Stories of Strength and Self-Publishing Mastery

Ever wondered what it takes to become an Ironman at 63 or master the intricacies of self-publishing? This episode of Healthy Mind Healthy Life promises to inspire and educate as we dive into the extraordinary stories of Lynn Wehmer and Michelle DeFilippo. Lynn's journey from a mother of six to an Ironman athlete underscores the power of resilience and a strong mindset. Michelle, with over 50 years of experience in the publishing industry, shares invaluable insights that empower aspiring authors to take control of their publishing journeys and maximize their success.

Join us as Michelle recounts her serendipitous entry into book publishing and her establishment of 1106 Design. We explore how she navigated the challenges of maintaining a healthy lifestyle while juggling a demanding career and caregiving responsibilities. Her story, combined with expert advice on avoiding common pitfalls in self-publishing, offers listeners a roadmap to a balanced and successful life. We also hear from another guest who found profound strength and self-acceptance through a transformative experience with a hypnotherapist, highlighting the crucial role of mindset in overcoming life's hurdles.

The episode wraps up with practical strategies for achieving your goals, whether you're aiming to complete an Ironman or publish a best-selling book. From pre-market research and effective marketing strategies to the importance of a solid support system and expert guidance, we cover it all. Be prepared for a blend of motivation, expert advice, and real-life stories that will leave you equipped to take on your greatest challenges, both personal and professional.

Connect with Michele: https://1106design.com/

Connect with Lynn: https://befitbeyondfifty.com/ 

Transcript

Speaker 2: 0:12

Hello and welcome to Healthy Mind Healthy Life with your host Avik. This podcast is all about exploring the latest research, sharing personal stories and providing personal tips for improving our mental health and well-being. Each episode will be joined by experts in the field of mental health, as well as individuals who have experienced the transformative power of a healthy mind first-hand. Together, we will dive into a range of topics, from managing stress and anxiety to building resilience and cultivating happiness. So join us on this journey to discover new ways to take care of our minds, bodies and souls, and let's work together to create a healthier, happier world. One episode at a time, so let's get started. One episode at a time, so let's get started.

Speaker 2: 1:18

Hello, hi, everyone, welcome to this Healthy Waves podcast, your go-to live group podcast, where we dive deep into the range of topics with the experts from various fields. So each episodes bring you engaging discussions, actionable insights and also, at the same time, inspiring stories to help you lead a healthier, happier and more fulfilling life. So sit back, relax and get ready to ride the waves of knowledge with us. So today we have two special guests Lynn Wehmer and Michelle DeFilippo. So welcome to the show.

Speaker 3: 1:58

Thank you, abhin, thank you, thanks for having us.

Speaker 2: 2:02

Lovely, lovely. So today, dear listeners, we'll be talking about a great topic, which is age is just not a number right. So becoming an Ironman in 50s and the beyond, and also, at the same time, we'll be learning more about publishing your first book by yourself. So it will be a power-packed discussion. But before we delve deep into this topic, we'll quickly start with our intro. I'd love to mention this to all of you that Lynn Wehmer so Lynn is on a passionate mission to transform the lives of women over 50 who struggle with the emotional eating food addiction and the obesity. So, with her firsthand experience, combined with her background as a registered nurse and her master's in nursing, lynn brings a unique perspective to the table. Introducing Lynn brings a unique perspective to the table. So she is the founder of BeFit Beyond 50 and the author of BeFree Beyond 50. So her journey from rock bottom to thriving the success is definitely a testament to the power of mindset and the resilience. So welcome to the show, lynn.

Speaker 3: 3:24

Thank you so much for having me. Abhik Really appreciate it.

