Latest / Is Your Way In Your Way? / Balancing Dreams and Reality: Josee Smith's Journey to Creative Fulfillment and Empowerment

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Balancing Dreams and Reality: Josee Smith's Journey to Creative Fulfillment and Empowerment · Is Your Way In Your Way?

• 0:25
  Cassandra: Gday out there to all my podcasters.
• 0:27
  Cassandra: My name is Cassandra Crawley-Mayle, who is your host to the podcast titled Is your Way In your Way Podcast and, as many of you are aware, that's the name of my book.
• 0:37
  Cassandra: So I'm like, why not call this podcast Is your Way In your Way?
• 0:42
  Cassandra: Because these are for individuals, for those who do not know that are new listeners today that I cater to and work with individuals that are stuck, and what I mean by that is there are certain things that they know that they should be doing in their life, but yet they're not able to get through the hurdles.
• 1:00
  Cassandra: I've been there and I always say I'm qualified to even write that book because I was in my way, and it's still a work in progress.
• 1:09
  Cassandra: So these are for those people.
• 1:14
  Cassandra: We focus on topics such as personal development, business development, personal improvement, and it also enables you to reflect a little bit.
• 1:25
  Cassandra: So our topic today is bring your creative writing dreams to life, and who better to speak about this is Josee Smith, and I'm going to get her on stage.
• 1:37
  Cassandra: Hello, Josee, right, yes, hi, okay, say that because I think of Jay-Z, so I can say Josee.
• 1:45
  Josee: Josee Smith.
• 1:46
  Josee: It's like, yeah, yeah, Josee Smith.
• 1:51
  Cassandra: Okay, okay, Josie.
• 1:53
  Cassandra: Well, welcome to Is your Way In your Way, and I'm really excited about what our conversation's about, because I know that I have listeners that are mothers that are very busy.
• 2:03
  Cassandra: There's certain things they'd want to accomplish, but yet they just haven't found the time or feel like they don't have enough hours in a day.
• 2:11
  Cassandra: So, before we get started, I just want to read your bio, so my listeners will get to know you a little bit, know your background a bit.
• 2:18
  Cassandra: Okay, so, as I indicated, I'm so excited to introduce to you Josee.
• 2:26
  Cassandra: Josee Smith is an indie author and dedicated book coach specializing in helping busy working moms finally finish the novels they've always dreamed of writing.
• 2:40
  Cassandra: After realizing her own dream by publishing her first novel in 2021, she turned her focus to empowering other moms to do the same.
• 2:51
  Cassandra: She understands firsthand the challenges of balancing career, motherhood and creativity, and she's passionate about showing women how writing can be a powerful tool for rediscovering themselves amidst the chaos of daily life.
• 3:07
  Cassandra: She lives in San Francisco Bay area with her husband, her young son, she has a very anxious dog and her cat.
• 3:16
  Cassandra: Again, welcome to the Is your Way In your Way podcast.
• 3:21
  Cassandra: So, josee, don't keep saying that One of the things that I'd like to ask you to get us started.
• 3:29
  Cassandra: Could you share with the listeners a little bit about your backstory, like tell us a little bit about your background?
• 3:37
  Josee: Yeah, definitely so.
• 3:39
  Josee: I have always been a writer, ever since I was a young girl.
• 3:44
  Josee: I've always been really into reading and so that kind of naturally, you know, I wanted to write my own stories as a result of all the reading I did.
• 3:51
  Josee: So I was always very interested in that as a kid and throughout high school and somewhat in college.
• 3:56
  Josee: It always kind of got, you know, sort of put to the side.
• 3:59
  Josee: Other things would happen that were more important.
• 4:02
  Josee: I got a job, a college degree all of these things got married, but always had this desire to write and this desire to share my words with the world and with others, and I, you know, kind of always had that little kernel inside of me and found in 2020, with the pandemic and with the world kind of being flipped upside down, I had this, you know, new space in my life.
• 4:28
  Josee: I didn't have a son at that time.
• 4:30
  Josee: It was just me and my husband in our house together, staring at each other.
• 4:33
  Josee: So I had this time and, you know, really had to think about, like, what do I want in this life?
• 4:39
  Josee: What do I want to be doing to spend this time focusing on?
• 4:43
  Josee: I really like what you've said about, you know, helping people to get unstuck and helping people who are stuck.
• 4:49
  Josee: So that's very much how I felt in 2020, where I'd really been interested in writing and wanting to actually finish something that I felt good about, finishing a novel that I felt good about but had just been so stuck for so long and, yeah, something about the pandemic just kind of shifted me out of that space of you know.
