We recently connected with Ticada Guyton and have shared our conversation below.

Ticada, appreciate you joining us today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

Since my early twenties, I’ve wanted to write an autobiography to inspire other young women with whom I shared similar experiences. While my experiences were not firsts of any kind, I did have a unique twist in my story because for some odd reason I was able to beat the odds; I didn’t become a statistic as many of my predecessors did after experiencing so much at such an early age. So, after graduate school, I began to put pen to paper. Unfortunately, my writing project was in progress for over 15 years. I would start and stop writing every few months. Months then turned into years, and eventually I was not writing at all. I could never gain traction. Eventually, I threw out the idea of writing a full autobiography because as time passed writing styles changed. E-books and shorter pieces were now the more popular reads. I needed to create a piece that would fit. Several more years passed, and again I wasn’t actively writing, but I still had a prompting to tell my story. It wasn’t until December 2022, that I got an idea to share excerpts of my life versus a full autobiographical piece. I began to think about what this could look like in written form, and then another idea came to my mind. What if I combined my excerpts with journal prompts to help the reader reflect and learn from my experiences. I was elated. Finally, I had not only an idea but a pathway to get to my desired end. I would create a reflective journal to help readers reflect and grow. I created the outline, and finally it was time to write. Within a few months the first draft was written. I had no idea what to do next though, so I went to my best friend Google and researched everything related to self-publishing. I found that my next step included getting a team of Beta readers. I was lucky to find two great people who were honest and highly reflective in their feedback. In total, they took about two months to complete their portions of feedback. While they did this, I continued to research and implement the next steps that I needed to take in order to successfully self-publish. This included my finding the right self-publishing company, getting an ISBN number, obtaining a barcode, getting my LLC started, opening bank accounts and creating a social media presence to promote the piece. Overwhelmed was and understatement; I had no idea what I was doing, so I did what I do best – I made a checklist and worked from there. Eventually I had a finished product and everything else in between. And I must say that I am very excited about the next step in this journey. My plan now includes moving into inspirational speaking and I will begin to pen journal two later this year. This has been 15 years in the making, and I am ready for this new season.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Ticada Guyton; I go by the name Dr. G. I am a lifelong educator and currently serve as a school administrator. In undergraduate school I majored in English which is what spurred by passion for literature and writing. I am driven by my deeply rooted faith and a desire to uplift the next generation. Over the years, I have had multiple opportunities to work with young adults to help foster their spiritual growth, character development, and leadership skills. I provide mentorship, guidance, and a safe space for growth, to empower young individuals to overcome obstacles, pursue their dreams, and live out their faith. As a leader and layperson in my local church and in the community, I am committed to making a lasting difference by helping young people discover their purpose and by fostering their growth as empowered individuals of faith. From Hood To Healed Ministries, Llc is an organization focused on helping those who need it most to begin to heal from past hurts and trauma. Subscribers to the community get a weekly newsletter filled with prayer, scripture, journaling prompts and affirmations. We seek to support those who want to grow through partnership. From Hood to Healed Ministries is available for speaking engagements, small group facilitation, and individual mentorship. Using journaling, testimony, and scripture as a basis we will walk with those who want to move past trauma.
This is not the typical life coach partnership. We are rooted in biblical scripture and our focus is to lead individuals to a personal and deep relationship with Jesus Christ.

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

One of the things that I wished that I knew more about sooner rather than later were the expectations for formatting and how they change from publisher to publisher. Additionally, I wish that I knew a bit more about the online platforms that are most compatible with the established publishing companies. Most manuscripts begin in a Word format, but after choosing the platform the manuscript had to be completely reformatted. Unfortunately editing is not as easy as the click of a few buttons, and making a document compatible takes a little time. My advice is to research thoroughly or hire a set of professional formatters who can do this work for you. Buyer beware however when outsourcing the work. Some professional formatters are scam artists. Do your research and check reviews. Additionally, one last thing that I didn’t know related to my KDP publishing experience. KDP is one of the platforms that I chose to use because it appeared to be very user friendly, and the system published its pieces quickly. Per the research I conducted it takes about three days for a new work to go “live” in the system. What many didn’t say is that timeline is dependent upon several factors, and new submissions are a bit different as they can take up to two weeks to be processed before approval. Unfortunately, I didn’t account for this in my planning and in the end I had to make some adjustments that impacted my bottom line.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is simple. I want to inspire women and bring them closer to Christ. I believe that God never wastes an experience, and our experiences are meant to strengthen us and others. I believe that someone is waiting on me to walk in my divine purpose so that they too can unlock and begin to walk in their purpose. My story is meant to inspire someone. I don’t know who that person is, but I want to be obedient and do what I have been called to do so that they can be reached.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fromhoodtohealedministries.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fromhoodtohealedministries/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fromhoodtohealed/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-ticada-guyton-dr-g-18086a84/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@fromhoodtohealed