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June 29, 2025 • 35 mins
LS Kirkpatrick introduces Dina Marais, who shares her background and delves into the themes of her book, focusing on the normalization of miracles and the inspiration behind her writing. Dina discusses soul contracts and personal loss, offering insights into how these concepts influence her work. LS Kirkpatrick shares a personal story, while Dina highlights feedback she has received and reads a favorite chapter excerpt. The conversation touches on the process of finding and publishing her book, the value of collaborative works, and provides insights into the publishing world. The episode ends with contact information for Dina Marais, reflections on the discussion, and closing remarks encouraging listener engagement.
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Episode Transcript

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(00:00):
Welcome back.
Or if this is your first time, welcome toreading between the words podcast.
This is where we dive into the spaces betweenthe words, which is where meaning and wisdom
stirs.
Join us as we open the door between the pageand the person.
You'll hear the heart of the author, thepurpose behind the book, and the transformation
to ignite your life or your business.
Welcome to another episode of reading betweenthe words.

(00:23):
And today, we have Dina with us.
If I'm a little off today, we had a littleincident with our big bull growing up.
And, so we're gonna make sure we can get thisdone right.
So, Dina, I'm so glad you're here.
Tell our audience just a little bit about whoyou are before we actually get into your book.

(00:48):
Sure.
And thank you, Alice.
I'm Dina Marie, and I am the founder of SoulPurpose Publishing and Coaching.
And I'm also a seven time internationalbestselling author.
I've published multiple books, bestsellers, andI'm also a coach, a self alignment coach.

(01:15):
And I have been in coaching for a very longtime, and in 2022, I started my publishing
business.
And I haven't looked back.
I really enjoy every minute of it.
Oh, I I agree with you.
I love publishing.
I love helping people get their books out, andyou can't have too many of us.

(01:37):
There's so many people who wanna get their bookwritten.
So there's no competition.
We're all working in it together, and I lovethat.
I love
that.
Absolutely.
Written your own book, you know, instead of youknow, besides helping other people with theirs,
you have your own book.
What's the title of your book?
Well, the book that I've written and,basically, I have written a chapter in all of

(02:03):
my multi author books.
I'm busy with writing with my solo solo book.
The last the last book is called I'm So GladYou Left Me.
And I actually have a copy right be behind me.
Yay.
There we go.
I'm so glad you left me with butterflies flyingon the cover.

(02:26):
Very nice.
And it's 88 stories of courage and self loveand personal growth.
That's awesome.
Yeah.
That's about all my all my books.
You know?
The other ones first was my message, and thenfollowed success with source, and after that,

(02:47):
another my mess is my message volume two.
And and then I'm so glad you left me.
It's 88 stories, as I said.
And now I'm busy with divine rebirth, which isstories of spiritual awakening and surrender

(03:07):
and rebirth, And, also, another 88 book,Miracles are Normal, 88 stories of divine
interventions and magical manifestations.
That's awesome.
You know, the very first anthology book I didwhere other authors are, you know, right

(03:29):
through chapter four, it was called modern daymiracles experienced by ordinary people because
I wanted people to know that you don't have tobe a saint or some highly religious people to
experience a miracle.
People experience miracles every day, and someof us acknowledge it.
Some of us don't.

(03:50):
You know?
I have to say this incident with a bull, forthose who don't know, my husband and I were
trying to get wire off of our bull's leg, andwe didn't raise him from a calf.
He wasn't hand raised by us.
And he's 18 at the age that he's finding outhow tough he can be.

(04:12):
And, he didn't like us messing with him, and hefinally said, that's it.
I've had enough.
He took my husband down, took me down, And itcould be a very different story if a miracle
didn't happen.
My husband was on the ground not once, buttwice by this bull, got drugged by him twice,

(04:34):
you know, as as he had the lasso wrapped aroundhis leg and the bull drugged him on the ground.
I saw my husband on the ground, and I was surethe bull was killing him.
He was just had his head down.
He was going back and forth.
And, the first time he got hit, I couldn'tbelieve my husband got up again.

