Have you ever wondered how best-selling authors and media icons write so many books? What is their process like? What marketing strategies do they use to get their book into readers’ hands?

This week, I’m excited to welcome back Farnoosh Torabi, one of America’s leading personal finance authorities. In this candid discussion, she shares behind the scenes on her author journey writing four books across fifteen years, including support along the way and her publishing journey. Bring your pen and paper to this one, because you’ll want to take notes!

Farnoosh is a multi-best-selling author, former CNBC host and creator of the Webby-nominated podcast So Money. Her most recent book is A Healthy State of Panic: Follow Your Fears to Build Wealth, Crush Your Career and Win at Life. Her award-winning and critically acclaimed podcast has surpassed 25 million downloads, thanks to its one-of-a-kind interviews and deep conversations about money. The New York Times calls her advice, “perfectly practical.”

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Listen to a short and sweet message from me to you, sharing a holiday message and a sneak peek into the new year. I share a bit about what we’re working on for authors (so excited!) and what I’m looking forward to both in business and life here in Portugal.

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Along with supporting our team on all things words, and fixing all my typos in my newsletter every week, Kim is a masterful book editor and writer. In this episode, we discuss:

Kim’s clients include business owners, thought leaders, and industry professionals, many of whom are first-time authors and new to sharing their ideas with the world. She is an expert in various genres of nonfiction, including business, self-help, faith-based, memoir, and academic works.

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This week’s guest is a dear friend of mine I connected with on a shared mission of entrepreneurship for social good. Vanita Badlani’s passion for vegetarianism and fashion led her to address a gap she found in the fashion industry—making high-quality products that were not only beautiful and vied for but were also cruelty-free and sustainable while being accessible.

Join us as we discuss driving change in the fashion industry through sustainable innovation and delivering excellence in an ethical way—and how consumers can be discerning when purchasing products labeled as “ethical.”

Vanita Badlani is a sustainability warrior and impact entrepreneur, leading LaBante London, a luxury vegan accessories brand dedicated to ethical fashion and environmental stewardship, to promote the power of conscious consumerism.

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As a child, my dream was to have a career in books—a desire most writers share. This week’s guest on Beyond Better, Dwight Garner, gets to live that dream every day as a book critic for The New York Times.

In this delightful conversation, we talk about Garner’s latest book, The Upstairs Delicatessen. This smart, thoughtful book about reading and eating had me laughing out loud and reaching for a snack. We also discuss his writing and research process, as well as his role as a book critic. And as you might expect, I ask about his writing process, including how he balances writing with a demanding job at The Times.

Alongside book-related talk, we explore the role of food in family connection—and he answers a special question from my eleven-year-old daughter. 

If you love reading, writing, and eating—and listening to two book lovers talk about these topics—don’t miss this week’s episode. 

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Many people have an unrealistic idea of self-care as bubble baths and expensive shopping sprees. These can be quick fixes, but they aren’t what truly nourishes us. My conversation with Amber Wardell explores what healthy self-care is all about, which includes confronting self-limiting behaviors and beliefs, challenging our inner demons, and pushing past our comfort zone.

Amber walks us through her own journey, confronting traditional beliefs about settling for what life gives, challenging the notion of reaching for the toxic, unhealthy “potato chips” that are offered by our quick-fix culture. And of course, we talk about how her pursuit of healthy self-care impacted her book-writing journey, including a few tips for aspiring authors.

Amber Wardell is a doctor of cognitive psychology and author of the upcoming book Self-Care Potato Chips: Choosing Nourishing Self-Care in a Quick-Fix Culture. She is also a contributor for Psychology Today where she writes about contemporary feminism, and runs a blog where she tackles topics related to marriage, motherhood, and mental health.

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Here’s part two answering your questions after my recent Katie Couric Media piece. In this episode, I answer a few more questions:

If you’ve ever considered moving abroad, don’t miss this week’s episode!

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After my recent Katie Couric Media piece, I received so many questions about life in Portugal—wow! In this episode, I answer a few of the questions:

Tune in next week for part 2 on taxes, citizenship, and how we picked where we live.

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Bill Gates does a Think Week every year, and I do something similar: Dream Week.

In this episode, I walk through my Dream Week plan and talk you through what I’m doing this year to dream and strategize for 2025. I also share some of the challenges I ran into with this year’s Dream Week, and my plans for later in the month, when I travel to London for another layer of thinking and planning for the year ahead.

Do you do a Dream Week or set aside time for thinking and planning for the next year? Tell me about it in the comments of this week’s episode.

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The moment I met this week’s guest, Ingrid Hu Dahl, I knew we’d create something beautiful together. She was working on a memoir about identity, loss, and living her truth, and needed a coach to walk the author journey with her. Spoiler: it was me. Her beautifully written book comes out next year.

In this episode, we discuss her story growing up mixed-race, including her rock background and current work as the founder and CEO of her coaching and consulting business, specializing in leadership and inclusion, and life transitions. She also shares about her author journey and how she navigated sharing a highly personal story alongside her work as a leadership coach and speaker. And we talk about owning the stage, including some practical tips to show up as your authentic self in front of hundreds of people.

Ingrid’s career journey includes leadership roles at Meta, Gap Inc, Capital One, KQED, and several nonprofit organizations. She is a TEDx speaker; a founding member of the Willie Mae Rock Camp for girls in Brooklyn, NYC; has performed in multiple touring bands; and has written, filmed, and directed two short films on identity and mixed-race experiences. Her memoir, Sun Shining on the Morning Snow, will be published in May 2025 by Page Two Publishing.

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