How Women Write

An Author-Entrepreneur's Journey with Jodi Brandon

I'm excited for you to meet Jodi Brandon. We connected in person years ago, and she's one of my favorite humans in the book world.

If you want to DIY your book writing, self-publishing, and marketing, Jodi literally wrote the book on the topic.

With more than 20 years of experience in book publishing and editing, she's helped 850+ business owners, CEOs, and leaders bring books to life.

One of my favorite things about Jodi's writing is her clear, direct, and no-fluff advice for business owners who want to write a book. She just released the third edition of Write. Publish. Market, which is THE go-to guide for business owners who want to get a book out into the world.

What you'll learn about today:

• Why a book is a living thing. If you're worried about publishing your book and then wanting to make changes — whether driven by your industry or a fresh opinion … simply create a new edition.

• How to leave margin in your schedule for inevitable life events — and STILL finish your book.

• Jodi's "line in the sand" regarding the responsible use of AI in book creation and the importance of copyright.

• What a realistic writing process looks like for busy entrepreneurs — we're not writing for eight hours a day.

• Smart ways to track your personal productivity data to create a book-writing schedule that works for you.

• Strategies for overcoming roadblocks, including how Jodi dealt with early perfectionism.

If you're a CEO, entrepreneur, or leader who wants to write a book and a little nervous about the commitment — Jodi has the most encouraging words for you. (Really, I love this so much!)

This episode is a must-listen for any entrepreneur ready to demystify the process of becoming an author and publishing a book that grows their business.

Timestamps:

00:00 Meet Jodi Brandon, Book Publishing Strategist & Coach

02:05 Celebrating Wins and Book Editions

03:05 Challenges and Successes in Self-Publishing

05:07 Realistic Writing Schedules for Entrepreneurs

10:23 AI in Book Writing and Publishing

13:41 Jodi's Writing Process

20:06 The Importance of Copy Editing

21:18 Marketing Your Own Nonfiction Book

22:53 Brain Dump Techniques

24:58 Early Writing Memories

26:47 Overcoming Perfectionism

31:10 Advice for Aspiring Authors

34:17 Writing and Editing Rituals

36:48 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Connect with Jodi Brandon:

Jodi Brandon is a book publishing strategist and coach for business owners and leaders, and the founder of Jodi Brandon Editorial. Jodi has used her 20+ years experience in book publishing to partner with 850+ business owners, leaders, and CEOs to write, publish, and market a book to use as a marketing asset within their business ecosystem. She is the author of Write.Publish.Market., 3rd Edition, and the host of the Write Publish Market podcast.

• Jodi Brandon Editorial Website

• Write Publish Market Podcast

• Jodi Brandon's Book

• Jodi Brandon Editorial Instagram

• Jodi Brandon Editorial LinkedIn

Connect with Jacqueline Fisch:

• Substack: Energy-First Writing

• Book Coaching

• LinkedIn

• Instagram

Writing as a Life Craft: Dissolving Blocks by Embracing Self-Improvement What could be blocking your writing?

Chances are, it's not actually the classic "writer's block" or surface-level worries about grammar and word count. The real barriers often run deeper — unconscious baggage from academic or corporate conditioning (sometimes both) that may have taught you to write to "prove" something or follow a set of rigid, often unwritten, rules.

I share my journey of unlearning 13 years of corporate communication habits, including three layoffs that forced me to question my professional identity.

In the online space, genuine curiosity is everything. Your readers are not your bosses. They value curiosity, vulnerability, and your unique perspective.

The episode challenges you to answer some tough questions, like:

• Are you writing for your critics or your fans?

• Are you seeking validation or writing for the joy of the craft?

Writing is so much more than just a skill; it's actually a "life craft," intimately tied to healing and personal transformation.

Maybe the part I love the most: By clearing blocks to living, the writing blocks dissolve.

I encourage listening to my inner voice, surrendering to the words that want to come through, and trusting that my craft improves simply by showing up.

Listen to your inner voice, surrender to the words that want to come through, and trust that your craft improves simply by showing up.

