Meet Cindy Gunderson

We were lucky to catch up with Cindy Gunderson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Cindy, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

This one is tough, but for me, a huge part of it has been breaking down the idea that we should ever know what we’re doing. I try to surround myself with other people who are taking risks, either creatively or personally. It inspires me and convinces my brain that ‘making it’ or ‘having all the answers’ was never the goal in the first place.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m exploring story creation right now, in all its forms. I write novels, narrate audiobooks, and create stories and content on social media (TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube). I’m working to understand myself better so I can more efficiently get the stories out of my head and onto paper! I write rom-com and women’s fiction under the pen name Cynthia Gunderson and sci-fi and fantasy under the pen name Cindy Gunderson. I have a new release I’m SUPER excited about that’s about to launch on Kickstarter. It’s called “To Vanquish Darkness” and is a paranormal vampire fantasy romance. The story is set in gothic France.

I’m also passionate about making audiobooks accessible. My husband is an optometrist, so I’m aware of more people than most who struggle with their sight. I have my audio available free on YouTube as well as on all the library platforms. Because I’m a narrator, I don’t have the massive up front costs that other authors face when choosing to put their work in audio. I’m trying to maximize that super power.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Three things that were most impactful:

1. My acting and performing background. This not only fuels my understanding of character, but my ability to bring it to life through narration.

2. Organization skills. This is absolutely fundamental, and it can be learned. Practicing every day with time blocking or task sorting, whatever works for you, but you need a system that works with your brain and your lifestyle.

3. My psychology degree. I did SO much writing, and again, that study of human behavior and the meticulous research I learned to do have been essential in my author journey.

My advice would be to choose one skill in the different areas of your life and give them special focus for a month. I choose one skill or quality for my physical, emotional, professional, and spiritual growth every month or so, and it makes all the difference. By the end of the year, you’ve improved more than a handful of skills without every feeling overwhelmed or approaching burnout

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

I’m going to cheat and give two: Essentialism by Greg McKeown and The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Reuben, Both of these books not only helped me understand more about myself, but also helped me narrow down what was most important and how I could approach those goals using my personal super powers. Some of my favorite quotes I think of often:

Essentialism:
“You cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything”
“What if we stopped celebrating being busy as a measurement of importance? What if instead we celebrated how much time we had spent listening, pondering, meditating, and enjoying time with the most important people in our lives?”
“If it isn’t a clear yes, then it’s a clear no.”

Four Tendencies:
This book helps you understand how you respond to expectations, both internal and external. It’s helped me figure out what strategies will work for me based on that natural response. These ideas particularly resonate:

Focus on what works for me rather than what’s wrong with me.
Finally I am coming to the conclusion that my highest ambition is to be what I already am.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Andrea Flanagan Photography

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Where do you get your resilience from?

Resilience is often the x-factor that differentiates between mild and wild success. The stories of

Productivity
Beating Burnout

Often the key to having massive impact is the ability to keep going when others

Leadership Development
Finding Your Why

Not knowing why you are going wherever it is that you are going sounds silly,