Thriving Authors Podcast

In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m reading an excerpt from my new book, Your Book Matters: 52 love notes from my creative heart to yours. I’m also sharing some rituals and reflections that will be helpful as you think about your intentions for 2024 and your wins from the past year.

Listen in as I dive into:

• The importance of giving yourself full credit for what you DID do.

• How unrealistic expectations turn into toxic patterns.

• An invitation for you to dig in deeper to any resistance you’re feeling around your creative project.

• Specific questions to journal on as you close out one chapter of your life and enter another.

• How celebrating both tangible wins and intangible wins has helped my clients.

My hope for you is that you enter into the new year with fresh motivation and energy around your book! 

If you could use some extra motivation and encouragement throughout next year, I invite you to purchase a copy of my book, Your Book Matters. It will cheer you on as you move forward on your writing journey over this next year.

In this episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I had the pleasure of talking with author Traci Skuce about what she calls the impossible longing – the thing that drives us, but it doesn't resolve. It’s a fascinating, layered approach to dive into the emotional heart of your characters.

Whether you are writing fiction or a memoir, I think you’ll really appreciate Traci’s insights as she shares:

• The deeper motivations driving your characters' actions.

• Why what they want isn't enough and how to tap into the deep ache that drives their journey.

• Ways to explore the concept of longing in your writing.

• Rituals you can use to not dwell in that impossible longing for too long.

Tuning into this basic human desire to belong to something that is greater than us is really key to connecting the reader to your characters on a deep and meaningful level.

In this episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m thrilled to be joined by Jill Lacsa, a confidence coach who helps women follow their dreams, whether that’s to write a book or pursue other passions.

Jill gives examples of:

• A reframe you can use when you're worried about rejection.

• What happens when we let fear take over our thoughts.

• How to step into discomfort so that you can take action.

• What the crucial step is when it comes to building confidence.

• Why boundaries are so important and how to get better at holding them.

• Affirmations that will grow your confidence.

If you have a book idea inside of your heart, one that you've been thinking about for a long time, this episode is your nudge to explore if confidence is the barrier to you taking action!

In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m delving into why I titled my new book Your Book Matters and why this is something I believe so deeply.

Recently, a wonderful listener emailed me in response to a podcast episode where I mentioned my soon-to-be-released book title. They shared that most books don’t actually matter– that with a creative pursuit you’re the only one it matters to, otherwise you’re setting yourself up for major disappointment. 

Listen in as I respond with:

• How I see this as a "yes and" situation.

• Why it’s important to focus on the reasons that your book matters to yourself.

• Why I firmly believe your book will matter to other people.

• How knowing what motivates you allows you to design the best accountability system for yourself.

• Intangible ways that we can measure our success and impact on others.

In this episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m delighted to talk with author Louise Nayer whose latest book is a memoir entitled Narrow Escapes. I really loved her warmth and vulnerability as she shared about her writing journey and her work in the fields of memoir and poetry.

Plus, I've started implementing something that she shared in our conversation about having a weekly writing night! Listen to hear more about that, as well as:

• Advice for juggling parenthood with teaching, writing and working on your own projects.

• The childhood event that led her to accidentally write poetry.

• How she received a phone call and invitation to meet for coffee from Isabel Allende!!!

• Her transition from writing poetry to writing prose.

• The role her teaching played along her writing journey.

In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m excited to share what has helped me write my back cover and my longer book descriptions. I even give an example of the description from my new book coming out this December called “Your Book Matters: 52 love notes from my creative heart to yours.”

On the surface, writing your book description seems pretty simple…but it is super common to struggle with this task because you need to condense so much into a short space! To write a compelling book description, you need to 1) give the reader a sense of what your book is about; 2) introduce the reader to your own authentic voice and style; 3) sell your book; 4) grab the reader’s attention and leave them wanting more!

I dive into:

• The distinction between your book description and your back cover description.

• Some exercises that are really helpful with taking away the pressure and stress of writing the description of your book.

• Why I recommend writing your book description before you reach the end of your manuscript.

• How to grab the reader’s attention in your book description.

