Guest Post: From Podcast to Book by Kate Brenton

When life is calling, often we need only the space and the support to remember our way. Sometimes we lean into our expansion, and sometimes we bolt from our greatness. The biggest shock is that big change happens in small choices. In Rebirth you will find real-life stories of people who made courageous leaps, inspiring you to make your own. It’s time to step out of line and back into the spiral of life—that’s where the alchemy is. This book fits right into the side pocket of your bag + your life to inspire you as you read others’ stories of how they listened and learned to make embodied changes in their own lives.

 

From Podcast to Book

“Katie,” my decades old friend says into the phone, as I walk with my child, sling-snuggled, on my chest. “I think you would really like a podcast.”

“Why?” I ask. I mean, yes, I do like to talk, but I am 41 years old with a newborn and not a whole lot of time.

“Because our video is getting the most hits and I think people would like it, but I think you’d like it.”

I have always been a hardworking, curious-of-life, person and capable of making the best of everything. I still was, but it seemed different now. How I could hop a plane from Hawaii to Japan to travel and teach holistic healing with my Kumu (teacher in Hawaiian) and fellow apprentices but was having difficulty straddling the world of the doer to the very real surrender of motherhood when this call came. I still couldn’t figure it out. Why would I sit and talk in a microphone about it?

With very little free time and less financial resources, I started a podcast with my friend’s borrowed microphone. In the first chapter of my book, I talk about doubling down with the Universe when a conscious popsicle company, Mompops, agreed to be on my podcast, which was then called Rebirth: women saving lives by living their own.

I loved it. It was my creative outlet, talking to amazing people who made courageous leaps while inspiring others to do the same. And although we did celebrate their passions and successes, we focused on how they knew to listen to the voice inside against all others. About a year and a half after the podcast was born, I got a call from a friend, announcing that she was starting a publishing company and she was signing authors and wanted to sign me. Someday was when I was going to be author, not necessarily when I was parallel parking my car with a sleeping child in the backseat whom I was still breastfeeding, but I said yes and told no one. I had a small book that I could write and figured I would just make it work.

Fast forward six months, I have a book contract and tremendous writer’s block, when I invite my publisher onto the podcast. We have a great show; she calls me the next day and suggests excitedly: “The podcast is the book.” It all clicked into place. The subtitle of the book changed to: Real-life stories of what happens when you let go and let life lead. When I spoke with a marketing professional, it went something like this:

“So, this is a how-to book?” the dark-haired man asked on Zoom.

“No,” I answered.

“Is it a process book? You teach a branded process?”

“No,” I answered again.

He moved in his chair, “So it’s more like a 5-step, how-to? Like how to Reb-, how to do something and it will…”

“No.” I squirmed. “No, it’s not like that at all. It’s a compilation of stories for the reader to be reminded of their own fortitude, and the worth of their dreams. Five steps don’t work here because if your path is different, and the steps don’t happen prescriptively, you will think you have failed.”

That’s really what the writing of book and the creation of the podcast were all about—the worthiness of listening to the voice inside, and not leaning out to make sense of it for others and forsake your own intent.

Somewhere between writing the last piece of the book, which came almost like a thunderclap, and this marketing conversation, I realized that the act of writing the book which started as a resource for others became a mosaic of my own rebirth. The alchemy of the process in some ways restored several cracks in my foundation of perception, of what was failure and what was necessary learning. Sometimes our greatest strength comes from the lessons we learn in the deepest surrender, with only the whisper light of faith to lead us through to an ending we would never have been able to write alone.

 

 

About the Author: Kate Brenton, Ed.M., educator, author, mama, and healer, used to climb trees in her childhood to sit in and read books. A lifelong teacher, from secondary English to spiritual development, Kate has the archetype for sharing wisdom to empower and elevate through online courses, inspirational speaking, and retreats. Come say hello or listen to the Rebirth podcast at www.katebrenton.com. You can also follow her on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Substack.

 

The Inspiration Behind How to Punch Failure in the Face by Tracy Huff

Are you struggling with your confidence? Have you ever wanted to go after something but don't know where to begin? Do you need help believing in your ability to go after what you want? Are you afraid of taking the next step? How To Punch Failure in The Face is here to guide you and help you get crystal clear on the exact steps you should be taking right now to identify what is holding you back and the steps you will need to take to achieve your goals. My goal is to invite you into our community to be empowered, inspired, celebrated, and supported to go after your dreams and get them. I am an expert at helping my students build their confidence and develop the leader in themselves. As a team, we create the space you need to get clarity, confidence, and balance without being overwhelmed or guilty. If you are tired of being afraid, or tired of being uncertain and want to stop being so busy you don't take the time to focus on what you want, then my 9-step process will help you. Let me help, you can do this. Take the first step today.

