In today's episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I share what I do to really soak up the final hours of one year and look ahead to the next one. I don't know about you, but New Year's Eve just might be my favorite day of the whole year!
But I know that a lot of people have different feelings coming up and lots of ‘shoulds’ in their brain - I should have done more of this. I should have done more of that. In some ways, those can be helpful signals!!
Listen in as I chat about:
You’ll also hear the four questions that I ask myself every New Year's Eve to really help me celebrate, focus, regroup, and set my intentions for the year ahead. Download the free PDF with these exact questions listed out and see what comes up for YOU!
Have a happy New Year celebrating! Here's to an amazing, creative and beautiful 2026!
In this episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, it was such a joy to talk with author
Merav Fima and to celebrate her amazing collection of short stories that just came out. Late Blossoms is one of my favourite reads of the past year!
I really think you'll be inspired to hear about her process of writing and editing these short stories, especially as a busy mom and a wife who is balancing a lot. Through it all, her joy for the writing process comes through so vividly.
She shares:
The moment that she knew she was going to be a writer
What made her finally start taking herself seriously as a writer and writing consistently
What it’s like having characters as part of your life for so long before your final work is complete
How the short story form is so different from longer forms like memoir or novels, and the misconceptions around that
Her process for writing a story when she gets an idea and how she knows if it's meant to be a story as opposed to a longer piece
About Merav: Merav Fima is a writer, translator, and literary critic currently based in Melbourne, Australia. She is the author of the forthcoming Sephardic migration novel The Rose of Thirteen Petals and the Pomegranate Tree (Running Wild Press, 2026) and of the short story collection Late Blossoms (Vine Leaves Press, October 2025). She holds a Ph.D. in Creative Writing from Monash University and her work has appeared in anthologies and literary journals worldwide. Connect with her at meravfima.com and on IG @merav.fima
>> And if you are an entrepreneur who wants to write and publish the book inside your heart, I’d love for you to join me in my free Facebook group Women Entrepreneurs Becoming Best Selling Authors. We discuss the podcast episodes, I host free challenges and you may even meet your new writing partner to swap pages with!
This special episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast features the beautiful voices of five of my clients in Thriving Authors Academy! This episode is a deep-dive into the importance of having a writing community. The right community – safe, supportive and nurturing – is often the secret sauce that we're missing and it makes all the difference in achieving our writing dreams.
I’ve witnessed such huge shifts in a short amount of time when we stop trying to do it all alone. It's that beautiful mix of feeling inspired, but also feeling like we can just show up as ourselves on those days when nothing is going right.
Listen in to hear what I’ve gained and witnessed as the benefits of community over the years.
You’ll hear not only from me, but from my clients who sweetly recorded what they’ve gained from being part of the community of Thriving Authors Academy, and the shifts that they've seen in just six weeks.
There are many incredible books coming out in 2026 by women who have been part of Thriving Authors Academy. It's so amazing and inspiring to hear from women who have been carrying these books inside of their hearts for years, sometimes even decades, and now are going to be able to hold their books in their hands.
So I invite you, if you are craving that community –
– if you're listening to this and thinking,Yes! This is a gift that I want to give myself in 2026!
>> Head on over to Thriving Authors Academy.com and join the waitlist for our next round that starts April 11. (Pssst you’ll also grab some sweet bonuses by joining the waitlist, too!)
In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m sharing about a scam that I have been seeing popping up more and more in the publishing space.
With the proliferation of AI, I began noticing this more and more in the past few months. And in talking with other writer friends and clients, it seems those who have published books are getting these types of emails at a higher and higher frequency.
Listen in as I alert you to the red flags to watch out for so that you won't get sucked into this type of scam!
Ultimately, I think this is a great reminder that heartfelt human writing and connection is more important than ever before.
So if you're craving more community and you want to have people who are behind you and watching out for you, I would love to invite you to join us in the next round of Thriving Authors Academy in 2026. Send me a message to get on the waitlist!
