Invisible Stories: Write to be Seen

Today Publish Your Purpose: A Step-By-Step Guide To Write, Publish, and Grow Your Big Idea launched! Get the ebook for $2.99 on Amazon.

Today is my book launch, which I am quite excited about. And the book is called publish your purpose. It is a step by step guide to write, publish and grow your big idea, which might be the first time I have said the title and subtitle succinctly without botching it. So I'm impressed its launch day, here we are.

So I'm excited about this conversation today. Because instead of just having this be a kind of me going on and on about my new book, and how excited I am with my new book, I am bringing in a bunch of other authors who have worked on their books for quite some time, in some cases, where, you know, some of us painfully moved through the publishing process, the the writing process and the publishing process. And some of us just kind of crank it out fast. And everyone's kind of a, in a different place in a different journey. And so, for me, this book started on July 9, of 2020. And so it was kind of a, I started it, I put it down, I started it, I put it down, it's kind of a lot of this back and forth.

And so I'm finally here and having it published, which feels like a monumental effort. And it is also it is October 11, which is also also National Coming Out Day. So it was intentional that I included that on here as well, even though this book has nothing to do with coming out, other than maybe coming out as an author, which I think can be as scary at times for folks. And the thing I have is an ask for for folks today is I have discounted the book on Amazon for the ebook to 299. So if anyone just kind of wants to get access to it at a reduced price, it is there today for 299. If you do that my request is leaving a review. So I'm not really focused on hey, go buy the book. So we can get bestseller status, I'm focused on making sure that this book gets into the hands of the people who need it. And that means getting it into the hands of libraries. So that way the book is accessible for people in in whatever economic situation they themselves might be in.

So my goal is to get reviews. And so with reviews, comes more exposure in the algorithms in primarily Amazon. Unfortunately, Amazon is kind of still the, the place where people at least, are at least doing the research around around books. So that's my goal. So if you do if you've already bought the book, which I had a lot of pre orders, and I have made my local post office very angry lately, making many trips with a lot of books. But if you've already, if you've already bought the book, please take a moment to leave a review today. If you don't mind, that would be my my number one goal. Okay, so just a little bit about the book, it's a step by step guide to write, publish and grow your big idea. So it does kind of anchor into three separate pieces of this process. It is the writing, it is the publishing and then it's kind of like what you do with the books. So there's a lot of marketing in this book as well.

And my intention with this book was to kind of demonstrate for folks, what's possible, because I think sometimes when we look at books we think of we think of them in a certain way. Even if I asked you the question of like, what is it like when you think of a book, what are you thinking? Are you thinking of a coffee table book? Are you thinking of a novel? Are you thinking of a nonfiction book that's heavy with graphics, everyone kind of has their own vision for it. And so for this book, it is very graphically heavy, it is full color, it is designed in a way to be as accessible as possible. My goal was to write a book that was 35,000 words, it is 68,000 words. So it's just a just a little bit more than my intention was.

Today's Invisible Stories guest is Publish Your Purpose Press's own Brandi Lai. Brandi is a contributor and the mastermind behind the creation of the anticipated The Real Lives Of Transgender and NonBinary Humans, the first anthology from PYP. Brandi also recently started her own business, Best-Laid Pens, and she specializes in ghost writing and development editing. Brandi is passionate about helping other people share their stories and making a platform for other people to amplify their voices.

In this podcast, Brandi and I discuss what it was like for her to be working on this new PYP project, and being the person spearheading this anthology. Brandi was passionate from the start about this project, and put her heart and soul into getting this book to happen. Brandi tells us a bit more about

• The emotional and cathartic experience of working with the contributors, and relating to their stories on a personal level.
• How as the collector of these contributors' stories, she had to put herself into their story to capture their voice, and how that triggered her own emotions from her past. She had to learn how to cope with her own emotions and reflect back on her own experiences, while still making sure the contributors' words were authentic and meaningful.
• The ultimate goal of this anthology, which is to reach those trans and nonbinary people who are struggling or going through similar experiences, and give them hope for their own future. This book may also help cisgender people learn more about the lives and experiences of transgender and nonbinary individuals, and to act as a guide for those who love trans and NB people about how to support and relate to those people in their lives.
• The ways this process of collecting these stories has empowered her to share her own story, and to become an entrepreneur herself much like the contributors to the anthology have done.

Today's Invisible Stories guest is author, podcaster, and speaker Nicolle Merrill. Nicolle has written for Four Seasons and National Geographic private jet tours, taught digital communication skills to global executives, and sold adventure travel programs in New Zealand. As the former Associate Director of the Career Development office at Yale School of Management, she coached hundreds of MBA students and professionals through all phases of their career transitions. Nicolle's book, Punch Doubt in the Face: How to Upskill, Change Careers, and Beat the Robots, has been published by PYP. This book upgrades career advice for the future of work. In the book, Nicolle translates the headlines about robots taking all the jobs into a guide to help career changers navigate the new world of work. Nicolle's human-centered approach to career changes, combined with a relentless curiosity about emerging career trends, has led to speaking engagements across the US, as well as in Canada and Ireland.

