Humans of TE: Nancy Ganz

Humans of TE: One Story at a Time – #TEGivesThanks #ComeHometoTE

This November, Temple Emanuel gives THANKS to YOU, our community. Join us each day as we highlight a fascinating member of our community.

“Mom, you should move to Boston with me!”

My daughter had just been accepted to Harvard. Although adventurous by nature, the request seemed unimaginable, “Honey, at this stage in life, people don’t leave their family and friends to move to a city where they don’t know a single person.”

“Why not?” She mused.  I realized I had the unique opportunity that every mother dreams of: to have her adult child wish her closer.  A few months later, I found myself re-adjusting to the cold after decades living in temperate Florida, moving to a place I had never even visited.

And then I found Temple Emanuel.  Immediately, I was welcomed by members of the community who have become like family to me. And suddenly, in cold Boston I felt the warm embrace of home. It has been a treasured experience for me to meet and volunteer with so many extraordinary people through TE Sisterhood, CJP and a number of community boards.

Philanthropy and entrepreneurship have always been guiding forces in my life. After years working in finance and strategy, I decided to pivot. With a law degree, I joined the Harvard Mediation Program and began pro-bono mediating in the Quincy Court System. Concurrently, I established my private coaching practice.  During the early months of COVID, it was an honor to run sessions for the Temple Emanuel community called “Finding Peace Through Times of Distress” that pulled lessons from my first book of original quotes, Finding Peace at the Center of the Storm, which was a “#1 New Release” on Amazon.

With my daughter Sara, we’ve just launched our newest venture: Nancy’s Feel Good Fables, a collection of twelve children’s books that teach self-love, confidence and empathy rolling out over the next three years. Through this, we have started a fundraiser for individuals and corporate sponsors to donate Feel Good Fables to Title I schools throughout the United States, beginning with the Greater Boston area. The first book, Tina Searches for Her Dream is a story about finding your purpose. Featuring diverse characters throughout the story, readers have the optionality to select the skin tone of the lead character from a lightest, medium and deepest option to ensure that more children can see themselves represented in literature. To preorder a copy or to donate to children need, visit feelgoodfables.com or visit the Instagram @feelgoodfables.