Eric Gee has administered personality-based life coaching for more than twenty years. He built a successful education company that used his personality typing method to better the lives of more than twenty thousand students, parents, and teachers. As creator of the Youtopia Project website and the Youtopia 16 assessment, he has disseminated his method to over half a million users since the website’s creation in 2016. His coaching program has been used in companies (Hulu, Disney), universities, and over forty school districts.

Eric graduated from UCLA, where he studied English literature and screenwriting. Coincidentally, he’s also a classically trained pianist, backyard-trained barbecue dilettante, three-time fantasy football champion, professional mentor, and amateur magician. He owns Youtopia Creative, a shared creative workspace in Los Angeles, where he acts as both life coach and infinite Pez dispenser of saccharine bits of 80s and 90s pop culture.

Pass-the-Baton Interview # 37 is part of a series of Instagram Live interviews where contributors to Word Improv challenges (by @wordsleuth) interview one another so that the Word Improv community and our audience learn about Word Improv writers and their work.  The interviewee for one interview becomes the interviewer for the next! (hence, “Pass-the-Baton”). 

A Word Improv challenge is where participants are asked to incorporate a set of six “difficult” words into a broadly defined “story”, which includes a short story, poem, skit, song, etc.  Participants include authors, poets, screenwriters and anyone else who is a storyteller of some kind.  Each challenge kicks off after a set of six words is posted (over a period of several days) on the @wordsleuth page.

For Pass-the-Baton Interview # 37 (via Instagram):

@rachelgrosvenorauthor interviews

@the_power_of_personality

@robsamborn is Super Host

by @wordsleuth 

Anyone can join and participation in all aspects of what we do is free!  You can find testimonials we received about our community by checking out the “Testimonials” highlight on the @wordsleuth page.  

Follow @wordsleuth on Instagram to join, get involved and keep up with our words and happenings! 

Rachel Grosvenor is a writer from Birmingham, UK, with a PhD, MA and BA in Creative Writing. With a passion for telling fantastical tales, Rachel has written poetry and short stories for reviews and anthologies worldwide. When she's not writing, she spends her time editing, coaching, and wondering what's for elevenses.

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Pass-the-Baton Interview # 36 is part of a series of Instagram Live interviews where contributors to Word Improv challenges (by @wordsleuth) interview one another so that the Word Improv community and our audience learn about Word Improv writers and their work.  The interviewee for one interview becomes the interviewer for the next! (hence, “Pass-the-Baton”). 

A Word Improv challenge is where participants are asked to incorporate a set of six “difficult” words into a broadly defined “story”, which includes a short story, poem, skit, song, etc.  Participants include authors, poets, screenwriters and anyone else who is a storyteller of some kind.  Each challenge kicks off after a set of six words is posted (over a period of several days) on the @wordsleuth page.

For Pass-the-Baton Interview # 36 (via Instagram):

@stevenjosephauthor interviews

@rachelgrosvenorauthor

@authorcrrice is Super Host

by @wordsleuth 

Anyone can join and participation in all aspects of what we do is free!  You can find testimonials we received about our community by checking out the “Testimonials” highlight on the @wordsleuth page.  

Follow @wordsleuth on Instagram to join, get involved and keep up with our words and happenings! 

From Steven Joseph:

"I am an attorney, marathon runner, first generation American, and son of a Holocaust Survivor. I am the author of A Grownup Guide to Effective Crankiness, and the just released Cranky Superpowers.

I have also published three children’s books: The Last Surviving Dinosaur: The TyrantoCrankaTsuris, Snoodles, Kidoodles, Poodles and Lots and Lots of Noodles and Snoodles in Space: A Snoodle, the Zoodle Kidoodles and One Happy Schmoodle.

Set for release in February/March 2024: Snoodles in Space, Episode 2: The Zoodles Strike Back!"

***

Pass-the-Baton Interview # 35 is part of a series of Instagram Live interviews where contributors to Word Improv challenges (by @wordsleuth) interview one another so that the Word Improv community and our audience learn about Word Improv writers and their work.  The interviewee for one interview becomes the interviewer for the next! (hence, “Pass-the-Baton”). 

