Meet Jim Cooper

We were lucky to catch up with Jim Cooper recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jim, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.

Two stories:
Seeing optimism in action. My Mom’s cancer journey baffled the doctors who gave her six months to live. She decided she was not done and hung around another 5 1/2 years including a period of total remission.

Having spirituality in my life. There were many times during my wife’s cancer journey that I was guided by a quiet voice to guide and reassure me:
1) Changing doctors – we received the cancer diagnosis from a hospital/doctor that we were not comfortable with. When it came time to sign up for treatment, a voice stopped me from making a phone call to this specific doctor and put us on a different and infinitely better path.
2) Turning over the treatment and results to my higher power, then staying out of the way.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Jim Cooper is a former radio DJ, newspaper boy, retail expert in a department store paint section, a men’s clothing shop and record store, a commercial real estate broker, residential home builder, movie critic, IT programmer and project leader; IT consulting firm owner, home baker, current owner of Jim Cooper VO, narrating audiobooks of all types, and Faceplant Books LLC.
….And that’s just on Mondays.
He is a music geek, still preferring vinyl to electronic forms of music, an avid reader and has recently jumped headfirst into the Ancestry craze.
His first novel, Twisted Ties, was published in 2014.
The Not So Little Book of Cancer Caregiving was published in 2023.
He has been blessed with a wife of 40+ years, two outstanding kids,
three rambunctious granddaughters,
and a never-ending string of insane rescue mutts.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1) The ability to listen.
2) The ability to learn.
3) Humility in asking for help.

Ask for help. There is nothing about the caregiver journey that needs to be done alone. Have the humility to adamit to yourself that you don’t have all the answers. Assemble a caregiver team of trusted people that can provide you guidance and knowledge when needed.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

Being overwhelmed while acting as a caregiver is part of the journey. There will be times when you reach maximum capacity and feel like you can’t take another step. This is the time to lean on people that can help: other caregivers, therapists, councilors, doctors – anyone that will listen and provide reassurance. Find a local caregiver support group and attend meetings. Be gentle with yourself – no one expects you to do everything (except yourself).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://faceplantbooksllc.com, https://jimcoopervo.com
• Instagram: YourVOBigDog
• Facebook: FacePlantBooks
• Linkedin: JimCooperVO
• Youtube: The Hydrant Podcast