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

Heather , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project I have ever cultivated is the ComPASSIONATE Writer Program I run twice a year. I developed this six-week group coaching program and course in the summer of 2020 in order to create a group program that incorporated the one-on-one work I do with first-time writers and authors when they are beginning the book writing journey. As writers and creatives, we are particularly hard on ourselves. The writing process brings out self-doubt, criticism, vulnerability, and uncertainty, and these experiences are intensified by the solitary nature of writing. As you may guess, in this sometimes harsh mental landscape, resistance and struggle can show up frequently and are often multiplied by our attachment to an ideal of what we think the writing process “should” look like.

At the time, the world seemed upside down, and everyone was struggling. I wanted to create a community for writers and model how using compassionate practices and strategies in the process of writing can not only set a foundation for the larger process of writing a book, but also help people cultivate more compassion overall in their lives. This program is the culmination of my work in the publishing industry for the past 25 years. It allows the process to be the focus rather than the outcome of completing the book. When you only focus on the outcome, sometimes you lose sight of the process. But, when you focus on the process of writing, holding it, and your humanity with compassion, the outcome is achieved. You begin, sustain, and complete the process of writing a book by showing up in the practice of writing every day. This gives space for your humanity – for your fears, resistance, and blocks when they show up. A compassionate writing process gives space for your book, your voice, and your personhood.

It is one of my greatest joys to run this program twice a year and create a container for writers that assures them on every step of this foundational path: You Are Not Alone.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am the founder of the Compassionate Mind Collaborative.

The ComPASSIONATE Mind Collaborative is here to create an OPENING…
As the founder of the ComPASSIONATE Mind Collaborative, I have curated a group of professionals dedicated to bringing your voice into the world. When you engage in community, coaching, or publishing a book with the ComPASSIONATE Mind Collaborative, this is our commitment and passion.

I believe your VOICE is important, and so is your message. You have a voice and a message to share, and I want to help you leave the legacy you have harbored in your heart for so long. I believe in collaboration. Solutions are simpler when we come together and collectively use our individual strengths to create something new and different together. The synergy is often awe-inspiring, and it’s a perspective shift that can only happen with compassionate communication, intention, and committed action.

COACHING & WRITING
Membership, group and individual coaching, writing and publishing packages, and more to help get your book out into the world, and make your life vision a reality.

THE COMPASSIONATE WRITER PROGRAM
A step-by-step approach that supports your writing practice and the book within you. Six weeks of live coaching and community with other writers.

SHARING OUR VOICES
At The ComPASSIONATE Mind Collaborative, we want your writing practice to become a safe haven for you. That’s why I created the Writing Practice monthly membership. We write together every week, three times per week over zoom and you receive spot coaching as needed.

PUBLISHING SOLUTIONS
Your voice is fierce, supple, and steadfast and will not be silenced. Declare yourself in every corner of your life. Stand strong and be still at your center. You have truth in you that needs to come forth. We offer full-service publishing solutions for ebook, paperback, and audiobook formats with industry professionals, including manuscript development, copyediting, interior and cover design, layout and formatting, proofreading, production management, distribution guidance, and successful book launch marketing campaign services.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Before the fall of 2020, I mostly did one-on-one work with clients. However, in the summer of 2020, I was asked to create a course for a coaching organization (Wellcoaches) that incorporated the foundations of starting your book writing journey and the compassionate practices I integrate with all of my one-on-one clients. This spurred the creation of what has become the ComPASSIONATE Writer Program. Now, this is the entry point of working with me – even as a one-on-one client. Writing is a solitary endeavor, and it isn’t always met with compassion. Having a group program that incorporates compassion as the foundation of the writing process is a game-changer for first-time writers as well as experienced writers.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

It is my mission to bring more compassion to the world and to individual lives. Books have always been about relationship to me, and bringing compassionate voices into the landscape that builds relationships is what I am here to do. When a writer begins with compassion in their writing process, that is translated into their story and the message they share. This is what I want to cultivate and foster in the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cmcollab.com/
• Instagram: @compassionatewriter
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cmcollaborative
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherdoylefraser/
• Youtube: @heatherdoylefrasercmcollab

Image Credits
Brooke Genn