(05:00):
Well, the bull didn't like it that he got up,so he knocked him down, dragged him another
five feet up, and pushed him in the ground.
I really expected my husband to have all kindsof internal injuries, head injuries, maybe not
even be alive, maybe not survive it.

(05:20):
And he ended up standing up.
Definitely has a lot of pain, but his insideswere okay.
We both got bruised ribs from it.
But I can't believe, you know, it it could havebeen a very different story.
The miracle is that instead of us both being ina coma or our children and grandchildren

(05:45):
burying us, we're alive walking around goingback to work, and and it is.
We were very much being watched out for, for ayoung bull, frustrated, not understanding what
we were doing, and then realizing, I'm notgonna let you do this anymore.

(06:08):
You Oh.
If you've never seen seen a bull attack aperson, go to YouTube.
I'm sure there's plenty of videos on there toshow you what goes on.
Wow.
And, yeah.
So enough of that.
We're here about your book.
But it's true.
Miracles happen all the time.
They're still happening now.

(06:29):
I agree.
I think life is a miracle.
And as you say, you know, the book is really tonormalize miracles so that people can recognize
them.
Even the smallest thing that happens for us isactually a miracle.
Yeah.
I remember one time somebody told me that, theywere so frustrated.

(06:52):
You know?
The tire had to be changed on their car makingthem late for where they were going and and,
come to find out if they had not had that flattire, they would have been right in the center
of an accident.
Oh.
Same thing with me.
I was in a line of cars.

(07:13):
They were going slow.
People were getting impatient.
They were behind a tractor.
You know, you live in a rural America.
Weird things happen.
And I hear this little voice that I have to payattention to because it always messes up if I
don't.
And it just said pull over because there was aturnout up ahead, and I thought, I don't like
being bunched up with cars.

(07:35):
I want some distance between us.
So I pulled over.
All of a sudden, I hear this wham, and the carthat I was following was behind the car that
hit this other car head on.
That car was an accident.
If I would have been there, my car would havebeen in an accident because the second car that

(07:58):
got behind them was also involved in it.
So, you know, little miracles.
Little miracles.
Yeah.
The people came out of that one okay.
Thank goodness that we have creative minds andwith imagination who created, you know, airbags
and more safety features on our vehicles, evensafety belts.

(08:21):
But, but, yeah, listening to that little voiceor or maybe being a little bit late because of
a flat tire, you know, those are miracles.
They do keep you safe.
And and when you stop to think about your life,if you don't wanna recognize them, you know,
that's your choice.
But when you do recognize them, you realize howvaluable you are in this world.

(08:46):
And some people say, well, I don't understandwhy.
And it's like, because you're you.
There's no one else like you, and that makesyou so valuable.
But, again, talking about our miracle books andmiracles, but we really wanna talk about your

(09:07):
your book with the butterflies on it that thatsays I'm so glad you're gone.
I think that was the title.
Is that correct?
I'm so glad you left me.
Yeah.
I'm so glad you left me.
Now that can open up a whole lot of doors forother things.
So tell us what the book is really about.
So so this book, the title came to me when thetitle came to me, I thought it was about my my

(09:33):
husband's recent passing because he passed atthe end of Feb twenty twenty three.
And and I thought that you know?
And, you know, it sounds terrible to say.
I'm so glad you left me, but it there'sactually a a spiritual connotation to that.

(09:54):
We were actually a split soul.
We went to an immunologist many years ago justafter we got married, and she told us we were a
split soul.
And
What does that mean?
I'm I'm must must tell you, I'm not actuallyquite sure myself.
It's like a soul is in two bodies or, you know,something like that.

(10:17):
I assumed.
I just
wanna make sure.
Well, that that's what I assumed myself.
And so he had a freak accident, and eightmonths later, he he he passed away.
And
Mhmm.

(10:37):
And I thought at that stage, it was actuallyvery interesting how it came that that I set up
my publishing business that I basically, it waslike the universe prepared us that I can
continue on my own.