• A little trick I use to hone in on how to write to the ideal reader of your book.

In this episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m excited to be talking with Jessica Flory about her debut novel Oceans of Sand, a clean fantasy romance. It was fun to hear what it has been like for her in this season of taking her book from draft to published and also celebrating that she's working on her sequel right now too!

I just love her energy and her vulnerability as she shared:

• How she managed her disappointment and discouragement when trying to get published.

• Why she recommends going to writers conferences and the value she’s found in attending them.

• What she did during the waiting period between signing her book contract and seeing it on the shelf.

• When she decided that she was going to write a sequel.

• How the process of writing the sequel was different from the first one, what challenges came up and how she was able to overcome them. 

• What she tells herself to get negative reviews out of her head.

I think you’ll find how she developed a habit of writing consistently for 15 minutes a day very inspiring!

In this episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m delighted to be talking with author Margo Candela about her writing journey and The Neapolitan Sisters, her fifth novel and her first after a decade-long hiatus from writing.

Margo has some wonderful tips and advice to share, including:

• What she pulled from her training as a journalist that has really helped her in her writing life.

• Why she doesn’t think she’s realized her full potential yet.

• How thinking purely creatively felt like a huge indulgence for her.

• The deliberate choices she makes when structuring her stories.

• How she was able to set aside her own bias against one of her own characters and eventually grow compassion for her.

• And so many more nuggets of wisdom!

There are lessons here for all of us, no matter what type of writer you are or where you are in your writing journey. Enjoy the conversation!

In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m diving into how to create a marketing plan for your book. Marketing, promoting and launching feel so much less overwhelming when you have a plan in place!

I share a few journal prompts that are really helpful to brainstorm and also explain:

• How to avoid getting completely burned out and not wanting to do any marketing.

• The best sort of publicity that you can get that will lead to book sales.

• A menu of ideas that you can get excited about when creating your plan.

• A mindset shift so you don’t feel icky or salesy when sharing about your book.

• Examples of special little extra goodies you can send to everybody who preorders your book.

• What materials are really helpful to have ready when you’re pitching different media marketing opportunities.

• And more!

In this episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m talking with Miriam Ilgenfritz, a wonderful author who also happens to be a client of mine! It was such a treat to chat with her about her books, her writing journey and a bit about her experience as being part of Thriving Authors Academy.

I think you'll find our conversation inspiring if you have a book inside of you as well.

Miriam shared how she:

• Avoids getting distracted by research while writing historical fiction.

• Makes time to write despite everything she has going on as a wife, mom of 16 kids, and tending to her farm.

• Pursues writing in multiple genres.

• Moves past comparison and feeling stuck when writing.

In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m sharing a sneak peek of the curriculum from week 7 of Thriving Authors Academy about how to boost your writing power.

Beyond my mentorship and the community in Thriving Authors Academy, you also receive video lessons and a printed workbook where I distill down the most essential lessons about writing, editing, publishing and marketing your book! So today you’ll get to hear a bit of my teaching style!

I’m diving into:

• What is scene vs. what is summary.
• Finding your strengths and developing your natural gifts as a writer.
• How you can really hook your reader and grab their attention.
• The counterintuitive way to make your story more relatable to all readers.
• How to write a book that sticks with your reader long after they’ve turned the final page.

What would it mean for YOUR writing life to have a weekly video lesson just like this delivered straight to your inbox every week? Along with a printed workbook that you can follow along with and actually write out all of these exercises to help you not only write your book, but write the best book possible?

In this episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m excited to be talking with author Rebecca Wenrich Wheeler who has both a novel and a picture book out this year!

I think you’ll be inspired by Rebecca’s wisdom and how her passion for yoga helped her find her voice as a picture book writer.

She also shared how:

• Even as a kid, she knew she would write a book.

• Being in community with other writers spurred her creativity.

• The perseverance she had resulted in her book coming out at the exact “right” time.

• Her background writing poetry provides her clarity and precision when writing for children.

One key takeaway for me was that the exact comment that she received from an editor rejecting one of her books has now come back around as something that people rave about in their reviews!

