Beyond Better with Stacy Ennis

Cherie is the cofounder and CEO of Saalt, a women-owned B Corp that creates reusable and sustainable period care products that replace disposable pads and tampons. You may have seen Saalt on the shelves at Target or other major retailers, but you might not know the mission behind the company.

Period poverty keeps underprivileged women and girls out of school and other activities that would further their economic success and participation in broader society. Saalt is looking to change that. Since their launch in 2018, Saalt has donated over 70,000 period cups and underwear to underprivileged women and girls in 50 countries as part of their 2% give-back program.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Cherie’s founding story and why she wants to end period poverty
• How travel impacts her as an entrepreneur and mom
• Her journey as a writer and how it impacts Saalt’s marketing, including practical tips
• Challenges she’s faced along her entrepreneurial journey and how she overcame them
• How she’s leading “outside of the norms of the patriarchal structure to improve the workplace for working women”

I left this conversation feeling inspired, moved, and encouraged to make a difference in the world—and I know you will too.

Learn more about Cherie and Saalt:

When I met Kevin O’Connor in my book-writing program, I instantly knew he was going to add great energy to our group of future authors. It was no surprise when he not only reached his goal of publishing his book, Two Floors Above Grief, but also leaned fully into marketing, garnering nearly 100 reader reviews on Amazon—an impressive feat for any author! In this episode, we discuss:

• How Kevin reached his goal of authorhood
• How “collaborative discipline” supported his success
• What it’s really like to write and self-publish a book
• Marketing lessons learned one year in, including success tips
• How to balance the “difficulty and discipline of writing with joy and self-acknowledgment” (this discussion is so good!)
• His top advice for aspiring authors

This episode is full of both great information and inspiration for anyone looking to reach their next big goal. Don’t miss this episode!

Learn more about Kevin:

In this week’s solo episode, I share what life is like after living in Portugal for four years. I talk about:

• How I feel about living in the Algarve
• Challenges we’re facing right now, including schools and medical care
• What it’s like running a location independent business in Portugal
• How our trip to the US impacted my feelings about living abroad
• One thing I’m missing professionally—and how I’m trying to solve it
• What the future holds for our family

This episode is highly personal and raw, and I hope it gives you insight into the beauty and challenges of living abroad.

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During my recent trip to New York, I spent time with this week’s podcast guest, Farnoosh Torabi. We talk about how to lean into fear—how to hone it, tap into it, and make it work for you. I loved everything about this conversation, and I know you will too.

In this solo episode, I’m answering reader questions that focused on the same topic: How did you get to where you are—and how can I get there too?

If you want to hear my long, windy story of entrepreneurship, from my first job as a high school language arts teacher in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, all the way to the location independent life I lead today in Portugal, listen in. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed recording this!

Show notes:

In this week’s episode, we talk about Debbie’s journey to reach where she is today as the founder of The Offbeat Life, a podcast and website that highlights the journeys of remote workers and digital nomads. We also talk about how she makes money, both in her day-to-day work and from her travel content. Today, she has accumulated over half-a-million downloads and shares what is possible when you work outside a cubicle and live life before retirement, while also creating sustainable income.

We even discuss celebrating failures because we learn the most important lessons and recognize all we have to be grateful for. This is a thoughtful conversation—and one that I hope will leave you feeling inspired and encouraged as you embark on the next great journey of your own life.

Learn more about Debbie:

When the producer of Beyond Better, Rita Domingues, told me she’d booked an 86-year-old first-time author for the podcast, I was both curious and impressed. And as I readied for our conversation, I could see why Rita had selected her as a guest.

• One of the first female hospital CEOs in Canada
• Climbed Kilimanjaro at age 64 (!)
• Cofounded the Panama Hospice and Respite Foundation
• Breast cancer survivor who is also blind in one eye
• Published her first book at age 86

Recording this episode felt like sitting with a friend over coffee, listening to her incredible stories. It’s rare to get an opportunity to learn from someone who has lived such a choice-filled life like Joyce. I hope you gain as much from this conversation as I did.

