The Journey of Writing, Healing, and Creating Change
“I’ve had so many thoughts and fears about all of the businesses I had ever started, but if I had let myself get too wound up in that fear, then I never would’ve gotten started.” —Cody McLain
Cody McLain grew up in foster care, lost both his parents at a young age, and faced tremendous adversity throughout his youth. But with persistence and determination, he not only managed to overcome these challenges but also forged his own path to success and became a millionaire.
In this episode of “Authors Who Lead,” I talk with Cody McLain about his life experiences and his book, From Foster Care to Millionaire, and how the journey of writing created healing and change in his and others’ lives.
The Writing Journey
Cody decided to sign on with a publisher that helped him write his book over a year-long process. He started out wanting to write a business book, but after many phone calls with his writing team, his book turned out to be a deeper story that resonated with a wide variety of people.
Healing as a Result
When an author writes a memoir or a story that comes from deep inside them, sometimes digging up those memories can retraumatize them. Cody felt this as he wrote his book and found that it was really healing in the end. He learned that it was best to just let things go and not let those dark portions live inside of him. He also learned the importance of forgiveness and “not losing hope in humanity, despite past traumas.”
In this podcast, Cody also shares with us:
- Sometimes you need to go out of your comfort zone to prove to yourself that you can do great things.
- You can get burnt out if you rely on hard work and success as gauges for happiness.
- Like attracts like, so be careful who you work and associate with.
What was your biggest takeaway from this episode? Are you struggling to define success? Do you have a book you’re writing that feels so personal that it’s hard to write? Share in the comments below!
That’s all for this week. If you have a message inside of you that needs to be written, today is the day to start. Don’t delay—take action.
Episode Resource:
Connect with Cody here:
Twitter
Instagram
Listen on:
