Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:11):
Welcome back to the
Plus One Theory podcast.
I'm your host, pam Dwyer, andtoday this is the second episode
on the series.
So you Want to Be an Author?
Today we're going to talk aboutthe power of your story.
So have you ever thought aboutwriting a book?
(00:32):
Maybe you've been throughsomething hard, something messy,
and maybe you're still in it.
But here's what I've learnedPeople don't just want to hear
the success stories, you know.
People want to hear the truth.
The story is power, your storyand today I'm going to tell you
(00:54):
how becoming an author startedwith my own pain and how telling
it helped me heal and it helpedothers too heal and it helped
others too.
So just the plus one theoryreminder we don't leap to the
finish line.
We move one small, intentionalstep at a time.
This episode is that next step,for you and for me.
(01:21):
So again, let's talk about whereit all began.
For me, it was therapy and myjournal notes.
That was the start for me,writing a book.
And my therapist would alwayssay, after reading my journal
notes, you should write a book,pam.
It really planted a seed in myheart and soul.
(01:44):
Am it really planted a seed inmy heart and soul?
Because after she said that andI started focusing on some
things that I'm going to sharewith you in a minute, I started
feeling vulnerable and theimposter syndrome set in.
But then I thought if my storycould help just one person, then
(02:07):
it was worth it.
Your story doesn't need to beperfect, it just needs to be
yours and someone out thereneeds to hear it.
Some people are afraid that noone will even care about their
story.
Or some people feel thatthey're not qualified to write a
(02:29):
book or share a message andthey worry.
It has already been said bysomeone else, but let's think
about this.
Let's reframe that way ofthinking.
Okay, so you do have strengthsin a lot of areas and it all
comes from your story, the storyof your life.
So you have lived experiencethat's unique.
(02:53):
That's yours.
It's not like anyone else's.
No one else has your voice,your lens, your heart, and the
right people will resonate ifyou share with intention.
So let's talk about strategy,strategy, offline strategy.
You don't start with a book.
(03:14):
It doesn't magically justappear and there it is.
I'm going to put it up onAmazon.
I'm going to upload it now.
It's not like that.
You start with your voice right.
So I know what I did.
I recorded my voice reading myjournal notes because I wanted
to hear me saying what myfeelings were.
(03:37):
And then I started thinking, wow, these are just basically my
memories.
You know, the memories from mychildhood which, I will tell you
, at first was sort of tough toremember.
All the details of abuse, allthe details of, you know,
dysfunction, abandonment, allthose terrible things that I
(04:01):
experienced growing up.
I started seeing them as scenesfrom a movie, right, and that
helped me remember a lot moredetail, which it can be painful,
folks.
I'm going to be honest with you.
It was painful for me to relivethose moments that I tried to
block out.
In a strange sort of way, itreally helped me heal, and I
(04:26):
didn't realize it until Istarted visualizing these scenes
from my life.
I didn't realize how much itwas holding me back.
You know, healing from thatallowed, it opened up a whole
new world for me.
It allowed all my strengths tocome out and I didn't realize I
had so many of them.
I had a lot of gifts that Ineeded to share with all of you.
(04:50):
So, anyway, so if you are havingtrouble or struggling
remembering details, startwriting out scenes like from a
movie.
You know from your life.
Share a post or a story onsocial media or in a group and
every chance you get, whenyou're with friends or when
(05:12):
you're at an event networkingfor your own business or your
own job, mention that you have astory to tell.
You can actually talk and shareyour story.
It's so much more authenticwhen you speak your story.
(05:35):
Writing it is important, butspeaking it is more important.
Keep it low pressure right.
Don't pressure yourself.
You don't want to get stressedout about it.
The goal is momentum, notmastery.
Start by writing one scene fromyour life that changed.
You Don't edit it, don't polishit.
You just write what you'rethinking and feeling and
(05:56):
remembering, and do that atleast once a day.
In two weeks, three weeks, fourweeks time, whatever, go back
to the beginning and startreading it like you would read a
book, and you'll see the story.
You'll see it just unfoldingbefore your very eyes.
Now you do have to be vulnerableto be able to reflect on some
(06:21):
difficult times struggles, but Ipromise you your struggles do
give you strength.
So to make yourself vulnerableis your power.
People connect with your scars,not your perfection.
Telling your truth makes peopleuncomfortable sometimes, but it
also created a tribe of peoplewho finally felt seen.
(06:44):
Storytelling is how we buildbridges, and vulnerability
doesn't make you weak.
It gives you well, it givesyour voice strength.
I mean, I've experienced thatmyself many, many times and I've
shared my story with a lot ofyou, but maybe this is your
(07:06):
first time listening in and Icome from a very abusive
childhood Abandonment, physicalabuse and mental trauma and so
there's a lot.
If you are curious about it,I've written it in great detail
in my book from the Piney Woodsand I write my as PJ Hamilton.
(07:27):
So if you would like the linkto the book, I'm happy to put it
in the notes today and you canjust click on it and order your
copy.
To put it in the notes todayand you can just click on it and
order your copy.
Or you can read an ebook ifyou're an ebook reader.
And just so you all know, I amworking on the Audible.
Everyone's been asking for onefor me to record the book, and
(07:48):
so I had to figure that out, hadto figure out how to record an
Audible, and it's actually it'seasier than I thought it would
be and I already have theequipment here from my
podcasting.
So so stay tuned for that.
I'll announce it when it's whenit's available.
So let's talk abouttransformation and outcomes and
(08:10):
making people want more oncethey hear your story.
So after I shared my story fromthe Piney Woods, people reached
out to say they felt like I hadwritten their story, their own
story.
And that's when I knew thatwriting isn't about being
impressive.
Right, you don't have toimpress people with your writing
(08:32):
.
It's all about being real,genuine.
It's about showing people thatthey're not alone and inviting
them to do the same for others.
Because that's how I healed.
I didn't heal from justremembering my own story.
I healed by sharing the storyand helping others find their
(08:57):
own strengths.
Helping others heal with theirown stories.
Confidence it gave meconfidence.
Confidence is something youdon't realize you have until you
know you try something and thenyou succeed.
It works.
That's a confidence buildingexercise for you To succeed at
(09:22):
something that means a lot toyour heart.
This story is what made me whoI am today.
So do I wish I didn't have togo through all that?
Yeah, yeah, I do.
I look at it as energy and aspurpose.
That's how I use that story.
My story.
What's purpose?
(09:43):
My purpose is to share thestory and help others realize
their strengths and how they canuse them to help other people
too.
So you know how I feel aboutkindness, and I'm sure many of
you have heard about paying itforward.
Right Like I was in theStarbucks line getting a coffee
and when I pulled up, she saysthe car in front of you paid for
(10:04):
your coffee.
I was like what?
I don't even know them, theydon't know me, but they decided
they'd buy me a cup of coffeejust because Now, that's
kindness.
And how long did it take them?
Did it take them days and daysand days?
No, it literally took them afew seconds to make an impact on
me.
The rest of my day, the rest ofmy week was amazing because
(10:29):
someone showed kindness to me,and I'm sure they were feeling
good too.
I'm sure they were feeling likehuh, she didn't even know that
was coming and now she has afree cup of coffee.
So it made them feel good aboutthemselves.
I just love kindness.
I wish the whole world wouldjust be kind, and a lot of
(10:53):
people are.
A lot of the world is kind, buta lot of the world is not.
And so the kindness, the powerof kindness, should be shared
one step at a time, one kind actat a time.
From sharing your story, youheal, and you heal for yourself
(11:14):
and for others.
Help others heal, theconfidence you get.
You didn't even know you had it.
New opportunities, like you canuse it for speaking, podcasting,
coaching and so much moreWebinars.
That's what I'm currentlyworking on.
I'm trying to develop a systemand be more organized and
(11:38):
thorough in my message andgetting it out to the masses,
because my goal is to help asmany people as I can, but I
can't do that without speakingor podcasting or coaching, so
I'm really focused on coaching.
Right now.
I'm going to start offeringsome really cool deals for
(11:58):
people to work with meone-on-one and I'm very, very
excited about it.
So that's an announcement.
