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

Hi Mikaela, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with education – we’d love to hear your thoughts about how we can better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career.

The possibilities for this next generation are endless. With the changing landscape of work and technology, students will have far more opportunities than the generations before. As a working mom who also wants to spend as much time as possible with her kids, I’m so grateful that I can work in the margins online in ways my mom and grandma never could.

But this also means that students today will need different skills and a targeted education that focuses on equipping them in today’s environment–not the one that worked decades ago. Students need help with skills crucial for leadership, including effective communication.

Writing is a “soft” skill that will also take them far, no matter their career path. From emails to speeches to books, understanding and using words effectively will open up doors for students they never realized and give them the power to go anywhere they want.

Mikaela, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

A few months ago, a writer came to me with a manuscript that had been sitting as a rough draft in her computer for months, if not years. She wasn’t sure what to do next with it. Was it any good? Should she pitch it to a publisher? Should she get it edited? After sitting down with her for three coaching sessions, we got crystal clear with her next steps. Now, she’s an award-winning author with three books under her belt.

This is the power of writing coaching! Coaching untangles all the possible options and clarifies next steps while working through unhelpful thoughts and beliefs. Writers leave my virtual coaching room with clear action plans and a refreshed mindset.

Currently, I coach self-publishing writers to construct solid manuscripts and upload confidently to Amazon. The self-publishing world is bloated with information, but writers rarely know how to apply that information to their situation. They’re left feeling stuck and overwhelmed. They either make poor decisions or no decision at all.

I see writing a book like climbing up a mountain. There are hundreds of trails up the mountain–some long, some sort, some steep, some easy. A writing coach is like a hiking guide to help you go up the mountain. The guide knows the trails in and out and can lead you to the one that will best suit you and your goals.

I’m honored to work with writers because I wish I had a coach helping me ten years ago, confused and afraid to just get started. I hobbled together coaching through blog posts and Instagram Stories, but I would have benefitted greatly from a listening ear to help me apply those lessons to me, my circumstances, and my goals. It’s a joy to fill in that gap for the brilliant writers I get to work with.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

So many, where to begin?

I wish I had read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron early in my creative journey. I do appreciate the way she helped me recognize where my creativity was blocked. I started to journal every single morning because of her book and it has radically changed the way I think and live.

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield and Grit by Angela Duckworth were also game-changing for me. I had false illusions that creativity would always be fun and easy. These books reframed that lesson for me and inspired me to enjoy the process, not just the result. If I let it, the process could change me as a person and help me continue to do good work.

Coaching wasn’t as popular when I first started, but I do wish I had a coach guide me through many of the early stages of business. I believed that I had to do it all on my own to prove myself. I’ve since learned that involving the right community is crucial.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn that sales is icky. Instead, I learned that sales–done the right way–is actually caring for other people and myself.

The lesson came when I had built momentum in my business and was acquiring more leads and followers. But those followers weren’t converting. I would engage in conversations with them, but they would always fall flat. I ran across an Instagram post one day talking about the value of selling, not just to customers but to myself, and I was hooked.

Not only could I sell other people on a product, I could also sell myself daily on . . . myself. It became life-changing. I could sell myself on waking up early and exercising. I could sell myself that I was capable of pivoting my business like I needed to.

This new mindset has helped me weather a new season in my business and navigated unknowns. Selling is a skill, and I’m working on it daily, but it has changed me and my business forever.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mikaelamathews.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/mikaeladmathews
• Other: Free 5-Day Idea to Published Challenge: https://mikaelamathews.com/freebie