We recently connected with Judy Wright and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Judy, thanks for joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

As an author and personal historian, I enjoy encouraging others to write their memoirs and capture family histories. I have 22 books on Amazon but do not earn a full-time living from the books.

So I pivoted and started using the skills I had always had to market motivational posters and books. As an encourager and positive thinker, I was able to market more effectively.

Even as a 78 year old Gram, I am very active on TikTok and Instagram. That has been great to market my books and posters and reach a new audience.

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

Judy is a life educator, family coach, and keynote speaker who has written more than 20 books, hundreds of articles and speaks internationally on family, parenting, and relationship issues, including communication, encouragement, and end-of-life. She also focuses on personal issues like anxiety, depression, confidence, and self-esteem and works with many small and large organizations–from Head Start to child care resource centers.

Judy is a certified Pet Grief Coach who takes pride in her work with Animal Human Connection. She has written extensively on the topic of grieving and offers guidance, counseling, and communal sharing for many grief clients.

Artichoke Press is not Judy’s only self-starter project. Judy has owned and managed numerous small businesses. She and her husband Dwain, alongside their six children and foster kids, worked family businesses in order to teach them Responsibility, Respect & Resiliency.

What’s with the Artichoke?
The symbol of the artichoke has great meaning for Judy in her teaching and writing. As she works with families, she sees that frequently only the outer edges are exposed, which can be prickly and sometimes bitter to the taste. But, as you expose the artichoke and people to warmth, caring, and time, gradually, the leaves begin to open and expose the real treasure–the heart.

The artichoke also became a teaching lesson when Judy, as a young military mother, moved her family into military housing in California to find a stunning collection of artichokes planted in their yard. Knowing it takes two years for the vegetable to grow, Judy realized the original gardener never saw the fruits of their labor but planted the artichokes anyway.

Judy was reminded by this experience that many times in life, our actions toward others are felt by people we will never meet, but we plant the seeds of kindness anyway.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I have a poster that I created that states: Done is Better Than Perfect! For years I had thought I had to do my offers perfect and so often did not get the work done.

I often use interns from the University of Montana and pay them a living wage. Often, they would want to edit my articles and books for many hours. I had to tell them that I earn a dollar for each book, so if it costs me five dollars to pay an editor, I won’t live long enough to just make the money back.

So, I invested in Grammarly and ProWriting to edit pretty darn good, and I decided once again that done is better than perfect.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I am 78 years old and my grandson has me on TikTok and Instagram. Who woulda ever thunk this would be a way to market my books, courses and posters?

I pay him with money and food and he works one afternoon when school is out early to reach a wide audience of buyers and those interested in what I am selling.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.UseEncouragingWords.com
• Instagram: www.Instagram.com/judyhelmwright
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Judy Helm Wright
• Linkedin: www.Linkedin.com/judyhwright
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/judyhwright
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/judyhelmwright
• Other: www.TikTok.com/@judyhelmwright