Key Takeaways:

• Your perceived writing "blocks" could be wrapped up in your former identities. The surface-level worries (grammar, length, frequency) may be masking deeper blocks related to academic/corporate conditioning, the fear of "doing it wrong," and a need to fit into expectations.

• There's no need to have every piece of writing first into a tidy lesson. As long as you write from the scar, not the wound, sharing your story is powerful and grounding.

• Know who you're really writing for. Are you writing for the approval of former teachers, bosses, or critics, or for the connection with your actual readers who want to hear from you?

• In authentic writing, the goal is for the reader to know your perspective, feel less alone, and connect, not just to sell them something.

• Writing is a LIFE craft, and seeing it as a continuous path of self-improvement and healing dissolves creative blocks and removes the pressure of proving you're a "great writer."

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to How Women Write

00:28 Overcoming Writing Blocks

01:39 Personal Transformation Through Writing

03:39 Identity and Writing Challenges

04:16 Corporate and Academic Conditioning

06:11 Embracing Your Authentic Writing Voice

06:32 The Role of Editors

07:15 Writing for Yourself, Not Others

08:56 The Craft of Writing

18:30 Healing and Transformation Through Writing

22:33 Reflecting on Your Writing Journey

24:07 Redefining Your Writing Identity

25:10 Conclusion and Call to Action

I want to hear from you!

Email me and share in as few or as many words as you like: "Why do you write?" — hi (@) jacquelinefisch.com

Quick Links:

• Blog: 10 Lessons From Being Laid Off 3 Times in 5 Years

• The Intuitive Writing School Community

Connect with Jacqueline Fisch:

• Substack: Energy-First Writing

• Book Coaching

• LinkedIn

• Instagram

We're a week into November, and if you're participating in a writing challenge this month, I hope you're happily plugging away.

In this week's episode, I explore the reality of how writing projects confined to only one month out of the year typically unfold.

Now, if you're like many hopeful authors, you might feel the pressure to write during this month, spurred by challenges like NaNoWriMo.

The insights you'll hear today about just how EASY I know writing a book can be came from a meme. More than just good for a quick laugh, this one really helped energy-first, intuitive writing click for me.

Based on my observations from writing communities on Facebook (but really, I think they're more like echo chambers of complaining).

Writing isn't just a November affair; it can—and should—be a year-round endeavor. Not necessarily daily, but steady and consistent.

Many potential authors commiserate in these online groups because they believe that writing must be hard and painful, leading them to rush the process and confine it to just 30 days.

This fake urgency can translate into the energy we unconsciously infuse into our writing work, affecting how our readers perceive it.

My clients know that it's essential to enjoy the writing journey rather than just aiming for "done."

Key Takeaways:

• Writing is a year-round journey, and doesn't need to be confined to just one month a year.

• Enjoying the writing process is essential for producing engaging work (and for supporting YOU, the author).

• Rushing through writing projects can lead to a disconnect in energy and reader experience.

• Mindset shifts around the concept of time can help make writing a priority — flow, not force.

• Your writing life will naturally ebb and flow — and while consistency is key, daily writing isn't necessary.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to How Women Write

00:29 November Writing Challenges and Cringy Memes

01:27 The Reality of Writing Projects

03:18 Rethinking Writing Challenges

04:37 Reevaluating Your Relationship with Time and Writing

07:52 The Ease of Writing Like Reading

14:10 Writing from a Place of Truth

16:46 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Quick Links:

• Blog: The Ultimate NaNoWriMo Alternative: How To Create a Writing Habit this Fall Without Burning Out

• Quiet Coaching Signature Services: The Quantum Writing Accelerator

• The Intuitive Writing School Community

• Book: Unfussy Life: An Intuitive Approach to Navigating Change

• Book: Intuitive Writing: The Remedy for Writer's Block and the Secret to Authentic Communication

Connect with Jacqueline Fisch:

• Substack: Energy-First Writing

• LinkedIn

• Instagram

Working with Planetary Energy for a More Sustainable Writing Practice Want to hit your writing goals this November?

