Sips of Story ‘n Sanity

When Amanda and Aaron sent out their manuscript for "A Religion of Story," they had no idea what type of feedback they would get. As the spiritual leaders, educators, psychologists, change agents, and parents began to weigh in, this mother and son team decided it was a good idea to record a few conversations that future readers could tune into as they face their own religion of story and everything this book will bring up for them.

 

First up this next Tuesday is a conversation with readers with various religious backgrounds who were challenged and moved as they pressed on and read through to Aaron's conclusion.

 

This conversation around arguably the most important topic with which humans wrestle -- Is there a God? Where did we come from and where are we supposed to be going? And is there only One Way? -- will hopefully inspire you to get curious about all the ways in which the answers are always arriving... even through Story.

When she sold her business, Karlyn Pleasants, Psy.D. knew she wasn't done. There was more for her to do to share the wisdom she had gleaned in her twenty-five years of developing therapeutic community programs for individuals with complex mental illnesses. But what?

 

Tune in to hear how Karlyn:

• discovered that writing fiction could be her next powerful way to change the paradigms of care in mental health
• decided to blend her expertise with her love of legend and synchronicity into an unforgettable journey that demonstrates the power of curiosity, truth-telling, and love
• navigated a serious case of writer's block and later realized that she had actually been healing a story she didn't know existed

It's almost time to grab a cup of something delicious and enjoy these sips of story 'n sanity with us.

Once she realized that her story of putting her perpetrator behind bars was inspiring others to speak up and call for justice, Torey Ivanic knew she had to put her story in a book. But how?

 

Tune in to hear how Torey:

• healed her body and mind in open spaces
• navigated the memoir writing and deeper layers of healing in just 3 months
• enlisted the permission and support of people in her past and present
• stayed true to her message when her publisher insisted on a pseudonym
• shifted gears to stay "on brand," even when it meant abandoning her initial vision

Time to get a cup of something delicious and enjoy these sips of story 'n sanity with us.

Serial (and successful) entrepreneur Cheryl Herrick found herself stuck when it came to clarifying her next venture, but she continued to practice the basics she had learned as a child, a mother, a business owner, a race car driver, a transformational facilitator, and a seeker. When the vision finally became clear, all she could do was laugh.

 

Tune in to hear how Cheryl:

• discovered her superpowers as a child who played team sports and raced competitively
• came upon the practices and philosophies that have made her a successful serial entrepreneur and a powerful change agent in her home, her community, and her industry
• realized that Transformation and Healing could be easier and a hell of a lot more fun

Time to get a cup of something delicious and enjoy these sips of story 'n sanity with us.

Former youth pastor Marlia Cochran wanted to write the perfect book about others' stories, but there was another Plan afoot -- a plan for healing and restoration that would begin with her beliefs about God and herself, and ripple into every other area of her life.

 

Tune in to hear how Marlia:

• insisted on telling others' stories until she witnessed a divine connection she could not ignore
• navigated months of deep loss before she realized it was playing a key part in her writing process
• discovered and rewrote a core belief that was ruining her relationship with her Creator and setting the next generation up for disillusionment and pain
• witnessed the restoration of every loss that led her to writing a book in the first place

When Ciara Gutierrez's friend was on the cusp of stepping into an abusive relationship, she decided the only way to help her and other young girls was to write her story and show them how it starts, how it twists, and how it can end... if only they will dig deep and realize how much power they already have.

 

Tune in to hear how Ciara:

• quickly began writing, and then realized her initial approach wasn't going to work for the reader
• recognized her writing process was creating a mess in her new and beautiful relationship
• chose the path of healing and found other ways to share her message while life required her to step away from the book

Lori Bonnevier wanted to write a book since she was a kid, but didn't get started until she was a wife, a mom to two children, and a busy professional who didn't have time for it. Yet somehow, she knew, "There has to be more than this." She had no idea that the fictional choose-your-own-outcome story she was writing to help divorcing parents make child-focused choices was going to become the mirror, the map, and the magical vehicle she needed to create that "more" she was seeking in her life.

 

Tune in to hear how Lori:

• escaped her first retreat, only to have her intentions affirmed
• responded to unusually high conflict in her professional world by hiring Therapist of the Year, only to realize that her crazy writing coach may have been right
• finally came to see what this was all really about and take action, only to realize that she had essentially written the scripts for everyone else too

Grab a cup of something delicious and sip on some story 'n sanity with us!

When Lonny Webb, a clinical therapist, heard one of Amanda's clients talk about her experience at the first retreat and throughout the writing of the book, he suspected this lady was more than a writing coach. After twenty years of demonstrating his place at the crosshairs of effectiveness and compassion, he recognized some of the strategies being used and got curious.

 

Tune in to hear Lonny and Amanda talking about:

• how the choice to become a messenger destabilizes relationships and what you can do about it
• why writing your story (narrative therapy) helps heal trauma and what elements are needed to make it easier
• the critical importance of dark chocolate on the journey

When Michelle Ann Collins was prompted to write a book about losing her partner to suicide, she responded like any sane person would -- she scoffed. And then eventually surrendered to what she knew would be a healing opportunity. It hasn't been easy and the road has been long, but it has been worth it.

 

Tune in to hear how Michelle:

• overcame devastating loss and PTSD to the point of being able to help others who are facing similar pain
• sustained herself and built resilience through the process of revisiting extremely traumatic moments as she wrote her story
• is bringing an extremely important conversation and tools to a culture that is absolutely illiterate when it comes to grief

If you had told the adolescent Ursula Mentjes that she would become a sought-after motivational speaker, award-winning entrepreneur, and author of four (soon-to-be five) bestselling books, she may not have believed it. A challenging childhood that made her want to be invisible and a terrifying fear of speaking are not exactly the obvious ingredients to a career like hers. And yet, here she is. But how did she do it?

 

Tune in to hear how Ursula:

• overcame glossophobia and healed st*ries around visibility and more
• knew it was time to expand from entrepreneur to author
• wrote four books (several of which are award-winning and bestselling) to meet the needs of her clients and has experienced the pros and cons of all of the publishing avenues
• struggled to own her author/writer identity
• decided to rebrand and avoided some of the traps associated with her newest approach

Grab a mug of something delicious and sip on some story 'n sanity with us!