The Woman Who Did Everything: Dierdre’s Life as a Case Study in Reinvention

What if your age, background, or past choices didn’t define your limits—but your willingness to begin did? Most people spend their lives waiting for the right moment. The right time to start over. To chase the dream. To take the risk. But for Dierdre Wolownick, that perfect moment never came. She didn’t wait for it—she created it. Over and over again. This isn’t just a book about climbing mountains. It’s about climbing back into life. Dierdre’s Success in 7 Steps is a guide that’s rooted not in theory or recycled internet advice, but in her own extraordinary journey of reinvention. From being a foreign language teacher for over four decades, to becoming a publisher, an artist, a musician, a public speaker, and yes—even a rock climber at sixty—with each turn in her life, she rewrote what was possible. And what makes her story stand out isn’t the sheer number of hats she’s worn. It’s that she built each new version of herself using a method that anyone can follow.

The story doesn’t begin on a cliffside with ropes and granite walls. It begins with a choice to say yes when life nudged her toward something unfamiliar. She learned how to do everything she’s done—one step at a time. Not because she had all the tools or training. But because she believed in figuring it out as she went. That belief is now the foundation of this book. It’s not just about motivation. It’s a road map for anyone ready to turn a dream into something real. What makes Dierdre’s life so fascinating is not just the breadth of what she’s done, but when she did it. In her sixties, while most people were looking at slowing down, she was learning how to scale El Capitan in Yosemite—a 3,200-foot vertical rock wall that tests even the most experienced climbers. Her decision to climb didn’t come from a desire to prove something to the world. It came from a mother’s curiosity—to understand what her son, Alex Honnold (of Free Solo fame), loved so much about climbing. But in doing so, she discovered a new part of herself—one that hadn’t been invited out before.

This is a theme that runs throughout the book. The idea that we don’t always need to know what we’re doing before we begin. We just need to begin. Dierdre never set out to be a symphony conductor either. But when she saw a cultural void in her local community, she created the West Sacramento Community Orchestra. She didn’t have a music degree in conducting. But she had passion, experience as a musician, and a desire to learn. That was enough to get her started. The rest came through persistence and structure. What she emphasizes again and again in the book is that reinvention isn’t a one-time event. It’s a series of small choices, backed by organization. It’s about using what you already know, gathering what you need, and then taking action in a smart, intentional way. Her method is built around this idea: every goal, no matter how big, can be broken down into baby steps—steps that fall into three categories: what you need to know, what you need to have, and what you need to do. That order matters. It prevents frustration, saves time, and builds momentum.

Reinvention, in Dierdre’s world, isn’t reserved for the privileged few. It’s available to anyone who’s willing to start where they are. Whether it was teaching herself how to publish books, learning to paint, or creating a business from scratch—she didn’t wait for someone else to open a door. She found the tools, figured out the system, and built her own doorway. One of the most touching and powerful moments in the book is when she writes about her mother, who spent years dreaming of writing a book—but never started. That dream died with her. It’s a story that stays with you, not because it’s rare, but because it’s all too common. So many people carry incredible dreams inside them, waiting for the right time, the right energy, or the right push. But dreams without action stay dreams. They never take shape. And Dierdre’s message is clear: don’t let your dream be one of them.

Reinvention is also about saying “yes” when the universe presents something sudden. Dierdre calls them “cosmic circles”—those surprise moments when something crosses your path that could change your direction. Whether it was a podcast invitation, a writing opportunity, or a climbing challenge, she said yes. Not because she knew exactly how things would go, but because she trusted herself to figure it out. That’s what reinvention really looks like. It’s not about being fearless. It’s about being willing. She didn’t just reinvent herself once or twice. She did it throughout her life. And that’s what makes this book so impactful. It’s a lived example that reinvention doesn’t expire. You’re not too old. You’re not too late. You’re not too far behind. You just need a method that works and the courage to begin.

Dierdre Wolownick is not a superhero. She’s someone who simply refused to stop growing. She used structure, discipline, curiosity, and a whole lot of stubbornness to turn her life into something that reflects who she truly is. And that’s the message she wants you to hear: you can do the same.