Show notes:

I dream big. Like b-i-g big. Big to the point that I catch surprise on even my closest friends’ faces when I share my vision. And I work with people who dream big. They share their aspirations for the keynote stage, their desire to write books of meaning, the scaled impact they want to make with their story or message. Yet we know a lot of people just won’t get it.

But we don’t just talk. We take action. We get up early to focus on our creative projects. We invest in programs and coaching and people and equipment and software. We know that all the manifestation in the world ain’t nothin’ if you don’t put your boots on and go to work.

Join me in this live episode as I share thoughts on investing in your dreams—while I’m on the road, investing in mine. I detail why I’m in New York, why I made the decision to invest in a mentorship program, and how my investment and action are already showing up in big ways in my life.

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In this solo episode, I share my reflections on my time abroad this summer. I spent the month of August in the US, mostly disconnected from work and present with my family and friends. I hadn’t taken a meaningful trip to the US since early 2020, just before lockdowns started. And I noticed a lot of surprising things. Join me as I share my observations about environmental signals that reflect on the culture at-large.

(Of note, while my podcast is generally clean, this might not be one to listen to around young children.)

Show notes:

When you first enter the world of book writing and publishing, the options can feel overwhelming. That’s why I’m excited to welcome Karen McNally of Girl Friday Productions (GFP) to talk all things publishing.

Karen has been with GFP for eight years. Prior to joining, she worked for Amazon Publishing, as well as Amazon’s retail division. She’s passionate about helping authors achieve their goals and ensuring an excellent client experience. Areas of expertise include end-to-end book production, distribution, complex book design, and illustration management, as well as all stripes of print management. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• How she accidentally ended up in publishing
• Tips for selecting the right publishing route for you
• What hybrid publishing is and how to know if it’s a good option for you
• Why you have to run your book like a business
• Three things she wishes every new author knew about publishing

This is a great episode with a lot of heart and useful information. Don’t miss it!

Show notes:

In this week’s episode, I get to pull back the curtain on the elusive world of writing for television and movies with my guest, Katiedid Langrock, and share some behind-the-scenes on what it’s like to write for major animated series, including Barbie, Paw Patrol, and Hello Kitty.

Katiedid is a screenwriter, television writer, longtime syndicated humor columnist, adjunct professor, author, and writing coach. Shows she codeveloped have been nominated for a number of awards, including an Emmy for Best Children's Series and multiple NAACP Image Awards, and won the 2020 Diversity Media Award for Best Kid Series. She recently worked as a writer or head writer for shows on Disney Jr., Nickelodeon, and Amazon, and just published a humorous book on pregnancy called Baby Bump Bucket List.

Katiedid is also location independent, so you know I had to talk about that! We discuss her year traveling the country in an RV while working on Hello Kitty, as well as her philosophy on taking risks and living a bold life. You don’t want to miss this episode.

Learn more about Katiedid:

For this first episode of season 5 (!), our team got to record in person! For the first time ever, three of us were in the same room—normally we work from the U.S. and Portugal. Our time together inspired us to record an episode all about our work. We cover:

• What it's like meeting for the first time in person
• The pros and cons of remote team dynamics 
• What it's been like for me (Stacy) to go from working on my own to leading a team
• How we've stayed connected while living so far apart
• The risks we've each taken to go after our dreams
• Our wonderful clients and why we love working with them 
• What we value in each person on the team

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As part of my summer podcast replay series, I'm excited to share this week’s episode with my good friend Amanda Turner (writing as AK Turner). In this episode, she shares how her family travels two to four months a year—all while running a business and writing New York Times best-selling books.

Amanda's Vagabonding with Kids series was inspirational for me as we were dreaming of moving to Thailand way back when I was pregnant with my oldest child. As kindred travel and writing souls, we had a lot of fun in this episode talking about our travel experiences and what we've learned about the book-writing process. Amanda shares so many great pieces of advice! If you’ve ever wanted to travel the world or write a book—or both—you won’t want to miss this episode.

