Publishing a book changed my life — now I’m helping other women to do the same.

Going from a girl with dyslexia who cried at the thought of reading to a best-selling author with her own publishing company has been a whirlwind of a journey. Many people dream of writing a book, but their fears keep the dream stagnant until it dies. What I’ve learned is how to overcome those fears and write-- now I teach it so women no longer have to just dream of publishing.

Books were my nemesis for the longest time. Learning to read and write was excruciating for me.  Eventually, my parents and teachers caught on that I needed help. After years of suffering in school, I was diagnosed with dyslexia. But that just puts a name to what will always be. 

My struggles as a student make me a great teacher. For years I worked in formal education at all levels. For most of the last decade, my focus has been empowering women to build fulfillment in their lives. Over the years, I taught hundreds of women skills to help them change their inner narratives. I watched the women I mentored find ways to flourish in their own lives. I continued to keep the vast majority of my writing to myself believing, like so many do, that I could never be published. I love being wrong! Now, as of May 2021, I’ve published two best-selling books and contributed to three best-selling multi-author books. What changed? I rewrote the stories I tell myself.

I applied what I had been teaching other women to myself. I found the courage to trust in myself, instead of looking for outside validation and direction. I discovered the strength in listening to myself.

Through writing and publishing, I had the most intentional and accelerated personal growth experience of my life. It was so empowering to find my voice, own my story, and put it out there for others to see. It was a transformative experience. Publishing gave me a new level of confidence. At times, it was terrifying, but I was ready to step into the next version of myself.

When we publish something, we are claiming space and our right to be heard.

After claiming this space for myself and experiencing amazing growth, I realized my next mission was to help other women to do the same. I wanted to help other women cross the terror barrier that stands between them and their dreams of being an author. 

After going through the publishing process multiple times, I wanted to provide things that had been lacking in my experiences. I decided to create a publishing company — Red Thread Publishing — to support women to find their voice and the courage to contribute to the global conversation. 

In my years of working with women, I’ve heard the question “Am I worth it?” countless times in many different forms. When I speak to women about writing, they voice fears like: What are people going to think? Is my story good enough to share?

I counter these questions with different questions. Who needs to hear the story that’s trapped in your heart? Who will find healing in your wisdom? Who needs to read your story to give themselves permission to forge their own path?

Through publishing, I’ve learned that it’s not about me and my story. It’s about my story and who needs to hear it. 

Doubts about what others might think and the value of one’s story are common. They’re one of many emotional obstacles that come up and keep many women from ever publishing. That’s why Red Thread’s unique approach is to offer emotional support to women throughout the writing and publishing processes.

 We meet you where you are at and give you the support you need to write. We teach you how to write — not using the typical masculine-driven approach of “Write 2,000 words per day to smash out your book!”...but rather, a process that embraces your natural energetic cycles. We help you find a process that’s more fluid, so that you can reach your dream of being a published author with ease.

For women who are looking for that first step towards publishing a book, we offer opportunities to participate in multi-author book projects. For these projects, everyone writes one chapter. You don’t have to do any of the non-sexy parts of publishing. The cover design, book description, formatting, publishing, all of it is done for you. All you do is write your chapter and you’re done.

After writing chapters for three multi-author books, I realized that something crucial was missing from those projects — community. I felt lonely and isolated writing for the multi-author books because I didn’t know who I was writing with. So, when Red Thread Publishing came into creation, I decided that community would be an essential part of the multi-author book experience.

A women’s circle component gives the co-authors a chance to get to know each other. The option of having an accountability buddy gives extra support to women who could use a friend cheering them on as they write. Logistical and emotional collaboration are provided to foster that sense of community and connection that many of us are craving in an increasingly isolating world. 

I still feel a twinge of fear when I publish. But now it’s fun instead of paralyzing. Writing for multi-author books opened me up to the possibilities of publishing. Changing my inner narratives let me blossom as the creative storyteller that I’ve always been. Being afraid is natural. I found the best way to deal with that fear is to put myself out there and let myself discover all the beautiful connections that came as a result.