The Heddermans, a family of six, used to live a typical American lifestyle. For years, they worked and played in Eire, Pennsylvania, taking week long annual vacations and spending their days in what Domini Hedderman describes as a “mindless family rut.” Life as they knew it continued, monotonously, until Domini and her husband Kevin both lost parents to cancer. The tragedy was the start of a life-changing sequence of events. “It was,” Domini writes, “as though someone picked our life up and shook it; everything we counted on before, like material possessions, busy schedules, and ego-based activities, became meaningless and inconsequential when viewed through our new lenses of tragic loss.”

Taking a leap of faith, they let go of the routines they’d had for years and slowly adapted to a new on-the-road lifestyle, beginning with a short trip to Costa Rica and then easing into a six month trip to Belize. They did not find it easy, to begin with. Like everyone who sets out upon something new, the Heddermans found themselves confronted with the usual fears. Was traveling safe? What about their business back home? How would they as a family cope with being away for so long? “All of these concerns faded once we were in Belize,” Domini says. “We found that fear is useless and only holds us back. We now use the analogy of fear as a cliff. Most people see the cliff, sense danger, and turn back. But if you take the risk and just commit to going over and trusting yourself, you jump and realize you don’t fall… you learn to fly.” 

The trip to Belize changed the Heddermans’s lives; so much so that Domini decided to write a book about the experience. Exit Normal covers Domini's own adventures with her family, and encourages others to change their own lives, challenge their lifestyles, and live their dreams. The Heddermans are now preparing to start a new journey, this time across America.