• 5:05
  Josee: Things are now different, so let's see what I can do to actually accomplish this dream.
• 5:16
  Josee: And so I ended up being able to actually write and finish a novel that I then self published in 2021, and went on to write several more novels after that point and, just you know, kind of realized this amazing childhood dream.
• 5:24
  Josee: You know just been so amazing and fantastic of an experience for myself.
• 5:29
  Josee: Um, and then I had a kind of second instance of this same sort of feeling stuck and needing to get unstuck experience um, the birth of my son last year.
• 5:40
  Josee: Um, he uh just turned one, uh in August of this year, so it was last summer.
• 5:46
  Josee: Um, you know, I'd I kind of paused my own writing.
• 5:50
  Josee: I was still actively writing leading up to, you know, when I got pregnant with him, but kind of paused it because pregnancy was just you know a lot to manage and working like all these things.
• 5:59
  Josee: So I put that on pause and gave birth and was lucky to have some time off from my day jobs.
• 6:05
  Josee: I was able to really focus on my son and figure out how to take care of him, how to be a parent, like just what goes into that.
• 6:12
  Josee: But I started to have this you know, kind of inner feeling of something, was feeling sort of off.
• 6:19
  Josee: I was spending all this time and energy figuring out you know how to take care of him, how to breastfeed, how to, you know, change diapers in a fast way.
• 6:28
  Josee: You know all of these things, yeah.
• 6:31
  Josee: And when he would nap or when my husband was with him and he didn't need my attention as much, I kind of felt adrift in my house.
• 6:38
  Josee: I kind of felt like I was just sort of wandering around, not really sure what to do with myself, and like unattached from my sense of identity, like I was now a mom.
• 6:47
  Josee: But I didn't quite feel like my other parts of my identity and I have a pretty strong journaling practice and so I turned to my journal and just started to write out like what was I feeling, what was going on in my brain as I felt sort of adrift and lost and like I didn't quite know what I was doing.
• 7:03
  Josee: And I realized that, you know, I had put my writing on hold to get through the pregnancy and get through, kind of early, you know, that newborn stage, and I started to feel like I had a little more space in my brain and in my day to come back to the writing.
• 7:18
  Josee: So that realization helped me get back into my writing, you know, when my son was pretty young and I've been able to keep it up since since then or the last, you know, 12, 10 or 12 months.
• 7:27
  Josee: But it was really another, another instance of kind of feeling, feeling stuck, feeling like I didn't really know what to do with myself in that moment of I have this young son, I, you know, not having to show up and work a day job just yet, but what do I want to do with the time where he doesn't need me, 24, seven necessarily.
• 7:44
  Josee: And I came back to my writing.
• 7:47
  Josee: It again became this place where I could, you know, find my sense of self again, find, you know, kind of that little writer inside of me, that little girl who loved reading, who wanted to write books and share it with others.
• 7:58
  Josee: So it was kind of an interesting, yeah, having that same sort of similar experience.
• 8:01
  Josee: But now, as a mom, like how do I, how I get back to that identity?
• 8:05
  Cassandra: Wow, well, wow, that's, that's, that's a lot.
• 8:13
  Cassandra: And interesting enough I wrote my book during the pandemic as well.
• 8:15
  Cassandra: However, I didn't have a child or any of that, and I always wondered you know even individuals that have young children how do they get done what it is that they want to do?
• 8:26
  Cassandra: Like, for example, you had your your son, is that right?
• 8:29
  Cassandra: Yeah, you had your son, and then that was your focus for a while.
• 8:33
  Cassandra: So tell us, how do you, now that COVID is over and that's not your only novel, right?
• 8:43
  Cassandra: How are you balancing this?
• 8:45
  Cassandra: You're working again.
• 8:47
  Cassandra: You have your son, you have your dog, you have household things that you do as A wife.
• 8:55
  Cassandra: How do you balance that?
• 8:57
  Cassandra: Do you feel like you're not giving enough to your son, to your husband, to writing what's, what's going on in your head about all of that?
• 9:04
  Josee: Yeah, I think what's really helped is acknowledging where I am now and the energy I can put into certain things.
• 9:13
  Josee: So a big, you know, kind of mindset reset or shift that I had to do in the past year is acknowledging that I can't write the exact same way that I used to before having my son.
• 9:27
  Josee: So previously, you know, in the pandemic excuse me, in the pandemic, you know I had many hours of free time that I could write and then, obviously, once the world started opening up more, I didn't have as much time, but I still had some time with my son.
• 9:41
  Josee: You know, just the amount of time that I had to work on my writing definitely went down, and so there was a lot of.
