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

Michelle, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?

PlusONE Parents was birthed out of my own story of heartbreak. Within six weeks of moving cross-country, I found myself a single mom of three kids. The experience was incredibly isolating and overwhelming, and I’ve always been one to process by writing so I decided to start a blog. I did this mostly for my own healing work, but I thought if it could help someone else, great!

As I wrote, more and more readers would come forward sharing they were feeling the same way or that they’d never been able to find anyone else as willing to share about this journey with the candor and transparency that I did. The blog gave way to my first self-published work, a Bible study, and then a podcast. The podcast grew by leaps and bounds and I ended up writing two more books and we’re regularly creating other digital resources. At the beginning, I never had a view to the things we’re doing now but we are reaching single parents in over 75 countries around the world!

I didn’t to it the way everyone says to- no business plan, no startup fund, nothing. That might not work for everyone, but in my case, I’ve learned God doesn’t need you to have the perfect strategy to grow you or your idea into what it’s going to be. It’s all about focusing on what you have right in front of you and being willing to taking the next step.

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 lead a ministry for single parents. Single parenthood, divorce, and abuse are not topics that many people are comfortable talking about (especially Christians), so we’ve developed a community space to give single parents room to do just that. In sharing our stories and our journeys, we discover we’re not alone and find the hope to step into the future- even if it’s just one day at a time. We create resources to help single parents navigate the issues that are relevant to what they are experiencing on topics like parenting, dating, abuse recovery, relationships, and emotional & spiritual well-being. We deliver our content through books, social media, digital courses, a blog, podcast, and YouTube, and we also feature a safer, off-social media membership community.

I’m most proud of seeing how this community has come together to support one another and seeing the courage and confidence each person experiences through that. Your worst setback can set the stage for your ultimate comeback. Each one of us has a story that’s still being written, a story I believe is unfolding with hope and love and redemption. And if you’re still alive, that story is not done yet.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

You have to be willing to try stuff. We often don’t because we fear failure, but taking action is where we gain information. And to quote the book title of a friend of mine, “What if it’s Wonderful?” I never thought I would ever be a speaker of any kind- I always considered myself a writer. But in taking on a podcast, I discovered a skill and a passion I never knew I had. It took 35 episodes for me to stop being nervous every time I sat down to record, but eventually I started to believe what people were saying about me- I was good at this! We have to be willing to challenge our assumptions and take risks, otherwise you’ll never get beyond where you are right now. It doesn’t mean that we’re reckless, but we have to be willing to take a step to chase a hunch down.

And you might not be ready for it. In that case, my advice- “Do it scared.”

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

If you want to reach more people, you have to genuinely care about them and their well-being. I failed at network marketing (as many others do) because I cared about my goals more than the people I was reaching. I was focused on converting rather than connecting. I didn’t spend enough time focusing on the fact that we are two humans just trying to make it through life together. When you care about revenue over relationship, people can feel it and it’s gross.

Now I don’t care a thing about getting followers or downloads or book sales or any of that. I want the person on the other side of whatever I’ve put together to know I care about them and that God absolutely adores them. That’s what generates word of mouth, that’s what draws people into what you’re doing. It’s not about the thing at all- it’s about your genuine care for the person on the other side.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.plusoneparents.org
• Instagram: @plusone.parents
• Facebook: @plusone.parents
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@plusONEparents
• Other: Podcast- The Christian Single Moms Podcast

Image Credits
Megan Little Photography