The joy that can come from following your heart

Columnist Tracy Beckerman writes about her life as a mom and wife with self-deprecating humor. Before she turned her wit loose upon herself, she was a TV producer and writer. The career switch has worked out well for Beckerman. Her self-syndicated column, "Lost in Suburbia," which started in her local paper, is now read by millions and was compiled into her first book, “Rebel Without a Minivan.”

But more important than all of that--she's happy. Beckerman is an example worth noting for anyone who is wondering how to start again in this economy, anyone who is looking to follow their heart and start fresh.

GM: Your initial career was in television. How did you wind up being a columnist?

TB: After my son was born, I decided to leave the TV biz and become a stay-at-home mom. It seemed like a much better use of my college degree in television production than actually working in the television industry. Needless to say, I really loved the time I spent with the kids, but after five years I started to feel that I needed to supplement my brain with something more challenging than learning Elmo songs and making PB & J sandwiches.

GM: How did you come up with the concept for "Lost in Suburbia?"

TB: One day something funny happened to my son in his kindergarten class and I sat down and wrote about it. A humor column was born. On a whim, I sent it to our local paper and they ran it. Then something else funny happened with the kids and I wrote about it. The paper ran that one too. I soon realized that my life in suburbia was a veritable buffet of funny material.

GM: What happened in your son's class?

TB: It was more sweet than funny. It was Valentine's Day and I was worried that he wouldn't get any valentines from the kids in his class and he would be traumatized and withdraw from society and live out his years a bitter, lonely man all because he didn't receive a Spider-Man card stamped with "you're nice" on it. He ended up with 18 Spider-Man cards and I felt stupid for obsessing about the love life of a 5-year-old.

GM: Is there someone you are modeling your career after?

TB: I don't have a modeling career. I'm a writer.

GM: Are you sure? Most writers don't have their picture in the paper. Minimally, you'd have to admit that being a columnist is somewhat glamorous...Isn't it?

TB: Certainly, it's fun to be recognized. But it takes a little effort on my part. Even though my picture is next to my column, they don't usually recognize me. So then I say, "I'm Tracy Beckerman." They shake their heads. "Tracy Beckerman who writes the 'Lost in Suburbia' column in the newspaper." Still Nothing. "You know, that column in your local paper that you get every week and sometimes read?" "Ohhhh right," they say. "That's you?"

GM: What is it that you're striving for? Ideally, what do you hope your readers take away from the column?

TB: I think what makes my column work is that my topics are things everyone who has a family can relate to: Being the only one in the house who seems to know how to change a roll of toilet paper; dealing with your children's Halloween costume meltdowns; trying to figure out how to lose the "baby weight" you put on in pregnancy before your kids go off to college...These are things we all contend with; things that drive us crazy. If I can find the humor in it, and by doing so, I can help someone else laugh at what they're going through too, than my column is a success.