Speaker 2: 3:28

And also, at the same time, we have Michelle DeFilippo, so a powerhouse in the book publishing industry with over 50 years of experience. So Michelle is the founder of 1106 Design, a company dedicated to helping authors release the top quality books while also, at the same time, maintaining the control and maximizing their earnings. So her mission is to empower the authors with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about the publishing. So her expertise has helped over 4 000 authors publish like the pros. So you can download her free guide publish like the pros a brief Guide to Quality Self-Publishing. So you will definitely find it on 1106designcom and also I'll put this into the show notes for all of you so that it will be much easier to reach out. So let's give a warm welcome to both of our extraordinary guests, michelle and Lynn. Welcome to the show, lynn.

Speaker 1: 4:46

Thank you so much, Avik. It's great to be here.

Speaker 2: 4:52

So to start with I mean, this will be kind of more a discussion. So we'll start with Lynn Like if you can share what inspired you to take on a challenge of becoming an Ironman at the age of 63?

Speaker 3: 5:14

Well, in my early 40s, much to my surprise, after being 16 years of either pregnant or nursing with my six children, much to my surprise, I became a runner and I had thought I was too old at that point and I had many people telling me that I was crazy, I was too old, I shouldn't be so selfish, so many things. And then I kind of lost all of that in my later 40s, early 50s, as life became more stressful. Of the marriage of 30 years I became a single mom of two teenage sons, working a low paying job, going to nursing school which I got my nursing degree at 53. And and I just didn't have time for myself anymore. And the weight had been creeping on since the later forties and just kind of culminated in me being pretty upset with my body in the mid fifties, which I had not dreamed. I mean, I never dreamed I would become a runner. But then, after I did become a runner, I never dreamed that I would gain 25 or 30 pounds and not always be a runner, and it really bothered me. And so later 50s or mid 50s, I guess I just really started working on this but found the dieting to be every bit of a drag, as everybody said it would be. I could not lose it or keep it off and it was so frustrating. And meanwhile, I could remember what it was like to be so free and so fit and so strong in my 40s and I wanted that back. I really, really did.

Speaker 3: 7:31

And so I started setting goals for myself of okay, I want to get back to my old marathon time, because I remember how good that felt when I could do a four-hour marathon. Good that felt when I could do a four hour marathon. And I kept setting that goal and I didn't know how to get my mind back to that point, to train like I did back then to achieve what I did before now, in my later 50s, and I kept setting the goal, kept failing, setting the goal failing. And finally I got this email from the Ironman Corporation Three years ago now, and it told me about this particular Ironman. That was not far from me and I never dreamed I would do an Ironman either, but it sparked something in me and I thought that's what I'm missing. I'm missing that spark of inspiration and that's what inspired me and that's what got me started on this journey, and that was August of 2020. And I didn't complete my first Ironman until June of 2023.

Speaker 3: 8:47

So it ended up. I thought it was going to be like a 10 month journey and it was more like a three year journey and I'm just getting started. But meanwhile I realized, okay, I feel better, I'm stronger, I'm healthier than ever and I feel more alive than ever. And I had gone through all of this of thinking my life was over, it was too late, all these things. And now here I am, where I never dreamed I would be, and so for me, that's like I want to help anybody that I can to experience this, because we just have such a tendency to just settle and decide that we're just going to go for the status quo and we don't reach for something that we feel is beyond ourselves. So so that's, that's the I guess maybe long answer that's, that's really great.

Speaker 2: 9:58

Thank you for sharing this and also, quickly, we'll go to Michelle like if you can also share like what initially drew you to the world of book publishing and how you came to establish 11.0 Design. 11.06 Design.

Speaker 1: 10:15

Oh gosh. Well, I wish I could tell you I had a plan. But in 1972, when I got out of school, I just went on a whole bunch of job interviews and Crown Publishing in New York was the first one that said yes. So I took the job and just got started in publishing that way. But it turned out to be great. I loved it from the very beginning and I've been in the publishing industry ever since, for 52 years now, amazingly and no, I don't know how I got to be 72. I honestly don't. But here I am.

Speaker 1: 10:50

But I love your story, lynn, because you know, when you're so busy working, the bad health habits kind of creep up on you. You don't even realize you're creating bad habits and not eating right. You're just surviving day to day and eating the wrong foods and not exercising enough. And in my life I got inspired to become more healthy after I took care of my mom and I saw what happens to somebody when your health fails, and so after she passed, I started working out a little bit. Nothing like what you're doing, but you know, I just got a new attitude about it and it does come down to mindset, doesn't it? You just have to want to do it.

Speaker 3: 11:36

Oh yeah.

Speaker 1: 11:38

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 11:39

I always tell people it's all mindset. Yeah, every bit of it is mindset yeah yeah, definitely so.

Speaker 2: 11:48

Mindset is something is very, very important uh, and along with the overcoming the challenges also. So, uh, we will quickly come to uh. Both of you like uh so little. Like you have uh talked about the importance of mindset in your journey, so, if you can share also like how shifting your mindset played a role in your training, your overall success.

Speaker 3: 12:19

Yeah, well, it's been a long journey for me. So it's been a long journey for me, so it's hard. But I guess the turning point for me was in my after I turned 50, after I had left my marriage. I just really did feel like I was rock bottom and I felt so stuck and I realized I do not like being in this place of feeling stuck.

Speaker 3: 12:47

And I went to this therapist, who he was a hypnotherapist, and he gave me a recording. He recorded it in my presence, but it was the words that really hit me and struck me were you are enough. And so I really think that that was the beginning, at least from the 50s on, of being able to love and accept myself where I am right now, no matter what that state is right now, to know that I am enough. And it somehow unlocked the ability to move forward of that. And it's just a day by day learning and noticing where the mind is going and whether this is a productive or a not productive path. So I think that kind of sums it up for me. That was the big aha moment for me just realizing that.

Speaker 2: 14:12

Got it. So also at the same time, like Michelle, I'd love to mention, I mean ask like what are some of the common mistakes that do first-time authors make, or often make, and how can they avoid them?

Speaker 1: 14:33

Okay, well, lots of mistakes by first-time authors, and I think technology is playing a role in our mental health. I know it's certainly with kids, but I think with adults too, because all of a sudden we have all of these messages that we have to be experts at everything and we have to be. You have to be a superstar. It's no longer enough to be an ordinary person. I remember life and work before technology, so I see that that difference now and I'm not sure what we have today is is completely healthy. In some ways it's inspirational, but in other ways I think it puts an awful lot of pressure on people that we don't really need to have.

Speaker 1: 15:21

Now. In publishing, the narrative has gone out that if you've written a book, you should produce it yourself, you should design your own cover, you should format your own pages, you should just read a thousand articles and figure out how to do it on your own. And I run into so many authors and you've seen the stories online that they're overwhelmed and they're frustrated because they try to do it and they don't have the training or experience to do it and their files can't print and they're just suffering needlessly and because there are, and always have been experts to help authors produce good books. Major publishers always hire experts. They don't have the author design the cover, they don't have the author format the pages. So this whole narrative is a false one, and back in the day you would tell if you owned a business.

Speaker 1: 16:27

I believe most businesses would tell people what they needed to know, not just what they wanted to hear, and today it's different. There's many, many businesses that will tell authors whatever they want to hear, even though they know in most cases that that's not the best advice. I'm creating a whole lot of stress for people that really doesn't need to be there. There are many, many people like me and my company. There's other companies like mine that are more than willing to help and we can have fun putting a book together and it'll be a better book than you could ever create on your own, because we're trained to do it and and you're a beginner, so you know that. That's you know. That's why I was attracted to your podcast, avik, because you know healthy mind, healthy life.

Speaker 2: 17:20

There's so much suffering going on now and it's just not necessary exactly, exactly, yeah, so, but I also believe like it's very important for the balanced life uh in any way, like in the personal or the professional uh uh segment. So, uh, how do you balance, like when some how to how someone will balance demanding uh training schedule with uh their responsibilities and the personal challenges? So uh, like lynn michelle, anyone you want to mention or share something?

Speaker 1: 18:04

I didn't hear that question. There was a little bit of interference there.

Speaker 2: 18:08

Okay. So basically I'm asking like balancing is very important. So what, according to you, someone will balance their demanding training schedule with their responsibilities and maybe some of the personal challenges also?

Speaker 1: 18:26

Do you want to go first, Lynn?

Speaker 3: 18:32

I guess for me it would be just making it a part of my routine. You know, whatever is the most important things for me would be, you know it. Just, I have to make it part of my life, Like I've already made the decision to do this thing, I've already decided. So that takes out the decision-making process from from. You know, okay, am I going to do this or not? Am I going to? I've already decided, and it's this time it's like making an appointment with yourself and putting it on your schedule. Yeah, this is going to happen.

Speaker 3: 19:19

So, and I love, Michelle, that you're in the book design and publishing world and you know, when I was writing my book, I had to treat it like laps in the pool. When I was writing my book, I had to treat it like laps in the pool, Like I know, I know how to swim 2000 yards and it's just 25 yards at a time. And so I had to treat my, my book writing in the same way Okay, there's another 25 words, that's another, that's another length of the pool down, and just get into that mindset of okay, this is my time to do this thing, I'm going to do it, and and and I'm, I'm going to keep going until I've done my allotted workout for the day, and there's no argument that way, there's no internal argument that way. It's just what we do, just who we are.

Speaker 1: 20:20

Well, that kind of plays into the publishing a little bit. I mean, writing a book is really different than the mindset shift that you have to undergo to publish the book Two vastly different activities. Right, the writing is solitary and intense and you're concentrating. And now, all of a sudden, authors are just thrust into the world of book publishing, which is in most cases unfamiliar to them. Some of the business writers are more adept at being able to put together a team and get the book published in necessary steps, but for a lot of people it's a completely different lifestyle. You know, all of a sudden they have to figure out how to market the book.

Speaker 1: 21:08

How do what experts do you hire? I mean, it sounds nice to think that we can go online and find experts, but if you type in book cover designers, you'll get 10,000 responses. How do you possibly wade through all of that and try to decide which one to work with? And a lot of times, just frankly, authors don't budget enough to get a good job, so they hire somebody who works for a cheaper rate and they don't get a qualified person and they find out too late that that person doesn't know how to make the files that are going to be printed. So that's where a lot of the suffering comes in and that's where my business comes in.

Speaker 1: 21:52

We take that burden off the author. We have a whole team here, from editorial to design to ebook formatting, and we answer about 200 or 300 questions along the way, as we're working with each author and we make it easy for them to get from manuscript to market and without losing their mind, without having to have a nervous breakdown over it. And the way we do it is a little different than most. We are not a publisher, so we help the author distribute the book in their own name so that they make the maximum revenue when a book is sold. There's a lot of intermediate publishers now online that not only charge the author to produce the book but then take revenue out of their sales when a book is sold. So we don't do that, we just charge for our services and then we're out of the picture.

Speaker 2: 22:49

Wow, wow. So also one more thing is like so, michelle, like you were mentioning about the publishing thing.

Speaker 1: 23:12

So so, michelle, do you like? How? How do you ensure, like that, self-published books meet the professional standards? Well, I was lucky enough to be trained in those professional standards long before there were computers. So what I have hired? Really I'm blessed to have a great team of people who have 10, 20 or more years of experience, and we all just were trained that way, so we know how to do the high level work, and that's um. The internet is great in terms of opportunity, because anybody can begin to do anything, and and that's great. But what's gotten lost along the way is is the idea that you should have training and experience and work with mentors to learn your craft before you go out there and start offering it. So we need a little bit more balance in that area too, because sometimes it's very easy to find someone on the internet who's not qualified, and that just leads to bad results for everyone.

