Ashley Anna Parks - Taking Flight: One Transgender Woman's...

Full title: "Taking Flight: One Transgender Woman's Journey" by Ashley Anna Parks.

At the age of 65, when most people are thinking about retirement, Ashley Anna Parks was taking flight, literally and metaphorically. Her book, Taking Flight: One Transgender Woman’s Journey, is a deeply personal and profoundly moving memoir that offers readers a panoramic view of her life through the lens of love, work, relationships, and transformation.

Written with a blend of honesty, warmth, and wit, Ashley’s story is both an individual coming-of-age and a universal call for understanding. What sets Taking Flight apart is not just the remarkable timing of Ashley’s transition, it’s the way she frames it. Ashley doesn’t describe herself as having been born in the wrong body. Instead, she identifies as a “Blended Spirit,” someone whose journey was less about correcting a mistake and more about embracing her authentic self. That perspective colors every chapter of the book, offering a refreshing take on gender identity that avoids clichés while delivering deep emotional resonance.

Her transition later in life is just one thread in a rich tapestry. Ashley also shares her experience working with the LGBTQIA+ Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she served for two years as an assistant facilitator for transition support groups. Her voice, both in person and in print, serves as a source of wisdom and comfort for those navigating the often confusing and lonely process of coming out and coming into oneself.

This is not a book solely for transgender readers, far from it. Taking Flight speaks to anyone seeking to better understand what it means to live with authenticity in a world that often demands conformity. Whether you’re a friend or family member, a healthcare provider or employer, or simply a curious reader looking to broaden your worldview, Ashley’s heartfelt storytelling invites you to walk a mile in her (fabulous) shoes. Her anecdotes are colorful, her insights sometimes painfully raw, and her message, of respect, inclusion, kindness, and connection, is more vital than ever.

For those who want to hear Ashley speak in her own voice, I had the honor of interviewing her for my blog, Heroines of My Life. You can read our full conversation here, where she reflects on her writing process, her dreams, and what it’s like to become the woman she was always meant to be, just a little later than most. In the end, Taking Flight is not just a memoir. It’s a manifesto for anyone who's ever felt like their true self was waiting just beyond the clouds. Ashley Anna Parks shows us it’s never too late to soar.

Available via Amazon

Other publications about Ashley Anna Parks:

Interview with Ashley Anna Parks
Ashley Anna Parks is an American transgender woman who transitioned at 65 and then embarked on a whole new career as an author. Through her company, Butterfly Discoveries, she has...