Episode #1 with Carrie Jalonen
Let go of thinking writing is always cozy. That’s only 1 stage. The art of good writing must include vulnerability. It’s all about your growth.
What’s the 1 thing preventing you from saying (convincingly!), “I’m a writer,”?
Carrie shares how it all happened for her in one week & with one decision.
Plus, if you want to publish, Carrie talks about everything that shifted to get her there.
I now feel I am living the life I was meant to live. I remembered the dream and it is coming back to myself. When a book burns inside of you it must come out. -Carrie
LISTEN HERE!
Episode #2 with Laura Stephens
How do you make a heavy & difficult topic easy to read? Most memoirs are too preachy, and Laura worked hard to make sure hers is reader-friendly and full of gentle advice.
Difficult topics need a little extra love in the writing.
Laura talks about how the writing process gave her a vehicle to release residual emotions and heal. Writing & making her story public did way more for her than going to therapy and talking about it.
Writing beats thinking every day. Survivors of abuse, especially, have learned how to stifle their truth. Once it is visual and clear, there is only one way forward and one direction to follow. -Laura
Did you always want to be a writer? Laura shares the vision she had as a child and how it guided her to write the book she wished she had. Plus, she talks about the #1 tool that gave her book the clarity and direction she was missing. “Otherwise, it was just journaling.”
LISTEN HERE!
Episode #3 with Lara Wellman
You're not too late!
If you think you're lazy for not finishing already, Lara’s low-pressure approach will pull you out of the spiraling thought processes that keep you stuck.
Lara is a master of the relaxed deep dive. In this talk, she drops tons of tips and mindset gems to help you finish your first draft.
Expecting it to be perfect. Expecting it to get it all at once..Expecting to have it all figured out…sets us up with unrealistic ideals & goals. Then we use the resistance as proof we aren’t meant to do it. Get over the idea that a book is formal. It's a conversation. Tell stories. -Lara
Lara talks about the slow burn and small weekly actions that respect our natural pace and the organic unfolding of what the book is meant to be.
This is what writing your book - without the pressure- looks like.
LISTEN HERE!
Episode #4 with Rebecca Claeys
“If writing a book doesn’t transform you, you’re doing it wrong.” -Rebecca
How do you not give up when your inner critic tempts you to chuck your laptop out the window?
You don’t want to miss this talk with Rebecca where she shares the secret of staying in the game and finishing. She’s the master at making the complex and abstract simple and obtainable. During our brief talk, she drops tips and stellar advice on writing and publishing your 1st book. Lots of details on How NOT to give up and get ‘er done.
Be ready to take notes. Rebecca speaks in truth bombs.
Here’s everything she didn't know when she started but knows now, and you should too. Join us in this delicious conversation. It’s going to motivate you to finish your book too.
LISTEN HERE!
Episode #5 with Carleen Hicks
Writing, editing, and marketing our books can seriously burn us out. “The worst part is it makes us feel like it’s our fault.”
In this episode, Carleen talks with me about why she loves helping readers laugh, even (or especially!) when the topic is heavy.
Her advice comes from 20+ years as a leader, human resources practitioner, and career coach in the high-tech industry. She’s the author of Success Without the Self-Destruction: How to Quit The Burnout Club.
“Give people a way to see themselves with grace. Humor does that. It helps us get out of the trenches of belief. We can't take our writing so seriously. Push the edge.”
Learn how a weekend writing workshop with us turned into her best-selling book.
LISTEN HERE!
Episode #6 with Tish Gentili
“It all happens in a flow state. Have an intention and a vision of what you want your reader to walk away with.” -Tish Gentili.
What does manifesting the life you love have to do with the energetics for writing and publishing? Ask Tish.
Sit back and enjoy real-life motivation from Tish Gentili.
After receiving the classic “Lightning Bolt” of inspiration for her book, she knew how to write a modern take on Napolean Hill’s classic Think and Grow Rich. She had a clear vision and Think and Grow B****, a sassy girl-to-girl guide to create a life and business you love, downloaded itself.
Tune in and hear what happens when you have the intense desire to share your message and your vision.
Tish says that writing her book was “effortless, fun, and inspired. Spirit wanted it to come out.”
