Latest / Author Hour / Trials and Tribulations, Five Years Later: Atiyah Nichols on Giving Her Story a Voice
Transcript
- speaker-0: Hello everyone and welcome to the Author for Hour Podcast. I'm Teddy and today I'm joined by Tyr Nichols, who is an author and the CEO of Cachet James Living. It's been over five years since your last book, Trials and Tribulations, came out. Now, what goes through your mind when you pick that book up now? speaker-1: Well, as I have my book today. As have my book today. And even just looking at it is just refreshing. It's inspiring still for me to look back and hold my book to see that I really went through it and was able to tell my story to inspire other women in the world so they can know my story because I felt it was very important. speaker-0: Yeah. When you wrote it initially, I think you wanted to empower your community a bit. why don't you tell us a little bit about give us the background to why you wanted to write the book in the first place? speaker-1: Well, Trials and Tribulations was more so of experience of my life, becoming a teenage mother after that, basically working, trying to make ends meet, and then having a background of a strong mother, being a baby of twelve children. My mom had twelve children, I was the youngest. And seeing her ups and downs was just always inspiring, encouraging to me. I loved her story as well. And she passed in twenty sixteen and I just felt there was a need to for the world to not only know my story, but understand what triumph means and what t tenacity means when you think you're going through and how to try to survive those moments. So I thought it was just very important not to let her story die as well as to not let mine. speaker-0: Yeah. What was the writing process like for you? Because I know you well, it's quite obviously very personal story to you. How did it feel writing the book? speaker-1: It felt amazing. It was very therapeutic for me in those moments of writing and gaining ideas and reliving certain moments was was emotional. However, it was still therapeutic because that was the point of me writing to get it out on paper and to not let embarrassment or either secrets lie doormat in my life to be able to expose them and to give them give my story a voice to live. So it was very important. The the process was therapeutic. It was fulfilling. It was a very fulfilling feeling to come over as we published it. It was just amazing. speaker-0: Yeah. What what's the what's the reader reaction been like to it? speaker-1: Well, I had a lot of I seen a lot of tears, even at my book signing. My book signing, there was a lot of people just happy for me in those moments. I received emails after my book signing from different women. I spoke at a few conferences in regards to my book in Wisconsin. I was asked to come and speak to young teenagers and other women as far as how did I start the business? How did I get into the book? writing, publishing, rim of things, and you know, who backs me up in all of this? Is there someone else? And even though I have my family, I also have God that I love dearly and he's been the one backing me and giving me the ideas and strategizing my footsteps. So the process was good, the the remarks that I got, the feedback was good. I even to this day, People are still coming asking for a personal signature if they bought the book and they Yeah. Coming to my business. If they catch me there, they'll ask me for signatures and just want to know more about my life and where I'm going. And, it letting me know that it was expiring and how did I go about it? And they're inspired. They want to write, and tell their stories. So it was amazing. The feedback has been amazing. speaker-0: That's incredible. You mentioned actually people before the call, you mentioned that people have been emailing you about their own stories. Have were there any of those stories which really stuck out to you? speaker-1: The the art of one reader stating that I gave her story a voice to know that it was okay, she'll be okay, and to stop hiding the truth that lies beneath and to expose a thing sometimes help heals a thing. And it was very emotional for her and but appreciating the fact that she had enough nerve to email me and let me know that the book is doing exactly what I intended it to do, speaker-0: When when you wrote the book, did it did it 'cause obviously when you get your book out there, it's public and people, as you've said, start emailing you, speaking to you, coming up and speaking to you. Did it change any of your relationships with either in your work or in your family with anything you're doing? speaker-1: believe as an entrepreneur, because you have younger women that you're hiring often and either older women, as they are inspired, they're coming to me, asking me sometimes, where did I go wrong? Or and I'm encouraging them in in the space that they're in, because I don't like for someone to sit in the where do I go wrong? It's more so how do you wake up? How do you move forward? You don't look back and just because someone else's having a moment of reflection and able to talk about it easily. That's always been my style of communication since a little girl, But at the end of the day, just being able to support them in those moments when they come to me asking for answers as to how did you get here and thank you for letting me know that I'll be okay. It's just those moments where I'm like, I did what I needed to do. I'm so glad that I put this book out. And sometimes I could feel a pool as to did I give too much information? Do I really want someone to know me like that or know my family like that? You have those moments, but I said to myself, you know, growing up and becoming a woman, I've always encountered other women going through things and they always felt comfortable sitting down telling me it goes for what's your name to before the end of the conversation, I'm almost, I know their whole story. And I witnessed that a lot. And that's what made me right, because there's a lot of women that's going through things and they just don't have they don't have the trust behind certain people to let those things out and expose those things to be free from it and not let it lay doormat so they don't have be angry or or bitter and knows different things. So I was I just wanted to get a real something from a different angle as my mom, a black mother growing up in poverty and being, married five times in