• 9:49
  Josee: It wasn't exactly grieving that old routine, but it was just having to acknowledge, like, as much as I wish I could write exactly the same amount that I was before, that's not as feasible for me anymore, but I still want to show up and write, and so how can I, you know, accept the life stage that I'm in now and still find ways to work on my writing, you know, and be okay with it looking different than it has previously?
• 10:14
  Josee: So the big thing for me and, honestly, the biggest tip that I give to moms who are people who are wanting to write but feel like they have so many other things going on.
• 10:22
  Josee: It's like, how do you actually do it?
• 10:23
  Josee: The biggest tip is just to like really lower your expectations on yourself and really, just you know, set a small goal that is easy to hit, that you know you can accomplish without too much effort, and then just have that build up over time.
• 10:36
  Josee: So that's been the biggest thing for me, especially just since the beginning of 2024 and going back to my job of just like really lowering my expectations, the amount of time that I'm showing up to write every day.
• 10:48
  Josee: I make it easy for me to show up and work on my novel because I'm not telling myself I have to write an hour every single day or two hours every single day, and I make it easy to show up consistently and actually put in the work and do it, and then it just becomes a habit that grows over time, that changes and shifts, but it's just acknowledging the life stage that I'm in and the time that I have for everything and being okay with, you know, putting in energy that doesn't look the same that it has previously but that I feel good about because I'm still making progress on these things.
• 11:20
  Cassandra: Okay, so what, what are your strategies, I would say, for pushing past these self-imposed barriers, that's, you know, preventing you from writing.
• 11:36
  Josee: I do a lot of writing, no-transcript, swirling around, a lot of like I want to be writing, I want to be doing these things, but I just can't do it.
• 12:11
  Josee: Sitting down and journaling out like, okay, what's actually going on in your head, to start to see that those thoughts are, yeah, there's like a different, a different way to kind of look at it, so that that's a big like thing.
• 12:25
  Josee: I would, I would recommend and I think a lot of the doubts and like barriers that come up I think are around for for writers around, you know, this is a waste of time.
• 12:36
  Josee: No one's going to be interested in what I have to say or what I have to write.
• 12:40
  Josee: This is, you know, too similar to other books or too unique from other books.
• 12:46
  Josee: No one's going to like it, and I think that was definitely a deterent.
• 12:50
  Josee: Those were some big thoughts that I had to work through in 2020, when I was first really getting into my writing, and what helped me there was just really working on the belief that you know, if I am excited about what I'm writing, yeah, there's going to be someone else out there who will also be excited about what I'm writing.
• 13:07
  Josee: It's just a matter of finding them and you know sharing the book with them.
• 13:11
  Josee: So, yeah, I think you know if you can infuse what you're writing with your passion and your you know what makes you excited to be able to find someone on the other end who's also.
• 13:21
  Josee: You know what makes you excited to be able to also, you know, really interested in it?
• 13:22
  Josee: someone on the other end who's also
• 13:46
  Cassandra: Okay, okay, tell us about you know, because you are working, you are a coach, right?
• 13:53
  Cassandra: You you're writing.
• 13:59
  Cassandra: Your job, your husband, you're being a wife, and have animals.
• 14:11
  Josee: What qualifies you to be a coach?
• 14:12
  Josee: You believe?
• 14:12
  Josee: Um, I think it's like problem solving skills and like a willingness to solve problems.
• 14:19
  Josee: Um, so, you know, I, I will work with writers who are people who are interested in writing, who haven't yet finished a novel, but have a story they're passionate about or, you know, want to figure out, like, how can I, how can I write something?
• 14:33
  Josee: And I know, for me, you know, that was my biggest hurdle in 2020.
• 14:36
  Josee: It's like I really wanted to work on this particular novel, but I was really struggling with it.
• 14:39
  Josee: So what were the ways that I helped myself problem solve and figure out?
• 14:43
  Josee: You know, how can I write something that I'm, that I'm excited about, and then I can share with the world Now, with other writers?
• 14:49
  Josee: You know I'm really focused on, okay, what do we need to do to get you to that end goal?
• 14:53
  Josee: You know it's gonna look different for everyone.
• 14:55
  Josee: Everyone's gonna need different things to get them to that endpoint.
• 14:58
  Josee: But how can we solve this issue for you and make it so that you're, you know, able to build a writing routine that can fit into your lifestyle, that's sustainable, that you feel good about?
• 15:08
  Josee: How can we build up your confidence that your story idea is worthy of being told and that you should put in the energy to tell it?
• 15:15
  Josee: How can we help you figure out how to juggle your writing with all the other things that you have going on in your life?
