April 9, 2025 • 25 mins
This week’s “How She Finds Purpose” insight comes from Susie Schaefer. She says –
“Our self-worth isn’t tied to what we own—it’s in how we take care of ourselves.”
Susie’s path to purposeful work didn’t follow a straight line, but it did follow her intuition. After a major life change, she took a chance on something new and unfamiliar - independent publishing.
What started as a leap of faith turned into a thriving business, and a calling. She now helps authors bring meaningful stories into the world, blending her deep publishing expertise with spiritual insight to guide them through both the practical and emotional sides of writing.
Susie Schaefer is the CEO and founder of Finish the Book Publishing. She’s known as a transformational book doula for "cause publishing". Whether supporting an author through healing past trauma or helping amplify a voice for social change, Susie empowers storytellers to spark movements. When she’s not publishing books or writing screenplays, you’ll find her meditating on a beach, doing yoga, or planning her next travel adventure.
Here are 3 reasons why you should listen to this episode:
-
You’ll hear how life transitions - divorce, job changes, uncertainty - can open doors to a purpose you didn’t expect.
-
You’ll learn why tuning into your inner voice might just be the business strategy you didn’t know you needed.
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You’ll get a powerful reminder that it’s okay to shift gears midlife, and that doing so can lead to more alignment, joy, and meaning.
Connect with Susie at:
https://www.finishthebookpublishing.com/
Would you prefer to watch or listen to the podcast on YouTube?
Head on over to https://www.youtube.com/@leadershippurposepodcast
Want to connect? Connect with Dr. Robin on
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinlowensphd/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robinlowensphd
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robinlowensphd/
Email: Robin@LeadershipPurposePodcast.com
Thank you for listening! Rate, review, & follow on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast player. Talk to you soon!
This episode was produced by Lynda, Podcast Manager for GenX Creative Entrepreneurs at https://www.ljscreativeservices.co.nz
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Welcome to the Leadership Purpose with Dr Robin podcast.
I'm your host, Robin L Owens, PhD. I'm a college
professor. And when I'm not doing that, I am teaching others
how to find and stay in alignment with their true purpose.
And this is where we talk with women who've made bold career
transitions in search for more meaning and purpose in
(00:24):
their work. So if you're feeling that pull toward more meaning and purpose in
your work or just curious about what's possible when you
pursue purpose over position, then these
conversations are here to encourage, inspire,
and guide you. Okay. Let's get started.
Hi, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of the Leadership
(00:47):
Purpose with Dr. Robin podcast. I'm so glad you're here
and listening into the podcast. I really appreciate you for taking time to
listen to the podcast. And because you have been such faithful
listeners, you helped us get ranked in the top 5%
of all podcasts globally according to Listen Notes. So thank you
for doing that. And of course, we ask you to help us keep it
(01:10):
going. Rate, subscribe, review, and that will help
us keep bringing you the podcast. All right. Now I can't
wait. I just can't wait to get into today's conversation.
Today, I'm talking with Susie Schaefer. Now let me
tell you a little bit about Susie. Susie Schaefer is the
CEO and founder of Finish the Book Publishing.
(01:32):
Alright. You get, you had me at that. But anyway, Susie is known
as a transformational book doula for "cause
publishing". She believes that books are a gateway to creating a
movement. Whether writing a book that helps an author heal the past
trauma or raise awareness for social change, Susie
empowers storytellers to be a part of the global
(01:54):
conversation and create a ripple effect for humanity.
She's all about humanity and I love that. And when
she's not reading, publishing books, or writing award winning screenplays,
she could be found practicing yoga, meditating on a beach, or
planning her next travel adventure. Welcome, Susie
Schaefer. Thank you so much, Dr. Robin. I appreciate being here
(02:17):
today. I'm so glad you're here. I can't wait to get into this conversation. We
were talking before, and I was just really inspired by your
story and just you as a person. Alright. But you heard me talk you
read your sort of official introduction slash bio. Why don't you
tell us in your own words more about two things, who you
are and what you do? Yeah. So who I am is
(02:39):
someone who is, multifaceted, I would say.
I happen to have one of those brains that is very equally balanced
with the left and right brain. So I'm able to understand the business
aspects, the technical aspects of publishing, as well as the creative side.
So that's really kind of who I am. In addition to
the publishing, I also do spiritual readings for people. And so
(03:02):
I love tapping into that. Sometimes, especially when I'm working with
authors, we find that they may have blocks that are coming up for them, whether
it's in their writing or really just being able to kind of
own it and and, you know, be confident about
putting their messages to the world. And sometimes when we do readings for
them, we uncover what those blocks are, and it allows them to go ahead
(03:24):
and, work through that process and heal that. Yeah. That sounds wonderful.
And it's I think it's a unique mix. Well, I don't know if it's unique
broadly, but unique to people that I know and talk to that you have
that balance of both the kind of left brain, right brain. And it sounds
like your business combines both even in what you're doing,
your approach to helping authors get their work out and also helping
(03:46):
them clear the inside. So it seems to to fit just balanced
nicely in there. Alright. So now tell us how you came to do
this work. Well, ten years ago, I went
through a divorce and I was living in Colorado at the time. And I had
a friend who introduced me to independent publishing. And she
said, do you want to learn this? And I said, absolutely. If you read on
(04:08):
my website, I tell a little story about the fact that I've always loved books.
I was an early reader as a child. And so I
jumped right in. And as I was learning the publishing
industry, I was working, like, five jobs. You know? It was crazy. And then a
few years later, I moved back to California to be supportive to my family,
and then I decided to to launch Finish the Book Publishing as my own
(04:29):
brand. And, you know, we had a few years during COVID that
things were a little iffy, like, you know, are we're business owners gonna survive?
