What is staying invisible really costing you?

In this episode of Beyond the Draft, Imma sits down with Ange Dove, The Unchained Coach, copywriting expert, personal brand strategist, entrepreneur, and founder of one of Singapore's longest-standing copywriting agencies.

After spending years helping other people find their voice, Ange realized she had been hiding behind her own business. She eventually broke free, took her business fully online, dramatically reduced her overhead, and built a business designed around freedom and lifestyle.

We talk about personal branding, visibility, confidence, copywriting, Gen X entrepreneurship, and why experienced professionals can no longer afford to hide behind their expertise.

Ange shares what it really means to become unchained, unapologetic, and unstoppable—and how entrepreneurs can turn their experience into authority, visibility, and business growth.

Connect with Ange:

🌐 Website⁠

💼 LinkedIn⁠

Authority Accelerator⁠

sg.linkedin.com

Is there a book inside you—or is your ego simply telling you there should be?

In this episode of Beyond the Draft, we sit down with Dr. Judith Briles, bestselling author of 49 books, book publishing expert, mentor, and founder of The Book Shepherd.

With more than one million books sold, over 70 book awards, and decades of experience helping authors succeed, Judith shares the truth about writing, publishing, marketing, and building a successful author platform.

We explore publishing mistakes, publishing predators, self-publishing versus traditional publishing, finding your voice, and how to create a book you will never regret.

Connect with Judith:

The Book Shepherd⁠

What does it take to keep moving when life keeps testing you?

In this episode of Beyond the Draft, Imma welcomes Ryan Reichert, professional speaker, mindset trainer, executive coach, bestselling author, and retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel.

Ryan served 23 years in the U.S. Army, including 42 months in combat, before transitioning into Fortune 500 leadership and eventually building a career centered on mindset, purpose, faith, and transformation.

But his story isn't only about military leadership or professional success. Ryan openly shares his journey through alcohol addiction, recovery, divorce, personal challenges, and the experiences that shaped his "never quit" mentality.

We explore faith, emotional intelligence, leadership, limiting beliefs, recovery, purpose, and what it means to turn painful seasons into opportunities for transformation.

Ryan's mission through Our Protector Development is simple: help people restore hope, unlock their potential, and move toward meaningful change.

Connect with Ryan:

🌐 Our Protector Development⁠

💼 LinkedIn: Ryan Reichert

📘 Facebook: Ryan Reichert

📸 Instagram: Ryan Reichert

🎵 TikTok: Ryan Reichert

𝕏 X/Twitter: Ryan Reichert

What do you do when the dream you've spent years chasing starts to feel impossible?

In this episode of Beyond the Draft, we sit down with Greig Watts, bestselling author, songwriter, publisher, music producer, mentor, and A&R professional.

Greig shares his incredible journey from discovering songwriting in the 1980s to building an internationally successful songwriting and publishing team, working across Japan, Korea, and Eurovision.

We talk about rejection, persistence, the music business, finding your niche, neurodivergent creatives, building the right team, and why talent alone isn't enough.

At the heart of the conversation is a powerful message: your dream isn't dead—it may simply need you to keep showing up.

Connect with Greig:

Greig Watts's Website⁠

What separates a writer who publishes one book from an author who builds a lasting career?

Lana McAra is an award-winning, international bestselling author and ghostwriter of more than 50 books with over one million copies sold. Founder of Vendela Publishing, she's spent more than two decades teaching fiction writing and helping authors build long-term careers that reach readers beyond the algorithm.

In this episode, Lana shares the three foundations career authors rely on to build momentum and sustain success book after book, why so many good books simply don't sell, and what it actually takes to turn individual titles into a lasting body of work. She also opens up about rebuilding her own career and life at 52, with nothing but grit to start over.

What We Talked About:

1. The three foundations of building a long-term writing career
2. Why good books don't always sell, and what pros do differently
3. Creating a legacy through a body of work, not just one book
4. Building a genuine fan following and support network
5. Alternatives to Amazon-only publishing paths
6. Rebuilding her career and life at 52

Connect with Lana McAra:

Website: lanamcara.com

Book Health Check: vendelapublishing.com

Podcast: In The Writers Chair

Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn & Substack: linked on her prof

Every company has a conference room quietly bleeding hundreds of hours a month, and almost nobody notices until someone actually goes looking for it.

Dan Kurtz has spent twenty years in digital marketing, working across Fortune 50 companies, Microsoft, Nielsen, and scrappy startups. In 2018, he discovered five graphic designers each losing 40 hours a month to manual busywork, 200 hours gone, fixed with a $300-a-year tool. That discovery became the foundation for Miss Pepper AI, where he now helps companies find their hidden hours and automate the work that shouldn't require a human.

