What does it take to change established childbirth practices, hospital procedures, infant nutrition standards, and cultural norms that work against the best interests of mothers and their babies? It takes a woman who is passionate about all of those things, and who unknowingly took the rst steps of a journey that would ultimately lead to the founding of La Leche League International and a life devoted to speaking up and speaking out for mothers and babies around the world. That woman is Marian Tompson, whose passion for insisting on the childbirth and breastfeeding options that nurtured and nourished the breastfeeding couple became her life’s work. Part biography, part memoir, Passionate Journey - My Unexpected Life, tells the story of a shy 1950s stay-at-home mother who became a childbirth and breastfeeding advocate whose in uence reached around the globe. Marian Tompson, mother, grandmother and great grandmother is best known as one of the founders of La Leche League International as well as an internationally renowned author, speaker and tireless advocate for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. In 2001 she founded a second organization, AnotherLook, the only organization of its kind designed to foster research and discussion about HIV and AIDS as they relate to breastfeeding. She has been an inspiring and motivating speaker in more than 30 countries, touching the lives of mothers and babies throughout the world.