And then coming out of that, we found a lot of people were doing the
writing during COVID. And so all of a sudden we had this flood
of business that was coming in with people who wrote their stories
and and share their own unique experiences and then wanted to
(04:51):
publish. And some of those experiences were, you know, based on
what the the pandemic situation was for them and their families, but other
people, talked more about their own spiritual awakening
or how did their business do during that time. So
the publishing industry has really expanded a lot with the
invent of independent publishing. And so I'm really grateful that I can be a
(05:14):
part of that. Yeah. It's a true I think a true gift to people, to
authors and the readers of their books that you're doing that work.
Okay. So now let's go back to you said it started ten years ago, and
someone said to you, you know, would you like to learn this? Okay.
You told us that you're a reader. So, okay, passionate reader.
But my guess is most people, or at least many people who
(05:36):
are passionate readers, if they got the same question posed to them, they
wouldn't just jump in and say yes. So what was the thing that drew you
to publishing? You know what I mean? There's a a little gap between being a
reader and publishing. Tell us about that. I
think I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit. And, you know, that's one
of those things that if you don't love the fact that, you know,
(05:58):
being an entrepreneur has its own plunges, then it wouldn't be a fit
for you. But the whole idea of me, working in
this industry and helping other authors publish their books,
being of service, it really being the guide, the the
book doula for people to share their own stories and
become a storyteller in their own right, that was something that really appealed to
(06:21):
me. And the idea of me being able to create a business
and establish a legacy was was something that I
thought, you know what? I can do that. I wanna do that. So, yeah, and
I have to say, you know, kudos to my best friend. She's the one who
said to me, you know, you could just start your own business. And I was
like, what? Oh, I guess I could just start my own
(06:42):
business. So but, yeah, it's that entrepreneurial spirit is
something that you really have to have if you're gonna undertake, you know, creating a
successful business. Now did you know that there was some
storyteller part of you, at the time that this you
know, when she said to you, you would you like to learn about publishing?
Like, do you is there another part of you that you know that has been
(07:04):
interested in storytelling, whether yours or others before this?
Absolutely. As a child, I loved escaping
into books. For me, that was a a pastime because, you know,
we growing up, I didn't get a lot of TV time. That just wasn't the
way the world worked back then. But I could always pick up a book,
and I could escape into another era,
(07:26):
another town, into a fantasy land. And so
for me, it was that whole creative aspect of
just being able to be entrenched in some other world.
And so, yeah, I think I've always been a storyteller and
just the ability to work with other people to tell their
stories. Yeah. And and typically, you know, I've I've started out
(07:48):
working in both fiction, nonfiction, children's books. I
do more, nonfiction, spiritual books, faith based
children now. But even just the the fiction books are always they're always
fun. You know, there's always an interesting story. Some of my favorites are the
ones that are true stories that that do tell about a family
legacy or about, you know, a traumatic event
(08:11):
that turned the corner and created something beautiful out of
that. Yeah. So I see the connection between the storytelling and the
reading in the publishing. Now let's see if there's anything. Was there anything
about little Susie who had any entrepreneurial I mean, even if you
didn't call it that back then, but do you remember anything that sorta
kinda reflected who you are as an entrepreneur back when you were little
(08:33):
Susie? You know, I don't I don't really think so. You'd probably have to ask
my mom that. But, you know, I can remember even when I worked in
corporate America doing multiple, you know,
multilevel marketing types of businesses on the
side, you know, just so I can remember doing that a lot,
but I really, I don't know what and, you know, honestly,
(08:55):
like my dad was, somewhat of an entrepreneur too. My
grandparents were. So I think that that's kind of ingrained in
me, but sometimes when you go to college and
you embark on your life, you do the things that you are, you think you're
supposed to do, which is, you know, go to college, get a job, all
the things. Right. Right. And, and sometimes, you know,
(09:17):
becoming an entrepreneur may seem really risky and difficult. And
and back in the day, you know, it wasn't as easy to become an
entrepreneur and to launch a business. Today, literally, anybody
can do it, and there's tons of resources out there to, you know, help
you along your own path. Yeah. Yeah. I'm very, intrigued by
your story because I'm guessing there's somebody who is where you
(09:40):
were. They were in corporate right now and they're thinking about it.
So I'm hoping they're getting some clues from your story because
you took some of your early passions reading and it made it a thing. Right?
And then there were some influences. If you think about your early work,
even in corporate, business was hanging around your mind and
you wanted to do something. So whether theirs is business or
(10:02):
not, I'm hoping they get some clues to say, hey, I'm in
corporate. What's the thing I'm always doing on the side? Or what's the thing I
did when I was a little girl? Or what's the thing that is in my
family that might be ingrained? So I'm hoping that they get that inspiration as
you're sharing your story. But now that we're talking we've talked about corporate,
let's say a little more about what you were doing and the thing
(10:24):
that got you to the point of transition because, again, that might
inspire someone who's on their way or thinking about it. Yeah. So
I had a number of years in in corporate America. My background's in actually,
hotel and restaurant management. That's the why the pineapple.
Right? So that's a nod to my years in the
hospitality industry, but it also represents the hospitality friendship
(10:46):
welcoming. And, so it really, for me, is
reflective of me helping other people get their books out into the world.
But, you know, I had a background in human resources. I worked in,
commercial television, radio. I've done voiceover work.