Learn more about Amanda:

As part of my summer podcast replay series, I'm excited to share this week’s episode with author David Morales. His book, American Familia: A Memoir of Perseverance, was released in February 2022 and already has dozens of five-star reviews and has impacted readers across the US and beyond.

In this conversation, David shares the inspiration behind the book and his larger vision of impact, including the work he’s doing through Ahora Inc., a nonprofit organization he cofounded with his wife, Samanda Morales, focused on increasing economic mobility and empowering individuals and families to gain financial freedom. We discuss how two qualities, self-agency and critical thinking, helped him overcome both rural and urban poverty to become the person he is today. He also delves into how he navigated publishing a vulnerable memoir while working as a high-level executive in the health-care industry.

If you’re an aspiring author on the journey to impact, David’s insights about his own author journey will inspire you to take action.

Learn more and connect with David:

As part of my summer podcast replay series, I’m excited to share this week’s episode with Michael Zipursky, CEO of Consulting Success®, a consulting business that specializes in helping entrepreneurial consultants grow profitable, scalable, and strategic businesses. We talk about Michael’s journey through multiple businesses and how he transitioned from burning the midnight oil to structuring his business in a way that supports a lifestyle of freedom. He shares what a healthy entrepreneurial work-life balance looks like for him and the mindset shifts necessary to achieve it. Hint: the key is to optimize our business and our lifestyle so we can start enjoying more of what we want today and not delaying it for the future.

Michael explains how authorhood impacted his business (Michael has published three books to date), as well as the four pillars of developing a highly profitable, scalable coaching business (the components of his Clarity Coaching program); content marketing; social media; and more.

This is a value-packed episode you don’t want to miss!

Get to know Michael:

As part of my summer podcast replay series, I’m sharing a replay of a powerful podcast episode with a past student, May Lam Rocco.

May’s memoir, Confi-Dance: Memoirs of an Asian Businesswoman’s Journey from a Traditional Upbringing into Unconditional Love, has been endorsed by an impressive list of people, including the former president of Gucci China; the speaker-elect of the US House of Representatives; and my friend and coauthor, Ron Price, president of TTI Success Insights.

During her time in my program, May went from thinking her memoir was meant for an audience of one—her son—to realizing that her book had a significant role in fulfilling her newfound purpose of helping other people up-level their confidence in business, parenting, and life. She’s a shining example of using one’s voice for impact, stepping into a bold message, and helping further other women (and all people!) through her story.

Get inspired by this week’s pod replay on building confidence, writing a book, and making an impact.

Learn more about May

About five years ago, I sat down in my home office in Thailand to record the first episode of my podcast, which I called The Stacy Ennis Show. The little show I started with my iPhone has reached 100 episodes!

It’s been a delight to see how my expertise in public speaking and interviewing—the latter developed from ghostwriting so many books—has translated into hosting a podcast. I share more in my celebratory 100th episode, as well as reflect on clips from some fan-favorite episodes. If you want to hear a little more of my backstory, how the podcast is fueling my personal and business growth, and how I’m shaping the future of the pod to deliver even more value, don’t miss this very special 100th episode of my podcast, Beyond Better.

Show notes:

This week’s podcast guest (one of my former students!) has learned how to capture attention, grow an audience, share her opinion, and use her platform—now hundreds of thousands of people—to influence for good.

Giovanna Gonzalez is not only a TikTok influencer and financial educator, but she is also a soon-to-be author. During the Great Resignation, she quit her ten-year corporate career in financial services to pursue her true passion: teaching financial literacy to young adults. Since then, Giovanna has been featured in The New York Times, Fast Company, and Business Insider—and has hundreds of thousands of fans across the world—in just two years as a content creator. Giovanna’s powerful book, Cultura and Cash, will be out in January 2024.

In this candid conversation, Giovanna and I discuss:

• How she left corporate to pursue being a full-time creator
• BTS on what it’s really like to create content all day (hint: it’s not what you think)
• How to build an engaged, loyal following on multiple platforms
• Why first-gen money advice should be different
• What it was like to win a $50,000 writing grant—and what she did afterward to be successful in completing her book
• The highs and lows of her book-writing process
• The journey we went on together (this was my favorite part—I teared up!)

