Authors Who Lead 200th Episode
“Writing is a creative process. And creative processes allow you to actually grow and change if you allow it.” —Jadah Sellner
For over four years, I’ve recorded a podcast every single week. I have not missed a single one. Putting out content consistently takes commitment, and I’m proud of that, but even more, so that I’ve been able to help listeners grow as writers. Many of you have written books because of listening to the inspiring stories from other authors.
On this 200th episode of “Authors Who Lead,” I look back at inspiring conversations with amazing people on my podcast that have had such an impact on me. There are so many fantastic moments to choose from that I realized there’s no way to do this justice, but I’ve chosen a few that highlight the transformation it takes in an author’s life to write a book.
Gay Hendricks
I’ve been a big fan of Gay Hendricks for a long time, and I even told my husband, Steve, that I would have Gay Hendricks on my show someday. I wasn’t sure how or when, but sometimes we can easily manifest the things that we want. I’ve now had Gay on my podcast twice, and I hope to have him on again.
One of the questions I ask authors before I hit record is “What would make this a great interview for you?” When I asked Gay Hendricks this question, he replied, “If you ask me a question that no one else has ever asked me.” Now, Gay has been on a lot of podcasts and has done a lot of public speaking in his career. But I had no time to prepare for this, so I just went with my intuition and started talking.
We had an amazing conversation, and I learned a great deal from him about the importance of his work and being a writer. Listen to the full episode to fully experience his wisdom and insights.
Pat Flynn
Pat Flynn has been a mentor of mine for many years. I’ve interviewed him several times on the podcast. In fact, he was my very first guest. In that episode, we talked about the first book he wrote that we worked on together, Will It Fly?: How to Test Your Next Business Idea So You Don’t Waste Your Time and Money, and the success of that book as well as what he did in order to write the second book when he found himself with little time to write.
Pat felt overwhelmed writing the second book because his business was growing as well as his family. In episode 58, we discussed specific strategies that he used in order to get that book done despite life happening all around him. There are so many ways to write a book, including ghostwriting. There are no wrong answers to how to finish your book, but you have to learn from other people so that you can make the right decision for yourself.
Once Pat decided to write the book himself, he buckled down and made the commitment to take the time to write it. To help him focus and keep him accountable, he joined the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) challenge. The daily practice and accountability to both the challenge and his audience helped him finish the book in just a little over a month.
Charlie Hoehn
Charlie Hoehn is a TEDx speaker as well as the author of Play It Away: A Workaholic’s Cure for Anxiety. In episode 6, we talked about how to write a book when you don’t feel like an expert. Charlie showed us that we need to understand that we are the most important person in our books. We don’t need to be an expert because it’s our story we’re telling, from our own unique perspective.
There are things in our control and things that are not in our control, like what others think of us. When it’s out of our control, we need to let it go. When people are really pushing back, just remember that it’s more about them, not you. Their opinions don’t reflect who you are.
Jadah Sellner
I’ve had several conversations with Jadah on my podcast. In episode 138, she shared about her book journey and the transformation that occurred. While writing her latest book, Jadah’s father passed away. We talked about how this loss affected her writing and life.
Jadah found that she needed to put the book down for a time in order to heal and grieve her loss. Her father’s death came at a time when she was realizing a great transformation in herself. She came back to that book and realized that what she was going through was needed both in her life but also as part of her book. With her father’s death came the freedom to add things to her book that she might not have done before.
I hope you enjoyed this 200th episode. I want you to be inspired to realize that writing a book is much more than putting a product out into the world. It’s about changing and transforming your own life so that you can help change and transform others. What was your biggest takeaway from this episode? Are you hiding part of yourself because you’re afraid of not having the best idea or not being liked? In the comments, share your biggest challenge in writing your book.
That’s all for this week. If you have a message inside you that needs to be written, know that you can write the book that’s been on your heart. Don’t delay—get out of your head, put words on the page today, and make a movement with your message!
Episode Resource:
Authors Who Lead
Mandala Tree Press
Gay Hendricks #124
Gay Hendricks #173
Jadah Sellner #47
Jadah Sellner #138
Jadah Sellner #182
Gay Hendricks’ books:
The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level
Conscious Luck: Eight Secrets to Intentionally Change Your Fortune
Pat Flynn’s books:
Superfans: The Easy Way to Stand Out, Grow Your Tribe, and Build a Successful Business
Will It Fly?: How to Test Your Next Business Idea So You Don’t Waste Your Time and Money
Charlie Hoehn’s book:
Play It Away: A Workaholic’s Cure for Anxiety
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