by Theresa Garee | Oct 14, 2021 | Author Interviews, Blog
I interview wellness authors to find out what makes them tick, and why they write the books they do.
I met G. Brian Benson a month before our publisher, Mango Publishing, released my first book, Depression Hates a Moving Target. He and I shared a booth with several other authors, at the L.A. Times Festival of Books. Like the other authors, he was friendly and welcoming to me, a newbie author, just getting her feet wet. The author of several books, he has a lot of experience and insight to share. I wanted you to hear it from him.
Nita Sweeney (NS): Tell us about your most recent book.
Brian Benson (GBB): My latest book was Habits for Success: Inspired Ideas to Help You Soar, which was published with Mango. And which was how we met! I’m so proud of how the book turned out.
I tried to write it creatively, consciously, and with heart. My goal was to guide the reader to their own personal version of success and happiness, while giving them permission to take their own journey and build a foundation of strength for the long run. So, I tried to be authentic and vulnerable. I shared my own relationship with the habits I talk about, and used ideas and stories to entertain and inspire the reader along the way. I was so pleased that the book was a Grand Prize winner in the 2019 Book Excellence Awards.
NS: What made you want to write this book?
GBB: It just wanted to come out. I have always honored what needs to come out–whether it’s a book, spoken word piece or short film–I don’t sit around and try and come up with an idea for a project. I don’t really have a choice! It comes to me and I look at it as a way to grow, be creative and hopefully help others all at the same time.
NS: What message do you hope readers take away?
GBB: Ultimately with everything that I create, I want folks to come away feeling better about themselves and the world. I know how important self-acceptance and self-love is and if I can empower someone to feel inspired to step out of their comfort zone and begin to see what they are capable of, I have done my job. The beautiful thing is I am gaining so much from it personally as well. I feel like I am a conduit and the words I am writing and sharing, are for me also.
NS: Writing (and life) can be stressful. How do you take care of yourself?
GBB: Lots of things! I don’t think it was an accident that my first book was on a whole bunch of different ways to stay in life balance. It really gave me the opportunity to become more self-aware in this department. I love to move/exercise and it is one of the main ways that helps me stay grounded. Meditation, clean food, boundaries, self-awareness, hiking, plenty of sleep and movies also help.
NS: Do you have a writing tip for the writers out there?
GBB: Sure! Be true to yourself when writing. Write honestly and truthful. Write what wants to come out, not what you think you should write or what you think people want. Folks inherently want authenticity. They may not know this on the surface, but they do. It gives us permission to be authentic ourselves. We all subconsciously crave authenticity, because deep down trying to fight through all of the false modeling that we have been presented via society, advertising, social media, it is our true nature.
NS: What’s the worst piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?
GBB: To be honest, I can’t think of anything. I am kind of a self-taught/intuitive writer and haven’t really garnered much advice since I started writing by accident 13 years ago. I think I may have tripped myself up in a variety of ways as I learned how to become a better writer as I progressed though. Expectations, perfectionism are a few that come to mind.
NS: And the best?
GBB: I learned this the hard way. The book or project is for you first and foremost. Let the growth that comes from the journey of creativity be the gift and anything else that happens with it, just be icing on the cake.
NS: Tell us more about your wellness work.
GBB: Sure…thanks! In addition to the 3 self-improvement books I have written, I am also a project and clarity coach and love to help folks realize their goals and dreams. Whether it’s writing a book, creating a presentation, starting a podcast or what have you. I have learned a lot (sometimes the hard way), from all of the projects I have birthed over the course of the last 13 years.
NS: What led you to this path?
GBB: Intuition. I mentioned earlier that I accidentally wrote my first book. In the process of leaving my family business in 2008, I headed into the unknown. I felt out of balance. I sat down one day and wrote 5 things that I knew would help me…and they did. My intuition screamed expand the list and write a book. So, I did!
It won a few awards, which shocked me and I realized that if I wanted to share its message, I needed to overcome my fear of speaking. One thing lead to another as I stepped out of my comfort zone. Before I knew it, I was writing more, moved to LA to act, and began to create a lot of positive media (books, short films, spoken word videos and TEDx presentations). It’s been exciting and surreal. I never would have imagined any of this would happen. I just kept following my gut.