Learn how to capture the attention of hundreds of thousands of people—and make an even bigger impact with a book.

Get to know Giovanna:

Megan McCaleb is a masterful improv trainer, comedian, author, and the creator of Improv Team Culture, with a specialty in coaching executive leadership and their teams to adopt the simple and effective principle of "yes, and," the core rule derived from performance improvisation.

In this podcast episode, we discuss:

• Megan’s journey as an author and what it was like to publicly share a personal, vulnerable story
• Writing craft tips, including adding sensory details and varying sentence lengths
• What improv is and how it can support healthy team culture
• The power of “yes, and” for healthy teams and relationships

If you want to develop your voice—both on and off the page—don’t miss this week’s episode.

Learn more about Megan:

This Ask Stacy episode is full of writing and publishing-related questions from my listeners. Topics covered in this episode include:

• What to do if English is your second language and you’re finding it challenging to write.
• Whether traditional publishing is better than self-publishing.
• If ChatGPT is an ethical route to write a book.
• The average word count for a nonfiction manuscript and what to do if you’re struggling to create enough for a whole book.

Show notes:

I’ve collaborated with Reedsy on a few learning resources over the years, including a course and webinar, always working with Martin Cavannagh, Head of Content. He does a fantastic job running their content and has been successful positioning the company at the top of search results, helping drive a steady stream of leads to the marketplace. So when he agreed to come on the podcast to share some BTS on how he runs content strategy and execution for Reedsy, as well as tips for authors, I knew this episode would be packed with value.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Martin’s journey to publishing and work as the Head of Content
• His advice for creating content people are searching for—and how to show up in the top three of search results
• How to build a content ecosystem if you’re just starting out or grow an empire if you have support
• His thoughts on publishing pathways and how to ensure you’re working with real pros

Whether you’re dreaming of writing your book or marketing a recent release, don’t miss this thoughtful, fun, and informative conversation.

Learn more about Reedsy:

I get emails every week from listeners and readers who want to know about life abroad. Questions cover: What is it like to uproot everything and move somewhere new? What is the visa process like? What should I consider when deciding on whether to move abroad? These questions get more specific when it comes to dating, raising a family, and everything in between.

That’s why I loved this conversation with Cepee Tabibian of She Hit Refresh. We discuss what it’s like to move abroad as a single woman thirty and older, what it’s like to raise a family abroad, and some of the real-life consideration for people looking to build a new life abroad. Since Cepee and I come from different life situations, we brought our experiences to this discussion, sharing our experience living in different countries. If you’ve ever considered moving abroad, don’t miss this episode.

Learn more about Cepee:

A book launch party is a special moment for an author. After many months—often years—of working on a book, the launch party is the moment to celebrate the incredible achievement of authorhood.

But here’s the thing: while a launch party can be fun and exciting, a successful party requires planning and execution. That’s why I’m so excited to get to share this week’s episode, a conversation with Virginia Frischkorn of Partytrick.

Virginia is the founder and CEO of Partytrick, a tech platform built to disrupt the event industry, helping to make planning and executing highly curated events accessible and convenient for everyone. Throughout her fourteen-year career in the event industry, she has gained prestige among her peers as one of the top event planners in the country, including being named best wedding planner by Vogue, Brides, and Over the Moon.

Get to know Virginia: 

I’ve been in the publishing industry for more than thirteen years. And while I don’t claim expertise as a publisher—I anchor heavily to the writing side of the industry—I’ve been around long enough and seen enough to know things are not as they should be.

In 2020, I was cautiously optimistic that things might change. As racial protests broke out across the country, big publishers sought out more voices of color. But it turned out that they were offering these voices a fraction of what their white counterparts made. The hashtag #publishingpaidme went viral as authors began sharing numbers. The discrepancies were shocking. One white author, for example, shared her $400,000 advance as a relatively unknown first-time author; a black author who had won a National Book Award shared how she had to fight for a $100,000 advance.