A Word Improv challenge is where participants are asked to incorporate a set of six “difficult” words into a broadly defined “story”, which includes a short story, poem, skit, song, etc.  Participants include authors, poets, screenwriters and anyone else who is a storyteller of some kind.  Each challenge kicks off after a set of six words is posted (over a period of several days) on the @wordsleuth page.

For Pass-the-Baton Interview # 35 (via Instagram):

@leighannhughes.author interviews

@stevenjosephauthor

@dc.gomez was Super Host

by @wordsleuth 

This interview is available as a podcast. Find the podcast by searching for “Wordsleuth” on Spotify, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer, Listen Notes, TuneIn, etc. 

Anyone can join and participation in all aspects of what we do is free!  You can find testimonials we received about our community by checking out the “Testimonials” highlight on the @wordsleuth page.  

Follow @wordsleuth on Instagram to join, get involved and keep up with our words and happenings! 

Leigh Ann Hughes is a happily married mother of three daughters with a rambunctious dog, a sassy kitten, and a laid back bearded dragon. Born and raised in the wonderfully small state of Delaware, she never imagined her life to grow any bigger than those borders. Being an avid reader all of her life, and even writing some as a young girl, she found that creativity again after the birth of her children. Ranging from picture to Elementary chapter to Middle School chapter books, Leigh Ann plans to publish them all.

***

Pass-the-Baton Interview # 34 is part of a series of Instagram Live interviews where contributors to Word Improv challenges (by @wordsleuth) interview one another so that the Word Improv community and our audience learn about Word Improv writers and their work.  The interviewee for one interview becomes the interviewer for the next! (hence, “Pass-the-Baton”). 

A Word Improv challenge is where participants are asked to incorporate a set of six “difficult” words into a broadly defined “story”, which includes a short story, poem, skit, song, etc.  Participants include authors, poets, screenwriters and anyone else who is a storyteller of some kind.  Each challenge kicks off after a set of six words is posted (over a period of several days) on the @wordsleuth page.

For Pass-the-Baton Interview # 34 (via Instagram):

@authorspeakerjoewoodley (@thegreatchristmasheist) interviewed

@leighannhughes.author

@dessi.nikko.author was Super Host

by @wordsleuth 

This interview is available as a podcast. Find the podcast by searching for “Wordsleuth” on Spotify, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer, Listen Notes, TuneIn, etc. 

Anyone can join and participation in all aspects of what we do is free!  You can find testimonials we received about our community by checking out the “Testimonials” highlight on the @wordsleuth page.  

Follow @wordsleuth on Instagram to join, get involved and keep up with our words and happenings! 

Joe Woodley is an author, leadership and team development coach, and inspirational public speaker. His specialty is equipping leaders and teams with the relational skills and divine truths they need to flourish and navigate through the unique challenges presented in today’s high-performance environments.  

In his own unique style, emerging from a plethora of

Joe has written over 16 books for adults and children on leadership, team development, character education and other life empowering

***

Pass-the-Baton Interview # 33 is part of a series of Instagram Live interviews where contributors to Word Improv challenges (by @wordsleuth) interview one another so that the Word Improv community and our audience learn about Word Improv writers and their work.  The interviewee for one interview becomes the interviewer for the next! (hence, “Pass-the-Baton”). 

A Word Improv challenge is where participants are asked to incorporate a set of six “difficult” words into a broadly defined “story”, which includes a short story, poem, skit, song, etc.  Participants include authors, poets, screenwriters and anyone else who is a storyteller of some kind.  Each challenge kicks off after a set of six words is posted (over a period of several days) on the @wordsleuth page.

For Pass-the-Baton Interview # 33 (via Instagram):

@robsamborn interviewed @authorspeakerjoewoodley (@thegreatchristmasheist)

@thewordywoman20 was Alternate

by @wordsleuth 

This interview is available as a podcast. Find the podcast by searching for “Wordsleuth” on Spotify, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer, Listen Notes, TuneIn, etc. 

Anyone can join and participation in all aspects of what we do is free!  You can find testimonials we received about our community by checking out the “Testimonials” highlight on the @wordsleuth page.  

Follow @wordsleuth on Instagram to join, get involved and keep up with our words and happenings! 

