{"title":"Alessandra Olanow","description":"Alessandra Olanow is a writer and illustrator beloved on Instagram as @aolanow. Her work explores life's unexpected turns with honesty and grace, drawing from her own experiences with loss, reinvention, and the courage to begin again. She has also worked as an end-of-life doula, an experience that deepened her understanding of life's cycles of transformation and renewal. Her books include I Used to Have a Plan, Hello Grief, and--coming in March 2026--Begin Again, And Again, And Again. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her daughter, Coco.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​","products":[{"product_id":"begin-again-and-again-and-again-notes-on-the-art-of-perpetual-renewal-hardcover","title":"Begin Again, and Again, and Again: Notes on the Art of Perpetual Renewal - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA luminous illustrated meditation on learning to live with life's cycles--for anyone in the middle of breaking open and rebuilding.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Artist and author Alessandra Olanow knows that life never unfolds as you think it will. She found herself awake at 3 a.m. with questions that wouldn't settle: \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eIs this all there is? What do I do when everything comes undone? How do I stay open when I want to close down? \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Begin Again, and Again, and Again started as notes to herself--a practice of thinking through images and words to map the territory of uncertainty. What emerged is a book about the fundamental rhythm of being human: the constant cycle of questioning, doubt, finding ground, opening, and renewal. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Through watercolor illustrations woven with personal narrative and philosophical reflection, Alessandra offers companionship rather than answers. The book moves through five movements--Question, Doubt, Ground, Open, Renewal--each holding its own texture. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Here's permission to stop waiting for the final version of yourself--to trust that transformation isn't about arriving but about learning to live with constant change. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e It's never too late to begin again.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51317733949663,"sku":"9781523531714","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/LDUOhDSbEj9781523531714.webp?v=1788348400"},{"product_id":"i-used-to-have-a-plan-but-life-had-other-ideas-hardcover","title":"I Used to Have a Plan: But Life Had Other Ideas - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBalm for the soul--Alessandra Olanow offers advice, inspiration, and encouragement for anyone who needs a shoulder to lean on during a difficult time.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I Know This Too Shall Pass. (But It Would Be Helpful to Know When).\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter a series of events left her a divorced single mother questioning herself, her relationships, and basically, everything she thought was true about her \"picture-perfect\" life, Alessandra Olanow began drawing and posting illustrations on Instagram that reflected her feelings and struggles to right her life. She chronicled her journey of healing, expressing the shock, delusion, denial, self-pity, and self-doubt she experienced and the self-empathy and forgiveness that ultimately helped her regain a sense of self--but stronger, more fearless, and more hopeful than before. Her charming illustrations and keen, memorable observations--struck a chord. Within a year, her audience grew dramatically, from 9,500 to 157,000 followers, including celebrities Katie Couric, Jennifer Garner, Elise Loehnen (chief content officer at Goop), the poet Joao Doederlein, and Joanna Goddard (founder of A Cup of Jo). \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eI Used to Have a Plan\u003c\/em\u003e brings Olanow's soothing sensibility to a wider audience, featuring new drawings and ideas that touch upon the universal experiences of unexpected change and loss. Divided into five parts--\"I Didn't See That Coming,\" \"It's OK That You're Not OK,\" \"Where'd I Go,\" \"The Only Way Out Is Through,\" and \"I Like It Here, Can I Stay a While?\"--the book beautifully encapsulates the experience of encountering difficulty, processing it and healing from it, and becoming stronger and with a better sense of self. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFull of advice, commiseration, empathy, and wit that is comforting, helpful, direct, and remarkable in its truth, \u003cem\u003eI Used to Have a Plan \u003c\/em\u003ehelps everyone through the painful yet ultimately uplifting process of healing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eI Used to Have a Plan\u003c\/em\u003e includes 75-100 illustrations.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51317818556639,"sku":"9780062973627","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/uL55UbteBv9780062973627.webp?v=1788348563"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/alessandra-olanow.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}