Speaker 2: 24:12

Exactly, and that just leads to bad results for everyone. Exactly. So, coming back to Lynn, regarding some specific challenges, other strategies like what were some of the biggest physical or maybe the mental challenges that you have faced while training for the Ironman, and if there is, then how did you overcome that?

Speaker 3: 25:00

There have been plenty of challenges, probably more challenges than smooth sailing. And a lot again comes down to mindset, that I have chosen, the mindset that nothing happens to me, everything happens for me and also, everything always works out perfectly for me. I just choose that belief and then I'm looking for the silver lining in every, just automatically. I've so drilled this into my psyche that that's my automatic response. So I, you know, after getting out of the marriage and you know, starting my new life, I met this man who he was a paraplegic, but he was very strong and independent, and we ended up getting married and we were ready to start this beautiful life together. And we were ready to start this beautiful life together. Well, he got really, really sick, probably. Well, I started noticing, like a week after we were married, he started going downhill, and so we were married for nine years before he just passed away two years ago and and that was not unexpected, but happened a lot sooner and more suddenly than I had thought and and also, you know, a couple, three years prior, we had brought his father to live with us and his father ended up with, well, had already been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, but we didn't know it. Nobody. I don't know if he was even told, I don't know if he knew it, but he had Alzheimer's for crying out loud he's not going to go oh, I have Alzheimer's. He's not going to be volunteering that information if he even remembers.

Speaker 3: 27:09

So anyway, one of the big obstacles for me was I was full-time caregiver for two men who were a lot bigger than me and have very serious health issues, and so I think that was one of the biggest things. And then just recovering from the grief of losing both of them within just a couple of months and going from this crazy busy household, from, you know, to where I could barely fit in my workouts, to to silence and and my, you know, my, my son lives with me too and he's very quiet and and keeps to himself a lot. And so we went from from a major, we went through a major shift and so so dealing with all of the caregiving and then all of a sudden going to like nothing and dealing with the grief and and the sadness and just this major upheaval. It took me quite a while, so, from from the time that I first signed up for that first Ironman to the time I actually completed, my life is completely different and it was like I had to learn how to live all over again.

Speaker 3: 28:47

So that's one of the obstacles and I just really realized I can't rush any of this. I need to go through whatever I need to go through and I need to build the mental muscle along with the physical body that's required. But I just feel like all of that, plus so much more, it just made me mentally very strong. But it was a deliberate process and I still have definitely areas of weakness. You know I don't have just this iron mindset of it, but I've learned in these areas. You know, like writing the book, you know when you have the path laid out for you, you have the guidance that you need. There's. It may look scary, but there's no one step that's ever going to be beyond you.

Speaker 1: 30:08

You have you have you know what the next step is you have a rare level of determination, right? Really you do. I mean so many people. We all know negative people who, just you know, encounter a small problem and it just flattens them and they give up and never do anything again. And so your resilience is terrific and it is good advice to take it one step at a time, right? You know how did the old joke? How do you eat an elephant one bite at a time?

Speaker 3: 30:43

Yeah, yeah, and I just I really for me it was I refuse to be stuck. If I feel stuck in some area, I'm refusing that. And that started with that visit to the therapist and him saying you are enough, got me out of that stuck or started me on that journey out of that stuck place. It's like I'm not going to be stuck, I'm going to do what it takes, whatever that is.

Speaker 1: 31:16

That's great. You did great, so thank you. Yeah, doesn't the word caregiving sound so comfortable and easy? I didn't quite hear it. The word caregiving sounds just almost like a diversion. It doesn't sound anywhere near as hard as it actually is. That was my perception. That was the 24-7. Yeah, wow, and you get thrust into it without any preparation too, which was very difficult for me. Yes, yes.

Speaker 1: 31:55

All of a sudden, you're responsible for life and death decisions for a loved one and you have no, no training or experience, the same as publishing in a way. You know how. I don't know any of this. You know, how am I supposed to, how am I supposed to make good decisions?