Rob Samborn is the author of historical thrillers including The Prisoner of Paradise, The Swordsman of Venice, Painter of the Damned, and the upcoming Master of the Abyss. In addition to being a novelist, Rob is a screenwriter, entrepreneur and avid traveler. He’s been to forty countries, lived in five of them, and studied nine languages. As a restless spirit who can’t remember the last time he was bored, Rob is on a quest to explore the intricacies of our world. Originally from New York City, Rob lived in Los Angeles for twenty years before moving to Denver, where he now lives with his family. For more information visit www.robsamborn.com.

***

Pass-the-Baton Interview # 32 is part of a series of Instagram Live interviews where contributors to Word Improv challenges (by @wordsleuth) interview one another so that the Word Improv community and our audience learn about Word Improv writers and their work.  The interviewee for one interview becomes the interviewer for the next! (hence, “Pass-the-Baton”). 

A Word Improv challenge is where participants are asked to incorporate a set of six “difficult” words into a broadly defined “story”, which includes a short story, poem, skit, song, etc.  Participants include authors, poets, screenwriters and anyone else who is a storyteller of some kind.  Each challenge kicks off after a set of six words is posted (over a period of several days) on the @wordsleuth page.

For Pass-the-Baton Interview # 32 (via Instagram):

@debraborchertauthor interviewed @robsamborn

@antony_curtis_author was Alternate

by @wordsleuth 

This interview is available as a podcast. Find the podcast by searching for “Wordsleuth” on Spotify, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer, Listen Notes, TuneIn, etc. 

Anyone can join and participation in all aspects of what we do is free!  You can find testimonials we received about our community by checking out the “Testimonials” highlight on the @wordsleuth page.  

Follow @wordsleuth on Instagram to join, get involved and keep up with our words and happenings! 

Debra Borchert has had many careers. She debuted, at the age of five, as a model at a local

country club where her crinoline petticoat dropped to her ankles in the middle of the runway.

Since then, she’s been a clothing designer, actress (starring in her first television commercial

with Jeff Daniels for S.O.S. Soap Pads), TV show host, spokesperson for high-tech companies,

marketing and public relations professional, technical writer for Fortune 100 companies, and

author.

She is the author of the Château de Verzat series—following headstrong and independent women

and the four-hundred loyal families who protect a Loire Valley château and vineyard during the

French Revolution—Her Own Legacy 2022, Her Own Revolution 2023, Her Own War 2024, and

a companion cookbook to the series, Soups of Château de Verzat, 2023.

A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, she weaves her knowledge of textiles and

clothing design throughout her French historical fiction. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with

her family and standard poodle, named after a fine French Champagne.

***

Pass-the-Baton Interview # 31 is part of a series of Instagram Live interviews where contributors to Word Improv challenges (by @wordsleuth) interview one another so that the Word Improv community and our audience learn about Word Improv writers and their work.  The interviewee for one interview becomes the interviewer for the next! (hence, “Pass-the-Baton”). 

A Word Improv challenge is where participants are asked to incorporate a set of six “difficult” words into a broadly defined “story”, which includes a short story, poem, skit, song, etc.  Participants include authors, poets, screenwriters and anyone else who is a storyteller of some kind.  Each challenge kicks off after a set of six words is posted (over a period of several days) on the @wordsleuth page.

For Pass-the-Baton Interview # 31 (via Instagram):

@authorcrrice interviewed @debraborchertauthor

@lj_sommers was Alternate

by @wordsleuth 

This interview is available as a podcast. Find the podcast by searching for “Wordsleuth” on Spotify, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer, Listen Notes, TuneIn, etc. 

Anyone can join and participation in all aspects of what we do is free!  You can find testimonials we received about our community by checking out the “Testimonials” highlight on the @wordsleuth page.  

Follow @wordsleuth on Instagram to join, get involved and keep up with our words and happenings! 

***

Pass-the-Baton Interview # 30 is the thirtieth in a series of Instagram Live interviews where contributors to Word Improv challenges (by @wordsleuth) interview one another so that the Word Improv community and our audience learn about Word Improv writers and their work.  The interviewee for one interview becomes the interviewer for the next! (hence, “Pass-the-Baton”). 

A Word Improv challenge is where participants are asked to incorporate a set of six “difficult” words into a broadly defined “story”, which includes a short story, poem, skit, song, etc.  Participants include authors, poets, screenwriters and anyone else who is a storyteller of some kind.  Each challenge kicks off after a set of six words is posted (over a period of several days) on the @wordsleuth page.