In this episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m talking with Elizabeth Castillo, a multilingual poet, writer, teacher and a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee who lives in Paris.

I especially loved hearing her describe writing poetry and reading poetry – but even if you haven’t dabbled in poetry, I still know you’ll gain a lot from this episode.

Elizabeth shares so many nuggets of wisdom and advice in this episode! Including:

• A bit about her writing process and the unusual way she put her most recent collection together.

• The way she landed on the name of her poetry book “Not Quite an Ocean.”

• The value she’s found in building community and the reason she channels her energy into supporting indie creators.

• How she integrates her artistic life with her life as a mama.

In this episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m talking with Emma Louise Parkes, host of an amazing podcast called The Ambitious Introvert, about how to market your book as an introvert.

So many writers (myself included!) are introverts, and it can seem so draining to think about getting out there and marketing ourselves and our books. But we all know that promotion is important for the success of our book launches. How do we balance these two opposing goals?

Emma-Louise to the rescue! She shares:

• How to protect your energy as an introvert while still creating a wildly successful marketing plan for your book. 

• Ways to streamline your marketing so you’re not doing extra but you are authentically connecting with your audience.

• Tips for what to do immediately after a launch to reset our brain and allow our nervous system to gently calm down.

You will LOVE her genius tips for using different stages of writing & launching your book in your marketing & promotion! 

In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m sharing four simple ways that I use paper in my writing process.  I’ve found that using pen and paper (or markers and crayons) – basically anything tactile and non-digital – can do wonders for our creative energy, bring more joy and fun to our writing practice, and ultimately make us better writers.

You’ll hear:

• How I sometimes use crayons in my brainstorming process.

• The different parts of the writing process that have me turning to blank pages and index cards.

• How a piece of poster board helped a client own her identity as an author and claim to the world that she was working on a book.

• What can happen when you have a new view and flexible way to interact with your book.

I hope one of these ideas resonate with you or will spark a new idea for you. And if they do please share because I’d love to hear!

In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m talking about ways to create a writing routine that actually fits into your life – even if this is a busy season for you and things are hectic.

If writing is something that you keep telling yourself you're going to carve out time to do, but it just seems to always slip away with other more urgent tasks that take up your time, then this episode is for you!

I share:

• The benefits to blocking even 10 -15 minute increments of writing in your calendar.

• What aspects of your life to consider when creating a writing routine.

• The first step to take to create your new writing habit.

• Ideas and examples that clients – and myself – have found success with to make writing time something to look forward to rather than it feeling like just another task.

I’m excited for you to experience the joy and ease that a writing routine can bring and the incredible progress that you can make to really move forward on your book!

In this episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m chatting with Jodi Graham, a productivity expert, about simple, actionable tips that you can start implementing TODAY to move forward on your writing project with confidence!

After recording my interview with her, I have taken her advice to heart and I already feel so much less overwhelmed and more empowered over my to-do list. These are tips that are geared toward writing your book, but also that you can use in all areas of your life and business!

She shares so many gems including:

• What to do if you find yourself constantly getting distracted when you sit down to write.
• How to find the energy and focus to work on your book.
• The one quick thing you can do that will save you 2 hours a week.
• Strategies to keep you from feeling overwhelmed with big projects so you can stop procrastinating and take action.

I’m excited for you to listen in if you want to feel more productive and intentional with your time.

In this solo episode, I’m talking about what I call Overflowing Ideas Syndrome. It’s when you have so many ideas that it's really hard to commit to one idea and easy to get distracted.

This will be a great episode for you if you have a bunch of half-finished manuscripts, but you don't have a completed book!

I delve into:

• Why nothing is wrong with you and how you can reframe this into a strength.

• Tools that will help you focus your energy on one idea at a time.

• The importance of tuning in to the book YOU most want to write.

• What happens when you pay attention to what gives you energy and excites you.

• Journaling prompts that you can use whenever you need to find clarity about what direction to go in.

After listening, I think you’ll understand why it's really common to get distracted by shiny new ideas and to abandon projects halfway – and how joining a container of support with a writing community and working with a coach can help you stay accountable to finishing your book.

