The life changing moment when Lisas 21-year-old sister Zoie, and Zoies 26-year-old partner James, died in a shocking car accident, is now memorialised by a beautiful oak tree. But Lisa then lost her 31-year-old husband Andrew to suicide, and her 32-year-old younger brother Justin to brain cancer. Faced with compounded grief from the untimely death of loved ones as well as a myriad of other losses, Lisa embarked on a journey of self-healing and renewal. Just Because acts as a measure of wisdom about the often unspoken but universal topics of loss and grief, depression, suicide, miscarriage, Alzheimers Disease and the loss of a loved one to COVID-19. These candid pages offer comfort, warmth, honesty, hope and humour, as well as strategies for healing in the belief that loss and grief change your life, but they do not define you. Just Because is a self-help memoir infused with unwavering accounts of how all sense of meaning in life may be lost, but we can manage our loss and grief to reshape and renew our own lives.
Lisa is a senior commercial litigator specialising in class actions and corporate insolvency. She holds a Masters of Law from the University of Cambridge, undergraduate degrees in law and commerce from Victoria University, New Zealand, and was a finalist for the NSW Women Lawyers’ Association ‘Woman Lawyer of the Year’. Lisa is a member of the Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement, the National Association for Loss and Grief, a student member of the Australian Counselling Association, and has contributed to Diversity Council Australia podcasts about grief support in the workplace. Lisa is on the executive committee of the Northern Beaches Community Cancer Charity and, through her marathon running, has raised funds for many charities. Born in New Zealand, Lisa now lives on the Northern Beaches of Sydney with her husband, three children and Jack the Cat. She loves singing to iconic anthems whilst driving (anywhere), is an enthusiastic foodie and wine taster, and enjoys paddle boarding, swimming, and spending time with her family.
* A memoir that explores a topic not often discussed or written about, but experienced by all – grief. * After three unexpected and premature deaths in her family (sister, husband, and brother), Lisa is forced to examine the relationship between love, loss and how to pick yourself up and keep going with the everyday things – let alone approach the point of ‘renewal’. * Lisa Gallate is a member of the Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement. She is available for interviews, in-store signings, writers festivals and speaking engagements. Publicity: * Launch in Sydney, 2 March 2023.
