Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Esther Schultz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Esther, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

I read recently in Marie Forleo’s book ‘Everything is Figureoutable’ a term she uses called, Multipassionate Entrepreneur and this resonated with me as this encompasses what I am trying to build in all facets of my work. My passion is to provide a message of hope and joy and empower others to heal and grow through all aspects of my work. I want my life and my work to have meaning with the hope that at the end of my life someone can say I made a difference in theirs.

Esther, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am an Independent Author, Freelance Writer, founder of my Inner Well-Being Book Club as a part of mentoring with WomenLead, speaker and mental health advocate. I am also the co-founder of the Northern Women’s Business Collaborative (NWBC) in east central Minnesota. I am a mom of four children ages twenty, ten, seven and seven and live on five acres with them and my husband in east central Minnesota. I am also a caregiver to my ninety year old father-in-law who has Alzheimer’s. We love to spend time outdoors and as much time as possible on the north shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota. Lake Superior has actually inspired some of my work.

I write Women’s Fiction and Women’s Historical Fiction. I have had several articles published in a magazine with a focus on mental health. And I am currently working on a fourth fiction book, a non-fiction book, and a children’s chapter book project I am collaborating with my ten year old son on at his request. They are set to come out later this year and in 2025.

I am often asked when I started writing and the answer is simple. I have always been writing and creating stories. But, I didn’t trust myself or my ability, until 2020 when I decided to share with my mother-in-law that I had written a story. She read my very rough draft of my first book and once done, she told me I had a gift and needed to pursue it.

I found the most incredible editor and I published my first book in the fall of 2021, What Lies Across the Sea. I dedicated it to my mother-in-law and I had the honor of sharing the first copy with her one week before she passed away. My second book, Great Water, Big Sea, came out in 2022, followed by my third book, Song of the Lake, in September of 2023. Recently I was a guest on the Podcast The Resilient Writers Radio Show and was advised that my book looked like and read like it had been traditionally published. This was a proud moment for me because I work really hard to create quality books.

I have a goal of publishing a book a year for the next twenty years while focusing on building my speaking and mentoring aspects of my business, along with growing the NWBC. Through my fiction books my hope is they provide an escape or moments of joy while giving them drama, adventure, and small nuggets of wisdom.

My mentoring work and non-fiction writing is dedicated to empowering others to heal and grow. My hope is they provide an example of and teaches others that it is possible that one can go through horrendous things, struggle with depression and anxiety, but none of it has to define who you are. One can not only survive but thrive and live a wholehearted life of joy and peace. We all want to be heard and we all want to know we have a voice, and I hope my work does this for someone else.

To learn more about my books or my book club one can check out my website at www.theestherschultz.com.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

As a creative all of my work is completely up to me. I don’t have a boss or team providing insight or ways to keep on track. All of my motivation, direction, and insight has to come from me and the research and work that I do to keep moving forward to make deadlines. I heard it once said, “it’s me, and it’s me, and it’s me.” I am my own finance department, marketing department, IT department, creator, writer. I have to wear all the hats. It isn’t working a few hours here and there when I feel like it. Well I could but I wouldn’t be successful. I have to work hard, work long hours at times, and spend time away from my family. It is also very vulnerable work. Parts of myself go into every aspect of my work and then it goes on display for all the world to see, to judge, to accept or reject. It is not easy to do it. But I do it anyway because I absolutely love what I do.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is knowing I have made a difference in someone else’s life. I occasionally receive emails, direct messages or cards in the mail from random people and they tell me how much they love my work or how much my work has helped them. Their words make me feel like I am providing meaning in people’s lives which always motivates and inspires me to keep going.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theestherschultz.com
• Instagram: esther_schultz_author
• Facebook: Esther Schultz – Author or theestherauthor

Image Credits
Photos by Teagan Franz Photography and myself.