We were lucky to catch up with Jillian Abby recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jillian, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I’ve always wanted to be a writer since I was little, but heard the narratives of “that’s not a real job” and “that’s a hard way to make a living.” My younger self interpreted that finding a career as a writer wasn’t really an option. And so I became a CPA… and then a licensed massage therapist… and then a homeschooling mom… and then a bar owner. On the side, I found small writing gigs that supported small businesses in developing their brand story, but I undervalued my work due to my lack of experience and my mental storyline that this “wasn’t a real job.” At 38 years old my life took a major pivot– I came out as a lesbian in a therapy session, ending my marriage to my college sweetheart. While we were amicable in our separation, we also realized that running a small business together no longer felt right. And so I left the bar in search of other income options.
The funny thing about your life seemingly crumbling around you is that you become more emboldened to take bigger steps and chase bigger dreams. I now had the opportunity to try and take my small writing gigs and turn them into an actual business. At the same time, I began to write and share my coming out story with groups of friends. I realized that I had to put myself out there first, in order for opportunities to find me.
Today, I am the proud owner of Storyteller Soul, LLC a creative writing company that supports businesses in telling their personal and professional stories and connecting them to their mission and vision. My client base has developed into a beautifully diverse group, from solopreneurs to large multinational corporations– each one with a contagious passion for the work they do.
And my story? “Perfectly Queer” was picked up by Hay House Publishing, the world’s largest publisher of self-help books, and is now available worldwide. It reached #1 on Amazon’s new releases for LGBTQ+ memoirs and biographies and was recommended by Good Morning America as one of their 15 recommended spring reads.
From the hardest period in my life, I’ve carried with me two lessons: 1) I will no longer let another person define what I am capable of and 2) I will not discard my dreams before making a serious effort to go after them.

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?

My first writing client was a kombucha homebrewer who wanted to branch out and sell more products locally. She described herself as a “hippy in high heels” and shared that she had hired multiple PR companies who didn’t seem to get what she was all about. A mutual friend of ours recommended I try writing for the kombucha business, knowing that I had lived in the high-heeled world of being a CPA with the Big 4 and traded in my suit for the linen-clad world of massage therapy. While I didn’t have a degree in writing, my unconventional career path gave me insight into the lifestyles, interests, and needs of different groups of people. I was honored to write for that small business more than a decade ago and watch them explode into a national brand– still with my words splashed across their label and website to this day. That first job helped to grow my confidence and led to a domino effect in finding more clients. The kombucha company’s web designer recommended me to his other clients. Another client’s SEO person recommended me to her clients. College friends, watching my business grow on Facebook, reached out with opportunities at their companies. And so, without ever having to advertise, I have created a business for myself that allows me the creative flexibility and pride in ownership I need, while supporting my family and the lifestyle we want to live.
Starting Storyteller Soul, LLC came out of my own personal growth into living with integrity and authenticity. I see that my own passion for creative storytelling, with honesty, a bit of grit, and a whole heap of love, has attracted clients and opportunities that are well-matched to my talents. It is exciting to me that every day I get to help others share more pieces of themselves with the world and see how the world responds back in the most touching ways. Storytelling is building human connection in words.

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

Not everyone needs to be your client. Also, you are not for everyone. I really struggled with both of these concepts, particularly early on in my business when I was cash-poor and time-rich. If an opportunity came along, I took it. Sometimes the clients weren’t a good fit because we struggled to connect in our communications and I couldn’t get to the heart of what lit them up in their business. Sometimes the clients weren’t a good fit because they wanted a deal and possibly felt they could take advantage of a homeschooling mom who was looking for extra cash. (In fairness, I had my own self-worth issues to work through in the beginning). And sometimes they were just downright tough. The tough clients were some of the hardest to cut loose because they WANTED to work with me, and at the same time belittled my work and asked for edits beyond what our contract allowed for. At first, I tried to convince myself that they were pushing me to be a better writer, but the reality is, some people are just mean and ruthless. It was hard to turn down clients who wanted to work with me. I saw the toll they took on my creative energy, though, and realized that staying with them would prevent me from showing up as the best version of myself for the clients I did enjoy working with.
It’s taken years, and to be completely honest, self-love and self-worth are still something that I have to nurture regularly. Being an entrepreneur is challenging because it’s constant evolution to keep up with changing market conditions. Something that was once your wheelhouse can be replaced in short time with technology, more affordable overseas labor, or shifts in consumer trends. If Spider-Man were a small business owner he may have said, “with great autonomy comes great instability.” I have to remind myself that staying true to who I am and working with clients where we are both a right match for each other, is the best way to continue to grow.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My mission is simple– to give people the space to show up as the best and fullest version of themselves. It’s my commitment to myself. It’s at the core of how I parent my children. And it’s my pride in my business. When we can create a space for someone to feel safe in sharing their story, even the pieces that they may feel judged for or have shame around, we can see them in their truest form. And it’s incredible to see the stories and creative ideas that grow from that place. I’d say 90% of what my clients share about themselves does not actually end up in the pieces I write for them, but it’s an important part of the process to get us to the key messages that matter. When people are allowed to show up fully, I’ve found they show up as the best version of themselves.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillianabbyauthor/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JillianAbbyAuthor/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillianabby/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/jillianabby

Image Credits
Jess Veguez Photography (professional photos) I am the owner of the selfies/book talk event images.