Cheryl Strayed was born Cheryl Nyland in 1968 in Spangler, Pennsylvania. After a difficult childhood in which she suffered sexual abuse and the divorce of her parents, Strayed and her family moved to a 40-acre plot in rural northern Minnesota, where they sometimes went without indoor plumbing, electricity, or running water. As a fresh high school graduate, Strayed spent a summer working for Minnesota’s Aitkin Independent Age newspaper, and she eventually completed a double major in English and women’s studies at the University of Minnesota. While Strayed was a senior in college, her mother, Bobbi Lambrecht, died suddenly of lung cancer at the age of 45; Shortly after, Strayed’s young marriage fell apart.

Those devastating few years inspired Strayed to hike more than 1,000 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail in 1995, an experience that inspired her bestselling memoir Wild. Published in 2012, Wild’s wit and raw, personal storytelling resonated deeply with readers; it found another life with its 2014 film adaptation starring Reese Witherspoon. Strayed also found success with the publication of Tiny Beautiful Things (2012), a collection of wisdom from her popular “Dear Sugar” advice column, as well as Brave Enough (2015), a collection of quotes and reflections from the author, who continues to explore living fully and courageously.