To put this into perspective, most authors only pocket about one-third of their advances after taxes and expected marketing expenses. A book can take a year or more to write. A net gain of $30,000 isn’t much, especially for a proven author.

Compound that with an assessment by The New York Times. After reviewing fiction books published by major publishers between 1950 and 2018, they found that 95 percent were written by white authors.

Things have gotten better, but they’re nowhere near equitable. More in this week’s episode.

Research references:

In this week’s podcast episode, I share an update on our life here and what we’re thinking through as the kids get older. I talk through some of the cons of living in the Algarve and the pros of the life we lead. I talk through the balance we’ve been able to achieve here and how intertwined our everyday life is with nature. And I share the challenges we’re facing as we consider life beyond our kids’ elementary school years.

We love our life here—but will it be enough for us in the long term? Listen in this week as I share where we are and what we’re exploring next.

Jeffrey is often described as an advocate for self-employed business owners. His journey began with selling eggs door-to-door at fourteen years old to becoming one of the most sought-after portrait photographers for affluent families in the U.S. in his twenties, a business he ran for more than three decades.

Today, Jeffrey is an author, the host of The Self-Employed Life podcast with nearly two-million downloads, and the founder of the Self-Employed Business Institute.

In this episode, we talk about the journey of self-employment and why he doesn’t love the term “solopreneur.” We also dig into marketing strategies for attracting ideal clients, including his Hug Marketing method.

This is a fun conversation about the joys and hardships of self-employment, the challenges business owners face, and how to build a business you love.

Get to know Jeffrey:

Amy Mangueira experienced the full range of life’s wild ride, all the way to rock bottom, when she hit such extreme burnout that she permanently lost hearing in her left ear. On the pod this week, we talk about what led her to this moment—and what she’s done to find her way back to balance.

Amy is a 4x entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker on a mission to rid the world of burnout. Amy’s goal is education and coaching women to find balance in their careers and live by putting themselves first.

In this episode, we discuss how Americans are conditioned for “grind mode,” a hustle-til-you-have-a-breakdown mindset that keeps many people exhausted and dissatisfied with their lives. She shares how she took steps to break free from burnout and rebuild her life—and offers ideas for how you can do the same.

Get to know Amy:

Looking to build a platform to establish yourself as a thought leader? I've got you covered. This week's solo episode dives deeply into both the experience of building one (mine) and nine practical steps to build yours.

Whether you're an aspiring or published author, entrepreneur, or looking to build a powerful personal brand, this episode is for you. Best of all, I’ve created a free, detailed guide to walk you through each of the steps.

Jovelle Fernandez is the author of The Expat. She’s also an obstetrician gynecologist with a subspecialty in reproductive endocrinology, infertility, and oncology, as well as a multi-award-winning and highly respected health care executive.

In this conversation, we talk about her unique experiences of an expatriate, including various challenges living and working as a foreigner in academia in a male-dominated society and in the corporate world, while juggling the demands of work and family as a wife and mother. She shares her advice for getting out of your comfort zone and becoming the best version of yourself.

We also discuss her book-writing journey and why the experience of writing was deeply meaningful for her. She shares how she grew through her author journey and why everyone should write a book. If you’ve ever dreamed of living abroad, writing a book, or following another big dream, don’t miss this episode.

Connect with Jovelle:

This week, I’m answering some of my guests’ latest questions about the book-writing process. From refining and clarifying your book idea to how to properly cite others’ work, this episode is highly practical. I also discuss some behind the scenes about ghostwriting, including different ways you can engage a ghostwriter and how I structure fees.

Show notes:

In this episode, we talk through how to transplant your career—essentially, how to do the same thing you’re doing now, but in another area. We discuss practical steps to move abroad, how to set expectations, and the mindset needed to successfully move to another country. We also cover Vanessa’s fifteen income streams (!) and how she is working hard now to secure her financial future.

Vanessa and I are in different life stages. She’s younger than I, without kids, and in the phase of hustle and build. I remember so well the stage of building, and I love that while Vanessa is able to bring a different perspective than I have, we connect on so many aspects of this beautiful, challenging, wild, unpredictable, amazing life that is location independence.