Speaker 3: 32:12

Yeah exactly and it's so different I mean, even with me being a cna and then a nurse it's so different when it's your own loved ones, you know and and they are your responsibility 24 7 and and you don't get a vacation. You might be able to get away somehow, but you need to arrange it all. That was a big challenge for me.

Speaker 1: 32:46

Yeah, I was lucky I was able to, and I still work at home and I don't think I could have done it in any other way except for that. But it was still a challenge, right? Just endless doctor appointments and you know them figuring out what to do each time another crisis happened. It's terrible. Caregivers need more help than they get.

Speaker 3: 33:13

Oh yeah.

Speaker 2: 33:20

Yeah, exactly, exactly. Caregivers need more help than they get. Oh, yeah, yeah, exactly okay. So uh also, um, uh, we'll quickly go to uh michelle, like what, according to you? I mean how important marketing in the self-publishing process is. So any strategies that you'd recommend for the authors to successfully market their books?

Speaker 1: 33:39

Sure, I mean, marketing is a challenge, there's no question about it. So many books have been written now that when people see a message about a new book, it almost doesn't even penetrate their brain, right? It's like who cares? It's another book. But I think where people sometimes miss the boat is they forget that the most important first task in marketing is to create a product that people want. And actually authors should start thinking about that before they even begin writing. It's like who am I writing for? What problem do they have? How am I solving that problem for them?

Speaker 1: 34:20

To make sure that you're putting all this time and effort into a book that actually has an audience, right? So and then, once you've done that in your own mind, then it's easier to find the audience when it's time for marketing than otherwise. If you just write the book without thinking about who it's for and what problem you're solving, then you have to think. You know, ok, I want to sell my book now, but to who? You know you really need to write the book for the audience, not write the book and then find the audience. You know you really need to write the book for the audience, not write the book and then find the audience. So. But there's lots of research. I mean this soft. You know we use software programs that can help you find keywords and find what the book should be priced at, what the cover should look like, and that's all. It pulls data from Amazon. So it's real live research that you can. You can start to make some plans around.

Speaker 2: 35:18

That's, that's very, very true, yeah.

Speaker 3: 35:20

I wish I had found you a few years ago.

Speaker 2: 35:28

That's really lovely. So, yeah, definitely, I was also about to say this, this thing also, like I mean we should have met uh prior, like last year also, so it would really been uh great help then. So definitely, uh, nevertheless, but now we are connected, definitely we'll. But now we are connected, definitely we'll get more advice from her. So for sure, yeah, yeah, so also like so to lynn, like how has completing an iron man at the age 63 change your perspective on the life and the aging? Because we often hear from people about the aging, the life, the changes. So what will you share?

Speaker 3: 36:27

uh, completing the iron man really gave me the perspective of don't give up, don't quit on yourself, because an Ironman is 140.6 miles and you've got 17 hours to complete it. 17 hours to complete it, and I was at mile 139.6. I had one mile to go and I was spent. I mean, I had no gas left in the tank, I could barely walk in a straight line. And, and the one thing, I got to this the very last aid station, the very last group of volunteers and I was supposed to be done by midnight and it was 1154. And I knew a six minute mile was not going to happen. And I was so exhausted and I and the volunteer asked me do you want to finish? And I realized in that moment of course it doesn't matter if I'm an official finisher or not, I have to finish. Yeah, and then he said I'll walk with you. And he walked with me that final mile and it was just such a beautiful thing. It was so meaningful to me and so meaningful to and actually I did run across the line. I don't remember having done that, but my friend had a video of me actually running across the line, but it was such a realization that you don't give up, you don't quit on something that's really important to you. And every time I tell this story I just I feel it in my being. You know, it's just, it's so powerful for me. And then I can take that lesson that I learned from that moment where I decided, yeah, I'm going to finish, I'm not going to quit, I'm whatever. If I have to crawl, I'm going to crawl.

