Hi, Reader,

I had a conversation recently during the prerecording for a podcast interview that sparked an aha for me. As we were discussing the topics we could focus on, I shared the reasons people click into my ecosystem—book writing and location independence. And then I said, “At the core of both is a desire for a choiceful life.”

The host’s eyes lit up, and she said, “That. Let’s focus on that.”

Choice is not a daily practice for most. It wasn’t for me when I was in limbo, having moved back to the US from Vietnam, starting my family, and dreaming of life abroad. But as I anchored to my vision of the life I wanted, I started to see the abundance of choice available to me. I started living from a place of choicefulness—an inherent belief that I can choose my life. And if you live in a country that affords the opportunity for upward mobility, you can too.

(If you don’t, please keep hope, because I deeply believe there is opportunity for everyone, no matter your current circumstances.)

Don’t like your job? You can choose to look for another job that better aligns or start a side hustle that could grow into a full-time gig.

Don’t like your location? You can choose to start working toward location independence, even if things like custody or caring for an elderly parent means you’ll have to wait a little while.

Don’t feel like you’re living into your full purpose? You can choose to take action every day in the direction of your dreams, whether that’s publishing a blog post or writing that book you know is inside you.

Friend, you can choose. You have choice. Even when things are hard, look for the choice. It’s there, even if it’s faint and hard to see.

Stop trying to write your book alone!

I’m excited to announce that leading financial educator, best-selling author, and Webby-winning host of So Money Farnoosh Torabi will be back in our community to talk with our members about how to land major media coverage.

Getting big media features as an author can help drive book sales—as well as brand and business growth. But how do you land those opportunities? In this session with Farnoosh, you’ll learn how to pitch and land big media wins.

It’s happening May 21 at 12:00 p.m. ET.

​Become a member now so you don’t miss this high-valuable session!​

Amplify Your Voice: Write a Book that Grows Your Speaking Business & Brand

I’m excited to be the featured guest speaker at the HeartPowered community next month!

Whether you’re dreaming of writing a book or ready to finally take action, this session will ignite your creativity and give you the clarity to move forward.

💥 Walk away with book-ideation strategies, a high-level plan, and inspiration to step into the 1 percent who actually write a book.

🗓 June 24 at 12:00 p.m. ET

​Save your seat and get ready to dream big.

You will learn about the four superpower types: Super Verbalizer, Super Ideator, Super Learner, and Super Discipline, each accompanied by growth opportunities and practical tips.

By focusing on strengths, the quiz offers a personalized approach to enhance the writing process, combining fun with practical advice to support aspiring nonfiction authors. Don’t miss this week’s episode and jump in to take the quiz and share your experience!

​Listen here.​

Latest read: “Top tips for book cover design, with Jason Arias,” by Rita Domingues, our marketing assistant

As a creative person, I sometimes have trouble not choosing something by the way it looks. Yes, I know it’s not really fair of me to say—but as a person who deeply appreciates good aesthetics, and how color, shapes, typography, and empty space play with one other, it’s hard for me not to.

Before I get started on a recent presentation I attended by the amazing book cover designer Jason Arias, hosted in the Author Influence Circle community, I would like to take a moment to reflect: How many times have you picked something out in a store that caught your eye for some reason?

For me, the first thought that comes to mind, that I have both experienced and witnessed, is with wine. Perhaps it’s because I live in Portugal, and wine is definitely a part of our culture. Whether I am at dinner party and someone brings a bottle to the table, or I’m picking out a bottle with friends on our way to a sunset at the beach, someone always says, “Oh, that one looks good.”

From the first moment we choose that bottle, we don’t know yet if it’s going to be good or not. All we know is that it looks good, and usually this has something to do with the branding design. I like to think a little bit deeper into this and consider the fact that whoever decided to produce that bottle knew a good design for their product was important to reach the people they wanted to reach. They put thought and intention into it, and that immediately gives me a sense of trust. The product itself might not be great, but I gave it a chance because it sparked something inside of me to try it out, rather than sticking to something I already know and playing it safe.

And as a designer immersed in the publishing industry on a daily basis, I’ve seen that it’s often the same with books.

​[Continue reading on the blog. . .]​

Client love 💛

Writing tip: Build momentum through consistency

Starting is often the hardest part. This is real for most things in life, and it’s no different when it comes to writing a book. Showing up—even for a few minutes a day—creates surprising forward motion. Establishing a daily or weekly writing habit, even if it’s a short window of time, and tracking your progress reinforce momentum.

That’s it for this week! Have suggestions? Want to say hey? Hit reply—I love hearing from you!

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