And if you want to end the year by nourishing your creativity, sign up for 🎁 12 Days of Writing Gifts for a joyous, creative holiday season! From December 12-23 you’ll receive a daily surprise in your inbox from my heart to yours. Each gift is a small treat that won't take much time out of your busy day. Play with words, rejuvenate your creative spirit and nourish your wellspring of ideas. It makes the perfect gift for creative friends, too!
Just because it's a busy season doesn't mean you need to put your writing on hold! Click here to sign up.
In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I share three stories from my own writing life of ways that gratitude has helped me.
Gratitude has been the number one thing that has helped me sustain my writing career! Leaning into gratitude in all different seasons has brought feelings of purpose, contentment, excitement and joy. From my journey I’m sharing:
How a gratitude practice I began back in high school was the seed that began my podcast
The ways gratitude allowed me to shift my mindset and perspective
What allowed me to manifest my childhood dream
The importance of figuring out the essential gratitude you have for your writing project
Tune into this week’s episode to hear ways you can incorporate gratitude into your writing and life, wherever you are along the journey.
And if you want to end the year by nourishing your creativity, sign up for 🎁 12 Days of Writing Gifts for a joyous, creative holiday season! From December 12-23 you’ll receive a daily surprise in your inbox from my heart to yours. Each gift is a small treat that won't take much time out of your busy day. Play with words, rejuvenate your creative spirit and nourish your wellspring of ideas.
It makes the perfect gift for creative friends, too!
Just because it's a busy season doesn't mean you need to put your writing on hold! Click here to sign up.
In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m sharing my thoughts and reflections on the gift we give to ourselves when we tap into our creative spirit, honor the stories inside of our hearts and write them down.
So many of my clients talk about the empowerment and the healing and the joy and the comfort that they receive from embarking on this writing journey. But also, our writing is such a beautiful gift that we give to others.
I’m sharing everything from personal examples of the ways that I've used writing as a gift for others to ways to find the balance of taking ourselves seriously as writers while also being playful and expansive.
My hope is that this episode gives you some food for thought and a bit of inspiration!
If you’re ready to share YOUR story and carve out time for this beautiful and important work, I’d love to invite you to join my Thriving Authors Academy. Reach out to get on the waitlist and be the first to know when enrollment opens in the spring.
>> In the meantime, let’s kick off the holiday season with gratitude! Join me starting Tuesday, November 18th for the free 5-day Write with Gratitude challenge to refresh your creative energies… AND use your writing powers to unleash more loving kindness in the outside world! This is my favorite challenge that I host and it started with my writing practice, where I really realized that cultivating gratitude is the biggest game changer!
In today's solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m talking about how to move forward when you feel overwhelmed with writing your book – especially when the pain of the world and feelings of helplessness make it challenging to tap into our creative energy.
If you ever think, I know what I should be doing, but I'm having such a hard time actually taking the actions to move forward, this episode is for you!
You’ll hear
I want this to be an invitation to give yourself a little bit of grace and recognize that you're not alone if you’re struggling in your writing life.
>> Kick off the holiday season with gratitude! Join me starting Tuesday, November 18th for the free 5-day Write with Gratitude challenge to refresh your creative energies… AND use your writing powers to unleash more loving kindness in the outside world! This is my favorite challenge that I host and it started with my writing practice, where I really realized that cultivating gratitude is the biggest game changer! Sign up for FREE at https://bit.ly/writingwithgratitude
In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m diving into how to create a marketing plan for your book. Marketing, promoting and launching feel so much less overwhelming when you have a plan in place!
I share a few journal prompts that are really helpful to brainstorm and also explain:
How to avoid getting completely burned out and not wanting to do any marketing.
The best sort of publicity that you can get that will lead to book sales.
A menu of ideas that you can get excited about when creating your plan.
A mindset shift so you don’t feel icky or salesy when sharing about your book.
Examples of special little extra goodies you can send to everybody who preorders your book.
What materials are really helpful to have ready when you’re pitching different media marketing opportunities.
And more!
And if you are an entrepreneur who wants to write and publish the book inside your heart, I’d love for you to join me in my free Facebook group Women Entrepreneurs Becoming Best Selling Authors. We discuss the podcast episodes, I host free challenges and you may even meet your new writing partner to swap pages with!
