Alchemy of a Woman
An international journey of guilt, growth, and transformation
Synopsis
Argentina gave her passion. Thailand, chaos. Ethiopia, reckoning. France and Italy, release. From her Mormon upbringing in Utah to humanitarian work in some of the world’s harshest corners, her path tested everything she believed about love, humanity, and purpose. She nearly died from parasites, but what truly consumed her was guilt, the kind born from privilege, faith, and the impossible urge to fix what can’t be fixed.
Alchemy of a Woman is a memoir—raw, darkly funny, and fiercely self-aware—about transformation through fire, faith, and freedom. Spanning a decade of her life, Amanda sheds the layers of religion, expectation, and romantic illusion as she learns that compassion isn’t self-sacrifice; it’s love that has burned through guilt and come out gold.
About the Author
Amanda Westfall is a writer, author, and communications expert whose work delves into the emotional terrain of love, motherhood, and the search for belonging. Through her Substack column, Essays from a Global Mama, she explores the intersections of intimacy, identity, and inequality in a globalized world.
Based in Buenos Aires, Amanda lives with her husband and their two-year-old daughter, balancing creative writing with her work in global communications. Her next book, Becoming Mercurius, is a mystical novel set in a near-future world where humanity awakens new dimensions of intelligence and awareness to restore the planet and rediscover the unseen threads that connect us.
For more than fifteen years, Amanda has shaped stories and communications strategies for the humanitarian and development sector, crafting narratives that span from refugee camps in Ethiopia to classrooms in Ukraine to campaigns for women’s rights across Latin America.
Why I wrote Alchemy of a Woman
Everyone has a story to tell, the moments that shape us, the failures, triumphs, heartbreaks, and the paths to self-acceptance. Yet we only hear from those willing to share their journey, those who have mastered the art of storytelling to captivate and inspire.
I am a storyteller. My professional life in communications revolves around crafting articles, reports, and proposals. I take complex ideas and organize them into narratives that are accessible and engaging, whether building campaigns, drafting documents, or translating intricate concepts for institutions and organizations.
It was time to write for myself.
Alchemy of a Woman is a personal project I’ve dedicated the past few years to. It’s a memoir that captures a decade of my life’s adventures, organized into a full-length narrative nonfiction. Initially, I thought it would be a rom-com, a lighthearted tale about a time when I loved three men at once. But as I poured my heart onto the pages, I realized this story went deeper. It’s about confronting female guilt, Mormon guilt, Jesus guilt, white-saviorism–humanitarian-aid-type guilt. It’s an international journey of learning to listen to my own gut, freeing it from guilt (and parasites) to finally hear it clearly.
Chapter breakdown
Connect with Amanda
Interested in hosting a reading, book club discussion, or talk? I'd love to connect.
