You likely know me from Lipsticking. That’s my first baby. She’s close to 15 now. Wow, they grow up so fast!

I created Nurturing Big Ideas from writing Lipsticking, from interviewing so many talented, smart women on it, from the invigorating conversations with women from all over the world because of it, and from connecting with so many of my authors at my former publishing company, Windsor Media Enterprises. All roads led here, to where I am today, as your 24 Karat Book Developmental Coach.

There you have it. I was my own first client!

Speaking Up and Speaking Out

I grew up in the 1960s. That makes me a baby boomer. It also makes me fierce in support of a woman's voice, because I was too often silenced in those years. Yes, women were rising up to be heard but the hurdles and rocky roads we had to get over made too many of us shy away from speaking out. 

Today, so many of those women are small business owners. So many of them want to speak out louder than ever before. So many of them have a chance to be heard, by writing a book. And that's why I'm here.

I was born a writer

I wrote my first short story in second grade. I wrote my first 300 page novel in 7th grade. I don't remember a time when I wasn't writing something.

As an adult, I graduated to freelance writing, and then I discovered the internet!

Here's the short list of things I have done over the years: (I still do a good bit of it)

• Professional web content writer
• Author/blogger/Content editor
• Editorial writer: local evening news
• Book coach and POD publisher
• Co-founder of BlogPaws, a successful online influencer community (acquired by a major brand)
• Keynote speaker
• Conference builder
• AMA board member
• Art as Action board member
• Serious networking maven
• Teacher, trainer, believer in peer group learning
• Proud Mom of Chloe, Maggie and Donnie - three great kids who make me look good every time they leave the house!
• Proud Grandma of Miah Rae, Frankie, Sammy, Owen, and Kyla - the mighty five!

For more of me, download my speaker one sheet by clicking the photo above. Or, just click here.

The Mom Thing

Of all those bulleted points, the one I'm most proud of is Mom. I did all those other things because ... well, because I saw an opportunity, and I took it. I grab opportunity and wrestle with it until I make it my own, time and time again. I still have bruises to show for some it.

It's  never easy, but these quotes sustain me every time I worry I might not have what it takes to be an entrepreneur:

Harriett Beecher Stowe: Women are the real architects of society. 

Unknown: Happiness is found along the way, not at the end of the road.

Émile Zola: If you ask me what I came to do in this world, I, an artist, will answer you: I am here to live out loud.

If we go even further back, I have to admit that being a Mom - bringing new life into the world -  is what taught me the most about reinvention, life, change, and how to build success out of old boxes and string gathering dust in the attic.

I don't dictate or scream or try to take over. I nurture. Pure and simple. Because, I believe we all need that Mom's touch.

Moms know each child has a special kind of talent they are born with. Moms see the magic that comes from recognizing and supporting that talent. Moms know how to take children from ordinary to extraordinary - sometimes with the simple words, "But what if you could?" when the children insist they can't. 

What if YOU could?

What if you could move from ordinary to extraordinary? What if you had someone to support you, guide you, and nurture you, every day, until the extraordinary being you are emerges and takes wing? 

At Nurturing Big Ideas, I'm here to help you discover, design, and recognize your inherent magic! NOW!

• Do that thing you want to do.
• Take your BIG idea to the world.
• Build a business.
• Write a book.
• Be a public speaker. 

Go from side hustle to entrepreneur to published author to
whatever you want to be

I know, it's hard, deciding to go from hobby or side hustle to a real business, then on to becoming a published author, and then becoming a public speaker. In fact, it's downright scary at times.

You wonder which steps to take first, second, third…fourth and fifth...how daunting! 

Daunting is right. Back in 2004 when I threw in the towel on the "being an employee" thing, I had no idea what I was doing or how to do it. I just did it. And failed more often than I care to admit. I spent a lot of sleepless nights wondering how I was going to pay next week's electric bill or feed the dog or put gas in the car.

Somehow, I found help. I stumbled into a group of amazing people who were not just helpful, they took time to teach me the things I didn't know. They pointed me in the right direction. They nurtured me. 

And so, because of them, because of all the people who helped me, all those years ago, I am here, today, to help you. Just reach out and ask. Leave me a message on the NBI Facebook page.

Need more? Here you go... little things in my life that I love.

Being an entrepreneur.

Animals. (Ask me about my former life in BlogPaws. That's my girl, in the picture here. My Emily. She once had three siblings. We miss them all terribly!)    

I love reading. I love hearing stories. What about your story? That's the one I am missing. Are you ever going to tell it? 

I've done the reinvention game too many times to count. To me, reinvention is just figuring out what works better today, and what might get me where I want to be, tomorrow.

I only know that I love what I do now, and every reinvention along the way contributed to getting me here - with you, as your 24 Karat Book Development Coach.  

If you're a smart lady reading this, I invite you to join my Facebook group, Smart Women Write Books. It's about reading and writing. I know you read, so join us. Maybe you'll be inspired to write. Sorry, gents. Ladies only for this.

Become part of the Smart News group for weekly insight into writing a book, publishing a book, and special 'presale' opportunities for books and programs created at Nurturing Big Ideas. 

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