Meet Jen Graybeal

We recently connected with Jen Graybeal and have shared our conversation below.

Jen, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I think it found me because I honestly had no idea where the twists and turns of life were going to take me.

My entire professional career has revolved around doing jobs I didn’t know existed until I was the one doing them. From corporate executives that needed to have tough conversations to stay at home moms that wanted to pursue a dream, I have been coaching people for well over twenty years. The connective tissue through the various roles has always been that I’m here to help.

That helper gene has always been a big part of my identity and the way I see the world.

As a kid, I loved going to summer camp. It was only a week, but I thought about it all year. The moment I was old enough to attend as a counselor, I started spending three, then four, then six weeks at camp. I wanted to create the magic that had meant so much to me. I wanted to help kids step outside the roles they played at home and in school, to see themselves from a different angle, to try something they never tried before.

I didn’t know that helping a kid make a candle would teach me to help a Silicon Valley executive connect with employees in forty countries. And I certainly could not have predicted that explaining the disconnect between stock price and earnings statement would lead me to editing over two hundred romance novels.

What I’ve realized, though, is that all of it was about looking beyond the surface. Find the tension, the stress, and name it. Embrace the challenge of wanting to change and the discomfort that comes with it. Focus on the heart of the story we want to tell about ourselves.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am a Certified Creativity Coach that helps authors create stories they are proud of and businesses that align with their individual vision of success. I want my clients to feel empowered by their choices, to know that they are creating joy for their readers. Every author has to walk their own path, figure out how to run their business, and develop their own marketing strategy but they don’t have to do it alone.

In coaching sessions, we talk about the challenges and roadblocks that stand between an author and the career they want. Whether they need to work on their books, business, or mindset, my goal is for them to walk way from our session with clarity about the next steps. Coaching is a very personal thing and it’s important to know that you click with a coach so these sessions help us to get to know each other. I offer a free coaching session for new clients, they can sign up for that on my website.

In 2023, I launched Work It: A Six-Week Coaching Intensive for Authors which combines workshops, group coaching, 1-1 sessions, and networking for authors of various genres. The response was truly overwhelming. Authors learned to think differently about their business, made intentional choices that resulted in sales growth, healthy productivity, and a greater sense of peace. Check out my website for dates for the next session.

I also do about twenty speaking engagements each year for writing organizations and conferences in the US and other countries, both in person and virtually. Plus, I’m currently building out my YouTube channel with science-based workshops for creative professionals.

I love to travel, so this year I am putting together some Writer Retreats. I can’t wait to invite authors into a supportive environment for connection!

I have a few things planned to launch later this year. The best thing to do is sign up for my newsletter for the latest information, as well as marketing and mindset tips.

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?

1. Read fiction.
Humans have always told stories and fiction is a remarkably powerful tool. We see etchings on cave walls and share myths about how the world was formed. Stories about fantastic creatures and legendary heroes teach us about courage in the face of danger and the sacrifices we make for those we love. They entertain with humor and suspense, eliciting a range of emotions and empathy for imaginary characters. Authors are told to write what they know, and in doing so they connect us to people we will never meet and cultures we can never experience. They push us to imagine what we cannot see and dream about what could be.

Reading outside of our own experience — whether those stories come from other countries or from people that do not look and live like us — means seeing a bigger world and gaining perspective that expands our thinking in ways we could never achieve, even through in-person experiences.

2. Listen
Every conversation has subtext. There’s something the speaker is holding back, something they are feeling, something they want to convey and are uncertain about how to do so or how it will be interpreted. People are not necessarily being duplicitous or manipulative, it’s just that we know we aren’t perfect.

It is so easy to misinterpret a conversation, so we have to be willing to ask good questions and make the extra effort to understand what is really being said.

3. Be trustworthy
Be someone that shows up when they are needed and follows through on a promise. This applies to work environments, relationships, and your community. We all want to be around people we can trust, it is the foundation of every engagement we have. From trusting that a coworker will pull their weight and your spouse will pick up milk on their way home, to knowing that when bad things happen – and they always do – that there are people in your life who will step up for you.

You have to be trustworthy about the little things or no one will trust you with the important things.

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

I think it is all about being honest with ourselves about who we are and what we want. It is great to lean into our strengths, but have to recognize it’s the gaps that separate us from our goals.

I have clients that tell me they just want to write, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Writing is a fantastic hobby! It’s okay to write with zero expectations of readership or sales. But if you want the readership and sales, then it’s important to make the mindset shift into running a business.

That shift might require learning skills that do not align with our strengths.

Being a professional author or artist is never just about the creative pursuit. Building a business means you have to dedicate time and energy to the administrative, strategic, and marketing elements. Certain tasks can be outsourced, of course, but that requires management skills, communication, and goal setting. To be successful, we have to be willing to step outside our comfort zones and be a student. It is going to be uncomfortable, but we can’t run from that. In the same way that building a muscle might result in soreness between workouts – we can’t allow discomfort to derail us. Pick one or two things to focus on, then dedicate real time and energy to the effort of learning.

Learning new things requires time and energy. It is incredibly difficult because everyone is busy, but we have to carve out the hours needed to build skills. The key here is that you don’t necessarily have to close the gap completely. You don’t have to become a master, but you have to start somewhere.

Most importantly, we have to show ourselves some grace during the learning process.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Headshot by Stacy Photography in Humboldt County, CA
Other images by me

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