In this episode, Dan walks through the conference room moment that changed his career, explains what he calls the "40-Hour Month" and why almost nobody in a company ever notices it happening, and breaks down why he believes automation is meant to free your team, not replace it. He also shares his rule that roughly 85% of work can be automated, while 15% has to stay human, and how leaders can figure out which is which.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

1. The conference room discovery that changed his entire approach
2. What the "40-Hour Month" is and why it hides in plain sight
3. Why "that's just how we do it" is the most expensive sentence in business
4. Why automation should free your team, not replace it
5. The 85/15 rule for what should and shouldn't be automated
6. The first step any business owner should take this week

CONNECT WITH DAN KURTZ:

Website: (linked on his profile)

LinkedIn: linked on his profile

What if the book you're pouring months into isn't actually the book your business needs?

Ally Machate is the founder and CEO of The Writer's Ally, a bestselling author and publishing consultant who has led serious authors toward success since 1999. With a background as a "Big Five" editor at Simon & Schuster, she's built a career helping nonfiction authors write strategic, high-quality books that actually serve their business goals, not just sit on a shelf.

In this episode, Ally shares what she learned inside traditional publishing about what makes a book marketable, why so many brilliant experts pour time and money into books that never serve their goals, and what it actually means to write the "right" book. She also breaks down the three paths to publication and why book sales shouldn't always be the goal.

What We Talked About:

1. What she learned about marketable books at Simon & Schuster
2. Why "a good book" isn't the same as the right book
3. How to avoid writing the wrong book for your business
4. The three paths to publication, and which one fits you
5. Why book sales aren't always the right goal
6. Choosing the right team to bring a book to life

Connect with Ally Machate:

Website: thewritersally.com

Facebook & LinkedIn: linked on her profile

What does decades of crisis PR work teach you about writing a mystery novel that actually keeps readers guessing?

John David is a longtime public relations and crisis communications consultant, corporate ghostwriter, and debut novelist. His first novel, The Bystander, won the 2025 Page Turner Award for Mysteries and was named one of the Best Thrillers of 2025 by BestThrillers.com. The story follows a TV reporter who captures a viral, high-stakes shooting on camera, only to discover the truth is far more complicated than it first appears.

In this episode, John shares his path from crisis communications and corporate ghostwriting to writing commercial fiction, how pop culture, sports, and politics shape his creative process, and what he's learned navigating literary agents, small presses, and the publishing world as a debut novelist. He also breaks down the real differences between traditional, self, and hybrid publishing.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

1. From crisis communications consultant to debut novelist
2. The real story behind writing The Bystander
3. How pop culture, sports, and politics influence his creative output
4. Finding a literary agent and securing a small press deal
5. Traditional vs. self-publishing vs. hybrid presses
6. Current trends in entertainment from an author's perspective

CONNECT WITH JOHN DAVID:

Website: ByJohnDavid.com

Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok & Substack: linked on his profile

What happens when a bestselling author, by every outward measure successful, realizes she's lost the person who set out to become one in the first place?

Nina Amir is the Inspiration to Creation Coach, an Amazon bestselling hybrid author with 20 books on the Amazon Top 100 list. After 15 years of chasing publishing industry success, she found herself empty and disconnected, until a friend asked her over lunch, "What happened to Nina, the Nina I used to know?" That question became the turning point that led to her newest book, Change the World One Book at a Time.

In this episode, Nina shares the moment she realized she'd lost herself while trying to meet everyone else's expectations, how personal and spiritual growth turned out to be inseparable in her own journey back, and what it actually means to write for change instead of for approval. She also breaks down what stops most people from achieving their goals, and how to know what you're truly committed to.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

1. The lunch conversation that changed everything
2. Losing herself while chasing external publishing success
3. Why personal growth and spiritual growth are deeply connected
4. What it means to become an "Author of Change"
5. What stops most people from achieving their goals
6. Living a life and career that feeds your soul

CONNECT WITH NINA AMIR:

Website: ninaamir.com

Free strategy session: ninaamir.as.me/15-min-strategy-session

What does it really mean to go out and live when life has tested you in ways you never expected?

In this powerful episode of Beyond the Draft, I sit down with Jonathan Brandt, cancer survivor, health coach, personal trainer, holistic nutritionist, and host of the GoOutLiving Podcast.

Jonathan shares his journey through cancer, the lessons he and his late wife Kristie learned while navigating illness and recovery, and how their commitment to a healthier, more intentional life became the foundation of the GoOutLiving movement.

We talk about taking an active role in your health, building better habits, the importance of community, finding purpose after loss, and how Jonathan continues to carry Kristie's story and legacy forward.

This is a conversation about health, resilience, grief, purpose, and choosing to live fully—even when life doesn't go according to plan.

CONNECT WITH JONATHAN

Website: https://brandtperformance.com/

GoOutLiving Community: https://www.skool.com/gooutliving

Find Jonathan on Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok through his website.

If this episode speaks to you, share it with someone who needs a reminder to keep going—and keep living.