• 15:21
  Josee: I really think the coaching just comes down to problem solving and working one-on-one to figure out like what do we need to do to get you to that ultimate goal of writing your novel?
• 15:30
  Cassandra: Okay.
• 15:30
  Cassandra: Now, you are an indie author and I kind of want to talk about being an indie author, because a lot of people are not quite sure what it is, but they hear the term a lot, and an indie author is a lot.
• 15:44
  Cassandra: I mean, you actually, you do the editing, you do the publishing, you also distribute, do the distribution, the marketing, and that's a whole lot.
• 15:57
  Cassandra: And I can say that only because I'm a debut author and I didn't do all of that.
• 16:03
  Cassandra: I wish I could, but I was learning as I'm going and when I do my next book, I'm like, okay, so I wouldn't, I would edit it, but I would trust somebody else to edit it too, because I may not see things.
• 16:17
  Cassandra: You know, I'm just doing so much, I'm like I may miss something.
• 16:20
  Cassandra: So therefore I want to get another person.
• 16:24
  Cassandra: How are you?
• 16:27
  Cassandra: You talk about coaching, how do people know about you?
• 16:31
  Cassandra: And you do the marketing.
• 16:33
  Cassandra: Explain the marketing part of what you do, in addition to the books you write.
• 16:39
  Josee: Yeah, that's a really good question and I will say I also have an editor.
• 16:43
  Josee: I don't trust myself to edit just on my own and I think for anyone who's going to put their book out to the world, an editor is vital.
• 16:51
  Josee: We need someone to objectively look at what we're doing and help us make it better.
• 16:55
  Josee: But, yeah, it's really about with indie publishing, with self-publishing.
• 17:00
  Josee: It's really about finding the resources and the people outside of you who can help you make the best book possible.
• 17:07
  Josee: So I hire an editor, I have a proofreader, I have someone make my covers.
• 17:12
  Josee: You know it's finding the people out in the world who can help you make this book better, figuring out where to you know, distribute it, as you said, like upload it into certain places.
• 17:21
  Josee: My books are on Amazon and so I use their system to get my books out to the world or people to buy them.
• 17:27
  Josee: And then, in terms of marketing, it's been I mean, it's really been such a journey with my, with my marketing.
• 17:33
  Josee: Over the years I've been on social media actively and now I'm kind of just like to like.
• 17:40
  Josee: Social media honestly has been the thing that has been cut from my author life, because I don't have like when I think about all the time that I have for different things.
• 17:48
  Josee: Social media is one that's just like put to the side, but I do have a newsletter that I'll send to my readers, you know, every week, like letting them know, you know how my writing is going, what I'm working on, sharing my book recommendations, all of that, so finding ways to connect with readers and stay in touch with them so that when I do have, you know, something to share, a book to share, I have that direct connection with them.
• 18:09
  Josee: So it is yeah, it can be a lot of things to kind of balance, and I think it is a question of, you know, just doing your research into best practices and then figuring out what is the best practice that's, you know know, going to make the most sense for you.
• 18:24
  Josee: Um, just because, yeah, there's there's a lot of different parts to it, um, but honestly, I think the hardest part is writing the book.
• 18:30
  Josee: I think, if you can get to the end of writing the book, that the publishing side, the marketing side, all of that can be learned.
• 18:36
  Josee: It's, it's, those are skills that can be learned, whereas I think the the writing of the book, there's so much like inner turmoil that can happen as we're trying to get through that part of it and especially getting feedback and then trying to work with feedback.
• 18:48
  Josee: So I honestly I do think that yeah, if you can get through writing of the novel, you can figure out the other stuff and find ways to kind of balance all of the different tasks, all the different projects and figure out like what's actually going to fit into your lifestyle.
• 19:06
  Cassandra: Okay, josee, what motivates you to write?
• 19:11
  Cassandra: Is it because you always wrote?
• 19:13
  Cassandra: You never had written a book?
• 19:15
  Cassandra: But what's your motivating factor?
• 19:18
  Cassandra: What, who's your inspiration?
• 19:20
  Cassandra: What pushes you?
• 19:22
  Cassandra: What tell us about that?
• 19:23
  Josee: Yeah, I think, um, I think, maybe, at like the core, I am motivated by the books that I read.
• 19:32
  Josee: Okay, I love books and I, when I read something, my brain just automatically is like, oh, how would I do that?
• 19:40
  Josee: How would I, you know, take this similar plot or the situation?
• 19:44
  Josee: How might I, you know, do it a little bit differently?
• 19:46
  Josee: So I tend to just get inspiration when I read or watch tv or movies and just think about, like, how would I do that instead?