If you’ve ever dreamt of living abroad, this is your episode.

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In this podcast episode, I speak with Plottr’s founder, Cameron Sutter, and education lead, Troy Lambert, about their powerful outlining software.

I am a planner. I build a vision, strategy, and tactical plan for nearly everything I do. And that includes book writing. In my own work, I create detailed book outlines. And in my self-study book-writing program, I spend the first four lessons teaching aspiring authors how to outline a powerful nonfiction book. That’s why I get excited about tools like Plottr.

For professional writers and editors, Plottr could be a game changer for client communication—aiding in showing versus explaining a writing or editing plan. Plottr can also be a helpful diagnostic tool for self-editing. If you’ve struggled with book outlining, or if you’re following my system and want to bring your sticky notes into a digital format, don’t miss this episode.

Learn more about Plottr:

This week, I’m sharing a conversation with adventure coach and Nonfiction Book School alum Mike Green.

Mike is currently living his dream life leading Alaskan Leadership adventures. He says his life today in large part is a direct result of writing and publishing his book, Wandermust: A Hero’s Journey to Seven Truths.

In this episode, we talk about the ways publishing Mike’s book positively impacted his life, including helping him step into who he is as a leadership coach and solidifying his message to the world. We also cover roadblocks he encountered throughout the writing process and his experience in my accelerated author program, Nonfiction Book School.

I’m excited to share a conversation on my podcast with an individual who has had a profound impact on my career: Tim Vandehey. =

Tim is a friend and business mentor—not to mention a renowned writer. A freelance writer since 1995, he is an award-winning New York Times best-selling ghostwriter of more than sixty-five nonfiction books.

In this week’s episode, we talk about why we humans are notoriously awful at finishing projects and what we can do about it. We discuss how we’ve each been able to tackle and complete big projects—you know, like writing dozens of books—and share practical strategies to get things done. Plus, we talk about the business of ghostwriting and share insider tips for writers looking to succeed in the field.

Learn More About Tim:

Not only is Misty a dear friend, but she’s also a lighthouse for women around the world. We recently hosted a conversation live on LinkedIn that ended up being so powerful I had to share it again on my podcast. It’s short—about twenty minutes—and so inspiring.

Listen to this week’s episode on how to set yourself up as an expert.

In our conversation, we also talk about the transition from expert to thought leader and how to fully step into your powerful purpose.

Learn more about Misty:

This week, I’m joined by parenting and confidence coach, May Lam Rocco. May is an author, entrepreneur, businesswoman, and former Nonfiction Book School student who recently released her memoir, Confi-Dance: Memoirs of an Asian Businesswoman’s Journey from a Traditional Upbringing into Unconditional Love. Her book has been endorsed by the former president of Gucci China; the speaker-elect of the US House of Representatives; and my friend and coauthor, Ron Price, president of TTI Success Insights.

During her time in Nonfiction Book School, May went from thinking her memoir was meant for an audience of one—her son—to realizing that her book had a significant role in fulfilling her newfound purpose of helping other people up-level their confidence in business, parenting, and life.

Join us as we talk writing, publishing, social media, traveling, and much more.

Connect with May:

This week, I’m joined by Shaheen Shamavati, a fellow US expat and business owner living in Malaga, Spain. Shaheen is CEO and Founder of Vera Content and is a multilingual context expert, managing global social media and marketing channels for international brands.

I met Shaheen through an entrepreneurship group I’m part of and instantly connected with her. Not only is she a smart business leader, but she’s also chosen to build a unique life in Spain, where she lives with her family and co-leads a remote team.

In this episode, we discuss building an unconventional life, family, and business abroad—and the challenges and joys of being an expat business owner.

We also dig into her area of expertise: global social media and content marketing channels. She shares advice for showing up with consistency and tips for scaling a truly global brand.