(Although the editing was not so fun or effortless! Hear about how she got that done too.)
LISTEN HERE!
Episode #7 with Allison Doss
“My book gives me leverage in the speaking world.
Since publishing, I’ve been asked to collaborate on 4 different books because I wrote a book and got great reviews.
Finishing the book gave me the confidence that I actually had something to say, AND I could say it, AND do something about it. I now felt I could be a part of that world because I achieved the goal of writing the book.
Now I fit in with the crowd.”
Pull up a chair and hang out with award-winning author and speaker Allison Doss. She’s pure inspiration and motivation. In this episode we talk about how showing up to be of service (rather than to get our needs met) makes a difference.
“It’s not about being liked. It’s about being of service.”
Allison shares how writing her memoir, The Unbossing, was the key to gaining the confidence she needed to own her place on the stage. Now she stands shoulder to shoulder with Jack Canfield and Marie Diamond from The Secret.
You’ll also hear how she handles the tech gremlins. It’s not all rainbows and unicorns when you’re self publishing.
LISTEN HERE!
Episode #8 with David Williams
When your book is not just a calling…but an entire movement.
David is on a mission to unify the United States with an ancient message of peace and propagate universal love.
Sounds like a pipe dream? It’s based in logic, fact, and historic evidence. His book, Restoring the Great Law of Peace: How to Tell the Whole Truth is a crash course in the laws that govern us and exactly how we can live peacefully as an interconnected confederacy.
In this episode, we discussed how David turned an enormous vision–and his life work with indigenous spiritual leaders–into a book.
Hear how he “got the bug” during our 5-day workshop before jumping in and writing and publishing his book in a year. Get inspired to hop in and do it too.
“It’s a legacy thing. I think it will help bring lasting peace to the world. My goal is to create acceptance of the true dharma of The Great Law of Peace. The truth is not a made up thing. It’s a real thing. A Golden Age is coming. This is the beginning of the Golden Age of America.”
He reminds us why we must follow our truth in writing and in life.
*Please note: political opinions are expressed in this episode
LISTEN HERE!
Episode #9 with Susan Parker Jones
“Give yourself permission to be yourself and see where things go. Then you release it with all the faith that you have done your part and honored the call to show up this way.”
You’ve heard of narratives, but have you heard of narrative therapy?
What does writing and storytelling have to do with emotional wellbeing?
Join us for this fascinating talk with Susan Parker Jones, a child therapist, author, and Enneagram expert on how she answered the call to write The Wholehearted Child.
As a creative, she found writing the book to be fun and natural. But what about the non-creative stuff like font size, page count, and grammar–everything that “feels like math” to our creative brain? Susan shares her journey and how to do it all with self compassion, vulnerability, and courage.
“The way you express yourself may look different from other people. I didn’t come at it wanting to publish a book. I started writing my book because I thought it would be a fun project to learn and stretch myself. I write from my heart and not my head. It’s a challenge, but that’s who I am. I had so much to say, and it just poured forth."
LISTEN HERE!
Episode #10 with Dawn Staub
“Jump in and try it.”
Dawn’s attitude to writing, editing, formatting, and publishing (she’s done it ALL) is just what 2025 ordered!
Don’t miss this conversation! Dawn shares her experience and her mindset that allowed her to publish 5 books within 13 months–as a newbie author. (That’s AMAZING!)
Her secret to winning the long game:
Relax, don’t take it so seriously. Have a little fun, and keep showing up!
“Writing was imagining I was having a therapy session with someone and answering the questions they would ask.”
Dawn says that having feedback from early readers and a supportive writing community kept her from “roasting s'mores in the burnpit” of her draft when she wanted to give up.
“When I shifted into editing, I thought I was going to hate it, but then it made me realize THIS is how I find what I REALLY wanted to say. This is how I would have said it if I were having a conversation!
I really enjoyed the editing process in the beginning. Later, it got heavy, and I needed to step back and give myself self care. I let it sit (not too long!), knowing I was going to get back into that flow of it. When you want to throw your laptop in the swimming pool, or onto the bonfire, know it’s all part of the writing process!”
And the most delicious part?
The more you write, the more you discover…
Dawn voices the questions our creative spirit wants us to explore:
“What more do I want to say?
What other books are inside of me?”