(10:58):
Nice.
And, you know, we all have a soul curriculumhere.
We all have a soul contract.
We're not I always say our lives are not ourown.
We are here to honor our souls.
And so I definitely believe that because he wasa very strong man, I believe that that was an

(11:19):
accident that he had to leave so that I canhave the room to actually fulfill my soul
contract.
Mhmm.
Because I wouldn't have been able to do that.
You know?
We were married for forty years.
Wow.

(11:39):
And yeah.
And so that is what I thought the story wasabout.
You know?
It's about that loss.
And and then the book opened up.
Then it was about a loss of friendship maybe ora loss of a family relationship.
And then it was about in the end, it was abouta previous version of yourself that you

(12:05):
transcended.
Okay.
And and so there were a lot of women who wroteabout divorce in the book.
There's stories about loss, even loss of achild.
Also,
addiction.
You know?

(12:26):
Transcending addiction, that version of thisthis wonderful woman who who ruined her whole
life, lost her child and everything throughaddiction, and how she overcame that.
So this book has a lot of authors in it.
It's several yes.

(12:46):
How many?
88.
88.
That's how you have 88 stories.
right.
Yeah.
Wow.
They're all short.
They're short.
For a lot of people in a lot of differentsituations.
Yes.
That's really good.
It's like it's only the chapters are only 800words each.

(13:08):
Okay.
So it's like you could easily binge readingbecause you read a you read a chapter and you
think, oh, what's the next one?
Yes.
And
you you continue to page over.
It's we have really a lot of reviews on Amazonabout the book.
People really enjoyed it.

(13:29):
The people who all all the authors whoparticipated, they really loved it, you know,
to participate and, you know, the whole processof going through an an a launch and getting
bestseller.
One thing that I'm sorry about that I didn'tdo, actually, I want to find out from Amazon if

(13:49):
I still can, is that the book achieved numberone bestseller in four countries and in, I
think, more than one category.
And my designer asked me if I if I wanna putthe Amazon bestseller badge on the on the

(14:10):
cover, and I and I said no.
And afterwards, I thought to myself, I maybe Ishould have done that because it was really a a
huge bestseller at that time.
Right.
Right.
Well, you can see I have it on my books, but Idid that for the authors because they asked me

(14:31):
to do that.
And, you see it on the other books.
The first book doesn't have it because one thatwas never the intention of the book.
The intention of the book was to give people aplace to have their voice be heard, give them
an opportunity to be a published author.
And and most of people that were in there, itwas their first time ever publishing anything,

(14:57):
whether it was their photograph or their storyor their poetry, because it's a mix of of
different things of different types of art,whether it's writing or, painting or or
photography.
It's beautiful.
And and, you know, it was okay.

(15:19):
They were happy because they actually got tohold something that they did in their hands.
So when I came to the second book, the seven ofthe 22 asked if they could get it to number
one.
And I thought, well, I don't know because thatwasn't the intention of the book, but I knew

(15:40):
somebody.
I wasn't publishing myself at that time, and Iknew someone who could help us.
And and they they and I said, you realize thatwhen you become get this book to number one,
everyone in the book is number one.
And they may not want to participate in this,which some did not.
They said, no.

(16:00):
I just wanted my story published.
And, the ones who wanted it to go to number onesaid, that's okay.
And so in a way, it was another way to giveback to the authors.
You know, we got it to number one, andeverybody became number one.
And a couple of the people who didn't want toparticipate said, wow.

(16:24):
That feels pretty good.
I didn't didn't think about that aspect of it.
So, yeah, I mean, it's it really is up to you,up to the other authors, what you want to do.
You know, it's it's a wonderful thing to beable to show your book that automatically goes
to number one.

(16:44):
But is that what you want people to concentratewhen they see the book?
Do you want them to see, oh, it's number one,so I'm buying it for that reason, Or do you
want them to see the cover to see, and you dohave an absolutely beautiful cover.
Do you want them to be engrossed in the bookthat way?
But that being said helps.