It's not I'm not quite ready tolaunch that idea just yet, but
just know I'm working on it.
And then, finally, you know,like I mentioned earlier,
purpose.
You activate your purpose, thereason you're on this earth.
(12:24):
A lot of times, people have noclue what their purpose is.
They don't know what they want.
They don't know who they are.
A lot of women who are so busytaking care of everyone else
taking care of the kids, takingcare of the spouse, taking care
of your co-workers or your teamat work.
(12:48):
Women, we do so much.
Men do too.
Don't get me wrong, but I'mjust saying.
It seems like a lot of womenlose sight of their identity
because they're just too busytaking care of everyone else,
and I realized that myself.
Well, that's another story.
I need to save all this for youguys.
(13:08):
Sometimes I sit here and thinkwhat do I want this podcast
episode to be about?
How can I help just one personwith this episode?
And I sit there and think and Ijust go through the scenes of
my life and I pick somethingthat I learned a valuable lesson
with and share it with you guys.
(13:29):
So if this message has movedyou today or you got a golden
nugget from it that's going tohelp you in your life, I invite
you to support the work I'mdoing, one small step at a time.
When you share this podcastwith someone, it is supporting
my work.
It is supporting my message.
(13:50):
I've put several ways that youcan support me.
There's a book campaign that'sabout to end any day at the end
of this month, so be sure and goto PamDwyerSpeakercom and click
on the crowdfunding button anddonate $5, $10, $15, $20, $200,
$500, $1,000, whatever you areable to do, just to show me that
(14:13):
you appreciate the message andthat you want to help me get the
Plus One Theory book published.
And if you can't do that, wellthen, prayer is good and sharing
this podcast with people isreally good too.
So you don't have to write thewhole book today.
You don't need a perfect plan.
(14:35):
You don't need a perfect plan.
You just need the courage thecourage to start telling the
truth To yourself first and thento others.
That's where the magic is.
Stay tuned for next week, wherewe're going to dive into the
tools and the platforms that Iuse as an author, from Amazon,
(14:59):
royalties to events, marketingand building a reader community.
That's my goal.
It's just to grow my audience,grow the number of people that I
can help by telling my story,writing my story, sharing my
story.
It's a testimony, people, it'sa way to honor all that you've
(15:20):
been through and all that you'velearned.
I mean, that's why we gothrough these trials is so that
we can help others going throughsimilar trials.
All right, so you guys, takecare.
Remember to share this episodewith as many people as you can,
and I will talk to you next week.
Thanks for listening.
Hey, you just thought you gotrid of me.
(15:43):
I have another announcement Forall of you walking your own
health and wellness journey.
I've been invited to speak forthe Seeger Circle Support Group
hosted by Seeger MD Wellness andWeight Management, and I'd love
for you to join me.
This incredible group is aspace for anyone navigating
(16:04):
weight loss, wellness orpost-bariatric life.
Than Dr Mickey Seeger and DrJennifer Seeger, or Dr Jenny as
I call her a powerhouse duo withover 40 years of combined
experience.
They're board-certifiedphysicians that don't just focus
(16:24):
on the scale.
They focus on you as a whole.
At SeegerMD, they providecomprehensive care that includes
everything from bariatricsurgery and personalized medical
weight management tonutritional coaching, hormone
therapy, stress management and alot more.
Whatever it takes for you to bethe healthiest you.
(16:47):
And this Tuesday, july 1st, at 6pm Central, I'll be joining the
Seeger Circle live to show parttwo of my talk on the three M's
of weight loss surgery, thistime focusing on motivation, how
to sustain it and how to keepgoing even when it gets very
(17:08):
difficult.
I'll be sharing stories,answering questions and bringing
the Plus One Theory to life,for anyone who needs a reminder
that they can finish strongerthan they started, one step at a
time.
If you're not already on myemail list, head to
pamedwirespeakercom right nowand sign up.
(17:31):
That's where I'll be sharingthe Zoom link and event info.
Let's grow, learn and take thatnext plus one step together.
Okay, I'm really leaving now.
Talk to you next week or maybeon Tuesday, july 1st, at 6 pm.