our lifetime, but not allowing no one to misuse her or abuse her in any kind of way, knowing when to wake up and walk away, but also raising her children, never giving up on us and never passing the torch to someone else, being res being accountable for the lives that she created. And I just wanted to make sure that the world understood what that looks like other women as to it's okay, you know. How that looks even in the rougher s situations, speaker-0: Yeah. So when you w when people speak to you like this, especially it sounds like you want to help women specifically, when when someone comes up to you and says, Okay, I've got a story I want to say, but I'm maybe afraid to say it, do you ever have any advice to them? speaker-1: Well, my advice is always to not be ashamed. Don't let shame be the reason that you're holding things in. Now, and that's majority of the time the reason why. That we're holding things in and there we can't release or confront a thing that's holding us back, shame. We don't want to release it because I was part of it. But because you were part of it don't mean you initiated it. Don't mean that you deserved it. so understanding and in all those moments, having enough tenacity to say, I can get through this and I don't have to be ashamed. And if I got every right to talk about it if I want to. I got every right to encourage someone else to talk about it and release the pain or the anxiety or the depression, just trying to s stay within you, being able to release those moments and not not be at fault for some things that you Couldn't control. speaker-0: Yeah. Yeah, that makes perfect sense. Well, when you 'cause the book's obviously not a business book. well, it's not a traditionally business book anyway, it's more about your story, but you're obviously quite a successful businesswoman in your own right. How has the book had an impact on your business and the way that you work in there? speaker-1: Well, I would say that my business and my book is in two different realms. However, in my business, I have gained more long term relationship with certain employees because they bought my book and know me well. Okay. And they're able to see me in a different light. Even though I stand here blessed with the business and doing well in the business, they're able to see me for whom God created me to be. a little bit deeper by reading my book and knowing, you're just you you're just like me. Okay. I can roll with you. I can I can help you. I wanna help you. I want to help you build. I want to help you sustain this thing. So when it comes to my book and my business, there is a handful of people that read my book and they're sticking with my business. Be I I know this personally. I haven't even expressed this out loud before, but I know for sure that Them knowing me well through reading my book is probably what draws them to me to want to help the business sustain itself. speaker-0: Yeah, definitely. And and forming that personal relationship with your employees and the people that your your business partners, people you work with, has telling your story had an impact on the way that you lead? speaker-1: yeah. yeah. I'm always humble when leading, but very direct. Very direct, very understanding. I see some of my employees remind me of just where I come from. And I'm always giving them second, third chances to rebuild themselves and to know that someone is giving you a chance. Some people don't want the second, third chance, but some of them hold on to it. And I can see those that's trying to change and trying to get better through my trainings and through the education that comes through my business and them being able to grow within the business and have higher positions and things like that within the company. So I definitely can see where it helped a lot of women as well as men. As well as giving back to my families. My my business has hired some of the my younger siblings, my nephews, my nieces, my, cousins, kids. I have given first jobs to a lot of the generation that came behind me. So I'm already grateful for that in this last 12 years. Yeah. Yeah. So I can see where the business has helped a lot of people as well as them wanting to come over and help me. Just from reading my books, some people may have popped up. How can I help you? Can you come speak here? We want to know more. This amazing story of yours, and just with me being not ashamed and being able to express that I know who I am and I know who God called me to be and understanding my my journey, my journey that he has for me. speaker-0: That's amazing because even though it's not a business book, it sounds like because of the way you've written it in such a personal way, it's helped bring you closer to the people you work with and, potential clients. It sounds like you've even, have been asked to speak at things. So by telling your story in such a personal way, you've been able to form a connection with the reader. speaker-1: Yes, definitely. speaker-0: That's amazing. The other thing was it sounds like faith is quite an important part of your life like and business generally. When it came to writing the book, how much of an impact did your faith have on the way you wrote your book? speaker-1: Well, I'm gonna tell you the truth. The f my fake was the reason the book even got written because you to even go through a process of writing a book and even receiving help within the publishing realm of it all, it just was like a pool at that moment and that time I had been writing a little bit here and there right before my mom passed on up until twenty twenty. I was writing here and there of my journal and just journaling. I always been a writer to write out how I feel or diary type of girl. So that's never been an issue for me. But when I start, I I literally put a title on my book that is not the title that I use. However, when I started journaling and pre-writing my book, I was literally writing down ideas and I took the chapters of what I want my chapters to be and I wrote them out and then I started writing from those chapters as to how I want them to read. And some people found my family really comical as well over over the years. And the way my mom just helped our neighborhood and the children, I just didn't want her story as to who she was and us colliding together as my daughter to mother to die. And the after her passing in 2016, it just pushed me to really focus and just say, now I really have to tell this story vr respectfully. But it needs to be out here so other mothers could just read it and just know that they're not alone. And other young girls can see their self within me and know that they can publish their book, them a book too, if they wanna write and become an author. speaker-0: Do you have any advice for people who want to use faith as one of the core messages in their book? 