In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m sharing four simple ways that I use paper in my writing process. I’ve found that using pen and paper (or markers and crayons) – basically anything tactile and non-digital – can do wonders for our creative energy, bring more joy and fun to our writing practice, and ultimately make us better writers.
You’ll hear:
How I sometimes use crayons in my brainstorming process.
The different parts of the writing process that have me turning to blank pages and index cards.
How a piece of poster board helped a client own her identity as an author and claim to the world that she was working on a book.
What can happen when you have a new view and flexible way to interact with your book.
I hope one of these ideas resonate with you or will spark a new idea for you. And if they do please share because I’d love to hear!
And if you are an entrepreneur who wants to write and publish the book inside your heart, I’d love for you to join me in my free Facebook group Women Entrepreneurs Becoming Best Selling Authors. We discuss the podcast episodes, I host free challenges and you may even meet your new writing partner to swap pages with!
In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I'm sharing my best tips for entering writing contests!
Including:
How to approach entering contests from a place of freedom, joy and non-attachment.
Ways to move past the doubts you have about your work so that you can go for it anyway.
When the best time to celebrate is!
Ideas for how to keep track of the contests you enter.
What you need to know before you enter the contest.
I hope that this information gets you excited to enter writing contents in a way that feels good!!So proud that my novel BEFORE & AFTER YOU & ME has just won a Gold Medal in the YA- Mature Issues category of the 2025 Moonbeam Book Awards!
In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m delving into why I titled my book Your Book Matters and why this is something I believe so deeply.
A wonderful listener emailed me in response to a podcast episode where I mentioned my, at the time, soon-to-be-released book title. They shared that most books don’t actually matter – that with a creative pursuit you’re the only one it matters to, otherwise you’re setting yourself up for major disappointment.
Listen in as I respond with:
How I see this as a "yes and" situation.
Why it’s important to focus on the reasons that your book matters to yourself.
Why I firmly believe your book will matter to other people.
How knowing what motivates you allows you to design the best accountability system for yourself.
Intangible ways that we can measure our success and impact on others.
My dear friend, I want to assure you–now, more than ever, your writing matters. Telling your stories is a brave act. Sharing your perspective is mighty. Your ideas, your thoughts, your words–they might be the very lifeline someone else is desperately waiting for.
If nothing else, carving out time for your writing is important because it sustains your own soul. Let it be an escape. Let it fill up your inner well. Let it connect you to the deepest, truest part of yourself–rejuvenating your energy to care for others and fight important battles out in the world.
Ready to write your dang book!? Join my Thriving Authors Academy before we start October 6th! Find all the details at thrivingauthorsacademy.com
In this episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m excited to share my conversation with my client and dear friend Olive Mazerolle, whose memoir Dancing With the Clouds was published last summer.
I’m so proud of Olive for writing this brave and beautiful book, which she worked on throughout her time in my Thriving Authors Academy! It's been just such an honor to journey with her and support her through the book-birthing experience – and in this podcast episode, she shares a bit about what her experience going through the program was like.
Olive also shares:
When she knew there was a book inside of her that she was meant to write.
How the process of writing can be a gift to others.
Why she decided to sign up for Thriving Authors Academy and her biggest takeaways from being part of it.
The most intimidating part of birthing her memoir and what gave her the confidence to go forward.
About Olive: Olive Mazerolle grew up in a small fishing village called Baie Sainte-Anne on the most easterly point of New Brunswick. As a civilian employee, Olive gave thirty-five years of her life to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. At the end of her career, after experiencing both personal and professional traumas, she found herself diagnosed with moderate-to-severe PTSD. Through years of seeking the psychological help she needed, she finally understood that her traumas had led her to Post Traumatic Growth (PTG). For Olive, PTG was transformative and brought the realization that she had actually grown after adversity. She turned towards altruism, opened up to new experiences, became spiritually mature and embraced gratitude for the life she now lives, saying, “Without these challenges, I may not be the person I am proud to be today.” Her only hope for this, her first book, is that it can help others.
>> The doors are OPEN for the next round of Thriving Authors Academy! Will you join us when we start on October 6th?
