We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Robin Strachan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Robin below.
Hi Robin, great to have you with us today and excited to have you share your wisdom with our readers. Over the years, after speaking with countless do-ers, makers, builders, entrepreneurs, artists and more we’ve noticed that the ability to take risks is central to almost all stories of triumph and so we’re really interested in hearing about your journey with risk and how you developed your risk-taking ability.
I grew up in a small city in southwestern Pennsylvania with parents who rarely strayed far from home. By that, I mean their activities all took place within a 20-mile radius of home. Without meaning to be different, I became someone who overcame a fear of going outside my comfort zone, and became a road warrior. I was able to overcome fears about driving in strange places, in heavy metropolitan traffic, and long distances by…doing it. One success led to the feeling that I had already overcome fear once. I could do it again. Each time, I would breathe through any fears and start the car. If I was flying, I would organize everything so that I knew what each half-hour would bring so I could prepare for it.
I took a big risk entering college full-time while I had two daughters, ages 11 and 6. I graduated summa cum laude with two majors and a minor. I look back on that time and think, “How did I maintain a home, a marriage, and motherhood while carrying that many credit hours?” I studied while standing in grocery lines. I recorded class lectures and listened while driving. I cooked meals while reciting answers to questions. I asked my Angels for help.
This part may surprise people. I used the power of my subconscious mind. If I didn’t have an idea for an essay or term paper, I turned the question over to my subconscious mind before sleep. In the morning, I had the answer. That led to a better understanding of intuition and the power of mind.
My next big risk was becoming a professional artist. I didn’t aim for stardom. I aimed for my own exhibit. It took less than four years to achieve that by working each day on paintings, even if only for an hour.
My next big risk was writing my first novel. I have now finished six novels. Another book is in process. Five of my novels have been published by a small press. It is a risk just to put yourself out there as an author. Not everyone will like a book. Not every book is for everybody. But enough readers follow my books that I know it was worth the risk.
What is my next big risk? In March, a large library will hold an author event featuring me and my most recent book, THE IRISH BOOK CLUB OF DUBLIN (OHIO). I am preparing for this by thinking through questions and answers ahead of time so that I will be prepared. Will I be nervous? Yes. Will I step into the challenge and succeed? Yes.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My life has changed over the decades. What has not changed is my focus on writing. When I worked in higher education, health care, and human service, I raised money, which required writing grants and proposals. Now I am focused 100% on writing novels. I also am an artist working in watercolors and pastels. My books are about real women who are strong and resilient, going through a challenge, and learning they can overcome anything. My first book was MANIFESTING DREAMS about a woman who embarks on a new life adventure using her gift of “second sight.” My second book, DESIGNING HEARTS, was about a woman surviving a humiliating experience and learning to love again. My third and fourth books, LISTENING FOR DRUMS and DAUGHTER OF THE HEART, were about a young female osteopathic physician serving the Blackfeet Indians in the Glacier Park region of Montana. My fifth book, which came out in June 2023, is called THE IRISH BOOK CLUB OF DUBLIN (OHIO) and tells the story of an abused minister’s wife who must learn to trust and love again. She builds the business she has always dreamed of having and meets the man of her dreams. Together, they get justice for her son who was killed for being true to himself.
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?
If you are interested in a particular subject, by all means, dive into it! Learn as much as you can. Go to the places where you can learn more. For example, I was interesting in hot air ballooning, so I flew to Albuquerque, New Mexico (alone), drove all over New Mexico (alone) and immersed myself in just BEING there. I learned so much.
If you lose yourself while painting or writing or cooking, that is something you probably were born to do. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have to put forth the effort to improve and grow. I am a creative. I create every day. And the more I create, the happier I am.
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
I recently moved across the country from Chicago to Connecticut (just outside New York City). Being in a new community means I need to make connections. I joined a book group to meet other passionate readers. I attend events that are of interest to me so that I can meet like-minded people. I relate one-to-one with people, which helps me get the word out about my books…while making new friends.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.robinstrachanauthor.com/index.php
- Instagram: robinwriter444
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorrstrachan/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-strachan-6b1919134/
