Parenting Unpacked is an upcoming nonfiction book about identity and parenting, and what happens when the version of you that used to handle things no longer quite works.
Be the first to receive early excerpts, behind-the-scenes reflections, and launch updates.
Be the first to receive early excerpts, behind-the-scenes reflections, and launch updates.
You were competent yesterday. You didn’t have to think about most things. You just moved through the day and it worked.
Then something changed the room.
For some parents it’s a move to a new country. For others it’s a newborn, a diagnosis, a career that disappears, a teenager who has gone somewhere you can’t follow. The trigger is different. The experience underneath it isn’t.
You’re still expected to lead. Decisions slow down. Small tasks carry weight they never held before. And everything you absorbed about what good parenting looks like gets louder precisely when it no longer applies.
Parenting Unpacked follows that experience through the stories of families across six countries. It has four phases: Leave, Adapt, Anchor, Thrive. Most people live through this without knowing it has a shape.
This is not a book about how to fix it. It’s the company you needed when you were standing in the baby aisle, hand on the cart, not sure what the rules were anymore.
I wrote this for the parents who are still functional, still showing up, still making dinner, and quietly wondering who they are becoming in the process.
It is not a relocation guide. It does not tell you what to pack or which schools to research. It follows what happens to identity, yours, your partner’s, your child’s, when the life that once made you competent changes faster than you can adapt.
If you have ever stood somewhere unfamiliar, responsible for someone else, and thought: I don’t know the rules here anymore, this book is for you.
Jessica Gabrielzyk
Author
Writer, Researcher, Mother — Building Belonging Across Continents
Global Journey
Jessica Gabrielzyk is a Brazilian writer living in Switzerland. She has spent the last decade moving between continents with her husband and daughter, accumulating passports, waiting lists, and enough material for several books.
Her first book, Maternity Abroad, explored what it means to become a mother far from the system you trusted. It has reached readers in more than fifteen countries. Parenting Unpacked is her second.
She is a member of SIETAR, the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research, and a member of the International Academy of Brazilian Literature. She writes at the intersection of parenting, identity, and the particular bewilderment of belonging somewhere you chose but didn’t grow up in.
Parenting Unpacked is her love letter to every parent who's ever wondered if they made the right move—and discovered that belonging isn't found. It's built.
Voices from parents around the world who've connected with the book
"I really enjoy this—I think it will really connect with parents at any stage of their move abroad. It definitely will make the reader feel less alone, more supported."
Bree
USA
"There's no doubt that parenting is one of the most difficult—and at the same time most rewarding—jobs one can have, and adding the extra challenge of living abroad might feel lonely or even scarier sometimes. That's why books like yours are so important. They provide a sense of community and partnership among readers, and we're sure it will make the lives of many parents easier."
Ana & Josie
USA
"Congratulations! Necessary content, especially when delivered with heart."
Valéria Macedo
Writer
Ready to be part of this journey?
Join the WaitlistEverything you need to know about Parenting Unpacked
Parenting Unpacked is an upcoming nonfiction book about identity and parenting, and what happens when the version of you that used to handle things no longer quite works.
It explores identity loss, life transitions, and the questions parents face when everything changes.
This book is for parents navigating change—whether that change is a move to a new country, a newborn, a diagnosis, a family shift, or any life transition that makes parenting feel unfamiliar.
Rather than offering parenting hacks or relocation checklists, Parenting Unpacked follows what happens to identity when the life that once made you competent changes faster than you can adapt.
No. While it includes stories of families across countries and cultures, the book speaks more broadly to parents facing identity shifts, loss of familiarity, and major life transitions.
The book is currently in development. Join our waitlist to be the first to hear about the release date, early excerpts, and behind-the-scenes updates.
Format details will be announced closer to publication. Waitlist subscribers will be the first to receive updates on formats, availability, and pre-order information.
Yes. When you join the waitlist, you become part of a growing community of parents navigating change, identity, and family life. Subscribers will receive invitations to live Q&As, community conversations, and other ways to connect.
No spam. Just stories, truth, and connection.
A simple edition note for readers, booksellers, and anyone who likes to know exactly what kind of book they’re holding.
Title
Parenting Unpacked: Parenting Through the Loss of Self
Author
Jessica Gabrielzyk
Publisher
Keep It Simple Publishing
Page Count
To be announced
Language
English
Interior
Black & white on 50 lb white paper
Cover Finish
Gloss laminate
ISBN
To be announced
Availability
Exclusive to Amazon
Target Audience
Parents raising children abroad or between cultures, including immigrant, expat, and internationally mobile families. Also relevant for any parent navigating a major life disruption, such as a new baby, career loss, divorce, or diagnosis, who has felt their sense of competence shift without warning.