Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Author Interview - Julie Wise - Life/Relationship Coach


 Right click HERE and open this in 
another tab to get the crackling fire sound

Welcome to our chat with Julie Wise. I hope when you finish reading her interview, you’re inspired to make your life better or find out what to do to change your path. Grab a mug of hot spiced cider and join us before this roaring fire! Can you smell the burning pines and hear the crackle?



      Julie Wise is a professional life and relationship coach who works with people to take their dreams from wishing into reality. She knows from personal experience the challenge of starting over when your dream has fallen apart. Instead of giving up, she learned how to reinvent herself and discovered that there is always a bigger (and better) dream waiting to happen. In her new book, Dream BIGGER: Reclaiming a Life of Joy and Ease, she offers a fresh, practical and hands-on approach to inspire readers to overcome their challenges and achieve their heartfelt desires.

Deanna:  Julie, thank you for taking the time to be with us today. Tell us a bit about yourself that our readers might not know.

Julie:  I’ve spent my life reinventing myself every three years or so. My university degrees are in translation (French, Spanish, German, Russian), but I’ve worked as an ice dancing coach, an artist creating wall designs, a newspaper editor and a consultant working on projects across Canada and even in Argentina. I think this helps me in the work I do now - coaching people to make their dreams happen - because I’ve done it in my own life over and over again.

Deanna:  What made you want to become a writer?

Julie:  I’ve always wanted to write. As a child, I created books with my own stories and illustrations and very proudly printed my name on the cover. My father had a bookstore and I loved to spend time among the new books, running my fingers along the spine, and imagining that it was my name on the front.  He was also a marvelous storyteller, so I’m sure I inherited some of his word-weaving talent. Over the years, I’ve written poetry and short stories, even a novella and a fictional memoir, but I haven’t published anything until now.

Deanna:  Do you write under a pen name?

Julie:  I use my own name to write. My writing style is honest and open, and I want to maintain that approach with how I sign my books as well. I want my readers to feel they can trust me so I don’t hide behind another name.

Deanna:   Do you read in the same genre you write in?

Julie:  I read all kinds of books, but certainly my preference is for inspirational books and travel writing.  I look for books that have a positive uplifting message and that inspire me to greater heights. I hope that’s what Dream BIGGER does for my readers. The book I’m currently writing is about a 3-month journey to Ireland I took two years ago, so I’m finally delving into the world of travel writing, something I’ve wanted to do for years.

Deanna:  Many authors have a set pattern to their work day. Tell us about a typical day in your life as a writer.

Julie:  When I’m in the midst of writing a book, I tend to write mid-morning to mid-afternoon.  I try to write for four hours a day, every day. I start by making some notes in my “writer’s journal”, a folder on my computer where I track my progress day by day. I’ll note down what I want to focus on that day, any challenges I foresee and how to work with them, and then I’ll go back once I’m finished writing for the day to comment on how it went. This journal keeps me focused and moving forward. Some days I write for the full four hours, and sometimes I reread what I’ve previously done and do some editing. I like to get out for a walk afterward to clear my head and get myself back into this world again. While I’m writing, I’m in another space, the world I’m writing about, and it takes time to step back out of it again.

Deanna:  Keeping a journal is an interesting way to stay on track. Most of us have pretty vivid imaginations when it comes to story lines. Where do your story ideas come from?

Julie:  Dream BIGGER came to me last December as I was writing the book on the Ireland journey. It simply showed up in my mind, insisted that I drop everything and focus on it, and showed me what the structure of the book would be. It’s a message that clearly wanted to be voiced, so I listened and now the book is published.  I wrote about experiences from my own life as well as from clients I’ve worked with as a coach. I also interviewed six people from around the world who had dreams that had expanded beyond their expectations and had a community or global impact. So my writing comes from real life.

Deanna:  Can you share an excerpt of your book with us?

Julie:  This excerpt is from the introduction to Dream BIGGER:Reclaiming a Life of Joy and Ease.
       “Did you daydream as a child? Do you remember the magic of imagining you could fly like an eagle, or discover new lands like Christopher Columbus, or find a cure for cancer? Perhaps you pictured yourself standing on stage accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, hearing the thunder of applause or savoring the majestic silence from the peak of Mount Everest.
       If you stop for a moment and remember what that felt like, chances are you’d describe a sensation of freedom, joy, and ease as well as a strong sense of accomplishment and a deep connection to who you truly are.
       This is what it feels like to live our dreams. And, yes, we can experience that today, even if we’re all “grown up.” That’s what this book is all about—learning how to rekindle the magic of dreaming, creating a road map for the journey and moving past the obstacles along the way.”

Deanna: You book will definitely get people thinking, and wanting, to make changes in their so they can head in the proper direction. I’m a firm believer in positive thinking. Is there anything else you would like to share with us today?

Julie:  I want to encourage readers to believe in their dreams and take steps to achieve them. So I’ve set up an online contest in which people can post a short video about their dream and become eligible for amazing prizes designed to help them make their dream happen. Just for entering, they get a free one-pager with tips on manifesting their dream. I’m hoping that by entering the contest, and seeing the other videos, we’ll all be inspired to live the life of our dreams.
     I invite your readers to stop by my website and look around.

Deanna:  Readers, grab those video cameras and start filming, then get it uploaded to Julie’s contest page! Thank you all for joining us; I hope you were all able to enjoy the fire! Feel free to comment or leave a question for Julie and she’ll comment back to you shortly.
     Julie, again, thanks for being here and best of luck on the rest of your tour!

Julie:  This was fun, thank you! I look forward to seeing many videos get entered.


6 comments:

  1. A cheery welcome to all your blog readers, Deanna. I hope the interview inspires everyone to dust off a dream and start taking steps toward it!

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  2. That was a very uplifting post. Thanks for being here.
    Sue B

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  3. Hi Julie, Sue and all readers, I hope you've been able to enjoy the crackling fire as you read. I know, two tabs or windows need to be open to make that happen, sorry.

    Julie, thanks for joining us. Hope you get a few more entries to your contest!

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  4. Thanks, Sue. I'm glad you found the post inspiring!

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  5. Many thanks, Deanna! I appreciated the warm cup of tea and the chance to chat. :)

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  6. Just wanted to add a note that the Dream BIGGER contest has been expanded, so readers can now enter a short written description of their dream (rather than a video). Hope that inspires even more people to enter the contest at http://www.dreambiggercontest.com
    Here's to all the wonderful dreams out there!

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