'Cause it can be a tricky subject for some people to write about 'cause it's so personal. speaker-1: Yes. Well, with me, f faith is my substance. So, like, literally Spiritually, when I feel a pull from God, I move. And that's how I'm here. With business, with the book, within life. Some things I don't get right. However, God redirects my path all the time. And staying in tune with He sends you signs, He sends you people to help you. You just gotta get in alignment with wanting to know your purpose. And just sometimes your purpose is what you love, you know? And helping people is something that I always done. Seeing people happy is something that I always like to see. And that that helped me understand my purpose, God purpose with my life and assisting living and writing and supporting women. That's been my thing all along. So just listening and being obedient in those moments with God, serving at church, getting into some type of spiritual background where you got leaders. ahead of you to show you how to do life with God and understanding that he's there, even if you don't have a church home, or if you don't, if you don't have a church home, or if you don't have someone to talk to, you can always talk to him in prayer, reading the scriptures and understanding how to apply those scriptures to your life. How to apply those scriptures to your life when you don't understand which way to go. And just letting it speak to you. speaker-0: And did it also help to have a community around you, like your own personal community, but also having help with, some of the more technical aspects of writing too? speaker-1: Yeah, my community was important. People around me supporting me, that quiet time that I needed to write, giving myself that hour or two just to be to myself. Even if I had to close myself in the room and put do not disturb on the back of your room door. You got and you got kids in the house that wanna come in, they just The moment that you close the door and put the do not disturb, that's the moment they want to come in. Other than that, they're playing Roblox and not studying you, right? Or they're hanging out or want to leave. But the moment that you put do not disturb and get that quiet time to yourself. speaker-0: Especially if you've got twelve kids. speaker-1: But being very that's very important. So the pull of my book came from me always trying to understand my mom's story. I was the last seven boys and five girls, and I was the last girl. And me trying to put I'm I always asked her questions and I was always trying to pick her brain and she knew it. So she'll just lay it out flat for me. She never held back. She always told the truth to me. And so therefore, as her child, I tried to put these pieces to the puzzle as to how things would have been different or these different aspects as to trying to fix things or how can I do things differently or how can I do things off her back to make it even better with what she taught me. So in those moments, I was just trying to put it on paper and make it make sense as well as collided with my story as to even though She's not here. And even though she went through hell and back, I'm gonna push through and make sure that her name rings forever. And that'll be in my book that that won't go away. And as well as my name will ring forever. F that's the importance of my book and publishing and really going through it was to make sure that our story does not go untold and that it's put on paper. speaker-0: Yeah. It's so inspiring. It's an incredible story and you've obviously been very successful with your assisted living place. you've gone up to a few hundred beds now and you're opening a new one in January. You're obviously very busy. Yeah. And e even on top of that, it sounds like you're you've started thinking about another book about your faith and also intention. What what question do you want that book to answer? speaker-1: really want to talk about the process of everything that's happened in my life even since a younger is a a little girl as to when when you even asked me how the God how does God play a part in it, how does faith pi play a part in it. I wanted to elaborate more on that in my next book as to showing people ri in real time what that looks like for certain people. And that's me. What did that look like in real time? God's God's law of attraction in my life. Faith happening. Faith happening. Knowing what you want, faith happening. What that looks like over and over and over again. And even the people that he put in your path to assist you on your way. I just want to make sure that people understand and be very intentional about paying attention to when these moments happen, the right rooms at the right time and knowing when to walk through a door, when not to go through a a door. I want to elaborate a little bit more on that so people can understand that God can be talking to you and this faith thing is can be right in front of you. And all you have to do is tap in and understand that He He holds that and He's waiting for you to align with purpose. And once you align with purpose and faith, faith meets purpose, everything will start flowing a little bit better in your life. speaker-0: Yeah. Incredible. Really look forward to helping with you with that and reading it when it comes out. Well, Atia Nichols, thank you so much for coming on. If if people want to find your book, the best place to find it is on Amazon or in other bookshops. It's Trials and Tribulations by Tia Nichols, is the book you're looking at. We'll put a link to that in show notes too. Atia, what if people want to get their book signed? Where do they find you? speaker-1: Well, I'm in Wisconsin, the majority of the time I at Mira Orchids on a hundred and fourth and Bradley Road in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. If you wanna stop in during the week, Monday through Friday, most of the time I'm there. speaker-0: Great. Well I'm looking forward to visiting Milwaukee. It's a bit far for me from Portugal, but when I'm there I'll come get my book signed up