We recently connected with Amy Piper and have shared our conversation below.
Amy, thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?
As a former certified professional project/program manager (PMP), risk was one of the knowledge areas I worked with every day. Risk is an uncertain event that, if it occurs, will impact objectives positively or negatively. The critical element is the uncertainty. If it happens, it may be positive or negative for what you are trying to accomplish.
Whenever I take a risk in my own life, I decide if the impact is positive or negative, what is the likelihood that it will happen, and what the cost will be if it does occur. Then decide if the risk is one that I am willing to take.
I always have a contingency plan in place so that if the risk is realized, I have a way to recover or a plan that will allow me to have a way forward before I take the risk. It is less frightening to take a risk when you know what you will do if things go wrong.
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?
While I am a lifelong Michigander, I’ve had adventures worldwide. Bomb-sniffing dogs chased me in the middle of the night in Bogota (working late), gate agents refused my boarding to Paraguay (wrong visa), and US Marshals announced my seat number on a plane while looking for a murder suspect (I’d traded seats). It’s always an adventure! I even find exciting activities in my home state of Michigan, where I live in Lansing with my husband, Ross Dingman, my daughter, Alexis, and two granddaughters.
I am a Michigan-based author, blogger, and freelance travel writer that promotes the Midwest. While I write about destinations around town and around the world, I focus on promoting my home state of Michigan through my books.
My latest book is “Secret Michigan: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.” What’s surprising is how many secrets Michigan hides behind the well-known destinations. The mysteries it keeps, places you may have been, but things you never noticed. Stories that only the locals know. Places the locals didn’t want me to reveal. Occasionally, they would request that I not disclose an exact location for fear of spoiling it.
For this book, a secret may be a surprising backstory behind a well-known attraction, the world’s largest, most miniature, and unusual food—things that make you exclaim, “That’s weird!” As a lifelong resident of Michigan, even I was surprised at what I didn’t know. Harry Blackstone, Thomas Alva Edison, and Sojourner Truth are historical figures I associated with other places whom I discovered had roots in Michigan.
My book is available to order at ReedyPress.com.
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?
I invested in myself through workshops and seminars to learn the crafts of pitching, writing, and collaborating. While you can learn a new skill from many free sources, I increased the speed of learning by taking thoughtfully curated courses from those who have actually done it.
Secondly, I developed a network of people who where willing to share their knowledge. Then, once I learned certain skills, I paid it forward, by sharing my knowledge with others. I get a lot of my energy from talking and sharing with others.
Finally, continuously evaluate your progress but don’t give up. Modify your direction, based on the results you’re getting, but stay positive and remember to fail forward.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Yes, my first book, “Midwest Road Trip Adventures” was co-authored with 10 other writers. I love to work with others to achieve amazing things. I wrote the Michigan chapter and that book became a best-selling book on Amazon.
I work regularly with destinations to tell their stories. If destinations or individuals are interested in partnering, check out my services page on my blog FollowthePiper.com. You can reach me through my blogs Contact Page.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://followthepiper.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amythepipertravels/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amy.piper2
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amypiper/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/amythepiper
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb8mLZ9xOYQ9oA-qyAkevAA
- Yelp: NA
- SoundCloud: NA
Image Credits
No image credit is applicable.
