We were lucky to catch up with Agnes Wolfe recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Agnes, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

I started a podcast in 2022 focused on mental health. My entire life, I have struggled with mental health issues. Generally, it was slight depression related to my infertility, chronic illnesses, and other stressors we all encounter. In 2019, leading into 2020, I was in a personal, familial, financial, and spiritual crisis. I decided to leave our church just as lockdown began. Oh, and did I mention that in 2019, my twins were born at 29 weeks due to fear we might lose one of them, and they spent ten weeks with them in the NICU?

So, I wasreally enjoying podcasts, and felt I had a lot to add to the table, as well as knew people with their own journeys. So I decided to begin what was originally titled Viamare Healing, and now is Strength, Love, and Healing with Authors Alcove.

I loved it so much, but there was one problem, I felt I could not ignore. While working on my mental health podcast, I was ignoring my true passion, which is to write. Althoudilemmahtlt it would go along well with my nonfiction endeavors, my true passion was the story I had begun in 2016.

My hI usband and I were talking, and I was telling him my dilemma, when he pointed out that maybe I need to continue doing podcasts, but instead of discussing mental health topics, discuss books and stories! That was when Authors’ Alcove was born. From the inception of it, there has been more downloads, more success, and much more interactions. I even had friends who messaged me and wrote, “I think you have found your calling.”

Now with Authors’ Alcove, I am learning more and more about story writing as I interview authors on their newly published books. I am inspired to sit down and write my own. I just finished the rough draft and now working on the editing phase. I have been so blessed by Authors’ Alcove, I am so thankful for the opportunity.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

‘Agnes Wolfe’ is my pen name. I write nonfiction and fiction and realized I wanted to be known by my penname for my fiction work. Agnes is my mom’s middle name, and Wolfe is a derivative of her maiden name. She is why I love books, and she has always encouraged me in my writing.

After interviewing nearly 60 people, I realized that being a writer is not just a career choice or a hobby but something you are. Almost everyone who is a writer says they have been writing since they were little and have been fascinated with the written word since before they could hold a pen.

But there is one thing many of us writers don’t feel is part of our DNA: being a marketer. Another thing that I believe is in our DNA is that we are hungry to learn more about refining our craft. Through my podcast, my goal is to give writers a platform to market their books, interview marketers to teach us, writers, how to do the most dreaded part of being an author, and take a moment and teach one another how to be better at storytelling!

I have been blown away by the community that has surrounded me since I started this journey. It has been so lovely meeting all these amazing people from all walks of life, all different experiences, all different beliefs, yet we all have one element the same: the love of the written word.

I have also learned so much from the editors, marketers, and other author support professionals who have been on Authors’ Alcove. But I think the greatest joy is the connections with other authors. I love getting a note from one of my previous guests who says they loved listening to this episode or that episode. Although writing is generally a very solo act, it’s beautiful to be able to join one another in this journey.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My main goal with Authors’ Alcove has been building a community of like-minded writers. Before I began it, I knew less than a handful of authors, and publishing seemed daunting. I wanted to build up a group of people who would cheer each other on, support one another, and learn along the way.

I feel so blessed by the community that has found me. I have realized that traditional publishing isn’t always the answer, and self-publishing can be lucrative and successful. I have met people who write full-time, are self-published, and make enough to cover their bills.

The most amazing part is that I get to be a small part of many people’s journeys. For many of the people on my podcast, it is their first time on a podcast. I am so glad that I didn’t have to look too far when I sought to find a community. I have been flooded by a community of writers, editors, and many others who adore the written word. It’s been such a unique experience.

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

I mentioned my most excellent pivot when I switched from doing a podcast on mental health to doing one on writing and reading. But I feel like my career has been a series of pivots. I still run Strength, Love, and Healing, but instead of just talking about mental health issues, I have authors who have written books to help people with life. That one comes out with a new episode every other week.

Authors Alcove has also had several pivots. When I first started Authors’ Alcove, I thought finding people to be on my show would be hard. When I asked if this would be a good idea, one person commented, “Oh yay, another writing/reading podcast… just what we all need.” If you cannot hear it, that was one hundred percent sarcasm. But the truth is, they all are so different from one another.

But anyway, for the first two months, I accepted every person who was willing to be on my podcast. I remember having two men who had applied to be on the show. Both were the most successful professional writers I had experienced at that time. I totally blew my opportunity to interview them because of my own insecurity.

Then, after my show had been up for a few months, I became bombarded with more authors than I could possibly interview, and I realized I needed to have criteria to follow. That was a massive pivot in how I thought of my podcast. Since then, I have had incredibly successful people there, including those not yet known. I am learning not to be intimidated or believe I am not good enough. I realized I had been suffering from Imposter Syndrome.

Being able to shed my Imposter Syndrome was probably the biggest pivot because suddenly, I felt just as comfortable talking to someone who was writing full-time as I did with someone who hadn’t even made a cent yet from their work. We are all just trying to make it and are at different phases in life. We need to give ourselves grace and realize we are capable of great things.

Contact Info:

• Website: authorsalcove.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorsalcovepodcast/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorsalcove
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/agnes-wolfe-20bb47288/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AWolfe6293
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWVCbL470bDCgeg23kziYAg

Image Credits
Amber Thompson did the logo “Just Breathe”