It's November, and maybe you're already a few thousand words into your latest manuscript … that is, if you're carrying on with a variation of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) since the popular challenge shut its doors earlier this year.

I understand the excitement — I used to participate myself.

The nonprofit officially closed its doors in March 2025 after inspiring writers for over 20 years (and possibly leaving many more feeling disheartened and frustrated).

Despite its popularity, though, NaNoWriMo doesn't boast many "winners." The completion rate has consistently been between 10-16% over the years, yet participation has steadily increased.

In today's episode, I share my experience with the writing challenge — the good, the bad, and the dusty.

If you're rolling along with a similar writing challenge this month, I also share some key insights to help you manage your energy and make progress on your latest writing project.

Key Takeaways:

• The key reasons writers end up feeling frustrated and uninspired with NaNoWriMo-style intense 30-day sprints.

• How intense writing challenges can lead to burnout and lower-quality writing, especially when they don't account for daily energy fluctuations, particularly among women with menstrual cycles.

• Easy ways you can work with your natural energy rhythm, combined with the moon, to create a more sustainable and fulfilling writing habit.

• If you end up feeling exhausted or scattered partway through the month, there's a key reason why — and it's not your fault.

• Discover a simple approach to help you create a sustainable writing practice this month that inspires your best writing yet.

• How joining a supportive writing community can provide accountability, inspiration, and a judgment-free space to develop your authentic voice.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to How Women Write Podcast

00:28 The Rise and Fall of NaNoWriMo

01:04 My NaNoWriMo Journey

02:34 Writing Challenges and Realizations

05:06 Energy and Writing: A New Approach

09:56 Astrological Insights for November Writing

21:30 Community and Support for Writers

23:27 Conclusion and Invitation to Join the Community

Quick Links:

• Blog: The Ultimate NaNoWriMo Alternative: How To Create a Writing Habit this Fall Without Burning Out

• Quiet Coaching Signature Services: The Quantum Writing Accelerator

• The Intuitive Writing School Community

Connect with Jacqueline Fisch:

• Substack: Energy-First Writing

• LinkedIn

• Instagram

There's No Trust Recession for The Quiet Writers

If you've been feeling pressure to perform in your business and to show up more often and louder than before on social media, you're not alone. I've fallen down the rabbit holes, too. Chasing views and likes, only to check the data and see the evidence — it doesn't drive my business and is leaking energy from where I can use it more effectively.

In this episode of How Women Write, I'm flipping the script. While some online experts talk about a "trust recession" in online business, I'm not buying it.

Hear how I've built a solid business in a decade. This isn't overnight success — it's experimentation, creativity, trying new things, and recommitting. I created a sustainable online business not by being the loudest voice, but by being calm and real.

You'll hear how I've learned to respond to my own inner stirrings to keep creating what truly excites me.

Hear about some key insights as I reflect on my journey — from management consulting to three-time author and intuitive writing coach.

This is about doing things your way (which might look different from the crowd), listening to what people need, and focusing your energy where it truly makes an impact.

Key takeaways:

• Why authenticity, genuine expression, and deep connection are a winning combination for the quiet writers.

• Real connection over relentless social media creation is fuel.

• Check your energy for where you might be writing social hooks and captions in your head instead of doing the deeper writing you're called to.

• The online voice to trust most isn't the loudest (or the one with the best dance moves).

• How aligning your writing process with nature's rhythms — the moon and your menstrual cycle (if you have one) makes writing feel like BLISS.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to How Women Write

00:52 The Pressure of Social Media Visibility

01:40 Challenging the Trust Recession Narrative

02:22 Experimenting with New Business Strategies

03:29 The Ineffectiveness of Social Media for Some Businesses

05:18 The Journey to Becoming a Full-Time Writer

07:50 Writing and Publishing Milestones

13:31 Reevaluating Social Media

16:22 Focusing on Energy and Authenticity

27:32 Conclusion and Invitation

Quick Links:

• Blog: The Ultimate NaNoWriMo Alternative: How To Create a Writing Habit this Fall Without Burning Out

• Blog & Video Lesson: How to Turn Your Blog Into a Book

• Substack: Humor & Healing from the Ground Up (the broken bone story)

• Missinglettr

• Quiet Coaching Signature Services: The Quantum Writing Accelerator

• The Intuitive Writing School Community

Connect with Jacqueline Fisch:

• Substack: Energy-First Writing

• Book Coaching

• LinkedIn

• Instagram

Surrender, Flow, and Divine Inspiration in Your Creative Process

In this episode, I share some simple insights on seeing your writing process as co-creating with God.

It's super simple, yet this is THE subtle shift in approaching your writing process that makes it feel infinitely easier to release the pressure of being the sole creator.

When I say co-creating with God, I'm referring to Divine energy, Jesus' light. You and I, we're simply vessels, bringing writing to life through us.

Surrendering to this process allows for light-filled, natural, and powerful creation.

Key Takeaways:

• Writing from the heart, co-creating with God (energy, universe, divine), takes pressure off as we are the vessel.

• Co-created writing is naturally light-filled, without forcing or proving.

• Let go of limiting beliefs about writing, bad teachers, grades, and old rules, especially for online and business writing.

• BE the person with finished work in your mind; your calm, peaceful, relaxed state is as important as what you write, and your body needs to feel safe.

• Notice nervous system responses in your writing process: fight (overworking, criticizing), flight (procrastinating, over-planning), freeze (overwhelmed, stuck), and fawn (people-pleasing, holding back truth).

• Stop editing while writing; start with one honest sentence, ignoring typos, writing as if you don't have a backspace button.

• There's no such thing as writer's block, only being full or empty.

• Share your words with the world, trusting the right people will read and experience transformation.

Writing is sacred, and I invite you to treat it with reference, as an honor.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to How Women Write

00:29 The Concept of Co-Creation in Writing

03:29 The Power of Words and Divine Inspiration

04:57 Six Steps to Co-Creation

05:10 Step 1: Release and Rewrite Old Stories

07:16 Step 2: Holy Embodiment

10:27 Step 3: Writing the Surrendered First Draft (SFD)

12:08 Step 4: Let the Draft Rest

12:49 Step 5: Surrendered Editing

13:51 Step 6: Release and Trust

14:18 The Role of AI in Writing

15:26 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Join The Intuitive Writing School Community

The Intuitive Writing School helps you write fast, honest, soul-led words by trusting your intuition—not the algorithms.

• What You'll Get:

  • 💫 Clarity & Confidence — finally trust your voice and write with ease, flow, and purpose.

  • 🪶 A Proven Intuitive Framework — simple, soulful tools to write without overthinking, forcing, or stressing.

  • 🌙 Energy-First Guidance — learn to write in sync with your cycles, astrology, and nature's rhythms.

  • 🔥 Hands-On Support & Community — connect with like-minded writers and get real (and kind) feedback that fuels your momentum.

  • ✨ Magnetic Messaging Skills — craft content, emails, and stories that feel authentic—and actually convert.

Join the community.

Connect with Jacqueline Fisch:

• Substack: Energy-First Writing

• Book Coaching

• LinkedIn

• Instagram

You're the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

Who's in your circle?

Who are the regular characters in your day-to-day life, but also online?

Do the people you surround yourself with have similar goals?

I've been running an online writing community since 2018, with the foundation of the experience being the regular Co-Writing & Chill sessions we enjoy each week.

I intentionally call them "Co-Writing & Chill" because that's how we want the writing to feel — easy, effortless, relaxed. When our nervous systems can relax, only then can we write.

Since 2018, one of the biggest challenges has been to describe just what happens in a co-writing session. It wasn't anything I'd participated in before I created this sacred container myself. And members constantly describe it as "magic."

Though "magic" doesn't really make for clear, compelling sales copy, I think I've discovered what does …

The Law of Proximity.

Get to know how you can use this simple idea to support your writing success.

Key takeaways in this episode:

• The Law of Proximity suggests that individual elements grouped close together are perceived as belonging together.

• This concept also applies to the people you surround yourself with — online and off — who influence your personal and professional growth.

• When you belong to a community with a common goal — like writing, you automatically experience a boost in productivity and inspiration.

• If your writing community looks more like a critique group, where you might receive challenging feedback on your writing, this could be keeping you stuck. Giving feedback is an art. In our co-writing sessions, we intentionally nurture a chill environment where members can bring their full selves and receive encouragement.

• Surrounding yourself with others with similar writing goals helps you overcome writing resistance. When everyone else in the virtual or physical room is writing, you may as well buckle up and get writing too.

• Prioritizing writing earlier in the day helps most writer-entrepreneurs make the most of limited willpower, side-stepping decision-making fatigue completely!

• Relentlessly auditing your surroundings, both physically and online, to make sure you're associating with supportive and uplifting people who are also interested in growing as writers.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to How Women Write

00:47 The Law of Proximity

01:16 The Power of Co-Writing Sessions

02:27 Creating a Nurturing Writing Community

07:50 The Magic of Scheduled Writing

09:41 Optimizing Your Social and Physical Spaces

10:43 Investing in Yourself and Your Writing

11:51 Conclusion and Invitation to Join the Community

Join The Intuitive Writing School Community

The Intuitive Writing School helps you write fast, honest, soul-led words by trusting your intuition—not the algorithms.

• What You'll Get:

  • 💫 Clarity & Confidence — finally trust your voice and write with ease, flow, and purpose.

  • 🪶 A Proven Intuitive Framework — simple, soulful tools to write without overthinking, forcing, or stressing.

  • 🌙 Energy-First Guidance — learn to write in sync with your cycles, astrology, and nature's rhythms.

  • 🔥 Hands-On Support & Community — connect with like-minded writers and get real (and kind) feedback that fuels your momentum.

  • ✨ Magnetic Messaging Skills — craft content, emails, and stories that feel authentic—and actually convert.

Join the community.

Connect with Jacqueline Fisch:

• Substack: Energy-First Writing

• Book Coaching

• LinkedIn

• Instagram

Manifest Your Manuscript: Clear Blocks and Write Your Book Embodying the Successful Author Identity

The number one mistake new authors make when they set out to write their books doesn't have anything to do with outlining, planning, or even book positioning.

—> It has to do with identity.

You'll hear how starting from a place of lack can muck up the writing process. Instead, when you see yourself as a successful author before and while you write, you shift your energy and even your approach.

A successful author moves differently through the world than someone who wants to be one.

The cool part is that this makes the entire book-writing process way more enjoyable and effective.

Key Takeaways:

• Don't wait until your book is a bestseller to embody the energy of a bestseller author—this creates a mindset of scarcity.

• The power of identity shifts, and by starting with BE-ing a successful author, you change your energy and approach to writing, editing, and the entire publication process.

• Successful authors have beliefs and emotions that someone wishing they were an author doesn't. Write your book from a mindset of KNOWING that your book is changing lives, you're receiving speaking requests, and 5-star reviews are stacking up.

• Managing any negative thoughts that creep in while writing is key (I share my effective "cancel process with you)

• Reminding yourself that you ARE an author with a fabulous book infuses your words with that great energy.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to How Women Write

00:28 The Biggest Mistake New Authors Make

01:58 Embodying the Successful Author Identity

04:55 Practical Tips for Maintaining a Positive Mindset

06:23 Join the Manuscript Manifesting Masterclass

07:36 Conclusion and Call to Action

Manifest YOUR Manuscript

Join me live on October 7 in the free Manuscript Manifesting Masterclass, where we'll clear the blocks to writing your book.

It's an author activation & awakening experience, practically grounded in action steps you take immediately.

You'll:

• Shift your creative frequency to one of limitlessness.

• Develop an unstoppable power of prose.

• Get clarity on the next steps for your beautiful book.

Quick Links:

• The end of NaNoWriMo (and my sustainable alternative)

• Sign up for the Manuscript Manifesting Masterclass

Connect with Jacqueline Fisch:

• Writing Vitamins Newsletter

• Writing Community

• Book Coaching

• LinkedIn

Explore Jenny Blake's journey as an author, speaker, and strategist, covering her writing process, books, and insights on navigating a creative career.

" I cannot imagine not writing another book because it is such a soul project and it is just one of the artifacts in the world that gives me life every day, physical books. And I want to contribute to that, no matter what the math says on paper." Jenny Blake

Some fun numbers for you on today's podcast guest:

• 27 nos and one yes, which is all Jenny needed to land a publishing deal.

• 200,000 words written on Substack in 2 years, showing an impressive commitment to her curiosity and craft.

• 15 minutes a day was all it took to build the momentum needed to write her first book.

You'll hear more numbers in today's episode. What these show me is someone who cares.

When a friend sent me a Voxer message one day, "You HAVE to follow Jenny Blake! I think you'll love her."

One long, deep, and winding rabbit hole later, I devoured her book, Free Time (her third), binged podcast episodes, and signed up for her newsletter. Just one newsletter in, and I felt such a connection with her that I asked to be on her Free Time podcast.

Perhaps a little forward (we just met!), but I knew she was a kindred spirit, and I wanted to be in the virtual room with her.

Spoiler, she said yes (find my interview with her below).

Some key takeaways from our coffee and salty almond butter-fueled chat:

• Writing prompts on Jenny's old Apple computer as a kid sparked a deep love for following a story seed.

• Post-It notes or Kanban boards in Notion support her non-linear, yet tactile writing process — and she took a different approach for each of her three books:

• Life After College (first book): Started as a blog, written with short tips, quotes, and questions, like "Twitter meets What Color Is Your Parachute?".

• Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One (second book): Developed while self-employed and short on money, requiring her to balance writing with running her business.

• Free Time: Lose the Busywork (third book): Written during the pandemic, allowing for a dedicated five-month period of focused writing.

• Daily writing habits — think just 15 minutes a day can give you huge progress with your writing projects

• in the personal essay genre, you're not supposed to be an expert,

• That challenging moment when finishing a book and shifting your focus to marketing

• Insights into why Jenny runs a social media-free business

• The evolution of her Substack publications, like "Rolling in Doh," focuses on personal essays and the "stickier sides of self-employment"

• How writing from the "wound" rather than the scar can be a nurturing way to explore issues, challenges, and life experiences without needing to wrap up the lessons in a tidy little bow for readers.

If you've got a blog, memoir, or business book on your heart, enjoy this episode!

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Guest: Jenny Blake

02:15 Early Writing Memories and Inspirations

04:23 The Role of Books and Memoir Writing

08:56 Navigating Personal Essays and Vulnerability

17:56 The Fascination with Elizabeth Gilbert's Memoir

22:10 Writing Process and Inspiration for each of Jenny's Three Books

33:47 The Power of Small, Daily Writing Habits

36:01 The End of NaNoWriMo

39:08 Challenges in Book Writing

42:20 Social Media and Book Publishing

48:26 Substack and Subscription Fatigue

52:51 Exploring Personal Essays

54:00 Current Writing Projects

01:01:42 Writing Rituals and Final Thoughts

About Jenny Blake:

Jenny Blake runs a Delightfully Tiny media and IP licensing company. She loves helping people set their time free through smarter systems, and is the author of three award-winning books: Free Time: Lose the Busywork, Love Your Business for leaders and small business owners; Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One high net growth individuals navigating what's next; and Life After College, a portable life coach for twenty-somethings. For nine years, she hosted two podcasts with over two million downloads combined. Jenny also publishes personal essays about the stickier sides of self-employment at Rolling in Doh, a 2024 featured Substack publication.

Connect with Jenny Blake:

• Jenny's website: https://jennyblake.nyc/

• Jenny's Books:

• Life After College

• Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One

• Free Time: Lose the Busywork, Love Your Business

• Rolling in Doh on Substack

Quick Links:

• YouTube: Quarter Life Poetry – Circle Back, Cake

• The end of NaNoWriMo (and my sustainable alternative)

• My interview on Free Time about intuitive writing and video-free business (when I was video-free ;)

Connect with Jacqueline Fisch:

• Writing Vitamins Newsletter

• Writing Community

• Book Coaching

• LinkedIn

Authenticity is one of those words that's thrown around.

It's definitely in the category of overused.

But, is this the case only because many people don't understand it?

Today's guest, Elaine Chung, realized that while at work, she wasn't mixing the different layers of herself. Instead, she was suppressing them.

And in 2020, when she had three kids at home, she noticed the differences in watching her twins play (which she hoped they'd do more of so she could get her work done at home). She'd see one twin play with one thing for 20 minutes, which, according to her research, was actually a very long time for a little one. And then her other kid would play for literally like five seconds.

While most parents would say, "Oh, they're just different," that reasoning wasn't good enough for Elaine. She needed to know why.

With that curiosity, she went down the rabbit hole of research papers and spoke with researchers themselves to understand that there are different bodies of science around, personality development, early childhood development, and understanding the neuroplasticity of the brain.

This led her to explore play, and when a friend asked her a pivotal question, she realized that she didn't want to continue down her career path and become CCO at a digital health startup or even a chief marketing officer.

Reflecting on the bravery of her kids, she wanted more of that, too. After leaving corporate to start her business, she began to wonder how people embraced their diverse identities. This curiosity led her to submit a TEDx in Asheville, where she was selected, and she soon realized there was much more to explore on this topic.

You'll love hearing how Elaine approaches her book writing with experiments and research, and the baby steps she took to increase her writing output in the early days of book writing.

What you'll hear about:

• How Elaine's book, The Illusion of Authenticity, challenges traditional notions of authenticity, encouraging leaders to build connected, high-performing teams by embracing their full, "mixed Play-Doh" identities.

• Her brave leap of faith into entrepreneurship after 20 years in the corporate world, driven by her passion for play research and to be a brave example for her 3 kids.

• Elaine's book-writing process started with a mom's writing group, with stream-of-consciousness writing to overcome initial hurdles.

• Her journey from writing once a week for about 6 months to publishing her book within a year.

• Integrating our various identities, rather than compartmentalizing them, and honoring our full selves — including our values and principles — shapes how we operate in our home lives and at work.

• The 38 Tries Challenge: Elaine's next writing project is starting with a social experiment, inspired by the research on toddlers falling 38 times a day when learning to walk.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Elaine Chung and Authenticity

01:25 Elaine's Professional Background and Corporate Connection

03:45 Elaine's Leap into Entrepreneurship

09:32 The Spark for Writing 'The Illusion of Authenticity'

09:50 Exploring the Concept of Authenticity

18:11 Redefining Authenticity

18:55 Elaine's Book Writing Process

20:10 Overcoming Book Writing Challenges

25:57 Happy Surprises of Becoming an Author

28:11 Introducing Elaine's 38 Tries Project

33:11 Final Thoughts and Future Plans

About Elaine Chung:

Elaine Chung is a leadership strategist and author of The Illusion of Authenticity. She helps leaders build connected, high-performing teams by rethinking authenticity and reconnecting with what makes us most human.

Drawing from neuroscience, organizational behavior, and the science of play, she transforms how teams collaborate, lead, and grow—like kids do: curious, resilient, and wired to learn together, especially at the edge where discomfort meets the breakthroughs teams need most.

Connect with Elaine Chung:

• Elaine's website: https://www.beyondthechange.com

• Book: The Illusion of Authenticity.

• Elaine on LinkedIn:

• How her book all started: Video: https://vimeo.com/1022971034

• Apply to participate in the 38 tries challenge for leaders and adults (the topic of Elaine's next book: beyondthechange.com/38-tries-challenge-application

• Virtual book club for up to 6 peers: https://www.beyondthechange.com/book-club-cohorts.

Connect with Jacqueline Fisch:

• Writing Vitamins Newsletter

• Writing Community

• Book Coaching

• LinkedIn