Joan Taylor Cehn has worked in the health care field for many years as a speech pathologist and administrator. After her daughter's departure for college, she became involved in the organization of Ms. Renalds' parent support group. After a brief retirement, she has returned to her career with renewed interest and perspective. Her daughter has graduated from a private Midwestern university.  She and her husband live in Northern California.

Risa Nye writes essays and articles for Bay Area and national publications. She is  is a contributor to the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series, as well as the recently published anthology Something that Matters: Life, Love, and Unexpected Adventures in the Middle of the Journey. She has an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Saint Mary's College of California. She and her husband live in Oakland, California.

Julie Renalds has a daughter who graduated from a private university on the East Coast, and also has two stepsons, Ben and Jake. By day Julie is in business development for a software company in the San Francisco Bay Area. She enjoys running in the Oakland hills, reading, and spending time with her seven siblings, various nieces and nephews, and her mother, who is her "inspiration for all things mothering." She has formed a large network of other parents throughout the country who are experiencing the huge transition of downsizing (in terms of family members under one roof) and tremendously enjoys helping them over the bumpy parts.