In this episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I had a lovely conversation with Tara K. Ross whose novel Fade to White came out the same year as my debut novel. I've been a fan of hers since then!

It was fascinating to hear from Tara about how her novel came to be and her writing and publishing journey. If you are someone who has a book inside of you but you haven’t formally studied writing, I’m excited for you to see what is possible!

In our conversation, Tara shared:

• How entering a writing contest started her on the journey to publication.

• The unique way she found an agent and a publisher and how she recommends finding one now.

• A fun hobby she turns to when she’s feeling creatively drained.

• What her writing routine looks like as she balances all her responsibilities.

• Her approach to planning and the character work she does before she begins writing.

I think you’ll love her energy and hearing how she continues to grow as a writer!

About Tara:

In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m sharing what I do at the beginning of each month as I reflect on my writing routine to see if there is anything I want to adjust or work on moving forward.

There’s nothing like the clean slate of a brand-new month to check in on YOUR writing goals! This is not a time to judge yourself, criticize yourself, or feel guilty for what you haven’t done. Instead, this is meant to be an inspiring & encouraging time!

Listen to the episode as I describe why this practice of intentional reflection works and how it has helped me to adjust my writing routine. Then grab your journal, brew a hot cup of tea, and light a cozy candle.

Here are 7 questions to reflect on:

1. What emotions or adjectives would I use to describe my current writing routine?

2. How do I WANT my writing to feel? What emotions or adjectives come up?

3. When is my ideal creative time? When do I feel most alive and inspired?

4. What project lights me up the most right now? What do I want to devote my time to this month?

5. What is a big writing goal I am working on? What would be an amazing smaller goal to accomplish by the end of the month that would really move me forward toward that big goal?

6. What affirmation resonates with me right now in my writing life?

7. Bonus: block off time on the calendar to write! Even if it’s just 10-15 minutes!

I hope this exercise was helpful for you to acknowledge where you are, take stock of your goals and dreams, and make a plan to get there!

In this episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, it was such a treat to talk with Nina Schuyler, author of the new book Afterword – a stunning novel with powerful echoes of our current state with Artificial Intelligence. 

I loved the book and was especially impressed by these characters she created who were profoundly intelligent in the world of science and AI and math. It was so interesting to talk to her about how this story germinated inside of her, how she researched technology and really followed her curiosity while creating these characters and this love story.

I think you'll enjoy our conversation where Nina shared:

• How she was able to characterize a non-human since she needed to eliminate gestures and facial expressions.

• The way she used the concept of tunneling to structure the novel.

• Her desire to bring attention to women in math and the sciences.

• And SO much more!

I just loved Nina's energy and I can't wait to hear what gems you take away from our conversation!

About Nina:

Nina Schuyler’s short story collection, In this Ravishing World, won the W.S. Porter Prize for Short Story Collections and The Prism Prize for Climate Literature, will be published by Regal House Publishing in 2024. Her novel, The Translator, won the Next Generation Indie Book Award for General Fiction and was a finalist for the William Saroyan International Writing Prize. Her novel, The Painting, was a finalist for the Northern California Book Award. Her book, How to Write Stunning Sentences, was a Small Press Distribution bestseller, and her new craft book, Stunning Sentences: The Creative Writing Journal with 80 New Prompts from Beloved Authors to Improve Your Style, was published by Fiction Advocate in November 2022.

In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I address the common misconception that writing a book will take a lot of time – time away from your business and other money making actions that seem more urgent.

Spoiler alert: I think that the opposite is true! I believe that writing your book is one of the biggest gifts to your business and one of the best things you can do to increase efficiency and productivity and save time in your business.

You’ll hear me share reasons and examples why I think this, including:

• How to avoid spending all our time putting out fires of day-to-day business and client tasks.

• The simple way writing a book allows you to schedule your CEO time on a consistent basis and actually stay committed to it.

• The mindset shifts that I and my clients have experienced that have helped us to grow into the next level in life and business.

• The importance of creating an enduring content bank and the strategy I use for organizing content so it’s easy to find and keep track of.

