Does writing or publishing a book feel like climbing Mount Everest—something you're just not ready for? Why not start with creating and publishing a card deck instead? You can design a deck with as many cards as you want—30, 40, 50 or more—on a theme or topic you're passionate about. Before you know it, you'll have your own card deck! For example, I wanted to help women embrace their worthiness, so I created YOU MATTER, Yes You Do. Each card includes a journal prompt centered around that theme. Through this process, I discovered ideas that might even evolve into a book one day. Now, writing a book doesn’t seem as daunting—it’s no longer my Mount Everest. If you feel the urge to write or publish something, but a book seems overwhelming, why not start with a card deck? Think of it as a smaller, more manageable mountain that can help you prepare for the bigger one.

Thank you Karen Elaine for sharing many wonderful resources today with me and Wendy Wiseman during Connect and Grow for the path of becoming published authors. The wealth of resources and knowledge shared during our meeting has been invaluable.

My personal experience with Yoga is one of much needed rehabilitation. After a series of serious falls off my bike while triathalon training and two knee surgeries, I found myself not wanting to get in my usual daily workout. The most important element of my recovery was access to individualized training- private lessons. I am so excited about the miracle healing properties of Yoga and want to share with people who are in need of a physical reboot. But having the financial resources to take advantage of specialized training is not available to everyone. Reaching a broader audience in this case requires online and/or text book training. The goal in each of my Yoga books to date focuses on delivering exercises that gradually introduce the student to new movements. To fully embrace the concept of Yoga being a "Daily Practice" is the key to developing strength and ease in everything we participate in throughout the day. The challenge for every author writing about their passion is keeping things simple at the beginning. Any given specialty subject can be absorbed by a larger audience if the author starts by explaining the fundamentals in easy to digest segments, and gradually focusing on more complex concepts as the reader's understanding of the material expands. My favorite quote by Albert Einstein is that "a person who cannot explain a complex idea in simple terms does not understand the idea."

Using a published book on one's subject of expertise is the ideal LEAD MAGNET. I especially like the below definition~ By Will Kenton Updated January 26, 2023 Reviewed by Somer Anderson Fact checked by Marcus Reeves What Is a Lead Magnet? A lead magnet is a marketing term for a free item or service that is given away for the purpose of gathering contact details; for example, lead magnets can be trial subscriptions, samples, white papers, e-newsletters, and free consultations. Marketers use lead magnets to create sales leads. The marketers attempt to convert the leads into paying customers of a product or service, or they may market unrelated offerings to the sales leads. Understanding Lead Magnets When a customer signs up for a trial version or provides a name and other details for a free sample, they effectively exchange their information for a lead magnet. Sometimes the nature of this exchange is made explicit, but not always. As a result, some types of lead magnets are criticized for their deceptive nature. Types of Lead Magnets The most common type of lead magnet is the report/guide/tip sheet where the prospect provides personal information for content that is not otherwise available. When it is a guide or resource, the exchange of information is direct and obvious. The contact information is often then used to place the prospects in a sales funnel where progressive contact nudges them towards an actual purchase. This type of lead magnet often makes an extreme claim to entice people into access the content. For example, “Six Foolproof Tips To Land A Six Figure Salary” or “Eight Easy Renovations That Triple Your House’s Value.” This type of content is unique, valuable content that is not publicly available. It is not unheard of, however, for the content to simply be taken from publicly available resources and repackaged.

Those of you who know me personally are aware that I am very active in the Yoga and Music communities, thus the combination in my business name. Yoga and Music are ME. YogaMusicMe represents harmony in motion, so while I do combine the two in performance, the ideal is to also find the poetry in each subject when presented alone. Finding a name or slogan that suits you makes for a product umbrella that sells itself. Especially if the concept can cover many ideas in few words. My favorite example of this is "Just Do It".