(17:07):
Number one can actually boost that.
It's like, not only is that a great cover and agreat title, and it has all these stories in it
and these different authors, which gives you areally great variety of perspective in life.
And now it's also number one.
So you know?
Yeah.

(17:27):
I thought to ask because the authors actuallyasked me, but I said no.
And many of them actually bought their theirnumber one stickers, and they, you know, they
put it on their books.
So Nice.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But I will I I thought I'd ask Amazon.
There you go.
It's always better to ask.

(17:48):
And you would think, oh, we'll just do it andask forgiveness later.
It's like, doesn't work that way when you'vegot printers, especially large companies like
that.
It's always better to ask, of course.
But, congratulations on getting it to numberone, bestseller, especially in four countries.
That's just wonderful.
I'm I'm so proud of you for that.

(18:11):
What do you think?
Or maybe you've heard feedback already.
What what did the authors themselves who havewritten their story, what do you think they got
out of it besides being a number onebestselling author?

(18:31):
That's always a nice bonus.
But we usually have a reason why we're writinga story.
And so what has been some of the feedback?
Well, you know, the reason why I do books is toit's like an advertorial as well for the
author.
They put their photo, their links at the end ofevery chapter.

(18:56):
There's I don't know who the author is.
And then as part of always as part of the valuethat I give the authors is I I coach them on
how to make the most of the book in terms ofhaving a program, having a course, at the you
know, when the book launches because peoplereally can if they invest in any multi author

(19:22):
book and they leverage when the book launches,they can make their whole investment back plus
a profit by creating a program or maybe theyhave one already and make a tweak or add
something to it that is based on their on theon the on the story in the book and, of course,

(19:44):
the fact that they are a best selling author.
And launched the book, launched their program,and voila.
There's the money that they invested inbecoming a a a bestselling author back plus a
profit.
So
It's very important to do that.
That is.
I agree with that very much so.

(20:06):
But I wonder, in your book, is everyone whocontributed to a chapter to your book, did they
all have a business that they're running?
Do they all teach a course?
Not everyone, but most people.
There was an author who wanted to stayanonymous.

(20:26):
She didn't want she wrote also about she wroteabout her divorces that she had.
She had more than one.
And she didn't want to but she really it wasreally a great transformation for her and
experience for giving a beautiful newperspective on everything by writing her story.

(20:48):
Nice.
And so, you know, really exceptions of peoplewho don't have a business.
And I sometimes people pivot and they start anew business, and then they write about their
journey to basically showcase their newbusiness.
That is fine too.

(21:08):
And other people have seasoned businesses andthey do very well, and this is again for them,
a new opportunity to reintroduce themselves tothe world, which is also perfect for me.
Yeah.
Most people all have businesses.
Wonderful.

(21:30):
Do you want to read part of your book?
Like, maybe part of your chapter
I can.
Or one that you really like?
Yeah.
I I have so many amazing there are so manychapters in here that are just absolutely
beautiful.

(21:52):
Yeah.
This one feels like this can be really good.
And it's a it's a chapter by Harry Bunz, Thetitle of her chapter is I kissed someone else
and what happened next.

(22:15):
And she says, after what felt like years ofholding it in, I could not bear the guilt and
constant whirlwind of thoughts in my mind.
Our wedding was about was almost upon us.
It was now or never.
I was frightened.
I had no idea what might happen, but out camethe worst.

(22:35):
I kissed someone on New Year's Eve.
It was out.
It felt like a huge weight falling off myshoulders.
Seeing the person in front of me breaking downin tears brought everything home.
It was over, and there was no going back.
He he said the trust had been broken.

(22:56):
I knew.
I crumbled into a heap.
I'm not sure how I got through those first fewdays.
We divided our possessions, sold the house.
Thank goodness no children were involved, and Imoved into my new home.
And then, of course, magical things began tohappen.

