and was quick to smile. You don’t see that a lot with people who have gone through hell. Usually, when people have hard stories that they carry like an unintentional flinch or a bittersweet smile, you can sense it—something’s a little off. Like gamblers, people have their tells. But not Kelly. She didn’t give away a thing. It wasn’t until some time later, when we had worked together and developed a friendship, that Kelly shared a few things with me—about her then recent experience of love and loss, marriage and alcoholism and parenthood. What she disclosed was intense and powerful, and she told her story well. So, when Kelly mentioned that she wanted to turn her experience—the things she’d done, the lessons she learned—into a book, I encouraged her. But here’s a truth: When you work with words for a living, people often tell you about books they’d like to write. Mostly, the ideas are bad. (I don’t mean to be mean, but…it’s true.) Even when they’re not, 95 times out of 100, people never get around to writing their book. Not everyone wants to dig into the dirt of their lives. They think they do—but once they start scratching the surface, they realize that it’s not just the writing that’s hard. The work is hard. Kelly’s experiences were raw and moving and instructive. What I couldn’t say was whether she would actually write them down. That uncertainty showed how much I still had to learn about Kelly O’Shea. When I first read the manuscript that Kelly sent me just months after our book conversation, I realized that I had underestimated both the power of Kelly’s stories and the depth of her determination. What Kelly had written went far beyond candid and revealing. Reading How to Fall in Shit… felt like lying on your stomach and peering over the edge of a towering cliff and feeling that you wanted to edge out as far as you could to see all that was happening below, yet gripping the earth like your life depended on it, because how could anyone survive such a fall? Somehow, though, Kelly did. She survived the kind of childhood that could end a kid’s life, whether emotionally or physically. She survived too many drugs and too much loveless sex. She survived betrayal and abandonment, the dashing of hopes, the bleakness of loss, and the desperate search for traction in a world where all the people who are supposed to be helping you aren’t. So, yeah—there is a lot of pain in How to Fall in Shit and Come Out Smelling Like a Rose. But—and here’s what I really love about this book—this is not a story defined by pain. Kelly’s story is about survival. It’s about resilience and strength and courage. It’s about building a life for yourself when, for real, the odds are against you. If that sounds like something you might be able to relate to—and to one degree or another, which of us can not?—I really think you should read this book.

Kelly's story is a brave testament to the resilience of the human spirit. She tells her story boldly, without apology, and you can feel her growth over time as she does the difficult work of processing her trauma. She empowers the reader to look inward and address the parts of themself that need attention and healing. Her words are like a love letter to her son, whom she worked so hard to become her best self for. Her perseverance and ability to overcome are inspiring and unforgettable.

Many of us recall the popular adage, "shit happens" and most can recognize that life may be full of challenging circumstances. However, Kelly O'Shea doesn't leave us in that messy quagmire. She offers a thoughtful and meaningful path to use the manure, sharing her own personal trials and triumphs, to cultivate a beautiful garden.

While there are so many nourishing quotes shared, the one I found most astute was "It's on the journey to find love that we find (and fall in love with) ourselves. That's the great love story. The rest is roses.

I’ve had the absolute gift of calling Kelly my friend for over seven years, and watching her transform through life’s highs and lows has been nothing short of incredible and inspiring. How to Fall in Shit and Come Out Smelling Like a Rose is Kelly in book form—real, raw, fearless, and full of heart. She lays it all out there—the struggles with addiction, the heartbreaks, the hard choices—with a level of honesty that’s rare and refreshing. There are pieces of her story that will hit home for so many of us, because Kelly isn’t just telling her truth—she’s shining a light on the strength it takes to rise from rock bottom and build something beautiful. Through all the chaos, she never lost that fire in her spirit. Choosing herself over the toxic people and patterns that once held her back wasn’t easy, but it was life-changing. And through it all, one thing has always been clear—everything she’s done has been with love and purpose for her son, Dylan. She’s not just building a new life for herself, she’s creating a legacy for him. This isn’t just a memoir—it’s a soul-stirring, introspective journey. It’s for anyone who’s ever been lost, broken, or ready for a fresh start. I couldn’t be prouder of her, and I know this book is going to touch so many hearts.