So, yeah, I have a very eclectic background. And it I think
it's a lot of that was because I never found the thing that was the
(11:08):
perfect fit until I was able to embark on this entrepreneur
journey and work with authors and become a storyteller
and all those things. So, yeah, I think that lends a lot to it. But
the the ability to have not only financial freedom, but
also the freedom of to travel and to see the world and
to go meet with author clients and to go to conferences
(11:31):
and all those types of things. I wouldn't have been able to have that
type of freedom had I continued in corporate America. You make an
intentional decision to leave corporate to start a business, or was it just
life circumstances and then you kinda fell into it? It was a lot of
life circumstances. And and I always say, you know, you get those nudges
and sometimes you need a shove. You know? So, it
(11:54):
the shove was my divorce and, you know, moving from a, you
know, rural area to back to the city and trying to figure
out what am I gonna do with my life. You know? Here I was in
my forties and saying, okay. This is this is your opportunity to have
a do over or restart. And a lot of us in the
middle years of our lives do go through that type of experience. And
(12:16):
so I said, okay. What am I gonna do? And so when I
was offered this opportunity, I thought, well, this really feels like it's it.
It's the thing. Right? So yeah. So I was I was very
fortunate that I had, I had some things to fall back on and pick up
and kinda just say, okay, we're hitting the restart button.
Love that. And another another clue for people listening,
(12:39):
you got excited when the opportunity was offered to you. It sounds like
yeah. Absolutely. I thought, wow. This is so different
and so unique. And yet because I was offered the
opportunity and it came from someone that was a true friend,
I felt supported in it that I knew that I could still work my
five jobs, you know, to make ends meet, but still learn this industry
(13:02):
and learn it from somebody who was established and credible and
trustworthy. Yeah. Yeah. So that's another clue for people listening.
If you're offered an opportunity and you are you are excited about it, don't
ignore it. It could be the thing, and especially if it's coming from a trusted
person or source. Absolutely. I think that many times we
fail to trust our intuition, and intuition is a big
(13:23):
thing. You know. And when you we don't trust that intuition. It's like
it's the nudges. Right? So when you don't trust your intuition, you're
gonna you're gonna come back and revisit that situation at some point
again. Yeah. Right. So now speaking of intuition, and you talked about,
I'll call it for just a shorthand, the spiritual side of your work. Mhmm.
Alright. So now we were looking at your career and looking back at the early
(13:46):
you to see if there is reflection. So what about the spiritual side of
your work? We know you were a reader, but was there any inclination that you
had that, when you were little, Susie? Yeah. Absolutely.
It was very intuitive as a child. I had a very active
imagination. What I didn't understand is that a lot of my imagination
(14:06):
when I was younger was actually clairvoyance, clairaudience. And so,
you know, we don't get taught those things in school. And a lot of times,
they are looked at as you're being a little too weird or,
you know, you're you have a very active imagination. Right? Or
you're you're too sensitive. Like, that we get a lot of that when we're growing
up. And so we are generally taught to kind of shut
(14:28):
down those abilities. And so, you know, we do.
But I knew as very, very young that I had something
different about me. So it wasn't until, you know, here I was
in my forties and after my divorce, instead of going to really work
with a therapist, you know, to, to work through the, the
trauma of, the doors, I decided to work with a
(14:50):
life coach who happened to be a psychic medium. And she was the one who
told me, she said, you know, you have, you have gifts and they're, they're
powerful. And I said, okay. So I started working
on really honing those, those gifts and those skills
by doing my own readings. And then but I didn't tell anybody. For
years, I didn't tell anybody. I was like, oh, like, you know, hiding in the
(15:11):
closet kind of thing. And it was, you know,
another colleague who I had done a reading for. And she says, why don't
you, you know, years later when I had my business, she said, why don't
you take that, incorporate that into the publishing? And I thought,
oh, people are gonna just think I'm wacko, you know? But
really what happened is when I did that and I really became my
(15:33):
true authentic self, that's when my business really started booming. I love that,
especially that phrase, you became your true authentic self because you put it all
together. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Alright. So now I wanna go back
a little bit to you said, alright. After your divorce, you're working with a life
coach who had these psychic abilities. Was it intentional that you found the
life coach who had that, or it just so happened that the life coach you
(15:55):
found had those abilities? Well, I believe that there's no
coincidences. We're we're divinely guided. So I
didn't know that at the time. I just knew that she was a life coach
and she was a friend of mine and she was good at what she did.
But then as I learned that, I I thought, wow, this is so cool because
I find this whole thing very, very interesting. Like, it was another
(16:15):
thing that piqued my interest. I always had as a child even. I
love the idea of, you know, unicorns, dragons, and and,
magic. Right? So so here I am
working with a life coach that is a psychic medium. And, of course,
you know, she's encouraging me to to work on my own gifts. Yeah.
I love that. I love that. Okay. All right. So now, you know, the podcast
(16:37):
is purpose, leadership, purpose and purpose is one of my
favorite. It's my, core passion, missions, the whole
thing. Purpose. My purpose is purpose.
Right. Alright. So Leadership Purpose. And the podcast
is for women who are high achievers. Most of them or many
are in leadership roles or other roles just leading their own lives. But
(17:00):
the things that they have in common, one or more of these things, they're responsible.
They are good at a couple things, they are ambitious in a
positive way, they are the one in their professional
role that people come to and ask them questions, whether it's related to their role
or not. And they're the ones in their home life and community,
neighbor, friends, people come to them and ask them for their advice, whether
(17:22):
they know anything about it or not. They're just the one. Right? And
so they're the one that's doing all that. So I thought, well, who
supports them while they're supporting everyone else? So I thought this was a
good and a goal for the podcast. And then I thought, especially
if they're at a place where they checked all the boxes of success, they
did everything what you should do, maybe go to college, get the job, or
(17:45):
whatever their path was set out for them. But now they're feeling
like they have this level of success no matter what level it is, but they're
successful but unfulfilled, and they want more meaning and purpose. But
they're no one to blow up their whole life or risk everything they built. So
I thought, well, maybe they can just get glimpses, which is what I was doing
when you and I were talking, some nuggets that they can get along the way
(18:06):
to help them kind of in their journey. Alright. So now with that woman
in mind, what's something you could say from it in any area of your
life and work? Because like I said before, I believe no matter what nugget we
get from a conversation, it'll help us. Right? Okay. So what would
you say to her from your personal life or professional life or
where she is in her journey that might be encouragement or advice?
(18:28):
Yeah. I would say take a leap of faith. You know, whether it
is you wanna go for that promotion in in your job or
whether you say, you know what? I'm tired of the nine to five. I wanna
become a business owner. Just have faith. Know that you
can do it and just take it. Take that leap of faith and just go
for it. I don't regret at all the difficult times that I went
(18:50):
through, especially when I was establishing my business, because it, let me tell you, there
were lean times. There were times when I was thinking, how am I gonna pay
the bills? Right. I don't regret that because there were lessons that I
learned through that experience that taught me a lot about myself, but
also about my self worth, You know, a lot of us, especially
women, especially women in our mid years, we have a lot of
(19:10):
worthiness wounds. So it taught me a lot about that and how
to heal that. So that's what I would say is just, you know, take
that first step and and just trust that it's going to be okay. Yeah.
Okay. You know, I couldn't help but pick up on the fact that you said
you learned some lessons in the lean times. What's a lesson
that pops to your mind, if any? That it doesn't matter
(19:32):
how nice your house is, the kind of car you
drive. What matters is you have a roof over your head,
a way to get around town even if it's taking the bus. Right?
That as long as your bills are paid and you're maintaining your
own sovereignty and independence, that is the most important
thing. And and safety as well. Making sure that you're safe. Right? Just
(19:56):
take care of you. Like, you are the most important thing. They tell us this
every time we get on an airplane. They tell us to to put the mask
on ourselves first. Right? But yet we don't do that in our everyday lives.
We try and take care of all the other people. We become people pleasers, all
that stuff. And quite frankly, those don't serve you. It's really about
you taking care of yourself. Yeah. Yeah. Now if all the if all your physical
(20:17):
needs are met for a person, do you think it's important that they have purpose?
If so, why? If not, why not? Yeah. Purpose is, I think,
extremely important because if you don't have purpose or a mission
in life and you don't have something that you're working towards, a goal,
something, then your day to day is going to become quite
boring. You know, it's it really is gonna be just the same old thing.
(20:40):
When I work with people, a lot of times I ask them if they've pulled
their astrological birth chart because your birth chart
is a fingerprint. It's very unique to you and
so the one thing that I encourage them to look at is their north
node. You know, you'll have your your sun sign, your moon sign, your
rising sign, all that fun stuff, which are important, but the
(21:01):
one thing that I think is critical for people to understand is what is your
north node? What is the placement of your north node when you were born?
Because your north node is your mission and purpose in this
lifetime. And so if you can connect with that and
say, okay. What are the things I love doing? Right? Maybe it's gardening.
Maybe I love gardening, but I'm not I'm not making any money at it.
(21:23):
But then you suddenly look at your north node and it's in alignment with
working in nature and plants and creating food sources
and beautifying landscapes, anything like that. Then
you realize, oh my gosh, I need to move my career,
my sustenance for resources, like money, like a
housing, like a car, like food. You know? I need to
(21:45):
move into that area versus working
a job that is kind of killing my soul.
Right? So that is a that's a big thing. Yes. And I
think I think, you know, your middle years of your life are the opportunity for
you to do those things. Yeah. Because it's okay to shift gears.
Totally okay. Yeah. Yeah. And I think you're speaking right to the heart
(22:08):
of the people who are listening in when they're in a position
right now where the work that they're doing is killing their soul to use
your phrase. So I think you spoke right to the heart of people. Yes. Alright.
You you have such a vast and very inspiring
and curious journey, career journey to this point, and I think
it's just amazing that you're sharing this with us. But before we
(22:30):
let you go and tell people how they can be in touch with you, is
there anything that I didn't get a chance to ask you that you wanna talk
about or anything that pops in your mind or any one more thing. If not,
it's okay, but I just wanted to give you the opportunity, just in case there
was something bubbling up for you. I can't think of anything in particular.
I I would say that, you know, when people embrace the woo,
(22:52):
I use the woo as in woo woo as it stands for
wise old owl. So go embrace your own woo, your
own wise old owl, and figure out what you wanna do with the rest of
your life, then just go do it. Okay. Thank you, Susie,
for that. Oh, that moment of woo. The moment of woo. Moment
of woo. Alright. So I'm imagining some people might wanna know, well, how can I
(23:13):
be in touch with Susie? How can I follow you? So where would you direct
them to? So the best place to find me is on my website. It's
finishthebookpublishing.com. Super simple. I it gives you
the the background, a little bit about my story. If you decide that you'd like
to book a reading with me, you absolutely can do that, right there on my
website. You can also, schedule a consultation if you have a book in
you. Would love to chat about your book. So there's there's a whole
(23:37):
bunch of information there, and that's the best place to find me. K. Tell us
the link again, the website URL. It's
finishthebookpublishing.com. I mean, that says it all.
Yeah. Pretty simple. Yes. Susie, thank
you so much for taking time. I know you had a very full day today
and you still have more. So thank you for taking time out of your day
to share your wisdom and your heart with us. Really appreciate it. Thank you,
(23:59):
Dr. Robin, and thank you for serving such a wonderful community. Glad to hear
you say that. You're welcome. Alright, everyone. I'd love to hear your
response to this episode and or any comments you have
about the the podcast. I ask you to follow
me on LinkedIn. So go ahead and ask the connection request. I'd
love to hear your thoughts at Robin L Owens
(24:21):
PhD at Robin L Owens PhD. That's
LinkedIn. And if you your other channels are your favorite ones, I'm over there
too. Same thing at Robin L. Owens PhD. And we
always have a resource for you at the podcast website,
leadershippurposepodcast.com, leadership purpose
podcast dot com. So I'd love to hear from you. And until next
(24:43):
time, this is Dr. Robin. Thank
you for tuning into this episode of the Leadership Purpose with
Dr. Robin podcast. If you enjoyed it, head on
over and rate and subscribe so you never miss an
episode. New episodes drop every week, and I
can't wait to hang out with you again soon.
(25:05):
Meanwhile, this is Dr. Robin
signing off. See you next time.
Welcome to the Leadership Purpose with Dr Robin podcast.
I'm your host, Robin L Owens, PhD. I'm a college
professor. And when I'm not doing that, I am teaching others
how to find and stay in alignment with their true purpose.
And this is where we talk with women who've made bold career
transitions in search for more meaning and purpose in
(00:24):
their work. So if you're feeling that pull toward more meaning and purpose in
your work or just curious about what's possible when you
pursue purpose over position, then these
conversations are here to encourage, inspire,
and guide you. Okay. Let's get started.
Hi, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of the Leadership
(00:47):
Purpose with Dr. Robin podcast. I'm so glad you're here
and listening into the podcast. I really appreciate you for taking time to
listen to the podcast. And because you have been such faithful
listeners, you helped us get ranked in the top 5%
of all podcasts globally according to Listen Notes. So thank you
for doing that. And of course, we ask you to help us keep it
(01:10):
going. Rate, subscribe, review, and that will help
us keep bringing you the podcast. All right. Now I can't
wait. I just can't wait to get into today's conversation.
Today, I'm talking with Susie Schaefer. Now let me
tell you a little bit about Susie. Susie Schaefer is the
CEO and founder of Finish the Book Publishing.
(01:32):
Alright. You get, you had me at that. But anyway, Susie is known
as a transformational book doula for "cause
publishing". She believes that books are a gateway to creating a
movement. Whether writing a book that helps an author heal the past
trauma or raise awareness for social change, Susie
empowers storytellers to be a part of the global
(01:54):
conversation and create a ripple effect for humanity.
She's all about humanity and I love that. And when
she's not reading, publishing books, or writing award winning screenplays,
she could be found practicing yoga, meditating on a beach, or
planning her next travel adventure. Welcome, Susie
Schaefer. Thank you so much, Dr. Robin. I appreciate being here
(02:17):
today. I'm so glad you're here. I can't wait to get into this conversation. We
were talking before, and I was just really inspired by your
story and just you as a person. Alright. But you heard me talk you
read your sort of official introduction slash bio. Why don't you
tell us in your own words more about two things, who you
are and what you do? Yeah. So who I am is
(02:39):
someone who is, multifaceted, I would say.
I happen to have one of those brains that is very equally balanced
with the left and right brain. So I'm able to understand the business
aspects, the technical aspects of publishing, as well as the creative side.
So that's really kind of who I am. In addition to
the publishing, I also do spiritual readings for people. And so
(03:02):
I love tapping into that. Sometimes, especially when I'm working with
authors, we find that they may have blocks that are coming up for them, whether
it's in their writing or really just being able to kind of
own it and and, you know, be confident about
putting their messages to the world. And sometimes when we do readings for
them, we uncover what those blocks are, and it allows them to go ahead
(03:24):
and, work through that process and heal that. Yeah. That sounds wonderful.
And it's I think it's a unique mix. Well, I don't know if it's unique
broadly, but unique to people that I know and talk to that you have
that balance of both the kind of left brain, right brain. And it sounds
like your business combines both even in what you're doing,
your approach to helping authors get their work out and also helping
(03:46):
them clear the inside. So it seems to to fit just balanced
nicely in there. Alright. So now tell us how you came to do
this work. Well, ten years ago, I went
through a divorce and I was living in Colorado at the time. And I had
a friend who introduced me to independent publishing. And she
said, do you want to learn this? And I said, absolutely. If you read on
(04:08):
my website, I tell a little story about the fact that I've always loved books.
I was an early reader as a child. And so I
jumped right in. And as I was learning the publishing
industry, I was working, like, five jobs. You know? It was crazy. And then a
few years later, I moved back to California to be supportive to my family,
and then I decided to to launch Finish the Book Publishing as my own
(04:29):
brand. And, you know, we had a few years during COVID that
things were a little iffy, like, you know, are we're business owners gonna survive?
And then coming out of that, we found a lot of people were doing the
writing during COVID. And so all of a sudden we had this flood
of business that was coming in with people who wrote their stories
and and share their own unique experiences and then wanted to
(04:51):
publish. And some of those experiences were, you know, based on
what the the pandemic situation was for them and their families, but other
people, talked more about their own spiritual awakening
or how did their business do during that time. So
the publishing industry has really expanded a lot with the
invent of independent publishing. And so I'm really grateful that I can be a
(05:14):
part of that. Yeah. It's a true I think a true gift to people, to
authors and the readers of their books that you're doing that work.
Okay. So now let's go back to you said it started ten years ago, and
someone said to you, you know, would you like to learn this? Okay.
You told us that you're a reader. So, okay, passionate reader.
But my guess is most people, or at least many people who
(05:36):
are passionate readers, if they got the same question posed to them, they
wouldn't just jump in and say yes. So what was the thing that drew you
to publishing? You know what I mean? There's a a little gap between being a
reader and publishing. Tell us about that. I
think I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit. And, you know, that's one
of those things that if you don't love the fact that, you know,
(05:58):
being an entrepreneur has its own plunges, then it wouldn't be a fit
for you. But the whole idea of me, working in
this industry and helping other authors publish their books,
being of service, it really being the guide, the the
book doula for people to share their own stories and
become a storyteller in their own right, that was something that really appealed to
(06:21):
me. And the idea of me being able to create a business
and establish a legacy was was something that I
thought, you know what? I can do that. I wanna do that. So, yeah, and
I have to say, you know, kudos to my best friend. She's the one who
said to me, you know, you could just start your own business. And I was
like, what? Oh, I guess I could just start my own
(06:42):
business. So but, yeah, it's that entrepreneurial spirit is
something that you really have to have if you're gonna undertake, you know, creating a
successful business. Now did you know that there was some
storyteller part of you, at the time that this you
know, when she said to you, you would you like to learn about publishing?
Like, do you is there another part of you that you know that has been
(07:04):
interested in storytelling, whether yours or others before this?
Absolutely. As a child, I loved escaping
into books. For me, that was a a pastime because, you know,
we growing up, I didn't get a lot of TV time. That just wasn't the
way the world worked back then. But I could always pick up a book,
and I could escape into another era,
(07:26):
another town, into a fantasy land. And so
for me, it was that whole creative aspect of
just being able to be entrenched in some other world.
And so, yeah, I think I've always been a storyteller and
just the ability to work with other people to tell their
stories. Yeah. And and typically, you know, I've I've started out
(07:48):
working in both fiction, nonfiction, children's books. I
do more, nonfiction, spiritual books, faith based
children now. But even just the the fiction books are always they're always
fun. You know, there's always an interesting story. Some of my favorites are the
ones that are true stories that that do tell about a family
legacy or about, you know, a traumatic event
(08:11):
that turned the corner and created something beautiful out of
that. Yeah. So I see the connection between the storytelling and the
reading in the publishing. Now let's see if there's anything. Was there anything
about little Susie who had any entrepreneurial I mean, even if you
didn't call it that back then, but do you remember anything that sorta
kinda reflected who you are as an entrepreneur back when you were little
(08:33):
Susie? You know, I don't I don't really think so. You'd probably have to ask
my mom that. But, you know, I can remember even when I worked in
corporate America doing multiple, you know,
multilevel marketing types of businesses on the
side, you know, just so I can remember doing that a lot,
but I really, I don't know what and, you know, honestly,
(08:55):
like my dad was, somewhat of an entrepreneur too. My
grandparents were. So I think that that's kind of ingrained in
me, but sometimes when you go to college and
you embark on your life, you do the things that you are, you think you're
supposed to do, which is, you know, go to college, get a job, all
the things. Right. Right. And, and sometimes, you know,
(09:17):
becoming an entrepreneur may seem really risky and difficult. And
and back in the day, you know, it wasn't as easy to become an
entrepreneur and to launch a business. Today, literally, anybody
can do it, and there's tons of resources out there to, you know, help
you along your own path. Yeah. Yeah. I'm very, intrigued by
your story because I'm guessing there's somebody who is where you
(09:40):
were. They were in corporate right now and they're thinking about it.
So I'm hoping they're getting some clues from your story because
you took some of your early passions reading and it made it a thing. Right?
And then there were some influences. If you think about your early work,
even in corporate, business was hanging around your mind and
you wanted to do something. So whether theirs is business or
(10:02):
not, I'm hoping they get some clues to say, hey, I'm in
corporate. What's the thing I'm always doing on the side? Or what's the thing I
did when I was a little girl? Or what's the thing that is in my
family that might be ingrained? So I'm hoping that they get that inspiration as
you're sharing your story. But now that we're talking we've talked about corporate,
let's say a little more about what you were doing and the thing
(10:24):
that got you to the point of transition because, again, that might
inspire someone who's on their way or thinking about it. Yeah. So
I had a number of years in in corporate America. My background's in actually,
hotel and restaurant management. That's the why the pineapple.
Right? So that's a nod to my years in the
hospitality industry, but it also represents the hospitality friendship
(10:46):
welcoming. And, so it really, for me, is
reflective of me helping other people get their books out into the world.
But, you know, I had a background in human resources. I worked in,
commercial television, radio. I've done voiceover work.
So, yeah, I have a very eclectic background. And it I think
it's a lot of that was because I never found the thing that was the
(11:08):
perfect fit until I was able to embark on this entrepreneur
journey and work with authors and become a storyteller
and all those things. So, yeah, I think that lends a lot to it. But
the the ability to have not only financial freedom, but
also the freedom of to travel and to see the world and
to go meet with author clients and to go to conferences
(11:31):
and all those types of things. I wouldn't have been able to have that
type of freedom had I continued in corporate America. You make an
intentional decision to leave corporate to start a business, or was it just
life circumstances and then you kinda fell into it? It was a lot of
life circumstances. And and I always say, you know, you get those nudges
and sometimes you need a shove. You know? So, it
(11:54):
the shove was my divorce and, you know, moving from a, you
know, rural area to back to the city and trying to figure
out what am I gonna do with my life. You know? Here I was in
my forties and saying, okay. This is this is your opportunity to have
a do over or restart. And a lot of us in the
middle years of our lives do go through that type of experience. And
(12:16):
so I said, okay. What am I gonna do? And so when I
was offered this opportunity, I thought, well, this really feels like it's it.
It's the thing. Right? So yeah. So I was I was very
fortunate that I had, I had some things to fall back on and pick up
and kinda just say, okay, we're hitting the restart button.
Love that. And another another clue for people listening,
(12:39):
you got excited when the opportunity was offered to you. It sounds like
yeah. Absolutely. I thought, wow. This is so different
and so unique. And yet because I was offered the
opportunity and it came from someone that was a true friend,
I felt supported in it that I knew that I could still work my
five jobs, you know, to make ends meet, but still learn this industry
(13:02):
and learn it from somebody who was established and credible and
trustworthy. Yeah. Yeah. So that's another clue for people listening.
If you're offered an opportunity and you are you are excited about it, don't
ignore it. It could be the thing, and especially if it's coming from a trusted
person or source. Absolutely. I think that many times we
fail to trust our intuition, and intuition is a big
(13:23):
thing. You know. And when you we don't trust that intuition. It's like
it's the nudges. Right? So when you don't trust your intuition, you're
gonna you're gonna come back and revisit that situation at some point
again. Yeah. Right. So now speaking of intuition, and you talked about,
I'll call it for just a shorthand, the spiritual side of your work. Mhmm.
Alright. So now we were looking at your career and looking back at the early
(13:46):
you to see if there is reflection. So what about the spiritual side of
your work? We know you were a reader, but was there any inclination that you
had that, when you were little, Susie? Yeah. Absolutely.
It was very intuitive as a child. I had a very active
imagination. What I didn't understand is that a lot of my imagination
(14:06):
when I was younger was actually clairvoyance, clairaudience. And so,
you know, we don't get taught those things in school. And a lot of times,
they are looked at as you're being a little too weird or,
you know, you're you have a very active imagination. Right? Or
you're you're too sensitive. Like, that we get a lot of that when we're growing
up. And so we are generally taught to kind of shut
(14:28):
down those abilities. And so, you know, we do.
But I knew as very, very young that I had something
different about me. So it wasn't until, you know, here I was
in my forties and after my divorce, instead of going to really work
with a therapist, you know, to, to work through the, the
trauma of, the doors, I decided to work with a
(14:50):
life coach who happened to be a psychic medium. And she was the one who
told me, she said, you know, you have, you have gifts and they're, they're
powerful. And I said, okay. So I started working
on really honing those, those gifts and those skills
by doing my own readings. And then but I didn't tell anybody. For
years, I didn't tell anybody. I was like, oh, like, you know, hiding in the
(15:11):
closet kind of thing. And it was, you know,
another colleague who I had done a reading for. And she says, why don't
you, you know, years later when I had my business, she said, why don't
you take that, incorporate that into the publishing? And I thought,
oh, people are gonna just think I'm wacko, you know? But
really what happened is when I did that and I really became my
(15:33):
true authentic self, that's when my business really started booming. I love that,
especially that phrase, you became your true authentic self because you put it all
together. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Alright. So now I wanna go back
a little bit to you said, alright. After your divorce, you're working with a life
coach who had these psychic abilities. Was it intentional that you found the
life coach who had that, or it just so happened that the life coach you
(15:55):
found had those abilities? Well, I believe that there's no
coincidences. We're we're divinely guided. So I
didn't know that at the time. I just knew that she was a life coach
and she was a friend of mine and she was good at what she did.
But then as I learned that, I I thought, wow, this is so cool because
I find this whole thing very, very interesting. Like, it was another
(16:15):
thing that piqued my interest. I always had as a child even. I
love the idea of, you know, unicorns, dragons, and and,
magic. Right? So so here I am
working with a life coach that is a psychic medium. And, of course,
you know, she's encouraging me to to work on my own gifts. Yeah.
I love that. I love that. Okay. All right. So now, you know, the podcast
(16:37):
is purpose, leadership, purpose and purpose is one of my
favorite. It's my, core passion, missions, the whole
thing. Purpose. My purpose is purpose.
Right. Alright. So Leadership Purpose. And the podcast
is for women who are high achievers. Most of them or many
are in leadership roles or other roles just leading their own lives. But
(17:00):
the things that they have in common, one or more of these things, they're responsible.
They are good at a couple things, they are ambitious in a
positive way, they are the one in their professional
role that people come to and ask them questions, whether it's related to their role
or not. And they're the ones in their home life and community,
neighbor, friends, people come to them and ask them for their advice, whether
(17:22):
they know anything about it or not. They're just the one. Right? And
so they're the one that's doing all that. So I thought, well, who
supports them while they're supporting everyone else? So I thought this was a
good and a goal for the podcast. And then I thought, especially
if they're at a place where they checked all the boxes of success, they
did everything what you should do, maybe go to college, get the job, or
(17:45):
whatever their path was set out for them. But now they're feeling
like they have this level of success no matter what level it is, but they're
successful but unfulfilled, and they want more meaning and purpose. But
they're no one to blow up their whole life or risk everything they built. So
I thought, well, maybe they can just get glimpses, which is what I was doing
when you and I were talking, some nuggets that they can get along the way
(18:06):
to help them kind of in their journey. Alright. So now with that woman
in mind, what's something you could say from it in any area of your
life and work? Because like I said before, I believe no matter what nugget we
get from a conversation, it'll help us. Right? Okay. So what would
you say to her from your personal life or professional life or
where she is in her journey that might be encouragement or advice?
(18:28):
Yeah. I would say take a leap of faith. You know, whether it
is you wanna go for that promotion in in your job or
whether you say, you know what? I'm tired of the nine to five. I wanna
become a business owner. Just have faith. Know that you
can do it and just take it. Take that leap of faith and just go
for it. I don't regret at all the difficult times that I went
(18:50):
through, especially when I was establishing my business, because it, let me tell you, there
were lean times. There were times when I was thinking, how am I gonna pay
the bills? Right. I don't regret that because there were lessons that I
learned through that experience that taught me a lot about myself, but
also about my self worth, You know, a lot of us, especially
women, especially women in our mid years, we have a lot of
(19:10):
worthiness wounds. So it taught me a lot about that and how
to heal that. So that's what I would say is just, you know, take
that first step and and just trust that it's going to be okay. Yeah.
Okay. You know, I couldn't help but pick up on the fact that you said
you learned some lessons in the lean times. What's a lesson
that pops to your mind, if any? That it doesn't matter
(19:32):
how nice your house is, the kind of car you
drive. What matters is you have a roof over your head,
a way to get around town even if it's taking the bus. Right?
That as long as your bills are paid and you're maintaining your
own sovereignty and independence, that is the most important
thing. And and safety as well. Making sure that you're safe. Right? Just
(19:56):
take care of you. Like, you are the most important thing. They tell us this
every time we get on an airplane. They tell us to to put the mask
on ourselves first. Right? But yet we don't do that in our everyday lives.
We try and take care of all the other people. We become people pleasers, all
that stuff. And quite frankly, those don't serve you. It's really about
you taking care of yourself. Yeah. Yeah. Now if all the if all your physical
(20:17):
needs are met for a person, do you think it's important that they have purpose?
If so, why? If not, why not? Yeah. Purpose is, I think,
extremely important because if you don't have purpose or a mission
in life and you don't have something that you're working towards, a goal,
something, then your day to day is going to become quite
boring. You know, it's it really is gonna be just the same old thing.
(20:40):
When I work with people, a lot of times I ask them if they've pulled
their astrological birth chart because your birth chart
is a fingerprint. It's very unique to you and
so the one thing that I encourage them to look at is their north
node. You know, you'll have your your sun sign, your moon sign, your
rising sign, all that fun stuff, which are important, but the
(21:01):
one thing that I think is critical for people to understand is what is your
north node? What is the placement of your north node when you were born?
Because your north node is your mission and purpose in this
lifetime. And so if you can connect with that and
say, okay. What are the things I love doing? Right? Maybe it's gardening.
Maybe I love gardening, but I'm not I'm not making any money at it.
(21:23):
But then you suddenly look at your north node and it's in alignment with
working in nature and plants and creating food sources
and beautifying landscapes, anything like that. Then
you realize, oh my gosh, I need to move my career,
my sustenance for resources, like money, like a
housing, like a car, like food. You know? I need to
(21:45):
move into that area versus working
a job that is kind of killing my soul.
Right? So that is a that's a big thing. Yes. And I
think I think, you know, your middle years of your life are the opportunity for
you to do those things. Yeah. Because it's okay to shift gears.
Totally okay. Yeah. Yeah. And I think you're speaking right to the heart
(22:08):
of the people who are listening in when they're in a position
right now where the work that they're doing is killing their soul to use
your phrase. So I think you spoke right to the heart of people. Yes. Alright.
You you have such a vast and very inspiring
and curious journey, career journey to this point, and I think
it's just amazing that you're sharing this with us. But before we
(22:30):
let you go and tell people how they can be in touch with you, is
there anything that I didn't get a chance to ask you that you wanna talk
about or anything that pops in your mind or any one more thing. If not,
it's okay, but I just wanted to give you the opportunity, just in case there
was something bubbling up for you. I can't think of anything in particular.
I I would say that, you know, when people embrace the woo,
(22:52):
I use the woo as in woo woo as it stands for
wise old owl. So go embrace your own woo, your
own wise old owl, and figure out what you wanna do with the rest of
your life, then just go do it. Okay. Thank you, Susie,
for that. Oh, that moment of woo. The moment of woo. Moment
of woo. Alright. So I'm imagining some people might wanna know, well, how can I
(23:13):
be in touch with Susie? How can I follow you? So where would you direct
them to? So the best place to find me is on my website. It's
finishthebookpublishing.com. Super simple. I it gives you
the the background, a little bit about my story. If you decide that you'd like
to book a reading with me, you absolutely can do that, right there on my
website. You can also, schedule a consultation if you have a book in
you. Would love to chat about your book. So there's there's a whole
(23:37):
bunch of information there, and that's the best place to find me. K. Tell us
the link again, the website URL. It's
finishthebookpublishing.com. I mean, that says it all.
Yeah. Pretty simple. Yes. Susie, thank
you so much for taking time. I know you had a very full day today
and you still have more. So thank you for taking time out of your day
to share your wisdom and your heart with us. Really appreciate it. Thank you,
(23:59):
Dr. Robin, and thank you for serving such a wonderful community. Glad to hear
you say that. You're welcome. Alright, everyone. I'd love to hear your
response to this episode and or any comments you have
about the the podcast. I ask you to follow
me on LinkedIn. So go ahead and ask the connection request. I'd
love to hear your thoughts at Robin L Owens
(24:21):
PhD at Robin L Owens PhD. That's
LinkedIn. And if you your other channels are your favorite ones, I'm over there
too. Same thing at Robin L. Owens PhD. And we
always have a resource for you at the podcast website,
leadershippurposepodcast.com, leadership purpose
podcast dot com. So I'd love to hear from you. And until next
(24:43):
time, this is Dr. Robin. Thank
you for tuning into this episode of the Leadership Purpose with
Dr. Robin podcast. If you enjoyed it, head on
over and rate and subscribe so you never miss an
episode. New episodes drop every week, and I
can't wait to hang out with you again soon.
(25:05):
Meanwhile, this is Dr. Robin
signing off. See you next time.
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