Like Maria, Julee defined herself by her career. When reading a passage in Maria's book about how lost she felt after leaving NBC News, Julee says she started to cry. "I also was in corporate America for 25 years and one day got a phone call that I no longer had my job," Julee says. "The next day, instead of being Corporate Julee, I all of a sudden was Austin's mom. I didn't even have a name of my own."

Julee says she was drifting. "I felt so lost. I felt like my self-worth had taken such a hit," she says. "I've been struggling with that for years, and your book brought it all together for me."

Now, Julee has established her own pledge. "I was so stuck in fear, and your book just has made me move on, get unstuck," she says.