Categories
Podcast

When Scary Met Exciting. How I Became a Published Author

Do you have a book in you?

Have you ever dreamt of writing a book and becoming a published author?

Many have, but get derailed by a lack of professional writing experience, confusion over where to start, the deflation of rejections, and the belief that it’s simply not possible.

It’s easy to succumb to the perceived barriers and limitations that our minds and “accepted wisdom” throw up in response to this goal, so in this episode, I invite Elijah Lawal to share how he went from defining his goal to become a published author, to making that dream a reality.

You’ll hear insights from Elijah on how he approached his writing; his tips on the practical process of pitching and finding an agent; how he dealt with rejections; and his lessons learned on the journey to getting published.

In this episode we discuss

  • Elijah’s starting point, where he wasn’t hitting his full potential
  • How Elijah got clear on his writing goal
  • The steps Elijah took to focus on and immerse himself in writing, when he still had a day job
  • How, and why, Elijah didn’t follow a formula for his writing
  • How he tried to garner interest from agents
  • The specific process Elijah used for dealing with rejection
  • How he maximised every agent opportunity
  • The valuable lessons Elijah learned from going through the process of becoming a published author

Quick ref to resources or links we mention

In this episode we have referred to Elijah’s book: “The Clapback. Your Guide to Calling Out Racist Stereotypes.” You can buy the book at all major UK and European bookstores and on Amazon.

A bit more about Elijah Lawal

EP004 Guest Elijah Lawal

Elijah is a British Nigerian published author and screenwriter based in San Francisco. In 2019, his first non-fiction book, The Clapback: Your Guide to Calling out Racist Stereotypes, was published by Hodder & Stoughton. It was well received, and led to lots of media coverage, and as a result, Elijah was recognised as one of the top 30 Black authors by the Black British Business Awards.

Elijah’s day job is as a Communications and Public Affairs Manager for Google, and he also sits on the leadership team of the Black Writers Guild, an organisation aimed at working with publishers to ensure meaningful and purposeful change in making the industry more inclusive at all levels.

If you would like to know more about Elijah or would like to connect with him, please do look him up on LinkedIn.

There is a community with this show

If you enjoy this podcast show, then you will definitely enjoy being part of the Dream Chasers Unite community.

Come and meet, learn from and be inspired by awesome, like-minded people who are on their own Dream Chaser journeys (at various stages).

Find out what’s possible, by seeing what other people are doing to determine and go after their ideal careers and lives.

Join the group here.

Ways to watch and listen

Listen on the go, on your mobile phone:

Click here to find the show on your favourite podcast app.

You can watch the episode in full colour here:

All full episodes are recorded in video as well, and are uploaded to the show’s playlist on my YouTube channel. (Click here to quickly subscribe to my channel to see future episodes).

If you want to watch with auto-generated captions – click the captions icon on the YouTube play bar menu at the bottom of the video.

Categories
Podcast

My Ex-PR Story Telling Skills Helped Me to Become a Celebrant

A story of when ‘change’ happens

Many dream of making a fulfilling career change, but get stuck in a cycle of fear around making the wrong choice, throwing away years of existing experience, and the big one – taking a big pay cut or not making enough money.

It’s easy to get stuck in analysis paralysis, circling around wanting to make a change, but feeling like it’s just not possible, so in this episode, I invite Eleanor Willock to share her experience as she transitions from PR and communications into her second career as a celebrant, creating wedding ceremonies, vow renewals and naming days for people.

You’ll hear how Eleanor chose her new career path and what gave her the confidence to select it; the skills she’s using to make her transition; and how she’s approaching the move practically from a financial point of view.

In this episode we discuss

  • How Eleanor felt and what drove her to make a career change
  • How Eleanor knew she’d be really good at being a celebrant and where her confidence in selecting it came from
  • The surprising cross-over of skills between seemingly disparate career choices
  • The fact that nothing is ever lost – your skills and experience always come in!
  • How Eleanor is making the financials work, having left a healthy salary to start her own business
  • You get to choose your transition timeframe to suit your personal and financial circumstances

Honestly, if you are feeling stuck, don’t necessarily NOT love what you do, but feel like change is bubbling up from within you…listen to this episode.

Hearing Eleanor’s story may just inspire you to think about what your adventure in happiness could look like.

A bit more about Eleanor Willock

EP003 Guest Eleanor Willock

Eleanor Willock is an Independent Marriage Celebrant. Always curious and interested in making the most out of life, she has worked internationally in three continents with some of the world’s biggest tech and public sector brands. In 2023, she ended her 25-year career in public relations and comms to find out what else she might be good at. She lives in Somerset with her family. 

If you would like to know more about Eleanor or would like to connect with her, please do go to her website at eleanorwillock.com, find her on Facebook, or join her on Instagram.

Curious about changing your career?

Book a call with me to chat about how I work with people just like you every day. Life shouldn’t be hard at work. Finding what lights you up, brings you joy and gets you paid at the same time – well, that’s a eureka moment. Right?

Find out about my Career Transition Programme and book a call with me.

Ways to watch and listen

Listen on the go, on your mobile phone:

Click here to find the show on your favourite podcast app.

You can watch the episode in full colour here:

All full episodes are recorded in video as well and are uploaded to the show’s playlist on my YouTube channel. (Click here to quickly subscribe to my channel to see future episodes).

If you want to watch with auto-generated captions – click the captions icon on the YouTube play bar menu at the bottom of the video.