From Skippy to Goose - The Dog I Didn’t Want, The Love I Didn’t Know I needed.
Gina’s lifelong fear of dogs—courtesy of a Doberman named Skippy—follows her into adulthood, until a battered rescue pup named Goose enters her life. This story follows a reluctant transformation from ‘not a dog person’ to the fiercely bonded pack leader of a one-eyed emotional support dog. It’s a love story—about fear, healing, and second chances on four legs.
The Soap Saga of ‘75
It’s 1975 in Brooklyn, and Christmas at Gina’s house comes with mismatched coats, a neighborhood line of credit, and the annual Soap Distribution Ceremony—where Avon soaps wrapped in love (and financial panic) get delivered to every shopkeeper who kept their tab open. With two hilarious brothers in tow, Gina narrates a walk through working-class gratitude, sharp sibling jabs, and one perfectly timed hug that changed her view on gifts forever. This story is a funny, tender reminder that generosity isn’t about the price tag—it’s about the courage to say thank you when you’ve had to ask for help.
The Pool Mutiny of ’78
It all begins with an idea.
On a sweltering summer night during a softball tournament, 13-year-old Gina leads a pack of determined girls in a robe-clad standoff with a hotel manager who dared to close the pool early. With cleats, cramps, and courtroom instincts kicking in, she argues their way to justice. It’s a story of early leadership, negotiation, and Bobbi Ann in a uniform refusing to swim while menstruating—because even revolutions need boundaries.
Fell Off a Truck: A Masterclass in Business Ethics
It all begins with an idea.
Every great education starts somewhere—and Gina’s started in the passenger seat of her mom’s Rambler headed to a secret backroom on 18th Avenue. From whispered passcodes to boxes of Jordache jeans, this chapter is a masterclass in reading people, spotting lies, and learning the rules that never made it into the business school syllabus. It’s grit, survival, and maternal wisdom—Brooklyn-style.
A legal journey: The power of being wrong
It all begins with an idea.
What begins with a flip-flop-clad lunch break and a surprise call from the Newsoms becomes one of the most defining moments of Gina’s legal career. This chapter follows her transformation from a scrappy solo practitioner into a trusted advisor for some of California’s most powerful political figures. At the heart of it is a rare and radical move: admitting she was wrong—in writing. That single act of integrity opened doors she didn’t know existed. More than a lesson in law, this is a story about grit, truth-telling, and how showing up—UTI, sundress, and all—can change the entire trajectory of your life.
The Patent, the Parvo, and the Synthetic Ponytail
It all begins with an idea.
While juggling law school teaching and a full legal caseload, Gina takes on a Fortune 500 company to defend a humble employee's patent over recycled asphalt. Just as the case turns in her favor, she’s struck down by an unexpected illness—Parvo, yes, like the dog virus. What follows is a hilarious and humbling spiral into fever, joint pain, hair loss, and resilience, as she learns what it really means to show up—wig, lipstick, and all.