Learn more about Shaheen:

At least once a week, but often more frequently, I get questions on all things Portugal. They range from how we afford our life to how we do schooling to why we would choose to leave everything we know in pursuit of an unknown life abroad. This week, I am digging into the looooong list of questions to . . . well, answer them.

In this episode, I dive into more of the visa and legal specifics, digging into some of the steps we researched to make this move, things to consider, and lessons learned along the way. I also share some behind the scenes of our lives here and why it’s a wonderful fit for our family.

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Many aspiring writers want to be able to make a living as a writer. But how in the world does someone go from dreaming to doing the thing?

This week, I’ve got answers for you. Along with sharing my own experience in nonfiction, I’m joined by novelist Mindy McGinnis to share her journey on the fiction side.

Mindy is an Edgar Award-winning novelist who writes across multiple genres, including post-apocalyptic, historical, thriller, contemporary, mystery, and fantasy. Her experience has not always been rosy, and, as you’ll learn in this frank and open discussion, she has experienced hardships along the way to make her dream happen. But she’s done it—she’s doing it—and she shares some of the behind-the-scenes of a novelist living the dream.

I also share insights from my world of nonfiction and offer insights for nonfiction authors who are writing books connected to a bigger purpose. We also dig into marketing and social media, and Mindy shares what she does to attract new readers and book paid speaking gigs.

At least once a week, but often more frequently, I get questions on all things Portugal. They range from how we afford our life to how we do schooling to why we would choose to leave everything we know in pursuit of an unknown life abroad. This week, I am digging into the looooong list of questions to . . . well, answer them.

In this episode, I answer questions on why we chose to move, how we selected schools, what it’s like to live in a different country, how learning the language is going, and much more. If you’re thinking of moving abroad—maybe even to Portugal—or you’re just curious about our life here, this episode is for you.

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Ghostwriting has been made more visible recently with Prince Harry’s writer, J. R. Moehringer. But the practice has been around long before the prince’s memoir—and is utilized by people other than princes.

In fact, an estimated 60 percent of all nonfiction books and 70 percent on the New York Time’s best-seller list are ghostwritten.

In this episode, I am demystifying all things ghostwriting with writer, developmental editor, and book coach Robin Bethel. This episode is like listening in to two ghostwriters talking shop, trading notes, and discussing the many misconceptions about our craft.

Not only do we dive into a detailed discussion of how ghostwriting works, why someone might hire one, and our approach to the craft, but we also talk dollar bills. As in: How much will this cost you?

Ghostwriting is not only a powerful process but also a smart investment for entrepreneurs, CEOs, consultants, coaches, and people who want to uncover their unique story and message to make an impact. We discuss how to create a “shelf stable” book that becomes a business sustainability tool—and how to engage fully in the process with a ghostwriter to uncover new insights about yourself and your business.

This is a detailed, fun, and insightful episode.

Learn more about Robin

Last year, I hosted an alumni celebration for graduates of my program, Nonfiction Book School. As part of the event, I asked past students to share their stories. And—wow—I was so inspired! I knew I had to share their stories with you too.

This week, I’m sharing a live Facebook broadcast with five authors discussing how they accomplished their goal of authorhood. Don’t miss this inspiring episode!

Some themes: courage, action, discipline. Believe in your big vision. Commit to your goal. Show up and do the work.

No matter where you are on your author journey, I know this episode will inspire you to take action just like these five phenomenal authors. Don’t miss this episode!

Many aspiring authors anchor to one thing early in the book-writing process—often before they’ve even written a word: potential book sales. They do the math: how many books will I have to sell to make back my investment (time and money)?

But that’s a false equation, because the true ROI of a book isn’t as simple as calculating the number of books sold by your author royalty per book. In fact, the greatest benefits are harder to measure—but can equate to tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of opportunities. This week, I explore the true internal and external ROI of writing a book, including speaking engagements, media attention, a steady stream of inbound clients, new career opportunities, or stepping into your “next level” professionally—whatever that may be for you.

Answers to your burning questions on all things writing, publishing, platform, and more—part 2!

I often say that entering the world of publishing is like learning a new language.