After listening I think you’ll agree that writing a book is the most efficient time-saving gift for your business!

In this episode, I had an incredible conversation with LaCresia Arnold about how she came to to adopt the important mission of empowering other women to own their journey, honor their voice and be more verbal about their lived experiences. 

It was beautiful to hear LaCresia share her transformational journey of learning to give to others by first giving to herself. 

LaCresia also dove into:

• How she went from peacekeeper to peacemaker and what the distinction is.

• The shifts that she’s experienced and witnessed in other women when they have a safe and supportive community to share their stories.

• How you can honor your truth as a writer, business owner, wife, mother, daughter, and human being.

• The way she helps other women to bravely share their voices and their stories.

She shared so many gems and was such a source of light, I think you’ll really enjoy listening – and even relistening – to her mantras and self-reflection prompts.

About LaCresia:

In this solo episode, I’m reflecting on a magical night I had last week at my author event at Banter Bookshop. I've published three books in the last three years, but this was my first in-person book event because of the pandemic and pregnancy, and it was amazing to be in conversation and celebrating my books out in the world.

I share:

• My personal transformation along my writing journey and some examples from my clients.

• What to remember when a vision for your life feels impossible.

• How connecting to readers through your book can grow your business.

• The first thing Kate Northrup said recently when introducing herself, when she could have focused on her successful company and coaching business.

• How committing to something can shift your identity.

I cannot wait for you to have a night like I had on Tuesday. A night where you are celebrating your book, signing your book, connecting with your readers. So for those of you who have that little voice in your head, that little inkling in your heart, to write your book… I encourage you to commit to it and to get started now! 

In this episode, it was such a joy to talk with Mimi Herman about her debut novel, The Kudzu Queen. It was a book I just could not put down and found myself thinking of the characters in between reading sessions.

She shared so much wisdom and practical advice including:

• How she came to write this historical fiction novel.

• The way that poetry has influenced her prose and the different reasons she has for writing poetry and fiction.

• How she first fell in love with writing and knew she wanted to be a writer.

• How to find your way back to writing after you’ve gotten away from it.

I think you’ll really enjoy hearing about her writing process and what she does with any writing she takes out of a book or poem. She also shared some great insights about how to make a scene or a character or a setting really come to life.

In this solo episode, I’m pulling back the curtain around what I do as a book coach and sharing three reasons why having a book coach is a game-changer in getting your book written.

You’ll hear about:

• The hardest part of writing your book and how I will help you move through it.

• The amazing shifts that happen when you have clarity on your writing project.

• Who the biggest enemy is when it comes to writing a book and how I support my clients with this.

• How my new program will set you up for continued success and why I structured it the way I did.

I hope this episode gives you a sense of what a book coach is, what I do with my clients and how a book coach can really help you move forward in your journey.

And remember, your book is a whole new beginning in many ways. It's the first step of a really exciting new chapter for yourself, for your business, for your authority and your expertise. It creates so many ripples and you have no idea how far those ripples will go!

In this episode, it was such a pleasure to talk with Kristin Akerele about how our natural inner femininity nurtures our creativity and how it is SO important in giving birth to our ideas in a way that feels aligned and sustainable.

In our conversion, Kristin shared:

• Her three-pillar strategy of embodying feminine energy.

• A mindset shift to understand you are inherently worthy and that your worth isn't attached to being productive.

• The relationship between energetics and the nervous system.

• How to get in the right energetic space to be able to access your intuition.

• And so much more!

I think you’ll gain so much insight from this episode on how you can unleash your feminine magic and how you can approach your writing time and creativity in a way that changes from pressure to pleasure –  so that you don’t burn yourself out.

About Kristin:

In this solo episode, I’m sharing a little love note from my heart to yours. I’m also reflecting on my daughter's namesake, my Grandma Auden, and how so many of us have no idea how far our legacies extend, the ripples that we create, the ways that we touch other people's lives.

I touch on: 

• Why being a book coach is so important to me.

• How I’m trying to show my children the power of building a life around my creative energy. 

