Alessandra Olanow is the illustrator and author of I Used to Have a Plan (Harper Design, 2021) and Hello Grief (Harper Design, 2023). Her work explores life’s unexpected turns with honesty and grace, drawing from her own experiences with loss, reinvention, and the courage to begin again. She has also worked as a death doula, an experience that deepened her understanding of life’s cycles of transformation and renewal. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her daughter, Coco.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​