• 19:53
  Josee: Um, so that's that, I think, is the I don't know, maybe like the mechanical side of it, like I'm motivated because I'm so inspired by the things around me that I want to see how can I do this myself.
• 20:03
  Josee: And then I, you know, just like, achieving that childhood dream has been just so such an amazing experience for me that I just want to keep doing it over and over and over again.
• 20:14
  Josee: You know, as much as I can like the fact that I have books on my bookshelf that I can point to and say, like those came from me.
• 20:20
  Josee: That's such an amazing inspiration and something that definitely keeps me going.
• 20:24
  Josee: And I think the newer motivation inspiration has been my son, of just being able to.
• 20:29
  Josee: You know he's one now, so he doesn't really know what books are exactly Right.
• 20:35
  Josee: Knowing that this will be something that I can point to as he gets older to say like hey, I went after my dream.
• 20:41
  Josee: You know, you should also feel motivated to go after your dream.
• 20:44
  Josee: Like that, that's definitely become a motivator for me.
• 20:47
  Josee: I've just wanted to show him like, hey, this is something that I was, you know, really passionate about and I went after and was successful in.
• 20:53
  Josee: So if there's something you're passionate about, like you can figure out a way to accomplish, you know, whatever that thing is.
• 20:59
  Josee: So, being a, being a, you know, inspiration for him is something that's beginning to motivate me as well.
• 21:05
  Cassandra: Okay, all right.
• 21:06
  Cassandra: So how many books have you written?
• 21:09
  Josee: I have, um, well, I've written and published six books so far, and all in the same series.
• 21:17
  Josee: Um, I write, uh, and published under a pen name, josephine Smith.
• 21:21
  Cassandra: If you do, yeah, if you look me up, it's Josephine Smith.
• 21:25
  Josee: Six books are out in a mystery series, but then I've written.
• 21:29
  Josee: I have a few, like you know, kind of manuscripts on my like desktop or whatever that have yet to be published, but they will.
• 21:38
  Cassandra: That's a lot of books since 2021.
• 21:41
  Josee: Yeah, cause I don't think about it sometimes.
• 21:44
  Josee: I think back on that time and I was like how did I do so much?
• 21:47
  Josee: I have no idea.
• 21:48
  Cassandra: How did you do that?
• 21:49
  Cassandra: I was going to say how in the world did you do that?
• 21:51
  Josee: Yeah, yeah, I think, building up the habit for me at least, I have found that building up the habit, I've gotten faster with it.
• 22:00
  Josee: So you know, yeah, like I think for the first book in that series it took me a year to like start to finish.
• 22:08
  Josee: You know, getting it published it was about a year and then each book after that took like a couple months less.
• 22:14
  Josee: So I think I just got faster the more that I did it and the more that I built in that habit.
• 22:19
  Josee: And I have found that has also been true for me nowadays, when I'm definitely not writing at that pace at all these days.
• 22:27
  Josee: But I have found that even with my small goal that I set for myself, I have gotten like I've been able to do more in that small chunk of time than I did previously, if that makes sense.
• 22:37
  Josee: I think, like I hear from a lot of other writers, you know, when I say, oh, you should set a small goal for yourself and, you know, do it every day, people are like well, I have, I need, you know, two hours to really focus and get into the story and get my writing done, and my response to that first the response is like well, do you actually have two hours to work on your novel?
• 22:59
  Josee: Because if you don't, then that's just not a good goal to set for yourself.
• 23:02
  Josee: But the other thing that I try to, even if you only have 10 minutes right now, I'm writing 20 minutes.
• 23:09
  Josee: I'm working on my novel 20 minutes every weekday, so it's very, very little amounts, um, but I find that the work that I do in that 20 minutes is very like concentrated.
• 23:20
  Josee: It's very focused work.
• 23:21
  Josee: I set a timer for 20 minutes and I get into it and that 20 minutes flies by.
• 23:26
  Josee: I make a lot of good progress and that has come through building up.
• 23:30
  Josee: You know, over the past eight months now, at this point of really focusing on, you know, making the most use of that time, whereas if I had an hour to write, I know that I would waste 20 minutes of that hour scrolling the Internet.
• 23:43
  Josee: Or, you know, researching something, researching quotation marks, because is it actually research?
• 23:47
  Josee: I know that I would waste some of that time, whereas now, you know I only have these 20 minutes but I'm really focused with it and I make more progress than I, you know would if I had more time and I build up.
• 24:00
  Josee: You know, yeah, all this progress over time, versus if I tried to write, for you know, I don't even think I could do, I don't think I would have the stamina for two hours straight of writing that just feels like a lot of writing.
• 24:11
  Cassandra: it's 20 minutes, and if that works.