• The huge shift that happens when we start to put ourselves, put our joy, put our creativity first in our lives.

• What feedback I received from people in my Facebook community and on my newsletter list that helped me create a new program.

And if you’re looking to write a book as part of your legacy, I hope you’re as excited as I am to hear me explain my new program called Your Book Roadmap happening this summer over the course of 8 weeks. It will just be a small group with limited spots.

In this episode, it was such a treat to interview Stephanie Cotta whose debut Young Adult Fantasy book, The Conjurer's Curse, was recently released!!

It was really interesting to hear how real events in her life, and in the world, inspired her fantasy books. So if you are interested in writing fantasy, I think this conversation is going to be especially useful for you. 

We chatted about world building as a fantasy author as well as:

• Where to find inspiration and ideas.

• How she sets the ambiance for her writing sessions.

• Her simple advice to people who are wanting to write a book.

• What she does when she gets writer's block and more!

She shared so much good advice! Congratulations to Stephanie on her debut book!

About Stephanie:

In this solo episode, I’m talking about some epiphanies I had last summer on my way home from getting my blood drawn (my least favorite thing) and, yes, they relate to the writing process!

So listen in to hear 3 tips that will help you recharge your writing routine so you can write more consistently now and into the future!

I share my thoughts about:

• What to do when you have a lot of resistance around doing something that’s important to you.

• How you can set yourself up to write consistently.

• Ways to move beyond stories from your past to create a healthier narrative for yourself around writing.

• How being in community with others can help you figure out what works best for you!

After you listen, I think you’ll feel less pressure to perform or prove yourself to anyone when it comes to your creative process - and instead, you’ll remember that your creativity is a gift that you're giving yourself.

In this solo episode, I’m diving into two common objections that I hear over and over from the women who are considering joining Thriving Authors Academy. These objections might resonate with you, too, so I wanted to talk about them and pose some questions for you to think about.

If you’re feeling resistant to committing to write your book, this episode will help you figure out if now is the right time to jump in AND how you can guarantee that this investment is going to pay off.

After listening to the episode, if you’re still wondering “Can I really do this?”, let's hop on a call and we can talk through it together. There's no pressure and you're not wasting my time. During our call I’ll be a mirror for you, reflecting back to you the truth that you are sharing, so that you are able to go after your dream of becoming a published author in whatever is the best way for you to do that.

In this episode, I’m excited to interview my dear friend Courtney Caldwell. She is a writer across genres! She's a poet, a playwright, a novelist, a flash fiction writer. AND she has been with me for three rounds of Thriving Authors Academy! 

Listen in to hear her experience going through Thriving Authors Academy and enjoy her calm, gentle presence as she shares:

• What convinced her to join even though she already had so much going on in her life.

• The challenges she had to overcome along the journey of getting her debut novel down on paper.

• How going through Thriving Authors Academy has changed her.

• And what the experience of being part of a community of writers was like.

If you're struggling with many different ideas or projects that you haven't been able to complete, or maybe you're wondering about what it's like to be empowered as part of a writing community, I think this conversation is exactly what you need to hear!

In today’s episode, I am excited to interview Life Coach Nicole Baker! 

Nicole shares actionable tips you can implement TODAY to help you 1) notice the sneaky ways that perfectionism comes up in the writing process and 2) overcome perfectionism in these moments to get back into the juicy flow of creativity. 

In this solo episode, I’m excited to talk about deciding when to share your book with others and what the overall editing process looks like.

Listen in to find out details like:

• The different stages of editing and which order to do them in.
• An analogy that my creative writing professor at USC shared that has stuck with me.
• The importance of hiring a qualified professional editor, and how to find the ideal editor for YOU.
• How to ensure you get the feedback that you really need to hear from others.
• And what to do when you get feedback that doesn’t resonate with you.

I am here with you in the trenches working on the edits to my books right now, too, and think that you’ll get a lot of value out of the insights I’m sharing.

In today’s episode, I am excited to have branding expert RuthAnn Rafiq here to talk with us about how to grow your brand as an author. If you’re anything like I was a few years ago, you might be thinking, “Wait, what is a personal brand as an author? What does that even mean?” I have learned a thing or two about the importance of branding as I have published more books and grown my business.

