We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kim Anderson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kim thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

A domino of risks lead me to today.

It all started when I was accepted to attend a writing and running retreat in Bend, Oregon hosted by Olympian Lauren Fleshman in May of 2020. The retreat only accepts 15 women, so putting myself in the arena was risk #1. At the time I was working as a middle school language arts teacher and was in the midst of burnout. Honestly, the pandemic was a welcome break from the breakneck speed of a normal school year and the ever increasing pressure of academic rigor. BUT, the retreat never happened…which lead to risk #2.

As school became virtual and school days were shortened, I found myself with enough time to participate in “27 Wilder Days,” a virtual writing event hosted by Laurie Wagner of 27 Powers. I am not very good at sticking to 27 days of anything, so the risk here was showing up everyday to something I wasn’t even sure I’d like. The practice blew me away. It opened my eyes to a whole new world of processing emotions, events, feelings, thoughts, relationships, and perspectives. I spent just 15 minutes a day writing and I could not believe the words that came out of me.

I was hooked….which lead to risk #3.

In the fall of 2020 I applied for one of only ten seats in Laurie’s Wild Writing Teacher Training program in hopes of becoming certified to teach this incredible practice. To my delight, I was accepted and became part of a cohort of women from around the world that successfully completed a rigorous six month training program.

As I was completing the training during the spring of 2021, my burnout reached a level that was not sustainable. I was chronically stressed, starting to become disengaged, and felt myself purposely disconnecting from my career, my colleagues, and even my family. This was not me. I had lost myself, and as a result my family was losing me. So, I made the brave decision to leap into the unknown. I resigned from my 16 year teaching career in June of 2021 and launched The Unapologetic Pen that July. The was arguably the biggest risk of my journey because I knew ZERO about running a business.

It was a fast and furious start and I have never looked back. This writing practice has grounded me, brought me relief during stressful times, helped me recall events from my past that shaped who I am, and created a record of small moments with my family that I don’t want to forget. I am honored to now lead other women through this life-changing practice. Three and a half years in and I would say things are going pretty darn well.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

The Unapologetic Pen is all about helping women show up for themselves. At the core, it is a mental health tool grounded in writing. Women tend to put everyone around them first and then one day they realize they have forgotten about themselves. Unapologetic Writing creates a safe, non-judgemental space for women to write about all of the things going on in their lives and in their heads. It helps women declutter their emotional space and find a little calm in the chaos of life. When women carve out time for this practice and begin putting their pen to paper, they are also practicing listening to and getting to know themselves again. It is a practice of coming home to yourself. Just like any wellness tool, it gets uncomfortable but that is where the magic happens.

Unapologetic Writing workshops and courses are an out-of-the-box option for self-care. We aren’t counting anything like steps or calories. It doesn’t require expensive gear. You can literally do it in your car, at the beach, in your pajamas…all you need is a notebook and a pen.

I am most proud of how I took a risk to bring this practice into the world and how every time a new woman joins a workshop, it is a chance for her to heal. I like to say that I am healing the world, one woman at a time.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My whole journey in starting the Unapologetic Pen has been one of resilience. I kid you not that I knew absolutely ZERO about running a business. I have spend thousands of hours learning how to fill out the paperwork for an LLC, creating a business banking account, learning about CRM, nurture sequences, onboarding clients, writing contracts, creating invoices, writing website SEO, funnels, content calendar creation, domain transfers, and website hosting, content pillars, networking and the list goes on. Being an entrepreneur is NOT for the faint of heart. I have done a lot of mindset work to get myself comfortable with not knowing what I am doing but knowing that my purpose and service is important and needed.

The biggest lesson I have learned along the way has been to ask for help because, as Ghani said, “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.” The entrepreneurial world is full of people who started from scratch and they are more than willing to help is asked.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I am in the middle of a pivot right now. I entered the market with one offering: live, virtual classes. They run on a weekly basis for 8 weeks; same day, same time each week. As my life has continued to evolve and I now have kids in high school, I realized that my offerings were limited because of the boundaries I had set around my personal time.

So I am pivoting. I am in the process of designing and creating five online courses that will launch in April. Each course has a theme and will also women to participate in this writing practice at their own pace and during times that work best for them. I am hopeful that this pivot will allow me to reach more women with this powerful healing tool.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theunapologeticpen.com
• Instagram: kim.anderson.unapologeticpen
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-c-anderson/

Image Credits
Lost Art Photography, LLC