(23:16):
And the book had a great story because her lifetook a whole new trajectory.
Everything was changed into a new way.
And today, of course, she met someone else, andthat was really her soulmate.
So as you said, you know, sometimes the thetire gets flat, and sometimes this happens, and

(23:38):
sometimes that happens.
Yeah.
And it's all for us to steer us in the rightdirection.
Oh, absolutely.
So where can readers get your book?
Is it just on Amazon?
Do you have a website?
I have a website.

(23:58):
It's www.dinamarey.com as my name is here onthe on the screen.
And, yes, the book is on there.
Under books, you will definitely find it.
And, of course, it is on Amazon everywhereworldwide.

(24:19):
Oh, nice.
Nice.
Oh, that's wonderful.
Wow.
That story did not go how I thought it wasgoing to go.
I like stories with twists, though.
They I think they keep it really interesting.
What what do you like best about publishing ananthology like this where you have several

(24:46):
authors together?
What what gets to your heart through it?
You
know, I really feel it's my mission to helpentrepreneurs to get their messages out in the
world and that everyone's story is important.
I'm sure you feel the same way, Alice.

(25:08):
So I love the stories.
I love reading the stories.
I sometimes cry because I can't believe thatpeople go through such harrowing circumstances
and, you know, celebrate with them.
I also I also give them feedback on every onevery story that I read.

(25:29):
I give the personal feedback to the author tohelp them to improve their story so that it's
really great, and they're really proud of it.
If, you know, even before it goes to theeditor, the author and I first go through a few
rounds.
I I feel it's sacred work.
I feel it's you know, to to work with someone'sreally heartfelt deep story is is such a

(25:56):
privilege to to get into the heart, you know,because you really know the heart of that
person.
It's it's a really a beautiful experience.
And so I love doing that.
I love helping them with their business and howto make the most of the book.
We have meetings.

(26:16):
We chat about what are they gonna do at theback end.
I give them I have them give them a speakersheet, all kinds of things to help them to
really leverage this the power of their story.
And, of course, the launch, you know, thelaunch is a thrill.
It's getting together and watching the bookclimbing the ranks and how we, launch it, and

(26:42):
then it hits number one, and everyone ischeering.
Oh, it's it's just great.
And, of course, the absolute joy for everyone,as you say, to hold their book in their hands.
It is such a thing.
This has got my name on it.
I wrote in here.
My story is in here.
It's it's a beautiful experience.

(27:04):
People love it.
I agree.
I agree.
And for those that are asking, yes.
A few days before we had the incident with abull, I put my first post up, and that volume
five of the giving book is open forsubmissions.
I'm so happy with your book.

(27:26):
I love that there are different stories in itbecause then there's something for for every
reader, hopefully.
You know?
I can't can't say that without a doubt, butwith 88 on Thursday, I think there'll be
something for for most every reader.

(27:47):
And, I'm really glad that you do this, and Iagree.
We do it out of our hearts to give people aplace to have their their story be heard.
Maybe there's something they've been wanting totell, but they haven't had a place to do it.
It's not enough for a full book.
Maybe it's just something they wanna try andsee if they even like it and then go from

(28:11):
there.
I know I have three, I call them collaborators,contributors, because not everybody writes.
Some people have photography and artwork andother thing.
But three people who had never written anythingbefore wrote in in the first few books, and now

(28:36):
they're writing their own book.
It it let them see what the experience waslike.
And I'm glad they had a good experience so theywould keep coming back and but more so they can
write their own story now because, you know,forget the statistics, but it's somewhere
around 90% of people in the world want to writea book.

(29:04):
And Yeah.
And out of that 90%, only, like, two percentactually go through with it.
And that's, like, incredibly shocking to mebecause people like you and myself can help
them get their book written.
There is time to it.

(29:25):
That's when I hear, oh, there's no time.
Well, there is time.
And There is time.
Both know there's ways you can find the time towrite a book.
You don't know where to start.
We'll show you how to do that.
And and there's it really isn't as difficult.
Some people have really bad experiences withtheir publishers because they wanted their book

(29:47):
done a certain way, and the publishers wantedit one way.
And that's really too bad because they thinkthey were given a disservice at that point.
Mhmm.
But you don't have to state, sorry.
Don't mean to offend publishers, but there areso many publishers now.
Yeah.
Oh, many.
You know?
I agree.