In her signature simple and welcoming style, RuthAnn teaches us why it's important to establish a personal brand, as well as HOW to do so with quick tips for getting started.

Listen in to hear:

• The difference between like branding and marketing.
• How a personal brand can help you pivot easily and do well in multiple different areas.
• Steps you can take to begin to establish a personal brand online.
• What connection points help build the know like and trust factor.
• Ways to stand out online amongst everyone else.

I think you’ll find so many parallels to branding and writing and walk away with some great ideas that you feel good about implementing!

About RuthAnn:

In this solo episode, I’m celebrating a very special milestone – 100 episodes! I have gleaned so much from the process of creating this podcast and doing 100 episodes and I’ve narrowed them down into ten lessons that I want to share with you!

These lessons are super relevant to writing, to creativity, and to any big dream that you have that you might be pursuing.

Listen in as I share what I learned about:

• Why we shouldn’t ignore, push away, or procrastinate on our dreams.
• How we can live in integrity and become attuned to our fullest and deepest selves.
• What the creative process is really like behind-the-scenes.
• Continuing to grow and learn new things as an adult.
• And so much more!!!

In today’s episode, I am actually in the interviewee seat! Coach and author Emily Grabatin interviewed me for a series that she did on Instagram live and gave me permission to share our conversation with you.

We talked about how and when to get visible as a new author and she asked such insightful questions!

Listen in to hear:

• Encouragement for you aspiring writers who’ve had a manuscript sitting on a shelf for years but haven't had the confidence to move forward with it.
• How and where to talk about your book before it's written, afterwards, and when it's ready to be released.
• Key visibility opportunities that you can easily take advantage of to get your book noticed.
  

I think you’ll find a lot of actionable gems in this episode!

In today’s episode, I spoke with my lovely writer friend Jen Milius. Jen is a talented multi-genre author, developmental editor, podcast host, and all-around wonderful human and I was delighted to have her join me for a wonderful conversation about writing, editing, and really finding your voice.

She shared so many golden nuggets you can take into your own life, including:

• How she was able to bring together her different talents and backgrounds on her journey to becoming a published author.
• The importance of having containers to capture your ideas and creativity when it comes.
• Ways to find joy in the creative process, even amongst the bumps that happen.
• What the common denominator for writing in different genres is.
• The benefits of reading what you wrote out loud.

I think you’ll really enjoy the playfulness and curiosity that Jen brings to the writing process!

About Jennifer:

In today’s episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I spoke with trauma-informed, certified life and success coach and clinical hypnotherapist professor Megan Kuhar.

In my fascinating conversation with Megan, she teaches how your subconscious mind will help you overcome stress, overwhelm, and imposter syndrome in the creative process. If you have ever wished that you could find answers to writer’s block or plot holes in your dreams – it IS possible!

Megan also explains a simple way to begin dreaming answers to your struggles. She certainly inspired me to bust out my old dream journal and begin jotting down my dreams again!

About Megan:

In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m diving into two simple but mighty questions to ask yourself every single week to really move forward in your writing project.

This practice can be especially powerful if you're working on a big writing project - like a book!!

I dive into:

• Examples that explain why these questions work so well.
• Tips for integrating this simple framework into your writing practice.
• How you can keep your momentum going even when things don’t go as planned.
• What happens when you consistently celebrate your wins.

I have seen time and time again the POWER in these questions and now I want to share them with you!

In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I share what I’m doing to really soak up these final hours of 2022 and looking ahead to 2023. I don't know about you, but New Year's Eve just might be my favorite day of the whole year!

But I know that a lot of people have different feelings coming up and lots of ‘shoulds’ in their brain - I should have done more of this. I should have done more of that. In some ways, those can be helpful signals!!

Listen in as I chat about:

• How to decide what things to delegate or take off your to-do list.
• What we can do to keep our big ambitions from causing us to burn out.
• The one thing you can do to become a better writer in 2023.
• What I’m proud of myself for and celebrating!