Writing a Book Starts Long Before the First Word
There’s a moment in every creative journey where you realize the work isn’t just about what you’re creating. It’s about who you’re becoming in the process.
I was reminded of that recently when I had the opportunity to join Lynn Thompson on The On-Purpose Podcast. What stood out most about our conversation wasn’t a discussion about chapters, timelines, or word counts. It was the deeper conversation about vulnerability and the inner preparation required to write a meaningful book.
This conversation came at a meaningful point in my journey. After deciding to move forward with my book, Living Your Best Audacious Life Ever, I was introduced to Lynn through a mutual connection with Everett O’Keefe. What followed was months of steady progress, reflection, and collaborative work that helped me move from intention to clarity. Sitting on the other side of the mic felt less like an interview and more like a checkpoint along the road.
Because writing a book isn’t just a creative exercise.
It’s a personal one.
Before you ever put words on a page, there’s work that needs to happen internally. You have to be willing to sit with your own truths. To reflect honestly on your experiences. To confront the parts of your story that are uncomfortable, unresolved, or still tender. That kind of work can’t be rushed, and it can’t be forced.
During our conversation, we talked about how vulnerability shows up in the writing process. Not as something performative, but as something real. Readers can feel the difference. They know when a story is being told from the surface versus from lived experience. That level of honesty requires readiness. Emotional readiness. Mental readiness. A willingness to be seen.
For me, this journey has reinforced a simple truth. The book doesn’t just shape the reader. It shapes the writer too.
That’s especially true as I continue working toward the release of my upcoming book, Living Your Best Audacious Life Ever: How Unleashing Your Inner Greatness Can Change the World, scheduled for Spring 2026. This process has asked me to slow down, reflect more deeply, and ensure that what I’m sharing is grounded in honesty and lived experience.
I’ll also say this simply. Lynn was fabulous to work with. If you’re thinking about writing a book, start. And consider working with a coach who can help you stay centered in who you are while you do it. I’d highly recommend her to anyone exploring that path.
I’m grateful for guides like Lynn and for conversations like the one we shared, because they’re reminders that preparation matters just as much as the final product. Growth happens quietly, behind the scenes, long before anything is shared publicly.
And when the time comes to tell the story, it’s told from a place of truth.
🔔 Call to Action
If this reflection resonated with you, I invite you to listen to the full conversation on The On-Purpose Podcast, where we go deeper into the book-writing process, vulnerability, and the inner work required before the first word is written.
