The Selfish Gift - Go public with your purpose - From Junkie to Judge to Published Author with Mary Beth O'Connor, Former Judge, Recovery Advocate, and Author

From Junkie to Judge to Published Author with Mary Beth O'Connor, Former Judge, Recovery Advocate, and Author

12/06/23 • 56 min

The Selfish Gift - Go public with your purpose

CW: drug use, abuse, and assault
So many of us are moved to write books or create other works of art because of a traumatic life experience that we've suffered through. But when those experiences also carry a stigma, it can be tough to navigate the feelings of shame, self-protection, and privacy issues that come up. How do you free yourself to share your story when you're worried that it might affect your reputation or your career? My guest today knows all about it, and she's here to share her insights.
Mary Beth O'Connor is an addiction recovery advocate who's been clean and sober for nearly 30 years. But in her teens and young adulthood, Mary Beth was addicted to methamphetamines, shooting up daily for years. It nearly destroyed her life. Yet after getting clean, she put herself through law school, became a lawyer, and eventually a federal judge. She chronicles her journey and offers hope to others seeking to break free from addiction and level up their lives in her memoir, From Junkie to Judge: One Woman's Triumph Over Trauma and Addiction.
In this episode, you'll learn:

How writing the book helped restore her self-confidence and self-compassion.
How she transformed herself from just a legal writer with no experience in creative writing into an award-winning author. (Hint: Lots of reading, writing classes, and workshop groups were involved!)
What her process of getting an agent and publishing deal was like.
How she handles criticism from the public.
The doors that writing a book can open for you—from media appearances to speaking engagements at conferences and events.

For more, check out:
junkietojudge.com
maggielangrick.com
wonderwell.press
And follow:
twitter.com/MaryBethO_
instagram.com/maggielangrick
instagram.com/wonderwellpress
instagram.com/selfishgiftpodcast

How writing the book helped restore her self-confidence and self-compassion.
How she transformed herself from just a legal writer with no experience in creative writing into an award-winning author. (Hint: Lots of reading, writing classes, and workshop groups were involved!)
What her process of getting an agent and publishing deal was like.
How she handles criticism from the public.
The doors that writing a book can open for you—from media appearances to speaking engagements at conferences and events.

Previous Episode

Myth-Busting the Publishing Process with Richelle Fredson, Book Proposal Coach and Publishing Consultant

This episode is a no-holds-barred, myth-busting conversation with an incredibly smart and successful publishing professional. Richelle Fredson is a book coach, a publishing consultant, and the host of the Bound + Determined podcast. She's been in the industry for close to 20 years, formerly the director of publicity and book marketing for Hay House, and then part of their book acquisitions team.

Richelle may not use this moniker to describe herself, but many people call her "the six-figure book coach"—and for good reason. She now runs her own business supporting authors in the proposal and book development process, frequently landing them placements with influential agents and Big Five publishers. Today, we're going to scrape all of her best knowledge to expose the blind spots and correct misperceptions that most first-time authors have when starting their publishing journey.
In this episode, you'll learn:

How to make smart publishing decisions and navigate the sea of conflicting advice on the internet.
How to decide which publishing path is best for you: self-publishing, hybrid, or traditional. (Hint: Whether or not you want to be in bookstores plays a big part in it.)
Why putting the work into a professionally developed book plan/proposal is key—even if you’re self-publishing.
What is important and what is not in terms of author platform—size, composition, etc.
What a first-time author can reasonably expect, in terms of bestseller lists, advances, and royalties.

For more, check out:
richellefredson.com
maggielangrick.com
wonderwell.press

And follow:
instagram.com/richellefredson
instagram.com/maggielangrick
instagram.com/wonderwellpress
instagram.com/selfishgiftpodcast

Next Episode

Reconnecting with Nature, Humanity, and the Creative Spirit with Dianne Whelan, Award-Winning Filmmaker, Photographer, and Writer

Anyone who's ever tried to create something beautiful or important must at times withdraw from everyday life to get the work done, whether that means getting up an hour early every day to write or going on a solo retreat. But how far would you go in pursuit of your art? Whatever your answer, today's guest is about to blow your mind and inspire you to go further than you ever thought possible.
Deanne Whalen is an award-winning Canadian filmmaker, photographer, author, and public speaker. In her documentary films and their accompanying books, she specializes in telling intimate stories from extreme locations. For her first film, This Land, she snowmobiled across the high Arctic. Then she embedded herself in the climbing community on Mount Everest for 40 days at base camp. For her latest film, 500 Days in the Wild, Deanne spent six years traversing the entire 24,000 kilometers of Canada's land and water trails from sea to sea to sea.
In this episode, you'll learn:

All about her incredible adventure—how she navigated, charged her emergency devices, survived several moments of life-threatening danger (bears! storms!), and more.
The wisdom traditions that indigenous communities generously shared with her along the way.
How mindfully reconnecting with nature made her feel safer and more connected to other human beings, as well.
How the journey affected her relationships—and eventually led to finding love on the trail.
Her process of adapting 800 hours of footage into a documentary that has gotten distribution with Paramount Plus in Canada and a full Canadian theatrical release, including how she financed everything.

For more, check out:
500daysinthewild.com
maggielangrick.com
wonderwell.press

And follow:
instagram.com/500daysinthewild
instagram.com/diannewhelanphotos
instagram.com/maggielangrick
instagram.com/wonderwellpress
instagram.com/selfishgiftpodcast