Speaker 3: 38:59

And I didn't have. I was able to walk very slowly and I didn't have. I was able to walk very slowly and I got an email from the Ironman Corporation because I was a little disappointed that I didn't, because I was on track to make that cutoff until like mile 18. I started slowing down and to where I, you know, wasn't going to make it. But I got an email from the Ironman Corporation, I think the next day or the day after, congratulating me on my official finish. So they, even even though I was 14 minutes after the cutoff, they told me I was an official finisher and gave me the finisher's certificate. I have the proof, I am considered an official Ironman finisher. What if I had given up one mile before the end? I would have missed that huge thing in my life. I would have missed out on so much.

Speaker 1: 40:03

And 14 minutes is not really a big thing, right In the grand scheme of things.

Speaker 3: 40:08

Well, when you've already been going for 17 hours. I mean 17 hours. Yeah, 14 minutes is a very small fraction of that. Minutes is a very small fraction of that. But I didn't even know how much it meant to me and I still I can't really comprehend. Why does it mean so much to me?

Speaker 3: 40:38

But this is what I tell the women that I coach that find something. It doesn't matter what it is, it certainly doesn't have to be Iron man, that's crazy, you know. Don't 2021. And it sparked something in me.

Speaker 3: 41:04

Find that spark, find that bit of inspiration that's going to pull you forward toward your dream and what's important to you, and find the help that you need.

Speaker 3: 41:18

And find the help that you need, like if it's writing a book, find the expert who's going to give you what you need and get you over all of those stuck places so that you fulfilled your dream of writing that book. And it doesn't matter if it takes you a lot longer or it's a lot harder journey than you thought it would be. I mean, once you find Michelle, that part's easy, but because you've got that expert to walk you through but like even just writing the book or and then afterwards marketing the book and getting it out there, whatever it is that you've got that inner knowing that I can't give up. I've got to be true to myself. I've got to fulfill this dream in me, because how many books have never been written? And practically everybody says they're going to write a book and they never do. 99.9% never write that book and it dies with them and their story dies with them.

Speaker 1: 42:36

No, we have some challenges in that regard too. Right, because in a world where quality doesn't seem to matter anymore, or at least as much as it did we're, we're kind of sitting here feeling a little bit alone sometimes to uphold those traditional publishing standards and it's like why are we doing this? Well, we're doing this because it matters to us and we know it's the right thing to do. Yes, for our own worth and for ourselves. Right, you don't give up if you have a goal in mind. But it is. We're human, it's a challenge. It's like you know, wait a minute. You know what are we doing here? Does anybody care anymore about these standards? And, fortunately enough, do.

Speaker 3: 43:22

Yes, my first degree was English, and so I've always cared about such things and yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 43:36

It's a slippery slope right. If you start to make compromises, then compromises on the compromises and before you know it, people will pick up a book. It won't be an enjoyable read for them and they might decide books aren't worth reading. So you have to keep the standards.

Speaker 3: 43:52

A lot of people have already decided that yeah.

Speaker 1: 43:55

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 43:59

Yeah, so before we like, move on. So to both of you. How do you continue to keep yourself motivated and driven to achieve new milestones? Are there any final thoughts or pieces on it?

Speaker 1: 44:22

So if you want to share, Well, for us, we're always serving a new author, right, so every book is a new project, and so we get re-inspired starting every new project, so it's easy to stay motivated and to keep the right frame of mind, okay.

Speaker 2: 44:45

And for you, Lynn.

Speaker 3: 44:48

Yeah, and I guess it's kind of similar Like I can reach a discouraged place, I could let my mind go there, and I can. You know, sometimes I don't, my body needs a break or whatever. And you know, sometimes I don't my body needs a break or whatever. And I think, yeah, I could just drift back into this more sedentary lifestyle. But this is what I'm preaching, this is my mission. I'm here to be an inspiration to a lot of people. This isn't just about me, the food that I put into my body, how I treat my body, my aspirations. People are watching and I'm doing it for me.

