306 The Escape of A Good Book

11/14/23 • 44 min

Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will

Following the theme of art and how it inspires us, this week is writing. We have all picked up a book that shaped us in one way or another, and maybe we’re still looking for that next book capable of bringing us comfort and escape from our busy lives.

In this episode Sarah Elkins and Adina Edelman discuss the importance of how writing impacts us and how working with authors has given Adina the opportunity to read and contribute to these works of art.

Highlights

Keep on trying, especially when you fail.
Even if there is a failure you can still turn it into something better, even if it wasn’t the original idea you had.
Make sure when you help someone that you are uplifting their voice and not replacing it with your own.

Quotes

“You’ve got to keep on trying it, and even to walk in with that sort of expectation that it is a process and it’s okay if things go wrong, and there will be elements in there that both need improvement, but you know the batter still tasted good. There was still something working there, there are going to be pros and cons at each stage.”

“There are so many analogies with music and writing they just pop up everywhere, as for how it comes into play with working with my clients, well one thing is that just like there’s rhythm in music and so many different ways to play with notes to bring about a certain experience, that’s the same thing with writing. So that sort of melodic tendency in writing in order to pick that up and use that when I’m editing, so you know you could say that they are two separate things but it also could be that they are related.”

Dear Listeners it is now your turn,

I know it’s hard to take the time to pick up a book and read, and what I’m finding is that the more I meet these authors the more I want to dive into their books. So maybe the next thing for you to do if you want to read more is don’t feel like you have to read nonfiction, read something that lights you up, read something that helps you get away from the reality of the world for just a little bit, that gives you a break from it, and those middle grade books are often a great escape from reality, and maybe it’s time to reach out and join a book club and find something that you can really enjoy.

I have some friends that are struggling to connect with other people and they’re living in communities that they don’t feel connected to and everytime I recommend they find the local library and find a book club, because if you want to meet people that are of like heart and not necessarily of like mind, the library is a great place to do it.

And, as always, thank you for listening.

Writers and Books mentioned in this episode

Judy Blume

Joan Bauer

The Inkheart Series by Cornelia Funke

Peter and The Star Catchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

The Charles de la Forêt Series by Phillip L. Wray

Even If I’m Not by Devorie Kreiman

Homeward Bound by A. Yarden

About Adina (from her website

Adina is an editor based in Baltimore, MD. She works with indie authors and small publishing companies, digging deep to unearth the gold in their books. Adina has worked on over 90 books, and she’s edited for Gatekeeper Press, Mosaica Press, Israel Bookshop, Menucha Publishers, and more. A fiction and poetry editor for the Baltimore Review, she has experience with a variety of genres and writing styles. She majored in English and Creative Writing at Southern New Hampshire University and graduated summa cum laude.

Be sure to check out her website Edelman Edits! As well as her LinkedIn!

About Sarah

"Uncovering the right stories for the right audiences so executives, leaders, public speakers, and job seekers can clearly and actively demonstrate their character, values, and vision."

In my work with coaching clients, I guide people to improve their communication using storytelling as the foundation of our work together. What I’ve realized over years of coaching and podcasting is that the majority of people don’t realize the impact of the stories they share - on their internal messages, and on the people they’re sharing them with.

My work with leaders and people who aspire to be leaders follows a similar path to the interviews on my podcast, uncovering pivotal moments in their...

306 The Escape of A Good Book

Highlights

Keep on trying, especially when you fail.
Even if there is a failure you can still turn it into something better, even if it wasn’t the original idea you had.
Make sure when you help someone that you are uplifting their voice and not replacing it with your own.

Quotes

Dear Listeners it is now your turn,

And, as always, thank you for listening.

Writers and Books mentioned in this episode

Judy Blume

Joan Bauer

The Inkheart Series by Cornelia Funke

Peter and The Star Catchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

The Charles de la Forêt Series by Phillip L. Wray

Even If I’m Not by Devorie Kreiman

Homeward Bound by A. Yarden

About Adina (from her website

Be sure to check out her website Edelman Edits! As well as her LinkedIn!

About Sarah

"Uncovering the right stories for the right audiences so executives, leaders, public speakers, and job seekers can clearly and actively demonstrate their character, values, and vision."

My work with leaders and people who aspire to be leaders follows a similar path to the interviews on my podcast, uncovering pivotal moments in their...

Previous Episode

305 The Anthem of Poetry

The arts have always been impactful and meaningful to humanity, however one stands above all the rest in this episode and that is poetry. Poetry conveys emotions and thoughts that are often difficult to put into words, making it one of the most important avenues for both emotional understanding and human connection.

In this episode Sarah Elkins and Maya Williams discuss the importance of poetry and how Maya’s experiences and life paths shaped them into the artist they are.

Highlights

You’ll never know who you can teach or inspire.
Find the communities that welcome and love you.
Give yourself permission and encouragement to seek what you need and will work for you.
Do the work, especially when it’s hard.
We are all full of contradictions, meaning it is even more important to hold true to our values.
Spite can be a great motivator, especially in succeeding and surviving.

Quotes

“I remember telling my therapist, “Oh well, I know that not every space is perfect, right? So I just need to find the first thing that’s available to me.” And then my therapist tells me, “You do not have to go to a house of worship that does not love you.””

“It makes me feel upset when someone says something like, “Oh I tried going to a therapist but I just felt worse afterwards so I stopped going.” and it’s like that’s part of the work! That’s part of the work! I can understand not wanting to continue with a therapist if they said something bigoted or they didn’t do their jobs, right? But they’re doing their job and you feel worse afterwards, you need to give it more time.”

