About Laurie Pawlik- Kienlen

Welcome! I’m the creator of Uprooted 🌱 She Blossoms, the author of Growing Forward When You Can’t Go Back, and the writer of a gazillion articles, blog posts and ebooks. I’ve been a freelance writer and blogger since 2008.

Vancouver BC is my home base, but my favourite place to live and write is on the road in Ruby, my Pleasure-Way Tofino camper van. I travel with my bike in the summer, my toque in the winter, and my notebook in all seasons.

Odds ‘n Ends

My undergraduate degrees are in Education and Psychology from the University of Alberta, in Edmonton. My Master of Social Work (MSW) is from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver.

I lived in Kenya, Africa for three years. I taught Grade 8 Language Arts and High School Journalism at Rosslyn Academy, an American school for ex-pat students in Nairobi.

My mother is Christian, born and raised in Canada. My father is Jewish, born and raised in Israel. I met him for the first time in Jerusalem when I was 29.

I started volunteering with the Big Sisters/Big Brothers organization in 2012; my “Little” Sister was 11 when we were matched. I myself was a Little Sister in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan when I was 10.

I didn’t get married until I was 35. Bruce and I met for the first time when I was an 18 year old waitress and he was a 21 year old bartender at Chi Chi’s Mexican Restaurant in Edmonton. We were friends for a 17 years before we married.

We struggled with infertility and can’t have children because of azoospermia (male infertility). We chose not to get in vitro fertilization (IVF), though we did try intrauterine insemination (IUI). The fertility treatments failed; we decided not to adopt or foster kids.

I started my original “Quips and Tips” blogs in 2008 under The Adventurous Writer, which means I have a gazillion blog posts from a million years ago. They represented who I was then, not necessarily who I am today.

I’ve written several “She Blossoms” books and ebooks, and have been earning a full-time living as a blogger and writer since 2008. My first and most popular ebook is Letting Go of Someone You Love.

I bought a 2021 Pleasure-Way Tofino camper van for my 50th birthday. Now all I want to do is wander the world, witness and write. And make videos…

I made it before my first cross-Canada road trip – I thought a pixie cut would be easy to maintain on the road. It was my first time using clippers, and it turned out a lot different than I envisioned.

My “She Blossoms” Blogs

I created over a dozen blogs when I started my “Quips and Tips” in 2008. I dubbed myself The Adventurous Writer.

Here are the websites that lasted – they’re untended, wild and overgrown, but they still carry my fingerprints and heartbeat. They’re also a great source of income!

• How Love Blossoms (marriage, relationships, and healing from breakups, divorce, and other losses in love); and
• Blossom Tips (life, work, family, career, and spirituality).

And my really really old blogs:

• She Blossoms – my original love and relationship articles.
• Life Blossoms – my early articles about goals, life, family, and work.
• Writing Blossoms – the first blog I started in 2008! Writing, blogging, getting published.
• Health Blossoms – mostly articles about trying to get pregnant and dealing with childlessness.

My “Official” Bio

Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen, MSW, is the author of Growing Forward When You Can’t Go Back (Bethany House, 2019). She has over 25 years of teaching, social work and writing experience, and has contributed to publications such as Reader’s Digest, Chatelaine, Spirituality & Health, Writer’s Digest and More. She created the “She Blossoms” family of blogs and ebooks (including her bestselling ebook called How to Let Go of Someone You Love), and has recently finished her first novel (Almost Sage).

Voila! Now you know everything you need to know about me. Feel free to comment below; I’ll try to respond but I’m often on the road and have a hard time keeping up with the online world.

Stay amazed,

Laurie

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