• 24:12
  Josee: It's like, oh, piece of cake.
• 24:13
  Cassandra: Just you done, so is that how you build know you say I can get that done sustainable writing?
• 24:18
  Josee: practice.
• 24:19
  Josee: I think so.
• 24:19
  Josee: Yeah, I think I think it's.
• 24:21
  Josee: It doesn't have to look, you know, the same as anyone else's, but I think it's building a practice that is realistic for your lifestyle.
• 24:28
  Josee: So for some people, yeah, they can do an hour every day and that makes the most sense for them and you know that's great for them.
• 24:34
  Josee: But for some people, especially moms, especially people who are working, especially people with other things going on, it's just not realistic to.
• 24:41
  Josee: You know, expect yourself to put in that amount of time every day to work for an hour, you know, on your novel.
• 24:47
  Josee: But if you can build, you know, set a goal for yourself, that is realistic, that is easy for you to do.
• 24:56
  Josee: It's, you know, it'll be easier for you to show up every day, or every day that you want to write, and it'll just it all kind of compounds and builds on itself over time so that you know, after six months, after a year, you've, you know, been built.
• 25:08
  Josee: I guess it's like building blocks a little bit, every single day and by the end of that year timeframe, like you could have a finished novel that you put out into the world.
• 25:14
  Josee: You know, like it is very possible to get to that point.
• 25:17
  Josee: So yeah, I think it's about a sustainable writing practice is one that fits into your lifestyle, that is realistic and that feels good.
• 25:25
  Josee: You know, you feel good about showing up and doing it.
• 25:27
  Josee: I think something that can happen when we say, you know, oh, I want to, I need to write for an hour or two hours, but you don't actually have that time in your day.
• 25:35
  Josee: You then start to feel bad about the fact that you didn't write and then that makes it harder for you to show up and keep writing because you feel bad that you like missed the day before because you couldn't do a full hour and so any way we can not make ourselves feel bad about the work that we're doing is going to make it easier to sustain that writing practice?
• 25:53
  Josee: Definitely.
• 25:54
  Cassandra: Wow, I applaud you for what you've done since 2021, and here it is 2024.
• 26:02
  Cassandra: And the reason that you know we selected this title is Bring your Creative Writing Dreams to Life.
• 26:09
  Cassandra: And your focus is from a mom's perspective and I'm thinking about a mom's perspective, just a career perspective and I've run into so many people that want to write but they say they don't have the time to write.
• 26:23
  Cassandra: And then there are people that says I don't know what to write, but I want to write.
• 26:28
  Cassandra: So what I'm hearing from you is, if this is a dream of yours and this is something you really want to do, you have the ability to make the time.
• 26:37
  Cassandra: You set out goals, like you said, I, you know I may say I'm going to write 20 minutes today, or, you know, on a on Saturday, I may do an hour, but yet if you don't do it, you start feeling bad about it, you know.
• 26:50
  Cassandra: So, with that said, how do you know?
• 26:56
  Cassandra: How would a person?
• 26:57
  Cassandra: How did you figure out what to write, like a novel or fiction or nonfiction?
• 27:03
  Cassandra: How did that decision come about on what to write?
• 27:07
  Josee: Yeah, for me it's always been like what I'm inspired by.
• 27:10
  Josee: So I have always known that.
• 27:12
  Josee: You know, novels are the thing that that I really want to write, just because that's what I've always read, that's what I've always enjoyed.
• 27:17
  Josee: Um, I always say that I'm too long-winded for short stories.
• 27:20
  Josee: It's like if I try to write a thousand word short story it just balloons into something bigger.
• 27:25
  Josee: So I always knew I wanted to do novels and, um, I have all.
• 27:29
  Josee: I particularly love mysteries and so I, you know that was just kind of naturally what, what I gravitated towards.
• 27:36
  Josee: Um, so, yeah, I think, for someone who's wondering, you know, I don't know what to write about, or I don't, you know, I'm not sure what to write about.
• 27:42
  Josee: I think, just you know, especially for your first novel, just write what you're most excited about, what you love the most, like I will sometimes, when I'm starting something new, I'll sit and just brainstorm out, like, what are 10 things that I just really love to read right now, and then how can I incorporate that into a book myself?
• 27:57
  Josee: So I think, and that also helps, that helps you get ideas of, like, okay, what do I really like to read or consume, or what sounds interesting to work on.
• 28:06
  Josee: It gets you ideas, but then that also keep you motivated because it's something that you're really excited about and interested in.
• 28:12
  Josee: That'll keep you motivated as you're working through.
• 28:14
  Josee: You know the thousands of words that it takes to finish a novel.