In this podcast, Nicolle and I delve into her life as a self-described job-hopper, and how she used her adaptability and Liberal Arts background to try out different career paths and guide others looking to do the same. Nicolle talks about

• How she took her experiences in different jobs and combined them into her book, to offer others insight into what their career path may look like. She emphasizes that career changes are not linear, and that they take different shapes depending on who you are and your journey may not be like somebody else's journey.
• How her attention-grabbing book title came to be, and how it is a larger message of learning to push away doubts and insecurities and be confident in your skill sets.
• Her tone in her book, and how it really sets the stage for her speaking engagements and other branding elements. From the first few pages of her book, you know who she is and what she is about, and she is just like that in person. There is a congruence that just works.
• The way she overcame her procrastination tendencies and carved out time each day where she would write whatever came to mind, without stopping to self-edit.

Today's Invisible Stories guest is the renowned speaker and bestselling author Terry Dyer. Over a span of 15 years, Terry's professional career has been spent in Corporate America working in both for profit and nonprofit environments. His background consists of Talent Acquisition Management, Recruitment, Client Services, and Program Management with Fortune 100 and 500 companies. Additionally, Terry has volunteered his time to various organizations throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, and South Florida communities. Since 2007, he has served as a member of the San Francisco LGBTQ Speakers Bureau. He and the organization aim to dispel homophobic and transphobic violence by educating people about the Terry's memoir, Letters to a GAY BLACK BOY, sparks conversations around racism, inequality, homophobia, and more.

In this podcast, Terry and I discuss the process he underwent to find his authentic voice and to put pen to paper to write his memoir. He shares his insight on:

• How he started with a more academic tone in his book, but went back and revised the tone to have a more authentic voice. He wanted readers to feel like they were part of these heartfelt, open, honest, transparent conversations.
• His purpose in writing this book, and how he wanted to take sensitive, uncomfortable topics like racism and homophobia, delve into why those topics are uncomfortable, and cut through the noise to find comfortability.
• Even the audiences his book was not intended for, who had no shared experience with Terry, read his book and had it transform how they look at particular communities, and find universal commonalities.
• How he decided what to include in his memoir, and what went through his head when considering how he should portray real people from his life who might pick up this book.

Today's Invisible Stories guest is Pasha Cook, the founder of Pasha Cook & Associates, an International creative solutions consulting agency that helps professional athletes and executive entrepreneurs Build Brand Identity Stories. She has been on an unstoppable path to success ever since. Pasha made history in 2018 when she became the first female college outreach speaking ambassador for the NFL. In 2019 Pasha played an intricate role in art directing an international documentary launched by the Yao Ming and the Chinese Basketball Association.. Pasha is the author of Brand Yourself Like a Champion: Cultivating Brand Excellence From The Inside Out, which guides readers by defining what a personal brand is and assisting them in evaluating themselves through interactive self-reflection exercises, teaching best practices so that readers can add value and obtain clarity around their personal brand vision.

In this podcast, Pasha shares insights into how she defines success and what her process was when she decided to publish Brand Yourself Like A Champion. Pasha provides insight into:

• How her book stemmed from working with athletes to determine their transferable skills, and developed into how to make that type of content accessible for all people. She discusses how you need to look at your own strengths and weaknesses, identify what you value, and what your own personal mission is.
• Not every step of her process will work for everyone. Sometimes a formula will work for one person, but others need to just pull some advice from the pages to be their most authentic self. Everyone is different, so she recognizes that people will utilize her book differently to learn and grow.
• The intentional design of her book to look like a fashion magazine, drawing from her past in that industry, and how it links in unexpected ways to developing a personal and authentic brand.
• How to give yourself time with your work before you put it out in the world. When your story is no longer hurting you or a hindrance to you, then you are released to help to heal other people with your words.

Today's Invisible Stories guest is leadership expert and author David O'Brien. David is the president of WorkChoice Solutions, LLC, a nationally recognized provider of leadership and team effectiveness consulting services. His corporate consulting career spans over twenty years and includes key leadership roles within a variety of industries including Aerospace, Healthcare, and Financial Services. He also works with many small and emerging market leaders to bring about lasting organizational and leadership transformation. David's books, The Navigator's Handbook and The Navigator's Compass share his formula for leadership excellence, and using a combination of personal reflection, story telling, and consulting case studies, David explores some of leadership's most pressing challenges. He provides proven processes and methodologies for helping leaders at all levels to expand their influence and impact.