For Pass-the-Baton Interview # 30 (via Instagram):

@lj_sommers interviewed @authorcrrice

@dessi.nikko.author was Alternate

by @wordsleuth 

This interview is available as a podcast. Find the podcast by searching for “Wordsleuth” on Spotify, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer, Listen Notes, TuneIn, etc. 

Anyone can join and participation in all aspects of what we do is free!  You can find testimonials we received about our community by checking out the “Testimonials” highlight on the @wordsleuth page.  

Follow @wordsleuth on Instagram to join, get involved and keep up with our words and happenings! 

Leslie Sommers holds a B.A. in English with a concentration in Creative Fiction Writing from Montclair State University. Leslie was born and raised in New Jersey and inherited her love of reading from her mother. Janice Sommers holds a B.S. in Education from Seton Hall University. Her passion for books was passed on to the next generation of her family. Both Leslie and Janice currently live in New Jersey with their cat, in a busy little town, and they couldn’t think of a more perfect setting for their heroine. Brighde Reborn is their first young adult novel.

***

Pass-the-Baton Interview # 29 is the twenty-ninth in a series of Instagram Live interviews where contributors to Word Improv challenges (by @wordsleuth) interview one another so that the Word Improv community and our audience learn about Word Improv writers and their work.  The interviewee for one interview becomes the interviewer for the next! (hence, “Pass-the-Baton”). 

A Word Improv challenge is where participants are asked to incorporate a set of six “difficult” words into a broadly defined “story”, which includes a short story, poem, skit, song, etc.  Participants include authors, poets, screenwriters and anyone else who is a storyteller of some kind.  Each challenge kicks off after a set of six words is posted (over a period of several days) on the @wordsleuth page.

For Pass-the-Baton Interview # 29 (via Instagram):

@authorjeanneesacken interviews @lj_sommers

@thewordywoman20 is Alternate

by @wordsleuth 

This interview is available as a podcast. Find the podcast by searching for “Wordsleuth” on Spotify, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Deezer, Listen Notes, TuneIn, etc. 

Anyone can join and participating in all aspects of what we do is free!  You can find testimonials we received about our community by checking out the “Testimonials” highlight on the @wordsleuth page.  

Follow @wordsleuth on Instagram to join, get involved and keep up with our words and happenings! 

A former English professor, Jeannée Sacken is now a photojournalist who travels to the ends of the earth, documenting the lives of women and children. She also photographs wildlife and is deeply committed to the conservation of endangered species. Described by MKE Lifestyle magazine as “Indiana Jones with a camera,” Jeannée has summitted Mt. Kilimanjaro, canoed the Zambezi River, kayaked the North Pacific, and driven through far-western Mongolia in a blizzard. Many of her adventures have been fictionalized into her novels. Her debut novel,

Behind the Lens, won numerous awards, including the 2021 American Writing Awards Novel of the Year and The Hawthorne Prize. Her second novel, Double Exposure, won the Firebird Awards for Suspense, Romantic Suspense, and Women’s Fiction. Her third novel in The Annie Hawkins Series launches is October 2023. When not traveling, Jeannée is at home in Shorewood, Wisconsin, with her husband and cats. Follow Jeannée at jeanneesacken.com.

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Pass-the-Baton Interview # 28 is the twenty-eighth in a series of Instagram Live interviews where contributors to our Word Improv challenges interview one another so that our community and audience learns about Word Improv writers and their work. 

@carolvandenhende interviews @authorjeanneesacken

@sarenastraus is Alternate

by @wordsleuth 

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The Word Improv Community by @Wordsleuth is an eclectic, collaborative and evolving social media-driven collective of stakeholders from the writing/publishing and entertainment industries. The Word Improv Challenge, central to what we do, challenges participants to identify and use unusual words.  Participation in this challenge unlocks access to our Pass-the-Baton interviews, where participants interview one another via Instagram Live, in order for our community and followers to learn more about the interviewees and their work.  The interviews are converted into a podcast called ‘Wordsleuth’s Pass-the-Baton Interviews’.  We recently launched on social media a new, leaderboard-driven, Word Improv-inspired game/competition to help put our knowledge of the words we learn to the test: Scribe Wars! Virtual book tours and creative collaboration will be incorporated into our efforts to maximize value and engagement for our community.