In order to truly experience your words and write your powerful book…
…A writing coach and program must do the following:
1
Help you get your words down
2
Coach you through your writing process
3
Give actual feedback on your writing as you are writing
4
Support your publishing goals
5
Focus on you and your voice
Unfortunately, most writing coaches only offer one or two of these key elements. Many only provide sentence level edits and won’t really read your writing. Many aren’t actually trained or experienced as coaches; therefore, they don’t actually know how to support your mindset throughout your writing journey.
You know you need more than just an occasional “you’ve got this” cheerleading message when you hit a writing wall. You know that deep support that helps you stay grounded, embodied, and connected to your mission is what will get you from ideas in your head to empowering published books.
And, you don’t need a simple copy editor who just asks for X number of pages by a certain deadline. That doesn’t actually support your journey as a writer with a message burning in their soul.
The truth is many writing coaches either came from the publishing world or they are published authors, which is helpful. But, they don’t know how to get down and dirty in helping you discover your process, embody your message, and truly support you throughout your book-writing process.
I loveee our clients and their words. I jump for joy and celebrate each client from the first 300 words to the 100,000th word and final period.
My team and I know all the rules and conventions of writing because we’ve been trained in this stuff, teaching this stuff, and writing this stuff for years. We also know the importance of breaking the rules and embodying your voice, your message, in your own way. We know not everyone wants to self-publish and not everyone wants a traditional publisher, and we know how to support you either way. We know the highs and lows that happen when you truly experience your words, and we know how to coach you through those moments in an embodied way.
I also know that when you write about yourself and your work, you are also forming and shaping the very work you do and your identity all at the same time and in new ways. That’s both powerful and hard.
My team and I are here for it, and we know how to support you. That’s why our clients seek us out: they know we will help them embody their words and write a book at the same time. Our clients get excited about the transformation that happens on their writing journey with us.
and the truth is, even though I think everyone is a writer in some way and has a potential book inside of them, I know we are not meant to work with everyone in writing their book. So, here are 3 reasons why you should NOT work with us…
1
Don’t work with us if you just want to hammer out your book in a really short amount of time.
There are plenty of what I call “bro-marketing” approaches to book writing that sells how you can “write your book in a weekend.” That’s great if it works for you, but it’s not what we do. Yes, our clients get their books written and published, but they do it through an embodied way because writing and experiencing your words in an aligned way takes time. And, your writing is better because of it. Most of our authors write their books in an average of 8-12 months.
Our clients show up ready to be coached, not fed a formulaic process to simply plug their ideas into. Speaking of formulas…
2
Don’t work with us if you just want to be told what to do and what to write.
It’s really not that difficult to write a book. This is why the “how-to” courses
and coaches are so alluring: they give you just enough to feel like you are
writing, but you never quite finish the book.
What’s more difficult (and more rewarding) is experiencing your words and discovering what wants to be written. Many of our clients have a lot of writing already written when they come to us, and we do help them use
some of that content.
But, our clients know that writing is a deep and meaningful process. They are open to discovering what their aligned writing process is, and they are ready to receive support around implementing that process consistently as they write their book. We are here to coach them through that discovery, not give formulas to follow or tell them what to write next.
It’s a common myth to think you can or need to know exactly what you want to write before you begin writing. We certainly don’t know, which is why we get so excited alongside our clients as their words begin to unfold on the page!
“I had no idea that was inside of me.”
“I didn’t know I could write like that.”
These are the words our clients often share. If that doesn’t sound like you, that’s ok, but we aren’t meant to work together.
3
Don’t work with us if you don’t believe in the power of words to touch the hearts of others and activate change.
We’ve seen far too many ads and programs claiming “a book is the new business card.” We get it. And, yes, we hope your book is successful and helps you grow your audience and get more clients.
But, we believe words have far more reach than just a new business tool, and our clients do too. Their souls and hearts are burning with something to say, something that captures their unique lived experiences in both business and life, and they believe in the power of sharing that message with others.
Our clients are on a mission with us to change the landscape of who gets to share their voice and whose voice matters. They recognize books as powerful social capital tools to give voice to marginalized groups and give permission for those reading these books to share their voice as well.
That’s why our clients are writing about things like…
… the burden of responsibility women feel pressured to uphold
… the way trauma drowns your authenticity
… how immigrant descendant guilt leads to people pleasing
… the power of listening to your body for guidance (vs. seeing it as something to be fixed)
If you're not the least bit into social justice issues, the power of sharing your voice, and supporting others in doing the same, then we are probably not a good fit. We like to mix intuition with practical and powerful words to activate the change we want to see in the world by sharing our stories.
Now, let’s talk about who is a fit for our embodied writing programs…
So let’s talk about who is a fit for our [XYZ programs…]
If you are a coach, consultant, service-provider, thought leader, teacher, mentor, or just someone who oversees a lot of important shit, and you want to support others in a heart-centered, mission-driven way, then we want to help you share your message in a book!
You must be committed to getting your words down, meaning you must actually write. We will support you in doing so in an aligned way, but you must be committed to your words and open to what’s possible when you do this.
You must be open to new perspectives on what writing gets to look like and what your writing process is, and you must be coachable when you feel stuck or things aren’t working for you.
You must be willing to ask questions and ask for help when you need it (and you will). You must also be supportive and encouraging of others in the embodied writing community.
If you are ready to truly experience your words and write your book, then we are ready to support you! Click below to learn “3 Ways to Know if You are Ready to Write Your Book,” and get a sense of how we can support you!
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As somebody who has literally been 'writing her book' for at least five years now, stepping into working with Shana and the Embodied Writing Program was a game changer. For the longest time, what I thought writing a book was supposed to look like really got in the way of me truly writing my book. And, what I think was amazing about Shana and the process is she helped me find my way to write the book. With her coaching, she really helped me embody the message that was asking to come through and gave me the support that brought the words out in a way that really felt aligned.
Laura Wieck
Founder & CEO of BodyMind Living
Joining the Embodied Writing Program with Shana has brought joy back to my writing. We all have different styles of writing and I now believe as long as I write from my heart the words will continue to flow. Growth, clarity, and freedom… This is what I have received from this program. Thank you, Shana!
Wendy Mersch
Owner of Bestowing Balance Coaching
As a coach I know the impact of walking alongside a client, working with them to align with possibility, however, writing a book seemed daunting, impossible, something only to exist in my dreams.
With Shana’s guidance I learned writing is more than putting words to paper, but is an extension to who I am. She taught me how to shift from trying to force the words to fully embodying the message I have to share. With Shana’s coaching I can now claim, I am an author.
Halinka Privett
Owner of Bestowing Balance Coaching
Stephanis Lankford
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Shelly West
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Sara Ceo
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