 

 

The Inspiration Behind How to Punch Failure in the Face

I wanted to have a bigger impact on not just my community, but also to help women and families that do not live in my city. I have had the pleasure of helping hundreds of kids and families build confidence and have the courage to go and try things (and succeed) that they never thought they could. My tool for creating these results is martial arts. I have found over the years that there are so many women and kids that are afraid to come into a martial arts school, so I began taking the principles that I use and marketing them in a coaching program. It was not well received. I kept getting questions like, “What does a martial arts instructor know about coaching, goal setting, communication, or leadership?” At first, I was tempted to agree with them and to think that maybe I was wrong. I was frustrated and then I got angry. I was complaining to my instructor. I asked him if he was as offended as I was that non-martial artists did not understand what we actually do in martial arts school.  He was not as upset as I was, but he suggested that I write the book. So, I did.

 

I want everyone who reads my book to have a system to follow, to burst through their fear of failure and be confident to be themselves everywhere. I want everyone who reads my book to finish it knowing what makes them amazing and having a clear plan to use their unique skills and abilities to change the world. Making change at whatever level they feel-their family, their community, their city, their state, or the world. I want my readers to join me in changing the world by showing up confident and fearless. I want them to Be Amazing, Be Exceptional, Be You! (BE BABY!)

 

My book is the system I have been using for 15+ years in my martial arts school, so I did not have to do much research. The process I outline is what I get to do every day. I completed the book in about 14 weeks. Even though the book is based on what I have implemented in my martial arts school, I still struggled with combating the negative thoughts that I had about my book as I was writing it.  I would get frustrated and feel like I was talking in circles and wanted to just quit because it wouldn’t really matter anyway. One of the ways I ensured I would continue and complete it was to tell my leadership students I was writing it. I shared with them why and I knew they would hold me accountable and remind me of why I wanted to write it. I am a leader that believes in leading by example and I refused to allow my negative thoughts to make me a person who did not keep her word.

 

I have a friend who has written a book after the death of her father. She wrote the book to help her mourn her dad’s death and to process life without him.  As I was completing my book and getting to the final draft, I shared it with her because I value her opinion. This was so scary for me, because I am human, and I was afraid she would tell me that it sucked! When I asked her if I could read her book, she told me no. At first, I was hurt, but then she explained that she had let her husband read the book and he made some “suggestions” which made her feel like it wasn’t finished or ready enough for other people to read. She said she really only wrote it for herself, and she did not want to put it out there for other people to read because it might not sell and it would be a failure. I asked her to consider how she would feel if her book helped just one more person. That is what I focus on because my book is not written for everyone, but there are people I know I can help. When people tell me they are making their friends and kids read my book I am honored, humbled, and less afraid to keep promoting my book.

 

I chose to self-publish because we live in a world that has made it so easy to get our message out. I also knew that I was going to use my book to help explain my training philosophy to the parents of my martial arts students, as an introduction to me for coaching clients, and as a tool to book team building events. If you feel like you should be writing a book, write it. You are amazing and the world needs to hear your message from your perspective. Success or failure is defined by you so don’t let your fear of failing hold you back. You’ve got this: go BE BABY!

 

 

Tracy Huff is a wife, mother, a Vet of the armed forces, a 4th Degree Black Belt in Tang Soo Do, an author and a business owner. She is the author of  How To Punch Failure in the Face. Her many roles in life have led her to acquire the skills and knowledge that have made her business a success. Tracy has a passion for motivating and helping others build their confidence by identifying their gifts and creating a plan on how to use them now. She is dedicated to helping as many women as she can live that life for themselves. After serving in the U.S. Armed Forces for four years, she finished her education in her current home of Fayetteville, NC. She is combining her life experience along with the skills and motivation she has developed as an entrepreneur and Master and sharing that with other business owners. She is passionate about helping professional women and entrepreneurs build their confidence and achieve their goals. She’s an in-demand speaker and an expert on developing confidence and leadership skills and is available for workshops and speaking events. Visit her website at www.defeatfailure.com or connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.