We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dallas Woodburn. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dallas below.

Dallas, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made (either in terms of time or money)? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

The best investments I have ever made as a writer have been investing in support and community. Too often, we feel like we need to do this alone. We need to struggle alone. We need to figure out our own problems or creative blocks. That is SUCH a lie! We make massive shifts when we invest in our own potential, our dreams, and our creative happiness. For me, that has looked like purposefully joining communities of other writers, attending writing conferences and events, investing in editors and marketing managers, and hiring a coach who supports me in both my business and book projects. Whatever our goals are, when we feel supported and nurtured and understood – when we know there are people out there who are holding us accountable and cheering us on – we get there so much faster. AND we don’t burn out along the way. That is also why it has been so important to me as a book coach to create these intentional, vibrant communities for other writers, particularly women, to thrive in.

Dallas, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a best-selling author, editor, and book coach. My life’s work is not only to share my stories, but also to help others tell the stories that matter most to them and embrace their best lives. Through my book coaching program Thriving Authors Academy, I have helped dozens of women around the world write and publish the books inside their hearts to grow their businesses, grow their impact, and grow their legacies. I also host the Thriving Authors Podcast, with new episodes every week delving into behind-the-scenes lessons from my own book-writing and publishing journey, interviews with successful published authors, and tips and advice listeners can start using immediately to gain traction and move forward in their writing lives.

One thing that sets me apart is that I provide an intimate, personal, high-touch container of support for my clients. My signature program Thriving Authors Academy is a small group six-month program and I truly have not seen anything else like it out there. I believe that writing a book is a transformational process that ripples outward into all areas of your life, and I am there for my clients every single week with personal coaching, writing workshops and co-writing sessions so they feel truly supported and cared for during every step of the creative process.

Because I don’t just want you to be a published author – I want you to be a THRIVING author, confidently sharing your ideas, making an impact with your words, and owning your unique voice that deserves to be heard! I’m here to gently and expertly guide people through the writing journey, from first draft to revision process, from mindset issues to craft questions, from finding inspiration to building a sustainable writing career!

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember – I’ve always wanted to make a career as an author – and I studied Creative Writing in school, at both undergraduate and graduate level. To date I have published five books (both self-published and traditionally published) and edited two national anthologies. I mostly write YA novels and contemporary literary fiction, and my first nonfiction book 1,001 Ways to Be Kind is forthcoming next year. I’ve also worked as a freelance writer for dozens of national magazines, newspapers and other publications, and I frequently contribute to the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series.

I feel so lucky to get to live my dream and help others achieve their dream of becoming an author, too!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I am still working to unlearn limiting beliefs related to productivity, efficiency, and “getting it right” right away – which I have found are detrimental to the freeing, compassionate energy of the creative process. It has taken concerted effort – and time, and journaling, and plenty of grace – to dismantle this toxic narrative of my worth being tied to my productivity or efficiency.

Lately I have been studying the difference between masculine and feminine energies – we all have both of them within us, and both are so important. In an ideal world, these dual sides of our nature would be in harmony and balance. But for many of us, steeped in the masculine energy of a patriarchal society, our masculine energy is out of balance – especially when it comes to our creativity. And this is harming us.

I used to beat myself up for not writing “enough.” My self-worth was tied up with how much writing I got done or the external validation I received from others about my writing. But this was like fighting to go upstream when my creativity was begging me to open up, listen inward and flow with the current. The longer I have spent building a career as a writer, the more I have learned that the real magic comes from enjoying the process itself, rather than focusing so much on the final outcome or external validation.

Writing is not always “easy.” But it shouldn’t be a battle, either. In un-learning overbearing masculine beliefs and re-learning to trust my inner feminine voice, I feel so much freer, more balanced and more connected in all areas of my life.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

My latest published novel, Thanks, Carissa, For Ruining My Life, is definitely an example of resilience and perseverance. I worked on this novel for more than a decade and went through SO many seasons of rejection and disappointment. Over those 11+ years, I was represented by three different agents who tried to sell the book to many different publishers, with no luck. I submitted the book myself to numerous publishers, receiving either no response or a form rejection letter from all of them… until the amazing small publisher Immortal Works bought my book last year! And now, to hear from readers who are resonating with this story and falling in love with these characters who I have loved for years and years… it is very gratifying and fulfilling.

Still, as exciting as it has been to birth this book into the world, to be honest there is always a tinge of nerves there, too. Fear: what if people don’t like it? Doubt: what if it’s not good enough?

I always tell my book-coaching clients that writing and publishing a book is an act of true bravery. Pouring yourself out onto the page and then sending these bits of your heart and mind out into the world, like a message in a bottle, hoping your words will connect with someone else.

Whenever I am at a place in my life when I need to step into courage, I think about my incredible friend C, who passed away in a car accident at the age of 26, but who lived with such vibrancy and fearlessness. It’s been seven years since I last heard her voice, but I can still hear her in my head, cheering me on. She was always so supportive of my writing and made me feel like a best-selling author when that was just a faraway star I wished on at night.

I have heard it said many times that writers need a “thick skin” to be able to handle lots of rejection and criticism. I think this is true and has helped me handle rejection and criticism in other areas of my life as well. There is a sense of creating something wholly for yourself and to please yourself, and then unleashing that work out into the world, and when you let it go, it becomes something separate from you. The criticism is not a reflection of you, or even a reflection on the quality of the work; it is a chance for you to hone your own voice and perspective, and to grow. I try to view all disappointments in my life as opportunities for growth. Even the really painful experiences have been meaningful because they have taught me about myself. Writing has also given me an identity as someone who perseveres against all odds. The successes are that much sweeter and are savored that much more truly when they do arrive!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.DallasWoodburn.com
• Instagram: www.Instagram.com/DallasWoodburnAuthor
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/DallasWoodburnAuthor
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/dallaswoodburn/
• Twitter: www.Twitter.com/DallasWoodburn
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCabLNBPVdmxO1Nfafx7fi9A
• Other: Podcast: www.anchor.fm/dallas-woodburn Facebook community: www.facebook.com/groups/167667030592965 Free virtual summit: www.ThrivingAuthorsSummit.com