NS: Do you have a motto or slogan you find helpful? If so, how did you arrive at that?
“Be yourself to free yourself!”
GBB: Definitely! “Be yourself to free yourself!” I started using that a long time ago in my work and it consistently reminds myself to live this way. I even have the domain!
NS: What’s the worst wellness (mental health, self-care) advice you’ve ever heard?
GBB: Folks give other people’s advice way too much credence. While some advice is warranted and great, a lot of time people are just sharing their own fears and passing them on to their friends and family. I see it on social media all of the time. Very co-enabling with little chance of really breaking through.
I believe we have most of the answers already inside of us. We just need to get quiet and listen and trust. The more you do it, the easier it gets.
NS: Is there something about coping you wish you’d learned earlier?
GBB: That life is like a big rollercoaster. There are always going to be peaks and valleys. In the past when I would hit a valley, I would try to scratch and claw my way out of it, instead of just sitting with whatever was happening, learn from it and trust that I would move out of it. We always do.
NS: Has your life turned out differently than you expected? If so, how?
GBB: Yes. I never planned on being a writer, creative or actor. And it still is evolving.
NS: Is there anything you would change about your journey?
GBB: As easy as it would be to say yes, I don’t think I would. Everything that I have gone through has made me the person that I am and instilled the spirit and creativity that comes through in my work.
NS: What are you currently reading for inspiration?
GBB: I love history and biographies. I am currently reading a book about George Washington called His Excellency. Very interesting!
NS: Is there a wellness or inspirational book you couldn’t finish? Why?
GBB: Hmmm…there have been some that I didn’t finish. Can’t really think of them right now.
NS: What wellness book could you not put down?
GBB: I read Seat of the Soul, by Gary Zukav about 30 years ago. It felt intuitively spot on for me. Reading that book opened up my thinking and helped me re-remember things that I felt like I knew prior to this incarnation.
NS: What’s next for you?
GBB: Lots! In addition to project coaching, I am working on a new book that is a road trip memoir and using a 5 ½ month RV trip across the USA that I just finished as a container for it. I am also getting my podcast going again, as well as some other creative video projects. Thanks for asking.
AND FINALLY:
NS: Mermaids or Goddesses? (Superheroes or Gods?)
GBB: Neither (?) Give me Babe Ruth, Eleanor Roosevelt or Teddy Roosevelt any day. They’re interesting and larger than life in their own ways.
NS: Toast or bagels?
GBB: Both
NS: Ocean, mountains, or forest?
GBB: Forests
NS: Jeans or slacks or sweatpants?
GBB: Blue jeans and boots
NS: Dogs, cats, fish, guinea pigs, or horses?
GBB: Dogs
About G. Brian Benson
G. Brian Benson is an award-winning and #1 best-selling self-improvement and children’s book author, actor, filmmaker, project coach, podcast host and TEDx speaker. As a 4x Ironman triathlete and cross-country bicyclist, Brian knows the value of hard work and never giving up on his dreams, a message he shares with audiences through each of his creative expressions. Brian’s latest book Habits for Success: Inspired Ideas to Help You Soar was an Amazon #1 Best-Seller and was selected as a 2019 Book Excellence Award Winner in the Motivational book category.
Websites:
www.gbrianbenson.com
www.habitsforsuccessbook.com
Social Media:
Twitter – gbrianbenson
Facebook – gbrianbensonmedia
Instagram – gbrianbenson
YouTube – gbrianbenson
LinkedIn – gbrianbenson
Giveaway:
Sign up for his newsletter and receive the PDF “7 Reasons Why People Don’t Accomplish Their Dreams and How to Overcome Them!”
If you purchase something through the affiliate links on this page, Write Now Columbus, a collection of resources for central Ohio writers and readers, will receive a small percentage of the sale.
by Tami Kamin Meyer | Sep 3, 2021 | Blog, Write Now Columbus Essay Archives
THE SERENDIPITY OF SEPTEMBER – GUEST POST BY TAMI KAMIN MEYER
When I think of September, I think yellow school busses, football and cooler weather. I throw open my screen porch door and house windows to allow the fresh, crisp air to waft through my house like a welcome friend. I also adore the renewed energy of Fall that seems to radiate everywhere, although admittedly, it is muted due to the pandemic.
