Summary: If you’ve been listening to this podcast for a while you will have heard me mention (more than a few times) the book that I’m currently writing. Well, here’s the real deal, I’m actually writing 3 books and a manifesto – with 5 more at the ready. Let’s just say that I’ve been a very busy lass creating meaningful work in my cozy little home in beautiful B.C.<br> <br> Having said that, I’m now going to confess to a little secret I’ve not wanted to face for the past little while. Up until recently, I’ve been dragging my feet on said writing projects for reasons unknown. If you know me, you’ll know that this is really out of character. After all, I’m an Ironman triathlete. I’m disciplined, dedicated, and never, ever bail on anything that I commit my heart to. Yes, I can be prone to procrastination (please tell me I’m not alone), but this was different. I couldn’t quite put my finger on the inner resistance that was holding me back until a post-interview conversation that I had with Chef AJ from podcast #49.<br> <br> After our recorded chat, we spoke candidly about many things such as writing, podcasting, and self publishing. The conversation opened my mind in ways that excited me beyond belief. In that one hour, my writing mojo was more was back – I was on fire!<br> <br> You see, last year I attended a fantastic writing retreat in California that was instrumental in leading me on the path that I’m on today. There was one thing that didn’t resonate with me however, and that was the constant talk of book deals, mainstream publishing, literary agents, platforms…yadda, yadda, yadda. I felt exhausted. Defeated. Drained. My body was clearly indicating to me that this was not my path, but my soul was telling me that I had to write. So what’s the deal?<br> <br> It wasn’t until my conversation with Chef AJ that I clearly saw the writing on the wall. I will write as directed by my soul and I will self publish as directed by my need to crush status quo. I will change the world, I will empower others, and I will be empowered myself. The end. Ta da!<br> <br> To be perfectly honest, the thought of building a platform, spending countless hours writing the book followed by countless more hours writing a proposal, then grovelling for an agent to pimp me out to a judgmental publisher so I can be rejected umpteen times before finally being accepted only to be told that I have to wait another year to be published so that I can earn a pittance for every book sold as the world goes to hell in a hand-basket…was not very motivating. But I didn’t know much else other than the sad stories I’d heard about unknown authors printing hordes of books with nowhere to store them only to place them in the trunks of their cars as they desperately tried to peddle them to bookstores that weren’t interested. It all sounded so crappy.<br> <br> But Chef AJ – my savior – inspired me to explore the world of self publishing. This led to hours of online searching for legitimate resources to point me in the right direction…heck, why not just blurt it out – to hold my hand. Yes, I definitely needed hand holding in this unknown domain.<br> <br> And this is where this week’s podcast guest enters the story. When I “stumbled on” (ha, there are no accidents)Joanna Penn’s website, I began to vibrate with excitement. I was immediately impressed. Blog post after blog post filled with exactly the hand-holding guidance that I was hungry for. A woman whose desire to serve shone like a beacon in a sea of sales pitches and false promises. I knew I had to have her on this podcast to spread her plethora of wisdom even further.<br> <br> Not only is Joanna incredibly generous with her knowledge, she’s a true status quo crusher. She left a high paying, soul sucking corporate career to unleash the author within. Joanna has two writing persona’s – the non-fiction author who helps people like myself to navigate the exciting and ever expanding world...