Come write your book these next six months! Claim your spot at www.thrivingauthorsacademy.com
In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m diving into two common objections that I hear over and over from the women who are considering joining Thriving Authors Academy. These objections might resonate with you, too, so I wanted to talk about them and pose some questions for you to think about.
If you’re feeling resistant to committing to write your book, this episode will help you figure out if now is the right time to jump in and how you can guarantee that this investment is going to pay off.
After listening to the episode, if you’re still wondering “Can I really do this?” – let's hop on a call and we can talk through it together. There's no pressure and you're not wasting my time. During our call I’ll be a mirror for you, reflecting back to you the truth that you are sharing, so that you are able to go after your dream of becoming a published author in whatever is the best way for you to do that.
AND if now is the time – and you are ready to go all in to write your book – register by September 19th & get a BONUS Book Breakthrough 1:1 60-minute Intensive ($399 value) so that you can get personal support around wherever you are stuck on your book & can make the most of the Thriving Authors Academy when it starts Oct 6th! Find more details at ThrivingAuthorsAcademy.com
In this episode, I am excited to share with you these simple reflection questions that will help you feel more confident, motivated, and connected with your writing project.
And there's still time to apply for the Thriving Authors Academy scholarship! Deadline is September 5. These questions are part of the easy online application: http://bit.ly/TAAScholarship
In this episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m excited to feature my interview with life coach Amber Curtis, PhD from her talk, Top Productivity Tips for Getting Your Book Done, during last year’s Thriving Authors Summit.
If you want to avoid procrastination and anticipate the obstacles that might get in the way of you actually getting your book written and into the world this episode is for you!
Amber has all the productivity tips for you, including 2 contrasting approaches: the domino versus snowball strategy, so you can choose what works for you!
About Amber: Amber Curtis, PhD (Founder, Solutions for Simplicity) helps ambitious, high achieving women maximize their time and energy for who and what they love. A professor by day, business owner by night, and mom of four throughout, Amber knows all too well how challenging it is to juggle life’s many demands and opportunities. She shares an array of science-backed resources for living a more purposeful and productive life.
In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m sharing what I do at the beginning of each month as I reflect on my writing routine to see if there is anything I want to adjust or work on moving forward.
There’s nothing like the clean slate of a brand-new month to check in on YOUR writing goals! This is not a time to judge yourself, criticize yourself, or feel guilty for what you haven’t done. Instead, this is meant to be an inspiring & encouraging time!
Listen to the episode as I describe why this practice of intentional reflection works and how it has helped me to adjust my writing routine. Then grab your journal, brew a hot cup of tea, and light a cozy candle. Here are 7 questions to reflect on:
1. What emotions or adjectives would I use to describe my current writing routine?
2. How do I WANT my writing to feel? What emotions or adjectives come up?
3. When is my ideal creative time? When do I feel most alive and inspired?
4. What project lights me up the most right now? What do I want to devote my time to this month?
5. What is a big writing goal I am working on? What would be an amazing smaller goal to accomplish by the end of the month that would really move me forward toward that big goal?
6. What affirmation resonates with me right now in my writing life?
7. Bonus: block off time on the calendar to write! Even if it’s just 10-15 minutes!
I hope this exercise was helpful for you to acknowledge where you are, take stock of your goals and dreams, and make a plan to get there!
And if you are an entrepreneur who wants to write and publish the book inside your heart, I’d love for you to join me in my Facebook group called Women Entrepreneurs Becoming Best Selling Authors. This free community is the perfect place to share what came up for you with this exercise and any goals you have so we can cheer you on – and also to provide a little extra accountability for you, too!
In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m giving you my best tips for a successful, fun, and fabulous book event! Coming off two recent book launches and a joint book event with my dad (whose debut novel, The Butterfly Tree, came out earlier this year) at Timbre Books in Ventura, CA, I have a lot to share!
You’ll hear ideas around mindset and practical strategies, including:
How to make it as easy as possible for bookstores to partner with you.
The difference between a book signing and a book event.
My favorite format for book events and how to prepare.
Logistics that are important to work out with the bookstore before the event.
Ideas to spread the word about the event to make it as successful as possible.
A list of what to bring the day of your event.