Meanwhile, something happened to me recently that conjured up that same sense of excitement, although this occurrence relates to my life as a freelance writer.
With time on my hands during the quarantine, I often found myself perusing LinkedIn for something interesting to read. A few months back, I happened upon a post about a non-profit organization, headquartered in Johnstown, Ohio, just east of Columbus. The message’s author was John Mennell, the founder of the Ohio Literacy Bank (OLB). The mission of his non-profit is ending illiteracy by providing new and recycled magazines to at-risk readers in locations easily accessible to them, such as food banks.
I immediately invited John to connect with me, and he obliged. We exchanged several messages about his group and how I wanted to volunteer at some point. We share a love of magazines, and it was fun to discuss how the industry has evolved over the years. Thankfully for my professional endeavors, print magazines are not a dying breed, as evidenced by an article in Forbes. New titles, such as Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia, are replacing defunct hardcopy publications such as Marie Claire.
I feel an extra dose of pride when one of my pieces appears in a print publication
I am incredibly grateful for technology and the Internet, because they expose freelance writers to a large, diverse and information-hungry audience and online publications for whom to write. However, I must admit I feel an extra dose of pride when one of my pieces appears in a print publication versus online only. In my mind, there is something poetic, even romantic, about opening a magazine and flipping through its colorful pages. People carry magazines from room to room and keep them stacked on their bedside table. Some read magazines cover-to-cover and others, sadly, are left in the plastic in which they arrived until it’s time they are recycled. No matter their journey, magazines are ubiquitous and I am supremely thankful for that.
Back to John. After two aborted attempts to meet face-to-face to further discuss our professional commonalities, we recently met in-person for coffee and a chat.
John regaled me with interesting stories how his small-but-mighty non-profit is attacking illiteracy. To hear him discuss the various magazines the OLB has received and distributed as well as the numerous unselfish acts of volunteerism performed by supporters across the country that have ensured that publications get in the hands of those who would benefit is like listening to a well-tuned orchestra. As John’s zeal and pride about his organization’s mission grew, so did my interest in hearing more.
And that’s when my moment of serendipity hit.
I felt a surge of excitement as story ideas based on the OLB’s successes flooded my brain. Intuitively, I began brainstorming about which publications might be interested in those ideas and why John’s story might appeal to the demographics of particular outlets. John and his mission are compelling and I was thrilled to be learning more about him and his organization’s efforts. All of that and they’re right here in central Ohio, too.
I scribbled notes in my characteristically messy handwriting as he spoke, careful to understand the gravity of his non-profit’s efforts and achievements. I peppered him with questions, all of which he answered with positivity and specificity. Meeting in person, over a cup of coffee, just like I would have pre-COVID-19, was refreshing. It was also vaguely familiar as an activity I enjoyed immensely prior to COVID-19. Meeting face-to-face made the experience that much richer, and I realized how much I missed the social aspect of being a freelance writer.
My heart pumped with adrenaline while meeting with John because after so long of not interacting with people face-to-face, I was gifted with that experience again. Speaking with him at arm’s length rather than through a square box on my laptop monitor, ala Zoom, reminded me of one of my favorite aspects of being a freelancer that I truly missed: social interaction. That experience reignited my zeal for writing, which honestly had waned during the long, hot summer and the even longer and seemingly unending worldwide pandemic.
Thankfully, it’s back and so am I. Hope you enjoy a serendipitous September, too.
(c)Tami Kamin Meyer, 2021, all rights reserved
This essay first appeared in the September 2021 issue of Write Now Columbus. Subscribe here.
![Author Interview: Lynda Allen]()
by Theresa Garee | Jun 8, 2021 | Author Interviews, Blog
Author Interview: Lynda Allen
I interview wellness authors to find out what makes them tick and why they write the books they do. Lynda Allen regularly attends the weekly Mango Publishing Heart Wisdom author panels. Her insightful questions and caring approach to any topic impressed and intrigued me. Certain you will want to get to know her too, I asked her to participate in this series.
Nita Sweeney (NS): Tell us about your most recent book.
Lynda Allen (LA): My newest book is Grace Reflected, a collection of poetry and essays.
NS: What made you want to write this book?