I should know. I’ve tried to learn Spanish, Vietnamese, Thai, and Portuguese. And I’ve only been successful at near-fluency in one so far! (Portuguese is also coming along. Slowly.)

First, you embark on a project to achieve one of the hardest goals out there: write a book. Not only do you need to learn the skill of writing a book, but you need to show up with discipline and consistency to actually get it done. Then, you have to navigate self-editing, professional editing, and the publishing process (which has its own language!). Meanwhile, you need to build an author platform and put together a launch plan so your book doesn’t do a not-so-graceful flop on release day.

It’s a lot. But I’ve got you.

Show notes:

Joseph Perry is a publishing attorney and literary agent. As an attorney, Joseph counsels clients in the publishing industry, where he drafts and negotiates various publishing agreements, gives legal reads of manuscripts, registers copyrights, and helps authors start their own publishing companies. As an agent, he represents best-selling cookbook authors, athletes, musicians, journalists, influencers, academics, and more.

In this episode, we discuss the difference between a publishing attorney and a literary agent, when someone might need a publishing attorney, how authors can better protect themselves in publishing negotiations, what to consider when assessing which publishing route is the right fit for you, and tips for getting represented by a literary agent.

This week, I’m answering your burning questions on all things writing, publishing, platform, and more.

I often say that entering the world of publishing is like learning a new language.

I should know. I’ve tried to learn Spanish, Vietnamese, Thai, and Portuguese. And I’ve only been successful at near-fluency in one so far! (Portuguese is also coming along. Slowly.)

First, you embark on a project to achieve one of the hardest goals out there: write a book. Not only do you need to learn the skill of writing a book, but you need to show up with discipline and consistency to actually get it done. Then, you have to navigate self-editing, professional editing, and the publishing process (which has its own language!). Meanwhile, you need to build an author platform and put together a launch plan so your book doesn’t do a not-so-graceful flop on release day.

It’s a lot. But I’ve got you.

Show notes:

This week, I’m joined by author David Morales. His book, American Familia: A Memoir of Perseverance, was released in February 2022 and already has dozens of five-star reviews and has impacted readers across the US and beyond.

In this conversation, David shares the inspiration behind the book and his larger vision of impact, including the work he’s doing through Ahora Inc., a nonprofit organization he cofounded with his wife, Samanda Morales, focused on increasing economic mobility and empowering individuals and families to gain financial freedom. We discuss how two qualities, self-agency and critical thinking, helped him overcome both rural and urban poverty to become the person he is today. He also delves into how he navigated publishing a vulnerable memoir while working as a high-level executive in the health care industry.

If you’re an aspiring author on the journey to impact, David’s insights about his own author journey will inspire you to take action.

Learn more and connect with David:

This short and sweet episode details my plans for season 4 (!!!) of this podcast.

I need your support to reach more listeners. Please rate and review this show—and share with a friend!

Meet Amy Lafko, a client who has seen great success—both with her book and her business—after the publication of her best-selling book, People First: A Proven Method for an Exceptional Healthcare Practice. While surprised at becoming an author, Amy’s love for People First concepts drove her to writing a book that she loves. It has elevated her keynote career and shaped the work she does with clients.

In this conversation, Amy shares about her author journey before and after publishing her book, and shares wise advice for any authors on the same journey.

In this episode, we cover:

• What the journey of authorhood has been like and what she’s learned
• How her book has been a catalyst for achieving her big vision
• Roadblocks she faced and how she overcame them
• What the publishing process was like for her
• Wisdom and practical advice for aspiring authors

Get to know Amy:

As an expert in traditional publishing, Meghan Stevenson helps clients get the book deal of their dreams. She helps entrepreneurs and experts become published authors and has helped her clients earn more than $4 million from major publishers.

In this conversation, she explains the importance of the three p’s—potential, platform, proposal—when it comes to having the highest chance of success in getting a traditional book publishing deal.

In this episode, we cover:

• book marketability
• the difference between writing and writing a book
• how to establish the purpose and desired outcome of your book
• what an author platform is and how to build one

Get to know Meghan: