Indie Author Chat

Welcome to Indie Author Chat, the podcast designed to help you explore the ideas and insights behind today’s most thoughtful nonfiction books. Join host Laura Finch for engaging conversations with independent authors as they share the wisdom and inspiration behind their books—each title carefully curated by Weaving Influence Press.

In this episode, Laura talks with Becky Robinson, owner and CEO of Weaving Influence, about the rise of AI in publishing and how authors should approach using AI when crafting books. Specifically, they discuss how AI can strip an author’s voice, making the book less impactful, and can make errors when providing information or relaying transcripts. They reinforce that publishing standards matter and books should maintain the integrity of human creation, editing, and design. Becky ends by encouraging authors to bring their unique experiences, stories, vulnerabilities, fears, and joys to creating their book, instead of relying on AI.

During the episode, you’ll learn:

• Why authors should use AI as a productivity tool instead of replacing human authorship and creativity.
• How AI in writing strips an author’s voice and value, detracting from the integrity of books.
• How AI can make mistakes and isn't an infallible source for information, facts, or quotes.
• Why AI-generated graphics are inauthentic and may misrepresent your brand as an author.
• Where Weaving Influence stands on AI use in the books they publish through self-publishing and hybrid publishing.
• Why human-made books provide the most value through sharing unique experiences, stories, and vulnerabilities.
• How using AI in book writing can affect marketing, public relations, and readers' perception of the book.

Don’t forget to check out our show notes, which include action steps and resources.

Sign up for the bi-weekly newsletter to connect with Becky Robinson and learn about upcoming book launches.

Consider joining Team Buzz Builder, our book review team that supports most of our client launches. When you sign up for a launch, you’ll receive a complimentary copy (digital or print) in exchange for your commitment to post an early review.

Welcome to Indie Author Chat, the podcast designed to help you explore the ideas and insights behind today’s most thoughtful nonfiction books. Join host Laura Finch for engaging conversations with independent authors as they share the wisdom and inspiration behind their books—each title carefully curated by Weaving Influence Press.

In this episode, Laura talks with Dr. Denis Cronson, author of The Executive Condition: The Hidden Health Crisis of High-Performing Leaders. Laura and Denis discuss the book's central idea: a leader can look successful on the outside while their biological, cognitive, and emotional capacity quietly declines beneath the surface. Denis asserts that because high performers are often exceptionally good at compensating for problems, organizations may not recognize the warning signs until the decline becomes much more serious. He suggests recognizing early indicators, measuring health and performance trends, and personalizing recovery rather than waiting for burnout.

During the episode, you’ll learn:

• What the “executive condition” is and how senior leaders are experiencing declining physical, cognitive, and emotional health while continuing to perform at a high level.
• How high performers can hide their decline with the skills that helped them succeed—intelligence, grit, willpower, pattern recognition, and problem-solving—allowing them to compensate for declining health and make the decline hard to recognize.
• Why organizations can unintentionally encourage burnout and performance drift with reward systems that praise overcommitment, self-sacrifice, and constant availability.
• Cronson explains that leadership abilities are biologically connected, and that judgment, curiosity, empathy, and the ability to tolerate ambiguity depend on a healthy biological state.
• Cronson encourages using wearables like Oura rings, Apple Watches, and Whoop to track metrics including heart-rate variability, sleep, blood sugar, resting heart rate, activity, and stress, ensuring executives have enough time to recover.
• People respond to stress differently, so the Resilience Typing System (RTS) categorizes leaders by how they respond to pressure, make decisions under stress, control emotions, focus, and recover.
• Why recovery should be personalized: someone who becomes overwhelmed by stress may benefit from calming techniques such as breathwork, while a person who suppresses stress may respond better to exercise, journaling, or other approaches.

Don’t forget to check out our show notes, which include action steps and resources.

Sign up for the bi-weekly newsletter to connect with Becky Robinson and learn about upcoming book launches.

Consider joining Team Buzz Builder, our book review team that supports most of our client launches. When you sign up for a launch, you’ll receive a complimentary copy (digital or print) in exchange for your commitment to post an early review.

Welcome to Indie Author Chat, the podcast designed to help you explore the ideas and insights behind today’s most thoughtful nonfiction books. Join host Laura Finch for engaging conversations with independent authors as they share the wisdom and inspiration behind their books—each title carefully curated by Weaving Influence Press.

In this episode, Laura talks with Ronit Ziv-Krieger, editor of The Art and Practice of Living Wondrously. The book was created by Momentum, a global organization engaging 25,000 mothers in 40 countries to foster stronger families and communities. The Art and Practice of Living Wondrously is based on surveys of 10,000 mothers to identify the most meaningful topics about life, family, and health. The book features wisdom from the Jewish tradition, applied to contemporary life, and includes contributions from various experts and storytellers. It aims to foster resilience, combat anti-Semitism, and promote meaningful relationships.

During the episode, you’ll learn:

• About Momentum’s goals to break down feelings of isolation and loneliness by fostering global relationships among mothers.
• How to apply Jewish wisdom to contemporary issues like friendships, parenting, and mental health.
• The importance of finding wonder in everyday life and shifting from survival mode to gratitude.
• The value of maintaining hope and strength in the face of challenges.
• How to combat anti-Semitism by fostering a strong, meaningful Jewish identity.

Don’t forget to check out our show notes, which include action steps and resources.

Sign up for the bi-weekly newsletter to connect with Becky Robinson and learn about upcoming book launches.

Consider joining Team Buzz Builder, our book review team that supports most of our client launches. When you sign up for a launch, you’ll receive a complimentary copy (digital or print) in exchange for your commitment to post an early review.

Welcome to Indie Author Chat, the podcast designed to help you explore the ideas and insights behind today’s most thoughtful nonfiction books. Join host Laura Finch for engaging conversations with independent authors as they share the wisdom and inspiration behind their books—each title carefully curated by Weaving Influence Press.

In this episode, Laura talks with Jobert E. Abueva about the concepts behind his new book, The Janus Plan: A No-Resolutions Path to Begin Your Year with Intention. Inspired by the Roman god Janus, who represents dual perspectives and transitions, his book guides individuals, families, and teams in reaching sustainable goals by reflecting on past experiences and setting realistic, SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) objectives. Abueva highlights how understanding our limitations and learning from the past can empower us to plan better for the future.

During the episode, you’ll learn:

• Why it’s important to set realistic and sustainable goals using the SMART model (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) and to understand your own limitations before setting resolutions.
• How to ponder the past and understand your current situation before setting goals.
• Why having Janus's dual perspective of past and future is relevant to modern goal-setting.
• How to balance the challenges of working long hours and prioritize self-care and reflection.
• How taking time to understand your well-being helps you to avoid personal burnout.
• How The Janus Plan provides a shared language for problem-solving and annual planning.

Don’t forget to check out our show notes, which include action steps and resources.

Sign up for the bi-weekly newsletter to connect with Becky Robinson and learn about upcoming book launches.

Consider joining Team Buzz Builder, our book review team that supports most of our client launches. When you sign up for a launch, you’ll receive a complimentary copy (digital or print) in exchange for your commitment to post an early review.

Welcome to Indie Author Chat, the podcast designed to help you explore the ideas and insights behind today’s most thoughtful nonfiction books. Join host Laura Finch for engaging conversations with independent authors as they share the wisdom and inspiration behind their books—each title carefully curated by Weaving Influence Press.

In this episode, Laura talks with David Alsop about the concepts behind his new book, Making HR Matter: What CEOs Want and How to Deliver It, coauthored with Ted Forbes. As the very first title from Weaving Influence Press, Making HR Matter is an excellent example of how indie authors and hybrid publishers can collaborate to create something special. David shares concepts directly from the book about how to make HR matter, while also reflecting on the experience of writing with a coauthor and what he hopes readers will gain from reading it.

During the episode, you’ll learn:

• About the primary audience for Making HR Matter and who David and Ted wrote it for.
• Why there is a negative perception around HR and the history of it.
• How HR can be a value creator for a company.
• About the four essentials of RelevantHR, which are a key component of the book.
• The meaning behind being “mentored by your enemy.”
• The possibilities that unfold when executives, managers, and HR professionals unite around a shared path forward.
• What it was like for David to write Making HR Matter with a coauthor and how they tackled the author experience together.
• The number one thing David wants listeners and readers to know about Making HR Matter.

Don’t forget to check out our show notes, which include action steps and resources.

Sign up for the bi-weekly newsletter to connect with Becky Robinson and learn about upcoming book launches.

Consider joining Team Buzz Builder, our book review team that supports most of our client launches. When you sign up for a launch, you’ll receive a complimentary copy (digital or print) in exchange for your commitment to post an early review.

Welcome to Indie Author Chat, the podcast designed to help you explore the ideas and insights behind today’s most thoughtful nonfiction books. Join host Laura Finch for engaging conversations with independent authors as they share the wisdom and inspiration behind their books—each title carefully curated by Weaving Influence Press.

In this episode, Laura talks with Dr. Karolin Helbig and Minette Norman about the concepts behind their new book, The Psychological Safety Playbook for Changemakers. Together, Karolin and Minette discuss the surprising story behind their collaboration, which began with a “crazy idea,” what psychological safety really looks like in practice, and how their playbooks help cultivate workplace environments where people are inspired to do their best, most creative work.

During the episode, you’ll learn:

• How Karolin and Minette met and what sparked their collaboration as coauthors.
• How Karolin and Minette wrote their first book without ever meeting face-to-face.
• Who both playbooks are for and how The Psychological Safety Playbook for Changemakers builds on the first one.
• About a time Minette knew her workplace was not a space that promoted psychological safety.
• Where readers should begin with both psychological safety playbooks, and if they should be read in a certain order.
• Tips to help with everyday behavior in the workplace and increase psychological safety.
• Why managing our reactions is one of the most powerful and most difficult disciplines of leadership.
• What it takes to deliberately restore psychological safety after it has been damaged.
• Why apologizing in the workplace can actually strengthen a leader’s credibility and influence.
• An example of a team that has been particularly skilled at developing psychological safety and the impact it created.
• Karolin’s process of creating the artwork for the playbooks.

Don’t forget to check out our show notes, which include action steps and resources.

Sign up for the bi-weekly newsletter to connect with Becky Robinson and learn about upcoming book launches.

Consider joining Team Buzz Builder, our book review team that supports most of our client launches. When you sign up for a launch, you’ll receive a complimentary copy (digital or print) in exchange for your commitment to post an early review.

Welcome to Indie Author Chat, the podcast designed to help you explore the ideas and insights behind today’s most thoughtful nonfiction books. Join host Laura Finch for engaging conversations with independent authors as they share the wisdom and inspiration behind their books—each title carefully curated by Weaving Influence Press.

In this introductory episode, Laura sits down with Becky Robinson—host of The Book Marketing Action Podcast—to unveil the vision behind this new podcast dedicated to thoughtful nonfiction books and the independent authors who write them. Together, they explore the evolving world of publishing and how Weaving Influence Press is taking a marketing-first approach to helping authors connect with readers. Tune in as Becky and Laura share a preview of the inspiring lineup of upcoming guests and books featured this season!

During the episode, you’ll learn:

• About the host of Indie Author Chat, Laura Finch.
• About some of the biggest challenges for authors and readers at this time in the publishing industry.
• What it means to launch a book and why it takes so much effort.
• About the longevity of the books that Weaving Influence Press authors are writing.
• About Becky’s experience hosting The Book Marketing Action Podcast and the amazing listeners it continues to attract.
• About Weaving Influence Press and how it inspired the creation of Indie Author Chat.
• The impact of working with a marketing-first hybrid press.
• Who should listen to Indie Author Chat and why.
• What’s in store for the season ahead and the incredible lineup of first guests.

Don’t forget to check out our show notes, which include action steps and resources.

Sign up for the bi-weekly newsletter to connect with Becky Robinson and learn about upcoming book launches.

Consider joining Team Buzz Builder, our book review team that supports most of our client launches. When you sign up for a launch, you’ll receive a complimentary copy (digital or print) in exchange for your commitment to post an early review.