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

Jody, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

My mission is simple. I want to use my words to encourage women. Whether that is through written words, speaking from the front of a room, or one on one, I want to use the breath in my lungs to support women, especially hurting women.

I didn’t start out in life with that as my mission, but difficult seasons have a way of refining and shaping our future. My ex-husband battled addiction for years. Many women are living with a husband who is struggling with addiction. That addiction isn’t just impacting her husband, it’s impacting her as well.

Like me, these women are struggling to make it through the hardest season of their lives, not just the sting of their husband’s addiction, but their own struggle to live bravely in the middle of it. Since God brought a great deal of healing into my life, I felt like it would be stingy not to share the tools and lessons I learned from my own journey.

My soon-to-be-published book, messages, and interactions are invitations to women to stop hiding and to bring their heartache into the open. I want to empower women with God’s truths, encourage them through my personal overcomer story, and equip them with practical steps to get through their days and onto a path of courageous living.

Jody, 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?

Many years before I started seriously writing, I remember driving home from a women’s retreat when the idea of writing a book came to mind. Since my life was busy with young children, I put that dream aside. It wasn’t until my marriage collapsed that I began putting ideas on paper in my journal.

The longer I journeyed through my husband’s addiction, the more I realized other women were walking a similar road. It seemed only fair for me to share the tools I learned. I started meeting with women, turning my journal pages into pages of a book, and eventually speaking.

Not only do I provide encouragement to women through written and spoken words, but I also offer hope. As I struggled through my personal pain, I found hope not just in books, podcasts, and articles but in Jesus. My faith is an important part of what I do.

There are other avenues to manage personal pain, none more comprehensive than a relationship with the God of the universe. It is that relationship which enables me to keep the important things front and center. Even though my ex-husband and I are divorced, we make every effort to ensure our children have parents who are civil and kind.

Mostly, I am proud of making it. I went through something deeply painful and made it! I want women to know they can make it too. Yes, it will be difficult, but they can get through their heartbreak and live happy on the other side of it.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Back in the heyday of brick-and-mortar bookstores, I used to meander through stores marveling at shelves of well-crafted books. Books with sentences seamlessly flowing from one to the next. Clever chapter titles tempting shoppers to flip straight to that chapter. And seals and endorsements adorned the covers, letting potential readers know that a work of art awaits them between the pages.

So, I waited. I procrastinated on writing a book. How could I measure up to such a standard? How could a regular girl like me pull together a coherent book that anyone would want to read?

Then there are those engaging, inspiring speakers that I’ve heard through the years. You know the ones. The speakers you still remember because they told brilliant stories that made you laugh or cry. Speakers that make talking in front of 5,000 people look easy. How could I ever do something like that?

Little did I know that each of those books had been through multiple rounds of edits, removing the mediocre and polishing it up for awaiting readers. And those speakers? Yes, they have talent, but they also have coaches who help them become better speakers.

I’ve had to unlearn comparison. I’ve had to learn not to compare myself with other writers who have been pecking out stories long before I could read. Or seasoned speakers who’ve been on the stage for years before I even had a message to share.

Comparison can kill creativity. Unlearning comparison frees me to be creative and to keep going. When I feel like I don’t measure up, I find it easier to quit. Comparison is a trap that keeps us from sharing our gifts with the world around us.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I am a self-taught writer. I don’t have an English degree or experience in journalism. In fact, I spent most of my college career avoiding English classes. The less writing the better. I didn’t graduate Cum Laude. My uncle always told me that I graduated, “Thank you, Lordy.” I sure did.

I can’t count the times I’ve sat at my laptop on the brink of tears praying for the right words. Words for a written piece or for a message to women. Writing is hard work. It can also be lonely work, but it doesn’t have to be.

Four years ago, as I checked out of my room from a personal writing retreat, I saw a sign advertising a writers’ conference. What? There were conferences just for writers? I had no idea. The next year I signed up. That is when my writing and speaking life changed.

Attending writers’ conferences has allowed me to learn the craft of writing along with the ins and outs of the publishing world. The most valuable part of a writer’s conference is the people. When I started writing, I had one friend who wrote books. One. I had no idea there were regular people like me doing the same thing I’m doing–using words to encourage people.

Now I have several friends who understand the angst of finding the right words. Having writing friends in my corner doesn’t make the words come any faster, but they make the journey less tearful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jodyallenwrites.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jodyallenwrites/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jodyallenwrites/

Image Credits
Michelle Andrews Photography