Meet E.m. Wylde

 

We were lucky to catch up with E.m. Wylde recently and have shared our conversation below.

E.M., so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

My confidence and self-esteem is rooted in two things. One being a hold-over of the arrogance of my youth. The sense that “if he can do it, I can do it” or, “if I work hard enough, I can do anything.” Now, after years of risk-taking and mistake-making (I’m trying not to use the word failing), I’ve come to learn that neither of these sentiments are true. But if you have a growth-mindset and learn from your mistakes, you will ultimately be successful at some things. Latching on to those successes is what has made me more confident and self-assured in life. For instance, when I started a punk rock band based out of the Northwest Territories (arctic Canada) as a teen, was I absolutely certain we were the greatest band of all time and we were destined to be rock stars? Absolutely. Of course neither of those things turned out to be true, and in hindsight it’s laughable. But through the six year journey of going for it – the tours, the albums, the gigs, and ultimately the growth (bank account notwithstanding), you’re transformed into a new person, and you carry this person on to the next challenge. Back to the origin story of my confidence and self esteem (speaking of having a growth-mindset). I’ve learned you have to force yourself outside your comfort zone if you want to grow. My college professor once told me, “it’s our job to put you outside your comfort zone.” Well, I haven’t had a college professor in a long time, so now I have to go out of my way to make myself feel uncomfortable, which is just as bad as it sounds. But when you come out the other side of such a challenge, you’re a better version of yourself (hopefully). Recently I was in a very public audiobook narration contest where we had to narrate live in front of seasoned professionals, and be critiqued. It was quite uncomfortable. But I knew I had to do it if I wanted to grow and be a more confident narrator. Am I more confident? Yes. Did I grow? Yes. Do I still suffer from imposter-syndrome and other things of that ilk? Yes! But I know I’m still in the middle of this particular journey, and thanks to the aforementioned arrogance of my youth, I know I can do it.

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?

I’ve worn many hats over the years: a teacher, an a electrician, a musician. But the hat that I’m currently wearing and which I’m hyper-focused on, is that of an audiobook narrator, In short – story telling! First and foremast, I’m a passionate audiobook fan. Once I discovered audiobooks (by way of digital downloads), it was a total game-changer in my life. Everything just became better – doing the dishes, yes please (audiobook!). Changing a poopy diaper, no prob (audiobook!). Until one day I asked, I wonder if I can do that? As a teacher, reading out loud to the class was one of my favorite things to do. As a dad, I would literally pretend I was recording an audiobook when I read the kids bedtime stories. I just wasn’t sure where my particular voice and style would fit in. Well, about eighteen months later, through many trials and tribulations, and with nearly twenty audiobooks to my name, I have found myself living primarily in the romance genre! What I love about this genre, is that fans really want a performance. Some other genres tend to have a “shut up and read” mentality. But I am not about that life. I live for putting your heart and soul into “performing” a book, bringing the characters to life, and painting the picture that is the story. I’ve had some great opportunities recently working with some audiobook publishing houses including Dark Star Romance and Tantor Audio. I’ve had the honor of being involved in a big multi-cast romance trilogy with some big names, and it’s going to be dropped on Audible any day now (the first book is called “Wife Number One” by Elle Thorpe, and hint hint, you can already get it on Spotify). I’m booked up recording well into 2025, and I’ll be an attending narrator at at least two book conferences in 2025 (and they both happen to be in South Carolina), so come say hi!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Firstly, having a growth mindset. Throwing out the idea that you can’t do something, and believing you simply can’t do it YET (and yes, this will involve putting yourself outside of your comfort zone). Secondly, one of my mantras, “Don’t cry, apply.” If you want something, you have to go after it, because somebody is going to get to do the cool thing. And if you don’t take the risk, it’s definitely not going to be you. Does this mean you will get to do the cool thing? Maybe not. But you’ll grow and learn one way or the other. And lastly, you have to be willing to put in the time, work hard, grind, and hustle. I start working at 4:30 in the morning and get an average of about 5 hours of sleep these days. I hope I won’t always have to work this hard, but now it’s what I have to do, and I’m willing to do it.

If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?

The challenge I’m facing right now, like so many people, is finding a work/life balance. Every morning I wake up and I say, I’m going to work out today. I have a home gym right outside my recording booth, and I love working out. But I simply can not find one spare hour in the day to use it between parenting and working on my audiobooks. That’s just an example, but I often wonder if I’m failing at a spouse and as a dad, and sometimes I wonder if it’s actually worth it. Ultimately the answer is “yes, but.” Yes, it’s worth it, But, I’m going to have to make some changes, and that’s my main goal for 2025. I just have to make it to Chrstmas!

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