In this podcast, David shares how he took his years of corporate leadership experience and adapted it for his two books. His goal is to show that anyone can be a leader, not just in their career but in their lives. David and I discuss:

• Learning to let go of timelines and self-imposed restrictions to writing, and instead just allow the creativity to flow the way it naturally wants to.
• How leadership and storytelling really go hand-in-hand: part of what makes an effective leader is the ability to share stories, to draw people in with them and compel others into action through those stories.
• How writing a purpose statement at the beginning of your author journey may help to remind you what you are writing for, and who you are writing for, and can ultimately help you overcome imposter syndrome.

Today's Invisible Stories guest is author, screenwriter, producer, director, actor, and journalist, B. Danielle Watkins. She is an international award-winning filmmaker, and creator of LGBT focused web series. She is also a professor of writing. B. Danielle's novel, The Alyse Diaries, explores the life and death of a young woman struggling with her sexuality.

In this podcast, B. Danielle and I talk about how she drew inspiration from real life when writing her fiction books. B. Danielle tells us about:

• How she decided to set the book in the 1990s and early 2000s, and how she drew on the universal themes of self-discovery to relate to readers.
• The different experience of writing a novel compared with writing a screenplay, and how writing a book involves more characterization and building out of a character, as opposed to screenplays in which the characters are more influenced by the actors portraying them.
• How there is still vulnerability in writing fiction, because we still put something of ourselves into our work. You still are influenced by your life and your writing is still being critiqued, even if it isn't a memoir.

Today's Invisible Stories guest is the founder and president of Total HR Solutions LLC, and author of Silent Overcomer: Trauma Comes in all Shapes and Sizes, Tracee L. Hunt. Tracee knows that people are the foundation of any business, and her company relies upon years of executive consultation expertise to work with key leadership in organizations to learn what is required to achieve the desired outcomes in a company. They then translate that into key people strategies.Tracee founded her business in response to a recognized need nationally for small to mid-sized companies across all industries, both for profit and not-for-profit, to have access to strategic Human Resources and Benefits strategies. In Tracee's memoir, Silent Overcomer, she shares her insights and encourages readers to examine their own traumas, offering hope and encouragement to anyone struggling with adversity, whether past or present. Her honesty and courage in telling her no-holds-barred story is an inspiring message of resilience.

In this podcast, Tracee and I delve into the details of her book, and how she managed to overcome her minimization of her own trauma and reframe her thinking about her story. Tracee shares:

• Her perspective on trauma, and how it can color our world view and compound upon itself if we don't address the root of that trauma.
• How she learned to move past the fear of how her work might impact the people in her past that had caused her trauma, and instead focus on those she really needed to reach, her audience that might also be struggling as she had.
• By writing her book authentically and focusing on reaching others like her, she ended up reaching a far wider audience than she imagined just because she wasn't actively trying to address her book to everyone. The authenticity came across and really impacted people.

Today's Invisible Stories guest is Publish Your Purpose Press author Eileen Scully. Eileen Scully is an international keynote speaker, author of In the Company of Men: How Women can Succeed in a World Built Without Them, and founder and CEO of The Rising Tides, a consulting firm that makes workplaces better for women through assessment and advisory services. Eileen has been interviewed by Forbes, the Boston Globe, Standard and Poor's Global Market Intelligence, Thrive Global, Psychology Today, and Inc. She launched her book with PYP because she wanted to explore more deeply some areas that are very male dominated in the world and highlight not only women that are succeeding in those spaces, but the women that are changing those spaces from within.

In this podcast, Eileen talks about finding the motivation to get her book done, and how she put some of herself into her book despite it being a non-fiction book. She discusses

• How she overcame the imposter syndrome that so many authors face, and decided to listen to her editor and include more of herself and her own experiences within the book text. She was able to push past that panic that her story isn't worthy, and instead own who she is and claim her story.
• How she focused her book content on sharing it in a way that every reader would see themselves on one or both sides of her examples of workplace interactions, and empathize and think more deeply about such situations.
• Learning to let go and be comfortable with the fact that even well-established authors will always find edits that they want to make to their book that is already on the shelf!

Today's Invisible Stories guest is AJ Joiner, a multi-hyphenate entrepreneur, marketing strategist, coach, radio host, and author of several marketing books, including Stop Bullsh!#%ng & Write Your Book! AJ consults with a wide variety of clients about marketing themselves and how to get their information out there through social media and the written word. He helps authors strategize how to reach their target audience and pull out threads from their writing that are universally relatable to their readers.

In this podcast, AJ offers amazing insight into how he strategizes with his authors, and what it takes to market yourself to your maximum potential. AJ shares his process for guiding authors through their writing process:

• He has them focus on what are the universal lessons that the author learned through their experiences of trauma, and how they can use those lessons as talking points and a way to reframe interviews or discussions about their work.
• How he impresses upon people the idea that they shouldn't be writing for the money, but rather to have their legacy left behind them and to encourage others that they, too, have a story worth telling.
• Some tips and things to look out for in order to avoid predatory publishers looking to take advantage of authors.