I hope these tips inspire you to get out there so readers can celebrate you and your beautiful book – in a way that allows you to soak in this special memory and truly enjoy your book event.
Here’s the link I mentioned I’d share: Episode 137: Tips for Your Author Photo Shoot. And also, make sure to grab the pdf with all the tips here: Tips for a fantastic book event.pdf
In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I share a little love note from my heart to yours. I also reflect on my daughter's namesake, my Grandma Auden, and how so many of us have no idea how far our legacies extend, the ripples that we create, the ways that we touch other people's lives.
I touch on:
Why being a book coach is so important to me.
How I’m trying to show my children the power of building a life around my creative energy.
The huge shift that happens when we start to put ourselves, put our joy, put our creativity first in our lives.
What feedback I received from people in my Facebook community and on my newsletter list that helped me create a new program.
And if you’re looking to write a book as part of your legacy, let’s make it happen!
Join Your Book Roadmap for the next round that starts August 4, 2025, and by the end of our eight weeks together you’ll truly see yourself as an author. You’ll have the first chapter of your book DONE and all the momentum you need to continue! It’s a small group with limited spots so grab yours today at https://www.dallaswoodburn.com.
Or you can grab YOUR BOOK MATTERS: 52 love notes from my creative heart to yours, to help you write the book inside your heart. Part reflective journal, part motivational cheerleader, part accountability guide, YOUR BOOK MATTERS (available on Amazon) will give you a little burst of inspiration every week of the year, so that you can feel supported as you go through the natural ups and downs of the creative process.
In this episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m talking with my wonderful friend Greta Woolley about her incredible book “S.O.S.: Survival Guide for Teachers, Old and New.” I was honored to be able to support her in writing this book over the course of my 8-week writing program Your Book Roadmap. (And Greta recently published her second beautiful book, "Grief's Child: The Ups and Downs and All Arounds of Love, Loss and Life.")
It was really so beautiful and incredible for me to witness and journey with her as this book poured out of her!
Greta shares:
How she knew she was ready to write her book and how it wasn’t the spectacular moment she thought it would be.
The challenges she went through during her writing process and what kept her going.
Her favorite writing exercise to implement when she was worrying about her book.
What she feels and how she’s different now that her book is out in the world.
I think you’ll be inspired by this conversation and what you can do when you allow yourself to be supported along your writing journey.
About Greta:
Greta Woolley walks alongside students, families, and educators to create needs-fulfilling environments that positively support academic achievement while growing students’ social and emotional competence. She has spent the past 35 years working as a front-line teacher in the trenches for both general and exceptional student education settings, as a District Trainer, ESE Specialist, Instructional Mentor, and Site-Based Behavior Specialist. She lives in Tampa, Florida with her husband Chris and two daughters, Julia and Jaclyn. Connect with her on Instagram @themindfulmentor_ and her Substack https://gretawoolley.substack.com/
Join Your Book Roadmap for the next round that starts August 4, 2025, and by the end of our eight weeks together you’ll truly see yourself as an author. You’ll have the first chapter of your book DONE and all the momentum you need to continue! It’s a small group with limited spots so grab yours today at https://www.dallaswoodburn.com.
Listen at https://www.thrivingauthorspodcast.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m pulling back the curtain around what I do as a book coach and sharing three reasons why having a book coach is a game-changer in getting your book written.
You’ll hear about:
The hardest part of writing your book and how I will help you move through it.
The amazing shifts that happen when you have clarity on your writing project.
Who the biggest enemy is when it comes to writing a book and how I support my clients with this.
How my program will set you up for continued success and why I structured it the way I did.
I hope this episode gives you a sense of what a book coach is, what I do with my clients and how a book coach can really help you move forward in your journey.
And remember, your book is a whole new beginning in many ways. It's the first step of a really exciting new chapter for yourself, for your business, for your authority and your expertise. It creates so many ripples and you have no idea how far those ripples will go!
Ready to see what ripples your book creates? Join my program, Your Book Roadmap, and by the end of our eight weeks together you’ll truly see yourself as an author. You’ll have the first chapter of your book DONE and all the momentum you need to continue! It’s a small group with limited spots so grab yours today at https://www.dallaswoodburn.com