Gisela Bengfort-Piatti frequently tells stories to their kids and grandkids about animals, empathy, making decisions, and unlimited possibilities. Camryn, one of her grandkids, inspired her to write down some of these family stories and true events from her past to the present.

 

Her children’s book series covers topics of trust, friendship, fortitude, overcoming challenges, resilience, and love. The stories show that it takes courage to live life fully, that we can’t always win but to not try guarantees a loss, that every failure makes us grow bigger, and that nothing is static for long.

 

Gisela loves the outdoors and all animals. You can find her on many Bay Area trails, sharing her laughter with family and friends.

 

She was born in Switzerland, where she met the love of her life, Joe Bengfort, in 1997. Six months later, they got married in the USA, and she moved with her two kids, Patrick and Selina, from Switzerland to the USA. They became a patchwork family as Joe also had two kids, Lindsey and Joseph.

 

Prior to writing children’s books full-time and raising a family, she was a successful businesswoman. She served as the executive director of San Jose State University for the College Alumni of Business. She also created her own salad-dressing, Gigi’s Gourmet Salad Dressing, developed in a food laboratory and distributed to Texas retailers.

 

In Switzerland, she was a sales representative for Christian Dior, worked for Accenture (Anderson Consulting), and was a sales representative for international pharmaceutical company, Becton Dickinson.

 

She resides in Mill Valley, California, and continues to share stories with her six grandchildren.