• 28:18
  Cassandra: Right, Let me ask you do you have a support system, that kind of because you have the child, your job and you know and I want to talk about that a little bit because there I think it's critical to have one, to talk about that a little bit, because they're I think it's critical to have one, but then there are people that don't have one.
• 28:35
  Cassandra: So do you have an accountability partner or a support system?
• 28:39
  Cassandra: Tell us about that a little bit.
• 28:41
  Josee: Yeah, that's a really good question, cause I, I definitely agree that having that support is really important and that's what I try to do, you know, just tying it back to being a coach.
• 28:49
  Josee: That's, you know, what I try to do for my writers is being that place of support, that accountability, you know, sort of all of that Right, my husband has always been really supportive of my writing, which I greatly appreciate, especially, you know, obviously, in the time of the pandemic, we weren't doing much, so, like, we were both sort of just separate in the house doing our own things.
• 29:06
  Josee: But even once, you know, like, like, he's always known that my writing is a priority for me and he's always been willing to, you know, um, give me that time to work on my writing.
• 29:16
  Josee: He'll now, you know, if I ask for him to, you know, watch the baby while I'm writing.
• 29:21
  Josee: Like it's just, it's an easy thing now.
• 29:23
  Josee: So I really appreciate having him as as my support.
• 29:26
  Josee: I also, um, I think, was just kind of lucky.
• 29:30
  Josee: We moved to a new town in 2020, um, and that town just happened to have a writing community already built in it, so I was able to get involved with that and that's really been a really good support for me of just having it's both online and in person, so just having a place to go to where there are other writers, other people I can talk to and just share you know what I'm going through, the challenges, the joys all of that.
• 29:54
  Josee: I don't have any specific like an individual that I necessarily, you know, am like an accountability partner with, but I have folks that all write on zoom.
• 30:02
  Josee: Once a week we'll hop on and write together, or maybe once a month we'll have like a longer writing session on the weekends, or we're just really focused and writing together.
• 30:11
  Josee: So I definitely think that, yeah, having that community that you know, just other writers around you, can be really important.
• 30:17
  Josee: So definitely, you know, see if your town has any kind of like writing group.
• 30:22
  Josee: Libraries often will have, you know, sort of writing groups that will gather.
• 30:27
  Josee: You could probably start one at your library if you can, if there isn't one already there.
• 30:30
  Josee: I've also gotten a lot of support from podcasts and just listening to other writers talking about their writing and how they're you know making it work in their life.
• 30:39
  Josee: So if you don't have something that you can go to you know directly, just finding podcasts or other you know online communities to get that support I think is really important.
• 30:47
  Josee: Um, because you know, it's not everyone wants to write or is a writer and when we have that brain it can be kind of hard to relate to or have other people relate to us who want us into it.
• 30:57
  Josee: It's like can you?
• 30:58
  Josee: explain why you're so passionate about this and so finding that community, that space to just you know, share yourself and your thoughts and feelings, I think is very important for writers.
• 31:11
  Cassandra: I have plenty of listeners who want to write a book, just hadn't written a book.
• 31:16
  Cassandra: You know, I usually ask the question.
• 31:17
  Cassandra: You know, if I give you a scale from one to 10, and 10 being the highest, where are you and living your best life, you know, and there's some people that say, well, they have to think about it, they have to think about what is living my best life look like.
• 31:34
  Cassandra: And there's some that say, you know what, if I could write a book, you know, if I could be an author, that could be my best life at that time.
• 31:42
  Cassandra: Okay, so I'm going to ask you, from a scale from one to 10, you're doing your dream, your goal.
• 31:50
  Cassandra: You have your son, your husband.
• 31:52
  Cassandra: Where would you be?
• 31:53
  Cassandra: Where are you on that scale?
• 31:57
  Josee: I I feel pretty good about my life right now.
• 32:02
  Josee: So I feel like I'm like, uh, maybe a seven, I'd love to not have a day job.
• 32:06
  Josee: That's the only thing that I'm like.
• 32:09
  Josee: I'd love to just magically have the money to like be able to build up this coaching business and this writing and not have to, like you know, pay the rest of my bills.
• 32:16
  Josee: But yeah, I think like a seven, seven or so, just with the qualifier that you know one day.
• 32:25
  Josee: and honestly it's so funny that you asked that question, cause I think you know, yeah, we think like, oh, if I just had this thing, if I achieved this dream, if I accomplished this goal, you know I'll just, I'll be living my dream life, as you said.
• 32:39
  Josee: But there's always, there's always like ups and downs to the life that we are in.
