Frock Off Book by Jo Dibblee is Fantastic!
“Not knowing or too scared to see what else was possible, I clung to our marriage for dear life until I realized I didn’t have to merely survive. I had a choice: either deal with my demons and frocks or live a half-life in disguise. One by one I gave up my frocks…the power of acceptance took hold of me, and I was on a mission to change my course.”
– Jo Dibblee, Frock Off; Living Undisguised
Have you ever read The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls?
If so, then I think you will LOVE this memoir by Jo Dibblee: Frock-Off; Living Undisguised. If you haven’t read The Glass Castle but enjoy reading a candid memoir that doesn’t hold back from telling the truth, then I highly recommend Frock-Off.
Here is a snapshot of the Frock-Off book:
With parents tormented by secrets, guilt and shame, Jo Dibblee quickly learns to protect herself. Faced with her parents’ alcoholism, drug abuse and depression, along with the sexual assault and stalking of a foster parent, early in life Jo began to use a coping strategy she now calls “frocking.”
With humour and hope, Jo shares the harrowing rollercoaster of her life story and gives the low-down on frocking – how she learned it and used it to survive, how she found it holding her back and what she had to do, once and for all: Frock OFF.
Despite harsh truths, brushes with death and agonizing betrayals, Jo’s heart shines through these pages, offering promise, wisdom and inspiration to any reader who has learned to hide and longs to be free.
Why the book resonated with me
Quite frankly, it is a miracle Jo physically survived her unbelievable childhood – let alone learned to thrive in the way she has. But she certainly has…and continues to be an inspiration to many – both because of who she is AND what she does.
I first crossed paths with Jo Dibblee in 2008, when I was speaking at a women’s networking event in Alberta. Then we went our separate ways. Eight years later, our paths crossed again at a different event in British Columbia – and I was astounded to hear about Jo’s story. So I immediately ordered her book.
Despite of all that she has been through – or perhaps because of all that she has been through – Jo is unstoppable in her commitment to empowering women to reach their highest potential. I am very honoured to know her AND to have spoken at two of her Frock-Off events.
To “frock-off” means to shed whatever it is that is holding us back in life. Our “frocks” can be the lies we tell ourselves – or they can be the truths from our past that are no longer serving us. Our frocks can be our stories, our excuses, our embarrassments, our habits, our coping mechanisms, our fears, our circumstances, our limiting beliefs.
You name it, there is a probably a frock or two in most of our closests that should probably be given the heave-ho 🙂
Maryanne Pope is the author of A Widow’s Awakening, the playwright of Saviour and the screenwriter of God’s Country. Maryanne is the CEO of Pink Gazelle Productions and Chair of the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund. If you would like to receive her regular weekly blog, please sign up here.