We recently had the chance to connect with Dr. Carolyn Warren Wiley and have shared our conversation below.
Carolyn, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Knitting. Absolutely knitting.
When my world is full of deadlines and books launching every month, knitting is the first thing that slips to the back burner. But the moment the holidays roll around and life forces me to slow down just a smidge? I pull out my yarn like it’s an old friend I haven’t talked to in way too long.
Right now I’m working on a baby blanket — soft, cozy, and completely different from the strategic publishing work I do all day. Knitting grounds me. It quiets my mind, keeps my hands busy, and lets me breathe in a way nothing else does.
And—because I can’t help myself—I’m planning to publish the pattern. Even my hobbies eventually turn into something I want to write, share, or create with others. It’s just how I’m built. But at its core, knitting is the place where I feel the most peaceful, creative, and connected.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Dr. Carolyn Warren Wiley — publishing strategist and founder of Rose & Pearl Publishing, the hybrid publishing house for faith-driven CEOs who are ready to write the signature book that becomes the strategic anchor of their brand.
I help high-level Christian entrepreneurs turn their God-given message into a beautifully crafted, authority-building book using a cohesive ecosystem of frameworks and tools, including:
• The Signature Book Blueprint™
• The W.R.I.T.E. Method™
• The ARISE Method™
• Christian Writers Arise: 90-Day Book Accelerator
• The Rose Gold Author Experience (our concierge-level publishing service)
• Authority Unlocked workshops, summits, and visibility pathways
What makes my work unique is the fusion of Holy Spirit guidance, creative craftsmanship, and strategic precision — a combination shaped by my background as a professor, bestselling textbook co-author, speaker, and redeemed storyteller.
My mission is simple and deeply personal:
To steward God’s stories with excellence so the next generation doesn’t forget His goodness.
Whether I’m ghostwriting a memoir, coaching a CEO through their first draft, or preparing one of our authors for a 2026 launch, my goal is always the same:
Help them write the book that proves they were always the expert — and do it in a way that feels aligned, anointed, and wildly impactful.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who taught you the most about work?
Hands down, my dad.
He married my mom at eighteen with nothing but grit, faith, and a whole lot of ambition. By the time he passed, he had built multiple multi-million-dollar companies — but his real legacy wasn’t the businesses. It was the way he lived.
My brother and I grew up inside that world. We worked for him, rode around with him, and watched him lead in real time. And the thing that always stood out was this:
He was the same man everywhere.
At home. At work. In the hard seasons. In the good ones.
He cared deeply for the people God put in his life — employees, family, anyone under his covering. He led with integrity, consistency, and a kind of everyday excellence you don’t forget once you’ve seen it up close.
Everything I know about leadership, loyalty, work ethic, and building something that outlives you… I learned from him.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Absolutely.
About a year into building Rose & Pearl Publishing, everything looked bleak. I had very few clients, very little income, and the harsh reality was setting in: I might have to put the dream on pause and go back to teaching. I remember taking a long walk with my husband — one of those tearful, heart-on-the-table conversations where you admit how tired you are… and how much you still want what God told you to build.
We made a decision on that walk:
If God called me to this, then we were going to do whatever it took to keep the doors open.
And we did. We DoorDashed to fill the gaps. We sacrificed comfort. We held the line. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was obedience.
One year later?
We had multiple bestselling books, consistent five-figure months, and Rose & Pearl was becoming a recognized name in the Christian publishing space. The very thing I almost walked away from was the thing God was already breathing on — I just needed to keep going long enough to see it.
I thank God every day that I didn’t give up. If I had, I’d be back teaching math… and the thousands of readers who have been touched, healed, strengthened, and inspired by the books we’ve published wouldn’t have those messages in their hands.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
For the first time, yes — fully and unapologetically.
When I was a college professor, there was Dr. Wiley and then there was Carolyn. Two very distinct versions of me that rarely overlapped. I taught in a public college, so my faith stayed mostly in private conversations, whispered in hallways or shared after class — never fully in the open the way it is now.
Stepping into the calling God prepared me for — leading Rose & Pearl Publishing and serving faith-driven authors — has allowed me to integrate every “random” part of myself into one cohesive whole. The strategist, the storyteller, the professor, the redeemed woman, the leader, the knitter, the creative, the voice of encouragement… all of it finally fits together.
And honestly?
I’m a woman of a certain age now, so I’m more comfortable in my own skin than ever. What you see publicly is exactly who I am privately — same voice, same conviction, same humor, same faith. It feels like freedom.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. If immortality were real, what would you build?
As a woman of faith, I actually do believe immortality is real — which is exactly why the work I’m building matters so deeply to me. I’m not creating books just to fill shelves; I’m stewarding stories that echo into eternity.
But even outside a faith lens, you can’t look at the works of Shakespeare, Lord Byron, or any author whose words still move us centuries later and tell me immortality doesn’t exist. Writers experience a different kind of forever. You may not be on this earthly plane to taste it, but your words outlive you. Your ideas keep breathing. Your voice keeps speaking.
That’s why I believe so fiercely in the power of books.
A social media post might live for 24 hours.
A book?
A book can outlive generations.
So if I had immortality in the earthly sense, I’d keep doing what I’m already doing — building a publishing house that preserves stories, truth, and testimony so they ripple far beyond my lifetime. That’s the kind of immortality I believe in… the kind carried forward in ink, paper, and the hearts of readers not yet born.
Contact Info:
- Website: HTTPS://roseandpearl.net
- Instagram: @carolynwileywrites
- Linkedin: @carolynwileywrites
- Facebook: @carolynwileywrites
- Youtube: @thepublishedpearl
Image Credits
Phot Credit (for headshot): SAS Film & Photography. Other photos by Adrienne Wiley
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