Speaker 3: 45:52

But I have a bigger purpose too and I need to be practicing what I preach. I can't just slough off and not that I have to, I don't have to do anything but I have to be congruent with myself. And that I have to be congruent with myself to have a message like what I have. So if I'm wanting to veer off in some way, I just can come back to that. That's not congruent with who I am.

Speaker 3: 46:28

And, yeah, there will be some day where I decide, okay, hang up the towel, maybe I'll do half Ironman, Maybe I'll do 5Ks, maybe I'll.

Speaker 3: 46:41

You know, I don't have to keep doing this, but for the right reasons, you know, with the right attitude and the right motivations. Not out of the giving up, not out of defeat, discouragement, not out of laziness or despondency or being distracted or any of the millions of things that could come up for us, but I'm staying on track and staying focused in order to be that congruent person who has a message that's worth sharing with the world. And maybe just I mean I've already, I've inspired people, you know, but if there's that one woman out there who's feeling like she's at the end of her rope and there's no hope, and then my message comes along and she says to me, just listening to you, I have more hope, I have hope again. And that just happened to me recently that I was just doing a Facebook live in my group and she says and it was on just some random thing, you know and she says I feel hope again. It's worth it all for that one person.

Speaker 1: 48:16

Yeah, there's nothing better than that. We have the same thing when we finish a book and authors will often say I can't tell you how happy you made me. I've been working on this book for 10 years and now it's done and you guys did a great job and I'm so happy and that's golden right. Yes, we did what we were inspired to do and we made somebody else happy in the process. There's nothing better than that.

Speaker 3: 48:46

And you helped them fulfill their dream.

Speaker 1: 48:49

Yeah, yeah, it's great yeah.

Speaker 2: 48:52

It's huge. That's really really lovely so quickly for the listeners. I'd love to get to both of you. So, michelle, if someone wants to connect with you regarding the books for the publishing about writing, we can connect with you.

Speaker 1: 49:11

Sure. The best place to get a hold of us is at 1106designcom and, depending on where you are in the process, there's a button there to book a free consultation. We will not pressure you, we don't do business that way. If you just want more information, there's a lot on our website and you can also download a pdf of my little book called publish like the pros in return for your email address, and that will subscribe you to our newsletter. But you can unsubscribe five minutes later if you feel like it. If you just want the, the book, we get that, and so just you know we work for you. That's the most important thing to remember. We don't take your money when a book is sold. We do charge for our services, but all along the way our job is to make you happy and to help you create a great book.

Speaker 2: 50:03

That's really lovely. And, lynn, if someone wants to connect with you regarding, like the suggestions regarding the discussions, understanding how they can connect.

Speaker 3: 50:16

Yes, so my website is befitbeyond50.com and, just like it's spelled out don't use the numbers 50, but spell it out and if you want to see my masterclass, then it's befitbeyond50.com. Forward slash webinar. And, like Michelle said, you know this will be in exchange for your email address and you can unsubscribe, but I hope that you will find something really worth listening to in there as as developing that mindset that will move you forward in your life and help you not to be stuck anymore in the place that you're stuck in. And you can reach out to me directly, lynn, at befitbeyond50.com, and I hope you will.

Speaker 2: 51:22

Definitely, definitely. And, dear listeners, what I'll do, I'll mention all this into the show notes so that it will be much easier for you to reach out to them.

Speaker 2: 51:30

So, with this, thank you so much for joining us on this episode of Healthy Babes, and we hope that all of you have found today's discussion as enlightening and inspiring as we did, because always remember that every small step that you take towards improving your health and the mindset can lead to a big changes in your life. So stay tuned for more episodes with amazing guests, like we have michelle and Lynn. So we will definitely continue to guide and motivate you on your journey to wellness. So until next time, keep riding those healthy waves. Thank you so much.

Speaker 1: 52:13

Thank you, Abhik Thank you Abhik.