• 32:40
  Josee: So even if that, you know, even if I reach a point where I'm able to support myself through the coaching and through my writing and didn't have, you know, the stage up, there would be something else that you know was making life hard and, like you know, we, the stage up there would be something else that you know was making life hard and, like you know, we always kind of end up at this, like you know, sort of neutral, neutral place with things.
• 32:56
  Josee: But I do try to really appreciate the fact that I have written these books and that I continue to write and that I have readers who are excited about the books that I've written.
• 33:06
  Josee: I really, you know, appreciate my son at this age, like one year old, is just really fun.
• 33:11
  Josee: He's just very giggly and he just loves being around us and I really try to appreciate that.
• 33:15
  Josee: I try to appreciate, you know, the time with my husband and the fact that we're raising this kid and that it's, you know, such a journey with our animals in the house and trying to like, juggle all of them to get them together.
• 33:25
  Josee: Um, but it is very much like there's always, there's always a downside to what we're going through.
• 33:30
  Josee: Yeah, definitely.
• 33:32
  Cassandra: Right, but at least you're in a place where I'm I'm doing what I want to do right now and how things could possibly change.
• 33:39
  Cassandra: So let me talk about a call to action for my listeners, and that is to schedule a call with you.
• 33:47
  Cassandra: Okay, to learn more about how your coaching program for those who really want to start writing a book.
• 33:57
  Cassandra: So would you mind providing my listeners with your information if they want to get in touch with you?
• 34:02
  Josee: Yeah, definitely yeah.
• 34:04
  Josee: So my coaching program you know we will figure out a writing routine that works for your lifestyle.
• 34:09
  Josee: We will figure out the book that you want to write and make sure that it has a solid foundation and that you know you're able to work on it and make good progress.
• 34:16
  Josee: And you know we'll get to a point where you're going to finish your novel and you know be able to say like, hey, I accomplished this dream.
• 34:22
  Josee: And what comes next after that?
• 34:23
  Josee: So, yeah, I, this is, this is the work that I do with writers and it's something I'm passionate about and really excited about doing.
• 34:30
  Josee: So if you want to learn more about my coaching program and kind of figure out you know how can this help you, you know, accomplish your writing dreams, you can come find me on Instagram.
• 34:40
  Josee: I'm at Josee Smith book coach and that's Josee, spelled J O S E E, and you can come, you know, read about how I'm, you know my writing routine, here about I the tips I have for other writers, and you can also schedule a call through that link and we'll chat about your writing and I might be able to help you finish your novel.
• 34:58
  Josee: Okay, and so do you have a website?
• 35:01
  Josee: I do.
• 35:02
  Josee: Yeah, it's also JoseeSmithBook@Coach.
• 35:03
  Josee: com and there's also a link to book a call there as well.
• 35:08
  Josee: I'm on Instagram is I chat.
• 35:10
  Josee: It's a very chatty space, so it's a good place to learn like the kind of coach I am to you know.
• 35:15
  Josee: See if you want to work with me.
• 35:16
  Josee: But yes, I also have a website as well.
• 35:18
  Cassandra: Okay, okay, well, great.
• 35:21
  Cassandra: I am appreciative of you bringing your creative writing, dreams to life and I definitely know that you're a person that could help and support individuals for them to get unstuck.
• 35:34
  Cassandra: You know, at first they need to make that decision, you know, and you are an individual that's there to support that dream, if they have that dream, and that's even for working moms.
• 35:45
  Cassandra: But, like I indicated before, it's not just moms.
• 35:48
  Cassandra: You know, it could be moms.
• 35:49
  Cassandra: It could just be a number of things that you want to do and trying to carve out that time to do it.
• 35:54
  Cassandra: So I want to thank you again for being on Is your Way, in your Way, and I tell my listeners that if, in fact, you enjoyed this particular episode, which I know many of you have, please share it, please share it with your friends and please click publish so you can always find out what's next on the road to help you get unstuck and start living your best life.
• 36:22
  Cassandra: And again, josee, congratulations on your new son, on your baby, and I wish you the best with you continuing to write your novels and I believe one day maybe that's all you'll do, and
• 36:39
  Cassandra: this will be your full-time job, wouldn't?
• 36:42
  Josee: that be great.
• 36:43
  Josee: Oh my gosh, that'd be amazing.
• 36:44
  Josee: Thank you so much for having me.
• 36:45
  Josee: This was great.
• 36:46
  Cassandra: Yeah Well, thank you and, as I say all the time, bye for now, god bless, and I will see you guys next week at one o'clock.
• 36:54
  Cassandra: I go live at 1 pm Eastern Standard Time every Wednesday.
• 36:58
  Cassandra: Thanks again.