LA: Writing is part of my being. So, there was no one thing that made me want to write the new collection. With poetry, I simply write as I go along through my days, especially during my morning writing time. Then there seems to be a point when I feel that the poems reach a tipping point and want to gather together in a collection. Once I get that feeling, I look back through the poems I’ve written and start listening for the order and flow.
NS: What message do you hope readers take away?
LA: I hope the words of the poems and essays will speak to the reader’s heart, will share insights with them, and will challenge and inspire them. The collection is a journey through the places I find grace reflected in my life. Sometimes I find it reflected in nature and in moments of spiritual connection, and sometimes I find it in the depths of grief or in spiritual activism.
The words surprised me over and over again with their beginnings in rage or sorrow and their endings in steps on the path to healing and forgiveness. Those forces come together through love in the words of these poems – empathy and anger, rage and forgiveness, the words offer me a path that can hold them all and allow them to coexist in a way that encourages action from love or grace.
That’s why the title for the collection is Grace Reflected. It’s not only a reflection of the sources of grace in my life, it is grace itself moving through my heart in the form of words offering me that path to healing and a reflection of wholeness. It is a reminder that is also found in the image on the cover of the book.
While the reflection of the swan looks different than the swan itself, distorted by the movement of the water, if the swan became still, the reflection would then show the swan, unbroken and whole. So, my hope is that these poems and essays will offer a reflection of what is unbroken and whole within each of us and the healing and hope that knowing offers.
NS: What led you to this path?
LA: I never imagined myself as a writer or poet. It happened, quite literally, overnight. One day I wasn’t a writer and the next day I was.
One day I had never written a poem before and the next I started writing poetry and never stopped.
It happened when I went through a spiritual discernment process guided by the friend. It was a process that invited me to listen for a question through meditation and stillness that my heart wanted to ask and then listening again for an answer. The question that arose for me at that time was, “What is mine to do to be happy?” The answer I heard was only one word: write. I had no idea how writing would make me happy, especially because I wasn’t a writer!
All I knew was that I was willing to find out what it meant. I believe that willingness and the yes that accompanied it, were the keys that unlocked one of my soul’s greatest joys. The very next morning I began to write. It was as if a dam had burst, and my heart was flooded with words. It was a powerful and slightly disorienting experience!
NS: Writing (and life) can be stressful. How do you take care of yourself?
LA: I have a short writing and meditation practice that I begin most days with. I make sure I spend time in nature observing, learning, communing, and absorbing. Finally, I take walks for exercise, for listening to audiobooks, and for the time spent outside.
NS: Do you have a motto or slogan you find helpful? If so, how did you arrive at that?
LA: My motto is to Live Heartfully! For me, that means following my internal Heart Compass. The image of the Heart Compass is an image I carried around in my mind for a while years ago and one day finally drew it on paper. I showed it to a friend, and she said it would make a nice necklace, which hadn’t occurred to me! So, I had it made and wore it every day for a couple years as a daily reminder of my intention to live from and create from the heart. It helped me transform how I live.
NS: Tell us about your other work.
LA: In addition to being a writer, I am also an artist and make jewelry. Last year I decided it was time to figure out how to make the Heart Compass necklace available to others to help them transform their lives too. So, I set about learning how to solder sterling silver, and now I make the necklaces for others!
As an artist, one of my favorite things to paint are what I call Animal Wisdom Journals. I feel a very deep connection to animals of all kinds. So, years ago I put together my connection with animals and my art in the form of these journals. They are custom made for each person. I sit in meditation while holding the person in my thoughts and invite an animal to come forward to work with that person in the form of the journal. Then I paint and burn the image of the animal into the cover of a leather journal. On the inside I also include information about the animal and the wisdom it offers.
NS: What is one thing about well-being you wish you’d learned earlier?
LA: I wish I had learned the practices of mindfulness and meditation earlier. Learning to live mindfully and developing a regular meditation practice helped transform my life and how I live it in such positive ways. My days are much more peaceful. My greatest, ongoing mindfulness challenge and peace practice is driving!
NS: Do you have a writing tip for the writers out there?
LA: For me, writing is all about listening. So, I would say, practice your listening skills. There are stories all around us all the time waiting to be told. There is wisdom and insight within us waiting to be shared.
Be still and listen for both.
NS: Has your life turned out differently than you expected? If so, how?
LA: Absolutely, and in too many ways to list! ???? The biggest surprise was discovering that I am a poet.