“The most impactful friends in my life are the ones who tell me like it is.”

Dear Listeners it is now your turn,

I’m curious to know if you have been interested in poetry. Have you ever found it interesting or intriguing or inspiring? And if you haven't, why did you stop looking for poetry that might actually inspire you? I challenge you to find a poem in the next two days that really resonates, a poem you can get into, dive into, maybe find some of your own healing in it. It could be from one of Maya Williams’ books, it could be searching “Poems about,” and then putting your keyword in. Find your poem that can be your anthem for a little while, and when that gets tired find another to be your anthem for a little while, just as you would with song lyrics or a song. Don’t forget to purchase a book of poetry from your local bookstore to support your local poets.

And, as always, thank you for listening.

About Maya (From her website)

Maya Williams (ey/em, they/them, and she/her) is a religious Black multiracial nonbinary suicide survivor who is currently an Ashley Bryan Fellow and the seventh Poet Laureate of Portland, Maine .

Maya's debut poetry collection, Judas & Suicide, is available through Game Over Books . And Maya's second poetry collection, Refused a Second Date, is available now through Harbor Editions.

See the contact section on how to invite them to your next event as a workshop facilitator, performance feature, speaker, panelist, and/or honorary consensual virtual or air hugger. Maya's content covers suicide awareness, mental health, faith, entertainment media, grief, interpersonal relationships, intimate partner violence, and healing.

She graduated with a Bachelors in Social Work and a Bachelors of Art in English in May 2017. She graduated with a community practice-focused Masters in Social Work and Certificate in Applied Arts and Social Justice at the University of New England in May 2018. She graduated with a Masters in Fine Arts for Creative Writing with a Focus in Poetry at Randolph College in June 2022.

They have featured as a guest artist, panelist, and speaker in spaces such as The Mixed Remixed Festival in Los Angeles, California, The Interfaith Leadership Institute in Chicago, Illinois, Black Table Arts in Minneapolis, Minnesota, TEDxYouth at Cape Elizabeth High School, and The Kennedy Center's Arts Across America series.

Ey has competed locally and nationally in slam poetry since her freshman year at East Carolina University under the slam team Word of Mouth in Greenville, North Carolina. While with them, ey placed in the top 20 at the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational (CUPSI) ...

Next Episode

307 An Analogy For Happiness

In today’s environment that is so rife with the use of social media it can be both bewildering and disconcerting to not know what is or isn’t manufactured for content, as well as the perceived obligation to have to participate in social media. Although both overwhelming and exciting one must always remember to have their values at heart and to put forth what you want in the world while also keeping in mind how to support your friends and family online.

In this episode Sarah Elkins and AJ Kumar discuss how social media has impacted our perceptions of the world as well as our interpersonal relationships. AJ brings an insightful and warm perspective to the conversation, while also sharing his joy of learning and trying new things, and how these experiences have brought him to where he is today.

Highlights

We are all multifaceted.
You can’t just give up and stop learning.
Be cautious of the attention you invite into your life and how you return that attention.
Think about what story you want people to tell about you.

Quotes

“Earth is a school, life is a school, like you’re always learning something and you’re always trying to learn something from the past because if you don’t learn stuff from the past then you end up repeating that mistake until you learn that, and once you can learn that and extract something from it then you move forward.”

“It’s blurred, you can’t tell what’s real and what’s fake an d that’s a concern. People could use that negatively, it's hard to say, it’s like any tool, somebody can use it to build a house or knock someone over the head with it. I think that's the place we’re at now in society where how are you wielding this attention that you’re getting? Are you using it to harm people or are you using it to help people?”

“It’s all about understanding people’s problems, trying to be in their shoes the best you can, and then helping them solve it.”

Dear Listeners it is now your turn,

What will you take on as an adult to help you process information in a way that’s different than how you’re doing it now? AJ decided to pick up a rubix cube and was able to figure out all kinds of analogies for his work just by playing with a rubix cube. For me I like to go on a hike, I always find that since I have such cerebral work sometimes I need to just get outside and allow my brain a little time to focus on something outside of myself in nature. So what will you do, and how will you find your creativity within that puzzle or that hike or maybe it’s a snuggle with a pup. Whatever it is, find it, find your analogy for happiness at work and at home and I hope to hear from you.

And, as always, thank you for listening.

Mentioned in this Episode

Caroline Brookfield

The Reluctant Creative

About AJ

Aj Kumar, the “Digital Maestro,” is the founder of The Limitless Company, a studio system for influencers. AJ and his team are on a mission to help entrepreneurs in the Creator Economy build for-profit human-healing brands. Aj has helped corporate brands like Salesforce, Mint, Intuit, and industry-leading personal brands including Neil Patel, Nikki Haskell, Nontoxicdad, and Kimberly Snyder.

Be sure to check out AJ’s LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook! As well as his websites Limitless and AJ Kumar!

About Sarah

"Uncovering the right stories for the right audiences so executives, leaders, public speakers, and job seekers can clearly and actively demonstrate their character, values, and vision."

My work with leaders and people who aspire to be leaders follows a similar path to the interviews on my podcast, uncovering pivotal moments in their lives and learning how to share them to connect more authentically with others, to make their presentations and speaking more engaging, to reveal patterns that have kept them stuck or moved them forward, and to improve their relationships at work and at home.

The audiobook, Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will is now available!

Included with your purchase are two bonus tracks, songs recorded by Sarah's band, Spare Change, in ...