(30:08):
Just the traditional houses.
And if you've never done it yourself, somebodycan guide you through with it to help you out
so you can get your your story out there.
And if you only wanna write one book in yourlife, write that book.
Don't keep waiting.
I totally agree with you.
And, yes, there are many publishers, and I alsofeel that for me, it's important.

(30:35):
I don't know what other publishers do.
But for me is I publish.
If I work with someone, my solo authors orpublishing services, people want me just to
probably help them publish their book.
I publish their book under their name, notunder my name.
Yeah.

(30:55):
So that they directly as the right to thebooks, it's their intellectual property that
they directly receive the royalties fromAmazon.
Yes.
I know of some I know some, yeah.
I know some some publishers do that.
They publish a book under their name, and thenthey don't do enough with a book to market it.

(31:18):
And then this author is can't do anything.
Their hands are chopped off because they can'tget it's not they can't get the rights of their
book back, or the publisher disappears and, youknow, the book is just sitting there.
That's not fair.
That's not
fair.
If
you're not a traditional publishing house likeI house, then you have no right to to publish

(31:43):
someone's book under your under under thepublishing house indie publishing house's name.
I don't think that's fair.
Right.
Yeah.
I I agree with you.
I've experienced some difficulties withpublishing.
That's that's why I learned how to do it on myown.

(32:04):
I I can't say on my own because there's plentyof people who have helped me.
You know?
I've taken the the classes and the and theinstructions and stuff to learn.
But it is you know, I I agree with you.
I want that author to know that this is theirbook.
You've you've paid me to help you.

(32:25):
I've already got my my money from it, so tospeak, because you paid me to teach you what to
do, and now you've got it.
And they have those skills if they wanna go onto another book.
If they need a little guidance, you know, youand I are right here.
We can help them guide them through it again.

(32:46):
And and it's wonderful because I think weactually create relationships with our authors.
They're not just a name you see once.
Okay.
They're gone.
We got their money.
We've got their book, and now they're gone.
It's like, no.
I'm I'm I like having that relationship.
And if they wanna end it after the book isdone, fine.

(33:06):
You know?
That's up to them.
I And it is a business.
I mean
It is a business, but I I'm I'm like you there,Alice.
I like to have relationships with my authors.
And Yeah.
And they also they come back again and againand again and again to work with me.
And I I treasure that.

(33:28):
I think that is
Oh, definitely.
Beautiful.
So some of them don't.
Many people in the multi author books, they,you know, get their what they paid for, they
get their status, and they, you know, get theirmake their money back, and then they move on.
And it's their right to do
that as well.
That's right.
Yeah.

(33:48):
Okay.
So to get ahold of you, they go to w w w dotDinaMarie, which is dinamarais.com.
That's right.
Okay.
Wonderful.
And they can get it your books on Amazon toounder the same name.
So thank you so much for being here.

(34:09):
I I really appreciate you sharing your insightsto the writing and kind of behind the scenes
and and reading part of your book to us.
Oh, I can't go read those other stories.
That was amazing.
Beautiful.
All of them are really incredible stories.
They really lift you up.
It's beautiful.

(34:29):
That's that's really wonderful to do that.
And and the one really great thing about havingso many authors in there is you can read one
story, and you can put it away so you can getsome other stuff, but then come right back to
it.
You know?
Every night you story before you go to sleep.
And I love that they offer hope andencouragement because the world needs that so

(34:51):
much right now.
So thank you, Dina, for being here, and thankyou, our audience, for hanging out with us for
a little while here on Reading Between theWords, and we'll see you next time.
Thank you.
I hope today's conversation on Reading Betweenthe Words gave you a glimpse into the heart
behind the book and spark something new foryour life or business.

(35:13):
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We appreciate your support of this podcast, andremember, your words have power too.
Go to lskirkpatrick.com/podcast.
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