NS: What are you currently reading for inspiration?
LA: Sacred Instructions: Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change by Sherri Mitchell and Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation by Parker Palmer
NS: What wellness book could you not put down?
LA: Peace Is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh. It is a book that changed my life. I learned so much about how to bring peace into everything I do, which some days I’m more successful at than others!
NS: What’s next for you writing wise?
LA: I’m currently seeking representation for a mystery novel, which is the first in a series, and I’m always writing poetry.
AND FINALLY:
NS: Mermaids or Goddesses?
LA: Mermaids. I love the ocean!
NS: Toast or bagels?
LA: Either, because in the end they are both just vehicles for butter!
NS: Ocean, mountains, or forest?
LA: It’s too difficult a choice. I could narrow it down to ocean and forest.
NS: Leggings or jeans?
LA: Jeans, definitely.
NS: Dogs, cats, fish, guinea pigs, or horses?
LA: Sloths. I adore sloths. If we’re talking strictly pets, then cats.
ABOUT LYNDA ALLEN
Lynda Allen is first and foremost a listener. All of her work whether it’s writing, art, creating Animal Wisdom Journals, or leading meditation begins with deep listening. Lynda listens to her own inner knowing and wisdom, the natural world, and the still, small voice of the Divine in the silence. She listens. Then she creates. In all of her creations she strives to inspire others to open their hearts and embrace their journey, both the dark and the light, with gentleness, love, and joy.
Her new collection of poetry and essays Grace Reflected is now available.
She is also the author of three other poetry collections Wild Divinity, Illumine, and Rest in the Knowing, as well as The Rules of Creation, a guidebook to living life from spirit.
You can learn more about the many offerings of Lynda’s heart at her website www.lyndaallen.net, follow her on Instagram @heartfullylynda, or join her All 4/1 Facebook group.
If you purchase something through the affiliate links on this page, Write Now Columbus, a collection of resources for central Ohio writers and readers, will receive a small percentage of the sale.
by Theresa Garee | Sep 3, 2015 | Blog
“First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration won’t. Habit is persistence in practice.” – Octavia E. Butler
Several writing habits keep me involved in the practice. The first is an on-line writing group I joined back in 1999 after attending several writing workshops with Natalie Goldberg. A group of us formed an email list. We agreed to send eight ten-minute writing practices to each other. Eventually the list grew and now it is a listserv, but there are still a handful of us writing and sending these writes to each other.
This newsletter is another set of habits. Throughout the month I gather events that I see in the paper or other sources and individuals email events to me. On the first of the month I scan fifty to sixty websites for more events. On the third of the month, the day the newsletter is due, often at the last minute, I write an essay to include.
I rarely know what I will write about ahead of time. Sometimes I use a quotation to feed my thoughts. Other times I take the dog for a long, slow walk and an idea will form. And sometimes I do sitting meditation and allow an essay to arise that way. It’s as if my body and mind know that it’s the third of month, time for the essay, because only a few times when I’ve been in extreme emotional distress have I been at a loss for words. These habits have served me well.
What habits do you use to get the writing done? I’d love to hear about them.
by Theresa Garee | Apr 3, 2012 | Blog
“Don’t fight the trail. Take what it gives you. . . “—ultramarathon runner Caballo Blanco aka Micah True (Died April of 2012) as quoted by Chris McDougall in the book BORN TO RUN
No lie. I wish writing were easier, but I make it harder than it has to be. I fight the trail.
Recently, I’ve been working with a freelance editor. She’s pushing me deeper into the work. She wants to know my motivations and intentions and the motivations and intentions of the people I’ve written about, many of whom are dead.
I’m not sure I want to go where she’s asking and I’m having trouble moving forward. I’m uncomfortable, tired, and grumpy. I haven’t relaxed into the trail. Instead of leaning into the hills and letting go on the downsides, I’m grimacing, squealing and twirling. That’s why I’m so uncomfortable.
When I’m ready to stop fighting, I’ll just look down and see a path ahead of me. I don’t have to like it, but it’s the trail I’m on. It’s time to relax into reality and continue working. I’m more likely to find the answers when I’m at the page.
Do you ever fight the trail? If so, please share your adventure. You may leave a comment by clicking the little “post a comment” link at the bottom of the page.
